Sacrifice
I. Introduction
Sacrifice (religious ritual) (Latin
sacrificium, originally "something made holy"),
a ritual act in which a consecrated offering is
made to a god or other spiritual being in order
to establish, perpetuate, or restore a sacred bond
between humanity and the divine.
Offerings
may consist of humans or animals (blood offerings)
or fruits, crops, flowers, and wine (bloodless offerings).
II. Ancient and Eastern Religions
Sacrifice
played a central role in many ancient religions.
The
ancient Greeks sacrificed animals (such as goats,
sheep, horses, dogs, and cattle), sometimes consuming
part of the offerings in a celebratory meal as a
way of establishing communion with the gods.
In
Mexico
before the Spanish conquest of the 16th century,
the Aztecs
offered human sacrifices to the sun god, a practice
that took as many as 20,000 lives a year.
During the earliest period of Hinduism,
the Vedic period,
Hindu priests offered humans, animals, and plants
in sacrifice at certain stipulated times. (see also
my chapter Ganesh,
Hinduism & More)
The
ancient Chinese also practiced human sacrifice and
made offerings of domestic animals and of food to
gods and to ancestors.
Sacrifice
has never been practiced in Buddhism, although devotional
offerings of incense, lighted candles, and flowers
are made to the Buddha.
III.
Judaism
Sacrifice
was an essential and elaborately prescribed part
of Judaism until the destruction of the Temple in
Jerusalem in AD 70. Among the many sacrificial rites
of ancient Judaism were those for thanksgiving and
for expiation of sins Atonement.
IV.
Christian Concept of Sacrifice
In
Christianity the death of Christ
on the cross is considered an exemplary and perfected
sacrifice offered to expiate the sins of humanity.
Throughout the writings of St. Paul, Christ is identified
as a sacrificial victim (see 1 Corinthians 5:7;
Ephresians 5:2; Hebrews 10:12-13).
The
Eucharist has been associated from the beginning
of the Christian church with the sacrifice of Christ,
and in some Christian churches, notably the Roman
Catholic church, the Eucharist is interpreted as
a form of participation in Christ's sacrifice.
V.
Explanatory Theories
Many
theories concerning the origin of sacrificial rites
have been offered, especially in the 19th and early
20th centuries, but no conclusive case has been
established.
Contemporary
scholars tend to be more interested in the symbolic
and functional significance of sacrificial acts.
One theory, for example, considers sacrifice a form
of nonverbal communication between human beings
and their gods. Another relates sacrificial offerings
to the economic value they have in a particular
culture.
Several
scholars have argued that the forms of sacrificial rituals
resemble the structures of human relationships and that the
rituals are therefore symbolic not only of religious aspirations
but also of the daily lives of those who take part in them.
Contributed By: John A. Saliba, S.J., Ph.D. Associate
Professor of Religious Studies, University of Detroit.
Contributor to Anthropologica and other publications.
"Sacrifice,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com
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