Leviticus, chapter 5:1-13, lists the explicit sins that needed a public confession and the sin offering of a female goat or sheep. In these sins, they may know or not know that they are sinning. However, when they became aware of these transgressions, then they had to come forward. Half of these are about touching unclean things. This will become important, once they understood what was unclean. The first thing was when anyone saw something and did not speak up when they were able to testify about it. Secondly, if anyone touched an unclean thing, like the carcass of an unclean beast, livestock, or swarming thing, they were inadvertently guilty. Thirdly, when anyone touched human uncleanness, they were guilty. Finally, the fourth reason was when anyone uttered a rash oath for either a bad or good purpose. Once they realized their guilt in any of these circumstances, they had to confess their sin, and present a sin offering. Their purification offering should be a female goat or sheep from their flock. The priest then made atonement for them with a guilt offering, אֲשָׁמ֣וֹ (asamow). When there was doubt as to whether a person committed a sin, the person would make a guilt or trespass offering. However, the ordinary person could bring two turtledoves or two pigeons instead of a sheep, if they could not afford the sheep. They were guilty because they did something wrong, whether they knew it or not at the time of the action. There were two offerings. One of the birds was for a sin offering לְחַטָּ֖את (lehatat), and the other was for a brunt offering לְעֹלָֽה׃ (leolah). The priest followed the same procedure as in chapter 2, by wringing off its head, and turning it into smoke on the altar. The blood was to be drained out against the side and base of the altar. The Hebrew term for this type of sin offering, לְחַטָּ֖את (lehatat), was from a Hebrew word that meant “missing the mark.” Thus, this sin offering could only be offered for unintentional sins committed through carelessness, not for intentional, malicious sins. The size of the offering varied according to the nature of the sin and the financial means of the sinner. The priest would make an atonement, וְכִפֶּ֨ר (weḵipper), on their behalf. After all this was done, they would be forgiven. If they could not afford even the birds, they had to bring 1/10th of an ephah of flour. The ephah was an ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure, roughly equivalent to a bushel or 33 liters. 1/10th would be about 3 liters of flour. They should not put oil or frankincense on it. This was a sin offering so they brought it to the priest. He would offer it on the altar with the burnt offerings. He would scoop up a handful of it as a memorial portion. Anything left over, like the grain offering, the priest would keep. Just like above, the priest would make an atonement, וְכִפֶּ֨ר (weḵipper), on their behalf. Through this sacrifice, the priest made atonement for sin. The offeror received forgiveness, if Yahweh accepted the sacrifice. Atonement rituals involved the pouring or sprinkling of blood as the symbol of the life of the victim. The blood of the animal had the power to wipe out or absorb the sin. After all this was done, they would be forgiven. This was an elaborate process for those who had a strong sense of sin consciousness. How do you get forgiveness for your mistakes?
Month: November 2023
The sin offering of the tribal ruler and the ordinary person
According to Leviticus, chapter 4:22-35, if the tribal ruler unintentionally sinned, he had to offer a male goat without blemish, not a bull. The tribal leader laid his hand on the head of the male goat and the priest slaughtered it at the holocaust table outside the tent. This time the blood was placed on the horns of the table, not sprinkled on the table in the tent, but only at the base of this holocaust table. The fat of the goat became the communion sacrifice on the altar. Thus, the priest made atonement on his behalf for his sin and he would be forgiven. There was no mention of what happened to the rest of the goat. If any ordinary person sinned unintentionally, they are to bring a female goat as a sin offering, not a male goat. The same rules applied here as with the priests, the whole congregation, and the tribal ruler. The person laid his hand on the goat’s head and then the priest slaughtered it. Then the priest, just like with the tribal ruler, splashed the blood on the horns with the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar. Once again, the priest would then burn the fat for a communion sacrifice. As above, there was no mention of what happened to the remains of this goat. The ordinary person could also bring a female sheep, but not a male sheep. The ritual was same as that for a female goat. All these sacrifices referred to unintentional guilt, so that everyone was forgiven if the ritual was done right. There seemed to be four categories of people, the priests, the whole congregation, the tribal ruler, and then the individuals. What do you do about inadvertent guilt?
