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Sacrifice (from a Middle , as an act of Propitiation or Worship . The term is also used Metaphor ically to describe selfless good deeds for others. THEOLOGIES OF SACRIFICE The Theology of sacrifice remains an ie, not only for religions that continue to practice Ritual s of sacrifice, but also for those religions that have animal sacrifice in their Scripture s, Tradition s, or histories, even if sacrifice is no longer made. Religions offer a number of reasons for why sacrifices are offered.
SACRIFICE IN JUDAISM See Also: Korban In Judaism , a sacrifice is known as a '' Korban '' from the Hebrew root ''karov'' meaning to " Close [to God ". The centrality of sacrifices in Judaism is clear, with much of the Bible , particularly the opening chapters of the book Leviticus , detailing the exact method of bringing sacrifices. Sacrifices were either bloody (animals) or unbloody (grain and wine). Bloody sacrifices were divided into holocausts (burnt offerings, in which the whole animal was burnt), guilt offerings (in which part was burnt and part left for the priest) and peace offerings (in which similarly only part of the animal was burnt). Yet the prophets point out that sacrifices are only a part of serving God, and need to be accompanied by inner morality and goodness. After the destruction of the , a medieval Jewish rationalist, argued that God always held sacrifice inferior to prayer and philosophical meditation. However, God understood that the Israelites were used to the animal sacrifices that the surrounding pagan tribes used as the primary way to commune with their gods. As such, in Maimonides' view, it was only natural that Israelites would believe that sacrifice was a necessary part of the relationship between God and man. Maimonides concludes that God's decision to allow sacrifices was a concession to human psychological limitations. It would have been too much to have expected the Israelites to leap from pagan worship to prayer and meditation in one step. In the '' Guide For The Perplexed '' he writes: :"But the custom which was in those days general among men, and the general mode of worship in which the Israelites were brought up consisted in sacrificing animals... It was in accordance with the wisdom and plan of God...that God did not command us to give up and to discontinue all these manners of service. For to obey such a commandment would have been contrary to the nature of man, who generally cleaves to that to which he is used; it would in those days have made the same impression as a prophet would make at present 12th Century if he called us to the service of God and told us in His name, that we should not pray to God nor fast, nor seek His help in time of trouble; that we should serve Him in thought, and not by any action." (Book III, Chapter 32. Translated by M. Friedlander, 1904, The Guide for the Perplexed, Dover Publications, 1956 edition.) In contrast, many others such as Nachmanides (in his Torah commentary on Leviticus 1:9) disagreed, contending that sacrifices are an ideal in Judaism, completely central. The teachings of the Torah and Tanakh reveal Judaism 's abhorrence of human sacrifices. SACRIFICE IN CHRISTIANITY The concept of self-sacrifice and Martyr s are central to Christianity. In Christian teaching, God became incarnate in Jesus Christ to accomplish the reconciliation of God and humanity, which had separated itself from God through sin (see the concept of Original Sin ). God's perfect justice required an atonement for sin from humanity if human beings were to be saved from damnation, but God knew limited human beings could not make sufficient atonement, for humanity's offence to God was infinite. So God, in his perfect mercy, himself became a man so as to offer a perfect sacrifice which would compensate for humanity's sin. Only God could make the infinite sacrifice; only a human being could offer it on behalf of humanity, hence only Jesus Christ, truly God and truly human, could offer the atoning sacrifice. This he did by his death on the Cross. This sacrifice replaced the insufficient animal sacrifice of the Old Covenant; Christ the " Lamb Of God " replaced the lambs sacrificed at Passover in the Mosaic law. Christ's bodily resurrection three days after his crucifixion shows the efficacy of his sacrifice in freeing human beings from the chains of death. Also, note that some scholars such as Thomas McElwain consider the belief that Jesus has ''already paid the whole price for sin'' as a later belief, one completely unknown to Paul, Jesus or any of the disciples of the first century. They argue that the "the followers of Jesus Christ went on participating in the sacrificial system of the temple in Jerusalem until its destruction in AD 70" and "the