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 © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.