The sin offering for the assembly of Israel
Leviticus, chapter 4:13-21 refers to the whole community of Israelites who unintentionally incurred guilt, and it became known. Their sacrifice would be a bull for purification. In this case, the elders of the congregation should lay their hands on the head of the bull before the tent of meeting. Other than that, the same requirements for the priestly sin offering occurred here. They slaughtered the bull. Just like the unintentional sin offering of a priest, the bull’s blood should be sprinkled seven times before Yahweh, putting some of the blood on the horns of the altar. The rest of the blood would go at the base of the altar. Its fat was to be burned on the altar, and the whole bull burned outside the camp. The priest should make atonement for the whole community as this was a sin offering for the assembly, so that they would be forgiven. Communal offerings represent the interdependence of the community, and the fact that we are all responsible for each other’s sins. Can a whole group of people sin?
The sin offering of a priest
In Leviticus, chapter 4:1-12, there was a short remark about offerings and sacrifice for anyone who sinned unintentionally against any of Yahweh’s commandments. In other words, this was inadvertent, not done directly against God. Nevertheless, these various categories of sinners must make a sacrifice to God. Of course, they did this because Yahweh told Moses to tell them to do it. A sin offering was an offering to atone for and purge a sin, as an expression of sorrow for the error, a desire to be reconciled with Yahweh. In ancient Judaism the sin offering, לְחַטָּֽאת׃ (lehattat), was an important ritual for the expiation of certain, especially unwittingly committed, defilements. The anointed priest, who had done something wrong, like stealing things from the altar, or not sure whether he had committed a sin, brought guilt on all the people. Therefore, he must sacrifice a bull without blemish. As usual, he must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent. However, the anointed priest brought some of the blood and sprinkled it seven times before Yahweh in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. He also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense. The rest of the blood of the bull he poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. He also did the same as above, turning the grease or fat of the bull into smoke. However, all the rest of the bull, which included its skin, head, legs, entrails, and dung, was to be carried to a clean ash heap outside the camp and burned. Only the fat and the blood were used. The rest of the bull was destroyed, not eaten. The guilty person laid his hands upon the head of the sacrificial animal, an unblemished bull or goat, thereby identifying himself with the victim, making it his representative. The animal was not a substitute, because their sins were not transferred to the victim. After the priest killed the beast, blood was sprinkled upon the altar and elsewhere in the sacred precincts. The point of this ritual was to purify the guilty and to re-establish the holy bond with Yahweh through the blood of the consecrated victim. These priestly regulations in Leviticus expressed a rational system of theological thought. The biblical writers expected these rituals to be put into practice in Israel’s temple, since these rituals express a theology as well. Ritual, therefore, was not taking a series of actions for their own sake, but a means of maintaining the relationship between Yahweh, the world, and all humans. What do you do when you sin?
The Israelite well-being offering
In Leviticus, chapter 3:1-17, there is a description of the Jewish sacrifice of well-being, a common ancient practice. Any animal from their herd, preferably a lamb or a goat, could be used, either male or female, but without a blemish. This offering did not have to use only a male animal. Like the holocaust offering, they had to lay their hands on its head and then bring it to the entrance of the tent where the priests would kill the animal. The sons of Aaron then dashed the blood of this animal on all sides of the holocaust altar at the entrance to the tent. This offering by fire was also a pleasing odor to Yahweh, made from the fat that covered the entrails, the kidneys, and the liver. The sons of Aaron turned this into smoke with a burnt offering. The same procedure went for both a sheep or a goat. However, anyone could eat these animals, but not the fat or the blood, because all the fat belonged to Yahweh, who loved the smell of burning fat. This was a perpetual statue throughout all generations to come. Have you ever heard about a well-being offering?
