Philo on Offering Firstfruits
But besides these we have what is not a feast, but is a general ceremony of a festal character called the Basket, a name which describes what takes place, as we shall shortly shew. That it has not the prestige and standing of a feast is clear for many reasons. For it does not affect the nation as a united whole like each of the others, nor do we…
Among the obligatory gifts brought to the Temple were the bikkurim, or firstfruits (Exodus 23:19; 34:26). Philo offers a description of the ritual and its logistics, including a paraphrase of the declaration that accompanies the offering in Deuteronomy 26:1–10. He explains that these gifts were designated for priestly consumption because the priests were landless and served on behalf of the nation.
For other discussions of the firstfruits in ancient Jewish literature, see Tobit Brings Firstfruits to Jerusalem, The Mishnah on Offering Firstfruits, and The Temple Scroll. (In the Temple Scroll, from Qumran, the obligation to offer firstfruits to the Lord applies not only to grain but also to wine and oil. The Temple Scroll prescribes three different harvest celebrations for each of these staple agricultural products with fifty days between each, in accord with the ancient harvest calendar.)
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