apostolic church, for more than a generation after the ascension of Jesus, still offered the Old Testament sacrifices." The epistle to the Hebrews clearly teaches that Jesus replaces the temple service, its sacrifices and its priests. But they argue that "the historical fact is that such belief came only in connection with the destruction of the temple." The composition of the book of Hebrews has been dated to shortly after the Pauline Epistle s were collected and began to circulate, circa AD 95 which is after the destruction of the temple. '''' Also Geza Vermes averred that the title ''Lamb of God'' does not necessarily refer to the metaphor of a sacrificial animal. He points out that in Galilean Aramaic the word ''talya'', literally "lamb," had the common meaning of "male child". This is akin to "kid" meaning "child" in modern colloquial English . The female equivalent of ''Talya'' was ''Talitha'', literally "ewe lamb" and figuratively "girl" (the word is found in the Narrative Of The Daughter Of Jairus ). Thus, "Lamb of God" could have been a slang means of saying " Son Of God " or "God's Kid". In the ), and the offering becomes one with that of Christ on the Cross. In the Mass as on the Cross, Christ is both priest (offering the sacrifice) and victim (the sacrifice he offers is himself), though in the Mass in the former capacity he works through a solely human priest who is joined to him through the sacrament of Holy Orders and thus shares in Christ's priesthood. Through the Mass the merits of the one sacrifice of the Cross can be applied to the redemption of those present, to their specific intentions and prayers, and to the redemption of the souls in purgatory. Also often found in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity is the idea of joining one's own sufferings to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Thus one can 'offer up' involuntary suffering such as illness, or purposefully embrace suffering in acts of penance, such as fasting. Some Protestants criticize this as a denial of the all-sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, but it finds support in St. Paul: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Col 1:24). Pope John Paul II explained in his encyclical as a sacrifice, inclining to see it as merely a holy meal (even if they believe in a form of the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and wine, as Lutherans do). The Protestant tendency is to see the Sacrifice on the Cross as a definitely past event which did away for the need for any sacrifices or human priests ever again. In favor of this position is cited the letter to the Hebrews, the theme of which is the uselessness of the human priests of the old covenant and their regular sacrifices against Christ's 'one sacrifice for sins.' (The Catholic/Orthodox response is that the sacrifice of the Mass in the New Covenant is that one sacrifice for sins on the Cross which transcends time, as discussed above, and that Christ is the real priest at every mass working through mere human beings who share in his priesthood). Since the word 'priest' carries heavy connotations of 'one who offers sacrifice', Protestants usually do not use it for their clergy. Evangelical Protestantism emphasizes the importance of a decision to consciously, personally accept Christ's sacrifice on the Cross as atonement for one's individual sins if one is to be saved - this is known as 'accepting Christ as one's personal Lord and savior.' The Orthodox church sees the celebration of the Eucharist as a continuation, rather than a reenactment, of the of St. John Chrysostom , when the Priest says: "Accept, O God, our supplications, make us to be worthy to offer unto thee supplications and prayers and bloodless sacrifices for all thy people," and "Remembering this saving commandment and all those things which came to pass for us: the cross, the grave, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the sitting down at the right hand, the second and glorious coming again, Thine own of Thine own we offer unto Thee on behalf of all and for all," and "… Thou didst become man and didst take the name of our High Priest, and deliver unto us the priestly rite of this liturgical and bloodless sacrifice…" As opposed to both traditional Catholic/Orthodox and Evangelical Christianity, modern Christianity has sometimes tended to lessen the focus on the sacrifice of the Cross. If one is uncomfortable with the idea of original sin, or with the idea that sin demands atonement or punishment, as many today are, the theological significance of the sacrifice of the Cross appears less relevant. Thus some urge focus on Christ's life as moral teacher rather than on his death as sacrificial victim. Some hold that his death has been decoupled from the concept of