Jewish sacrifice offerings
Leviticus presented a series of Jewish sacrifice offerings. The first kind of sacrifice was an animal or bird offering. The second, but inferior offering was a grain offering, or a harvested offering. The third was a peace offering sacrifice. A peace offering expressed thanks or gratitude to Yahweh for his goodness and mercy. The Hebrew term for this type of offering was זֶ֥בַח (zeḇaḥ) שְׁלָמִ֖ים (selamimzebach), which was related to the word בְּשָׁל֑וֹם (shalom) meaning “peace.” A representative portion of the offering was burnt on the altar. Then a portion was given to the one sacrificing or the priest, and the rest was eaten by those making the sacrifice and their family. Thus, everyone received a part of this offering. These offerings include thanksgiving-offerings, which were obligatory for survivors of life-threatening crises, free will-offerings, and offerings made after the fulfillment of a vow. Jewish sacrifices did not simply forgive sins. There were many other purposes for bringing קרבונט (karbanot), a sacrificial offering. Often, this expiatory effect was incidental. Certain sacrificial offerings were an attempt to commune and get closer to Yahweh. Other sacrificial offerings expressed thanks, love, or gratitude to Yahweh. Still other sacrificial offerings were used to cleanse a person of ritual impurity, that really had nothing to do with sin. Yet many of these sacrificial offerings were brought for purposes of atonement. The atoning aspect was carefully circumscribed. These sacrifices only expiated unintentional sins, that is, sins committed because a person forgot that this thing was a sin. No atonement was needed for violations committed under duress or through lack of knowledge. For the most part, Jewish sacrificial offerings could not atone for a malicious, deliberate sin. In addition, Jewish sacrifices had no effect, unless the person making the offering sincerely repented of his or her actions before making the offering. They also had to make restitution to any person who was harmed by their violation. What do you know about Jewish sacrifices?
Religious human sacrifices
Human religious sacrifices were practiced by many ancient cultures. People would be ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease a god or spirit. Human sacrifice accompanied the dedication of a new temple. Sacrifice of people upon the death of a king, a high priest or a great leader was common. The sacrificed person was supposed to serve or accompany the deceased leader into the next life. Natural disasters, like droughts, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions were seen as a sign of anger or displeasure by the deities. Thus, human sacrifices were supposed to lessen this divine anger. There is evidence to suggest Pre-Hellenic Minoan cultures practiced human sacrifice. The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur suggested human sacrifice. In an ancient myth, Athens sent seven young men and seven young women to Crete as human sacrifices. Most human sacrifices were of young adults or children. The Phoenicians practiced child sacrifice. There is archaeological evidence of large numbers of children’s skeletons buried in association with sacrificial animals. Human sacrifice was practiced by various Pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs were known for their practice of human sacrifice. Some of these sacrifices were to help the sun rise, to help the rains come, and to dedicate the expansions of the great Temple. In Scandinavia, the old Scandinavian religion contained human sacrifice, as both the Norse sagas and the German historians relate these tales. Many of the medieval witch hunts were religious attempts to get rid of the evil in their society, by killing the so-called witches. Human sacrifice is no longer officially condoned in any country. Today, any cases that take place are regarded as murder. What do you think about sacrificing humans?
Thanksgiving as a ritual religious sacrifice of a turkey
Happy Thanksgiving! We usually do not think of Thanksgiving Day in America as a day of religious sacrifice. Have you ever asked a turkey? Thanksgiving Day has become traditionally in the United States of America the time to kill and eat a turkey. We call it “turkey day.” Obviously, we do not personally kill a turkey, but we do cut or carve it up, sometimes in a very ritualistic way. We are too sophisticated today to actually kill a turkey. We have someone else do that for us. Thus, we can go to a large or small grocery store to buy a frozen Butterball turkey. That sounds so nice to call it a cute butterball. We even have the President of the United States give a pardon to a couple of live turkeys who show up at the White House. As usual, we show our kindness to just a few turkeys, while we slaughter hundreds of thousands of them. Thanksgiving has become a semi-religious holiday, a unique American holiday on the fourth Thursday in November, but not celebrated in any other country. However, Canada has its own Thanksgiving Day. American Thanksgiving Day is an annual national holiday in the United States, celebrating the harvest and other blessings of the past year, particularly rich in legend and symbolism. The traditional Thanksgiving meal typically includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. We model our holiday on a 1621 harvest feast shared between the Wampanoag people and the English colonists known as Pilgrims. Plymouth’s Thanksgiving began with a few colonists going out “hunting,” possibly for turkeys but more probably for the easier prey of geese and ducks. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating “Thanksgiving,” days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victories, the end of a drought, safe journeys, or abundant harvests. The U.S. Continental Congress proclaimed a national Thanksgiving upon the enactment of the Constitution. After 1798, the new U.S. Congress left Thanksgiving declarations to the individual states. A national Thanksgiving Day seemed more like a lightning rod for a controversy than a unifying force. Thanksgiving Day did not become an official holiday until the Eastern Northerner Yankees dominated the federal government. In fact, President Abraham Lincoln, on October 3, 1863, during the middle of the Civil War, proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26, 1863. However, as the country became more urban and family members began to live farther apart, Thanksgiving became a time for families to gather together. This Thanksgiving holiday moved away from its religious roots to allow immigrants of every background to participate in a common tradition. Thanksgiving Day football games began with Yale versus Princeton in 1876, until the present NFL games, enabled fans to add some rowdiness to the holiday. In the late 1800s parades of costumed revelers became common. In 1920 Gimbel’s department store in Philadelphia staged a parade of about 50 people with Santa Claus at the rear of the procession. Since 1924 the annual Macy’s parade in New York City has continued that tradition, with huge balloons. This holiday associated with Pilgrims and Native Americans has come to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family, all because we sacrifice a turkey. This holiday is often the busiest time of the year, as various family members gather with one another, mostly by car, and plan shopping for Christmas. What are you doing this Thanksgiving Day?
