SACRIFICE
AND
OFFERING
the
primitive
idea
of
an
offering
as
a
meal
for
tlie
deity
(1
S
21<-»,
1
K
7").
The
mention
in
a
later
passage
of
'the
flagons
thereof
and
the
bowls
thereof
to
pour
out
withal'
(Ex
2529,
gee,
further,
Shewbhead)
shows
that,
as
for
an
ordinary
meal,
the
'holy
bread'
was
accom-panied
by
a
provision
of
wine,
in
other
words
by
a
drink
ofEering.
This
species
of
offering
occurs
as
an
independent
offering
only
in
Gn
35".
The
skins
of
wine
mentioned
in
1
S
1"
10'
doubtless
served
in
part
for
a
drink
or
'wine
offering'
(Hos
9*),
in
part,
like
the
accompanying
flour
and
loaves,
for
the
sacriflcial
meal.
More
explicit
reference
to
the
wine
of
the
drink
offering
as
an
accompaniment
of
animal
sacrifice
is
found
in
Dt
3238
(ct.
the
early
reference,
Jg
9'^,
to
wine
'which
cheereth
God').
For
the
ritual
of
the
later
drink
ofEering,
see
§
11.
It
is
significant
of
the
predominant
part
played
by
the
drink
offering
in
early
Babylonian
ritual,
that
the
word
for
libation
(.nigu)
has
there
become
the
usual
term
for
sacrifice
(.KAT'
595).
A
brief
reference
must
suffice
for
oil
in
early
ritual
(Gn
28'8,
Jg
99,
Mic
6'—
for
the
later
ritual,
see
§
11).
A
water
offering
appears
only
in
the
isolated
cases
1
S
7«,
2
S
23",
but
emerges
as
an
interesting
survival
in
the
rites
of
the
Feast
of
Tabernacles
(wh.
see).
Honey,
although
offered
among
the
first-fruits
(2
Ch
31'),
was
excluded,
along
with
milk,
from
the
altar
(Lv
2"),
on
the
ground
that
both
were
liable
to
fermentation
(see
also
Leaven).
6.
MaTEBIAI
and
KITUAIi
OF
SACRIFICE
IN
THIS
PERIOD.
—
From
the
details
just
given
it
is
evident
that
'among
the
Hebrew
offerings
drawn
from
the
vegetable
kingdom,
meal,
wine,
and
oil
take
the
chief
place,
and
these
were
also
the
chief
vegetable
con-stituents
of
man's
daily
food'
(,RS^
219).
The
same
remark
holds
good
of
the
animal
sacrifices,
which
were
drawn
chiefly
from
'the
herd,'
i.e.
neat
cattle,
and
from
the
'flock,'
i.e.
sheep
and
goats.
Excluded
from
the
altar,
on
the
other
hand,
were
not
only
all
unclean
animals,
but
also
game
and
fish,
which,
not
being
reared
by
man,
were
probably
regarded
as
God's
special
property,
and
therefore
inadmissible
as
a
present
from
man.
This
idea
that
only
what
was
a
man's
'
very
own
'
constituted
an
appropriate
sacrifice
is
reflected
in
David's
words
to
Araunah,
2
S
24^
(offerings
'which
cost
me
nothing'
RV).
Males
of
the
various
species,
—
a
heifer
is
mentioned
in
connexion
with
ordinary
sacriflce
only
1
S
162
(Gn
159,
Dt
21=ff-,
1
S
6"
do
not
belong
to
this
category),
—
and
of
these,
yearlings,
as
in
the
later
legis-lation,
were
doubtless
the
commonest
victims,
although
we
read
of
'a
bullock
of
three
years
old'
(1
S
1^,
see
RVm;
Jg
62*
is
corrupt,
'seven
years
old').
The
question
of
human
sacrifice
cannot
be
passed
over,
even
in
this
brief
sketch
of
a
vast
subject.
The
recent
excavations
at
Gezer
and
elsewhere
(see
High
Place,
§
3)
have
revealed
the
surprising
extent
to
which
this
practice
prevailed
among
the
Canaanites
(cf
.
2
K
3^')
,
and
well-attested
instances
are
recorded
even
among
the
Hebrews
(Jg
113o-io_
1
K
16m
RV,
for
which
see
HoDSB.
§
3),
apart
altogether
from
the
child
sacrifices
to
Molech.
Indeed,
the
familiar
story
of
Abraham's
frustrated
sacrifice
of
Isaac
is
now
regarded
as
a
polemic
against
this
inhuman
custom,
which
certainly
had
no
sanction
in
the
religion
of
OT.
As
regards
the
ritual
of
sacriflce
in
this
period,
we
have
little
information,
1
S
2"-"
being
the
only
passage
that
touches
definitely
on
this
subject.
This
much
is
certain,
that
much
greater
latitude
prevailed
while
the
local
sanctuaries
existed
than
was
afterwards
the
case;
and
also,
that
the
priest
played
a
much
less
conspicuous
part
in
the
rite
than
he
does
in
the
developed
system
of
the
Priests'
Code.
The
chief
function
of
the
priest
in
the
earliest
times
was
to
give
'direction'
(tBr3,h)
by
means
of
the
oracle,
and
to
decide
in
matters
pertaining
to
the
sphere
of
'clean
and
unclean.'