atonement for sin in modern Christianity, and is seen primarily as an identification of the Messiah with all victims of political and social injustice. It is relevant to note that interest in a renewed focus on Christ's sacrifice increased in many circles coincident with the release of the 2004 religious blockbuster The Passion Of The Christ . SACRIFICE IN ISLAM An animal sacrifice in Arabic is called ''Qurban'' (قُرْبَان) . However this word has a pagan connotation in some places (however, in India, the word qurbani is used for Islamic animal sacrifice). In the Islamic context an animal sacrifice is usually referred to as ''Udhiyah'' (أُضْحِيَّة) meaning sacrifice. Udhiyah, as a ritual, is offered only in . it is your piety that reaches Him..."). The sacrifice is done to help the poor, and in remembrance of Prophet Abraham 's willingness to sacrifice his son (according to the Muslims, Ishmael ) at God's command. The sacrificial animal may be a lamb, a sheep, a goat, a camel or a cow. The animal must be healthy and conscious. The Islamic system of slaughter is called Dhabĥ (ذَبْحٌ); In the name of Allah , the throat and both jugular veins are cut quickly with a sharp knife. Neither the spinal cord is to be severed nor the neck bone broken until after the animal has ceased to move, in fear that pain may be caused. Other forms of slaughter such as blugdeoning, electrocution, and driving of a spike through the animals cranium are explicitly forbidden. The reasoning behind invoking the name of the creator at the moment of sacrifice is stated by some to be the equivalent of acknowledging the right of that creator over all created things, as such this invocation is then a type of permission granted to the one performing the sacrifice and endows a sense of gratitude even prior to partaking in the meat of the animal. The meat is generally distributed to relatives and the needy, although it may, depending upon purpose and occasion, be consumed by the person himself. All animals must be sacrificed in the above mentioned manner, regardless of whether the meat is for religious commeration or personal consumption. This meat is then considered Halal and hence fit for consumption. SACRIFICE IN HINDUISM Sanskrit word Yajna is translated as sacrifice but it's primary meaning is communal worship. Among the Hindus of Nepal , animal sacrifices are common even today, not only for the mother goddess, but also for almost all deities of the Hindu pantheon. The Hindu way of slaughtering the animal may be less painful than others, as it involves an immediate severing of the whole neck of the animal by one quick stroke of a sword or an axe (otherwise great calamities are believed to befall the sacrificer), rather than slitting of the throat. Yajna typically refers to any fire-offering or such equivalent ritual of the Vedic Indo-Aryans. The offerings were usually of vegetable origin, including saw-dust for the fire, grains like barley, etc. Milk and Ghee (clarified butter) was also offered in large quantities. A mysterious, unidentified plant's juice, called Soma , was offered at special Soma sacrifices. The Vedas actually contain the mantras to be chanted for these yajnas. ANIMAL SACRIFICE , possibly representing modern animal sacrifice]] Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing of an Animal as part of a Religion . It is practised by many religions as a means of appeasing a god or gods or changing the course of nature. Animal sacrifice has turned up in almost all cultures, from the Hebrews to the Greeks and Romans and from the Aztecs to the Yoruba . However, the practise was a taboo among the Ancient Egyptians , and they tended to look down on cultures that practised this custom. Animal sacrifice is still practised today by the followers of Santería and other "lineages of Orisa", as a means of curing the sick and giving thanks to the Orisa ( Gods ). However in Santeria, such animal offerings constitute an extremely small portion of what are termed "ebos" – ritual activities that include offerings, prayer and deeds. Some villages in Greece also sacrifice animals to Orthodox saints in a practise known as kourbània. The practise, while publicly condemned, is often tolerated for the benefits it provides to the church and the sense of community it engenders. HUMAN SACRIFICE See Also: Human sacrifice Human Sacrifice was practiced by many ancient cultures. People would be ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease some God or Spirit . While not widely known, human sacrifices for religious reasons still exist today in a number of nations. Some occasions for human sacrifice found in multiple cultures on multiple continents include:
