An offering presented to God by slaughtering an animal or otherwise presenting
some other form of food, which might be entirely destroyed or partly consumed
by the one offering the sacrifice, religious officials, or the poor. The Bible
mentions sacrifices before Moses,
but the Mosaic Law made them central to the religious life of Israel, providing
for several types of sacrifice with different
purposes, which were to be performed in the Temple. Most significant for Christian
thought were offerings intended to atone for sin by transfering guilt or punishment
from sinful humans to the sacrificial victim. Sacrifice in Islam centers around
the slaughter of an animal during the pilgrimage, in commemoration of Abraham's
sacrifice of a ram in place of his son Ishmael. Part of the meat is consumed
by
the one offering the sacrifice, and the rest is given to the poor.
The opinions or statements
expressed herein should not be taken as a position of or endorsement by the
University of Oklahoma.