The Centre for Jewish Studies
University of Manchester
Extra-Mural Lectures January-March 2000
For the full list of lectures, click here
Feb 1, Benny Peiser: "'I desire Loyal Love, and not Sacrifices':
The Elimination of Blood Sacrifice in Judaism"
The ritual killing of animals and the offering of sacrifices to a multitude
of deities was practised by all cultures in antiquity. In most cases, these
sacrificial offerings were made to gods in the form of idols. For pagan
cultures, however, Judaism was something quite unique. As a result of the
total ban of animal sacrifice outside the Jerusalem temple, Jews were the
first people in antiquity to generally abandon blood sacrifices. Those elements
of religion and cult which were elsewhere in the centre, had been almost
completely omitted: Judaism knew neither temples nor images of the gods,
nor sacrifices. The abolition of the sacrificial services (with the exception
of the temple in Jerusalem) was valid for the majority of the Jews. As early
as the 6th century BCE the prophet Hosea stressed his hostility to the idea
of sacrifices. "I desire loyal love, and not sacrifices". This
and other prophetic statements underline a strong anti-sacrificial tendency
within biblical Judaism. When, in 70 CE, Titus destroyed the temple in Jerusalem,
the perception of the Jews as a non-sacrificial nation became even more
prevalent. From now on, the central idea of Judaism was that one must not
expect salvation from the sacrifice of others, be it in form of an animal,
a god or a human being. Having overcome the sacrificial cult altogether
and the idea that blood sacrifices were necessary for redemption, rabbinical
Judaism emerged. In place of blood sacrifices prayers, the learning of law
and history in addition to moral education became the central part of religious
service.
Dr Benny Peiser is a social anthropologists at Liverpool
John Moores University. His research interest focuses on the effects of
catastrophic events on societal evolution, the rise and fall of civilisations
and the emergence of apocalyptic movements and religions. Benny is a Fellow
of the Royal Astronomical Society and has written extensively on neo-catastrophism,
ancient history and cultural evolution. e-mail: b.j.peiser@livjm.ac.uk
The Centre for Jewish Studies
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