Other religious sacrifices
Some societies consider every slaughter of an animal an act of religion. Sacrifices have been offered for a multiplicity of intentions, so that at any one sacrificial rite several different intentions may be expressed. The goal of all sacrifice is to establish a beneficial relationship with the sacred order, to make the sacred power present and efficacious. In some tribes, blood sacrifice must be made to the gods, especially the earth deities. An individual sacrifice may be a fowl or a goat, while for an entire community, it may be hundreds of animals. One form of thanksgiving offering is the offering of the first fruits in agricultural societies. Until the first fruits of the harvest have been presented with homage and thanks, often with animal sacrifices, to the deity, no one could eat the food. The agricultural harvest as embodied in the crop was considered sacred and thus taboo to human consummation. The first-fruits sacrifice had the effect of “desacralizing” the crops and making them available for profane human consumption. Another distinctive feature of the first-fruits offering was that it served to replenish the sacred potencies of the earth depleted by the harvest and to ensure thereby the continued regeneration of the crops. Thus, it is one of many sacrificial rites that have as their intention the seasonal renewal and reactivation of the fertility of the earth. Numerous instances are known of animal and human sacrifices made during the construction of houses, shrines, and other buildings, as well as in the laying out of villages and towns. Their purpose has been to consecrate the ground by establishing the beneficent presence of the sacred order and by repelling or rendering harmless the demonical powers of the place. Throughout many religions, the dead have been the recipients of sacred offerings from the living. The Greeks had portions of milk, honey, water, wine, and oil poured onto a grave. In India, water and balls of cooked rice were sacrificed to the spirits of the departed. Communion in the sense of a bond between the worshipper and the sacred power is fundamental to all sacrifice. Certain sacrifices, however, promote this communion by means of a sacramental meal, shared by the deity and the worshippers. One portion of the oblation would be burned upon the altar and the remainder eaten by the worshippers. The communion sacrifice may be one in which the deity somehow dwells in the sacrificed item, so that the worshippers actually consume the divine. Greek sacrifices derived from hunting practices. Hunters, felt guilty for having killed another living being so that they could eat and survive. They tried to repudiate their responsibility in these rituals. Animal and grain sacrifices had an important role to play in society as a religious act. Sacrificing to ancestors was an important duty in many eastern cultures. The sacrificial system strengthened the authority of ancient China’s ruling class and promoted production. The Israelites had a sense of reverence for their ancestors, as the continued usage of the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob indicated. What do you think about your ancestors?
Jesus Christ and sin offerings
The Jewish sin offerings was such an expiatory sacrifice that early Christianity regarded the life and death of Jesus Christ as a sacrifice. By the shedding of his blood, the sin of mankind was wiped out and a new relationship of eternal life was put in place between the divine and humans. Like the innocent and “spotless” victim, Jesus Christ died for humans, on behalf of them but not in place of them. Also, like the Jewish sin offering, the point of his death was not the appeasement of divine wrath but the shedding of his blood for the wiping out of sin. A major difference between the sacrifice of Christ and that of the Jewish sin offering animal was that Christ’s sacrifice was regarded as a voluntary and an effective sacrifice for all men. Secondly, Christ’s sacrifice was considered the perfect sacrifice, made once in time and space but perpetuated in eternity by the risen Lord. What do you know about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 