In chapter three, Jane thinks “Yes, Mrs. Reed, to you I owe some fearful pangs of mental suffering, but I ought to forgive you, for you knew not what you did…” There is no doubt that Charlotte Bronte was recalling LUKE 23 : 34, which records that “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus spoke of the Romans and Jews…
Scapegoats
LEVITICUS 16 : 8-10, 26 introduces the concept of a scapegoat, which bore the blame or burden of the guilty. The scapegoat is an Old Testament foreshadowing of the atoning sacrifice that would be made by Jesus Christ on the cross…