Some of the best known ancient human sacrifice was that practiced by various Pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica . The Aztec were particularly noted for practicing this on an unusually large scale; a human sacrifice would be made every day to aid the Sun in rising, the dedication of the great temple at Tenochtitlán was reportedly marked with the sacrificing of thousands, and there are multiple accounts of captured Conquistador es being sacrificed during the wars of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico . In Scandinavia , the old Scandinavian Religion contained human sacrifice and both the Norse Saga s and German historians relate of this, see e.g. Temple At Uppsala and Blót . There is evidence to suggest Pre-Hellenic Minoan cultures practised human sacrifice. Sacrificed corpses were found at a number of sites in the Citadel of Knossos in Crete . One such find at the North house in Knossos numbered 337 bones of children who appear to have been butchered. It is possible they may have been for human consumption as was the tradition with sacrificial offerings made in Pre-Hellenic Civilization .The evidence that this practice was widespread throughout Minoan culture is not strong. It is also possible that the human sacrifices at Crete were one-off occurrences as Knossos did befall an epic Tectonic natural disaster around the time at which these sites would have been preserved. Hence these human sacrifices could be explained in terms of the Minoans desperation in the situation and being far from routine procedures. The Temple of Anemospilia at Knossos exemplifies this view. Here they found the sacrifice of a teenager which was interrupted by the temple collapsing on the participants due to the tectonic activity at the time. The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur (set in the labyrinth at Knossos) provides evidence that Human sacrifice was commonplace. In the myth we are told that Athens sent seven young men and seven young women to Crete as human sacrifices to the Minotaur. This ties up well with the archaeological evidence that most sacrifices were of young adults or children. This view contrasts with the Utopian view of the Minoans propagated by the Archaeologist Arthur Evans . Human sacrifice still happens today as an underground practice in some traditional religions, for example in Muti killings. Human sacrifice is no longer officially condoned in any country, and these cases are regarded as Murder . Some people in India are adherents of a religious sect that is referred to as Tantrism ; a small percent of unscrupulous Tantric practitioners engage in human sacrifice, often with the promise of inducing childbirth in a sterile couple (see Further Reading). These superstitious practices are quickly disappearing. Human sacrifice has been completely absent at all times in mainstream Hinduism , and is severely condemned and seen with utmost horror by all mainstream Hindus. But the absence of any central Dogma in Hinduism has allowed some unscrupulous sideline cults to exist. A few Indian tribes like Maraya and Thugs used to also practice human sacrifice. In Hindu narratives, practising human sacrifice and eating human meat was a work of the demons (See Demon ). In the Aeneid by Virgil the character Sinon claims that he was going to be a human sacrifice to Poseidon to calm the seas (of course Sinon was lying). Human sacrifice is a common theme in the Religion s and Mythology of many cultures. SACRIFICE IN GAMES Sacrifice is also used metaphorically to describe a number of plays in Game s. Sacrifices, in this sense, are plays that deliberately lose pieces or opportunities in order to obtain some other advantage. In to disrupt the opponent's formation and open up an attack. Chess Opening s that involve sacrifices are usually called '' Gambit s'' by chess players; in these gambits, usually a pawn is deliberately lost; gambits that lose a piece are rare and risky. In Contract Bridge , Sacrifice is a deliberate bid of an unmakable contract in the hope that the cost of penalty will outweigh opponents' likely score. In Baseball , a '' Sacrifice Fly '' is a play in which a batter deliberately allows himself to be called out so as to enable another player on base to score. Likewise, a Sacrifice Bunt in baseball is one in which a batter allows himself to be put out while advancing a team mate, usually to second, but sometimes to third base, from where he has a greater chance to score. Players who commit either a sacrifice fly or bunt are not charged with a "time at bat," thus the out that they sacrificed is not charged against their batting average. In , "sacrifice" means to intentionally destroy one's own card, typically to produce some effect. In Yu-gi-oh you sacrifice up to 3 cards to summon a more powerful card or for a card's effect. SEE ALSO
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