The
layman
—
as
father
of
the
family
or
head
of
the
clan,
still
more
the
anointed
king
—
offered
his
sacrifice
without
the
SACRIFICE
AND
OFFERING
intervention
of
the
priest.
The
latter,
however,
as
the
custodian
of
the
sanctuary,
was
entitled
to
his
due
(see
1
S
I.e.,
Dt
183).
At
the
more
frequented
sanctuaries
—
Jerusalem,
Bethel,
Beersheba,
etc.
—
a
more
or
less
elaborate
ritual
was
gradually
evolved,
for
which
the
priest,
as
its
depositary,
became
indispensable.
But
even
from
the
first
the
deity
had
to
be
approached
with
due
precaution.
The
worshippers
'sanctified'
themselves
by
ablutions
(1
S
16'),
and
by
washing
(Ex
19'»)
or
changing
their
garments
(Gn
359);
for
only
those
who
were
ceremonially
'
clean
'
could
approach
the
altar
of
J".
The
sacrificer
then
entered
the
high
place
and
immolated
the
sacriflcial
victim,
originally,
it
would
appear,
upon
the
altar
itself
(Gn
22',
1
S
14'".),
so
that
the
blood
ran
over
it;
later,
near
to
the
altar,
care
being
taken
that
the
blood
was
caught
and
poured
out
at
its
base.
The
victim
was
next
cut
up
and
the
fat
of
the
viscera
removed.
In
the
case
of
an
ordinary
sacriflce
(zeback),
to
judge
from
1
S
2",
the
fiesh
was
boiled
for
the
sacrificial
meal,
and
not
until
the
latter
was
ready
was
the
fat,
J"'s
special
portion,
burned
upon
the
altar.
By
this
simultaneous
consumption
of
the
sacrifice
the
table-fellowship
of
J"
and
His
guests
was
more
strikingly
realized,
the
latter
"eating
and
drinking
before
the
Lord,'
as
the
'sweet
smoke'
(qetSreih)
ascended
from
the
altar,
an
'odour
of
soothing
(EV
'sweet
savour')
unto
the
Lord.'
While
the
normal
attitude
of
the
worshippers
on
such
occasions
was
one
of
rejoicings,
as
became
those
who,
by
thus
renewing
their
covenant
relation
to
J"
in
the
way
appointed,
felt
themselves
secure
of
His
favour
and
protection,
a
more
serious
note,
implying
a
sense
of
alienation
and
the
need
of
propitiation,
is
not
infre-quently
found
even
in
pre-exilic
sacriflce,
as
will
appear
in
a
later
section
(§
13).
6.
The
developed
sacrificial
system
of
the
post-exilic
period
—
Its
general
features.
—
In
an
earlier
section
it
was
shown
how
intimately
connected
with
the
everyday
life
of
the
family
were
the
free,
joyous
sacrifices
at
the
local
sanctuaries.
The
abolition
of
the
latter
by
Josiah,
in
accordance
with
the
demands
of
Deuteronomy
(for
the
justification
of
this
measure,
see
High
Place,
§
6),
marks
an
epoch
in
the
history
of
OT
sacrifice.
Hitherto
every
slaughter
of
a
domestic
animal
tor
the
entertainment
of
a
guest,
or
to
celebrate
a
family
'
event,'
was
a
form
of
sacriflce
(for
a
remarkable
list
and
description
of
such
'immolations'
as
practised
by
the
Arabs
of
Moab
at
the
present
day,
see
Jaussen,
Coidumes
des
Arabes
au
pays
de
Moab
[1908],
337-363).
Henceforward
this
was
no
longer
so.
'The
restriction
of
legitimate
sacrifice
to
the
one
distant
sanctuary
at
Jerusalem
meant
in
practice
the
divorce
from
common
life
of
the
principal
rite
of
religion.
The
Temple,
from
being
only
one,
although
certainly
the
most
important,
of
the
local
sanctuaries
of
Judah,
became
the
one
national
sanctuary;
the
cultus
assumed
an
official
character,
while
its
dignity
was
enhanced
by
the
presence
of
a
numerous
priesthood
and
a
more
elaborate
ritual.
Sacrifice,
in
short,
lost
its
former
spontaneity
and
became
a
statutory
obligation.
The
Jewish
nation
had
taken
the
first
step
towards
becoming
the
Jewish
Church.
A
still
more
potent
factor,
making
for
change,
soon
appeared
in
the
shape
of
the
crushing
calamity
of
the
Exile.
Then,
at
last,
the
words
of
the
prophets
came
home
to
men's
hearts
and
minds,
and
it
was
recognized
that
the
nation
had
received
the
due
reward
of
its
deeds.
A
deepened
sense
of
sin
and
a
heightened
conception
of
the
Divine
holiness
were
two
of
the
most
precious
fruits
of
the
discipline
of
the
Exile.
The
confident
assurance
of
J"'s
protection
and
good-will,
which
marked
the
rela-tions
of
worshipper
and
worshipped
in
the
days
of
Israel
s
prosperity,
had
passed
away.
In
its
place
arose
a
conviction
of
the
need
of
expiation
and
propitiation
—
a
conviction
reflected
in
the
whole
sacriflcial
system,
as
gradually
systematized
and
elaborated,
on
the
basis
of
the
usage
of
the
Temple,
by
successive
generations
