Source: “Salvation Not Purchased: Overcoming the Ransom Idea to Rediscover the Original Gospel Teaching”, By Stephen Finlan, 2020.

A Socrates and Hypatia Dialogue

Sacrificial Thinking.wav

Jeff’s Deep Dive Podcasts on Philosophy and Theology


Main Theme:

This podcast explores the historical and theological understanding of sacrifice, particularly in ancient Israelite religion and its later reinterpretation within early Christianity. It highlights how sacrifice, initially seen as a gift or payment to appease dangerous gods, evolved in Israelite thought to include purification and atonement for wrongdoing. The text also emphasizes an inherent debate within the Old Testament, where prophets like Jeremiah and Amos challenged the efficacy and divine institution of sacrifice, prioritizing obedience, justice, and mercy instead. Finally, the source argues that Jesus largely ignored or critiqued the sacrificial system, focusing on reconciliation, human need, and prophetic principles over ritual, and that the concept of his death as a sacrifice originated with some apostles rather than Jesus himself.


Summary

Topic 1 In ancient societies, sacrifice was a widespread religious practice, often viewed as essential. A common belief was that gods were dangerous and moody, and that sacrifices acted as gifts or bribes to appease their anger. Even though Jewish priests who wrote the sacrificial texts in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers tried to resist this concept, the idea of making a payment to God was still present. Sacrifices were referred to as "gifts" and had a certain value. For instance, Israelites were instructed not to appear before the Lord "empty-handed" when making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The burnt-offering, completely consumed by fire on the altar, was considered a gift that produced a "pleasing odor" to the Lord, indicating an ancient notion that God was being fed and "ate" by inhaling the smoke.

Topic 2 Israelite religion, like neighboring cultures, prominently featured the concept of impurity or defilement. This invisible corruption was believed to threaten the Deity, potentially causing them to leave the sanctuary or temple. Consequently, purification rituals were deemed necessary. Leviticus and Numbers, in particular, heavily emphasize impurity and the need for purification, while Exodus also addresses these concerns significantly. The sin offering, as described in Leviticus, specifically served two purposes: to cleanse impurity and to obtain forgiveness. This involved the priest applying blood from the offering to parts of the altar, which was thought to purify the sacred installations, with forgiveness following this ritual purification.

Topic 3 The Hebrew verb "kipper," translated as "make atonement," holds a dual meaning: it signifies both "purify" and "ransom." This indicates that the sin-offering was understood to both cleanse impurities and to provide compensation for wrongdoing. The text explains that a substitute, akin to a payment, could be provided for the sin offering, such as two turtle-doves or pigeons if a sheep was unaffordable. The linguistic connection is further strengthened by "kofer," a noun cognate to "kipper," which means a ransom or redemption payment. This means the concept of payment is inherently built into the concept of ritual purification within the language itself, and sometimes the sacrifice itself is explicitly called a "kofer," carrying monetary value and occasionally even being translated as "bribe."

Topic 4 An underlying theme of violence is present within the concept of "kipper" and "kofer." In several ancient narratives, atonement is achieved through acts of killing. For example, in the Book of Numbers, a priest's violent act of skewering a Jewish man and a Midianite woman together was stated to have "turned back [the Lord's] wrath" and "made atonement" for the Israelites. Another stark example involves David having to "make expiation" for Saul's killing of Gibeonites by allowing Saul's sons to be impaled. These stories reveal a cultural context where purification and atonement could be achieved through payment or even violent retribution. Furthermore, the idea of ransom or pay-off is evident in passages where spoils of war are offered for atonement, or when a census requires individuals to give a "ransom for their lives" to avert a threat of violence. The very origin of the Levites' liturgical service is even linked to the striking down of firstborn Egyptians, with the Levites effectively acting as a substitute for them, making atonement. This all suggests that the entire sacrificial system was enveloped in threats and a profound fear of the holy.

Topic 5 Despite efforts by Jewish priests to downplay the idea of sacrifice as a payment or a means of persuasion, this primitive concept persisted. The notion of God as a violent and dangerous entity, possibly stemming from the perilous environments of ancient ancestors, underlay this belief. This expectation of God as an angry parent needing conciliation resonated deeply, even if it had minimal support in later scriptures. The Torah itself pictures the Lord as highly demanding, requiring offerings at appointed times and frequently referring to them as a "pleasing odor," reinforcing the ancient idea of placating God by "feeding" Him with smoke. Even after people stopped believing God literally consumed smoke, the primitive notion that costly sacrifices pleased God endured. This is evident in stories where figures like David insist on paying for sacrificial animals, believing that sacrifice is effective precisely because it involves a cost. Popular attitudes, reflected in some psalms and historical narratives, also embraced the idea that impressive, costly, or numerous sacrifices could secure divine favor and result in answered prayers or granted desires.

Topic 6 Within the ancient texts, sacrifice was a subject of intense debate, and there was no universal agreement on its necessity or legitimacy. While some sections, like Exodus and Leviticus, detail and instruct the sacrificial system, prophets directly challenged this. Jeremiah, for instance, radically asserted that God never commanded burnt offerings or sacrifices when bringing ancestors out of Egypt, instead prioritizing obedience. Amos similarly questioned whether sacrifices were offered during the forty years in the wilderness, contrasting them sharply with justice and righteousness. These prophets, along with Samuel, argued that obedience and moral conduct were superior to sacrificial rites. Jeremiah and Hosea, in particular, were not seeking to reform sacrifice but actively attacking it, with Hosea even mocking "altars for sinning" and the priests' consumption of sacrificial meat. Micah also bitterly ridiculed the idea of buying God's favor with extravagant sacrifices.

Topic 7 In direct contrast to the popular sacrificial thinking, many prophets and psalmists put forth a powerful alternative viewpoint, often termed the prophetic viewpoint. They condemned the belief that expensive or massive sacrifices could sway God's favor. Instead, they emphasized that God desired "steadfast love and not sacrifice," and "the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings." This meant prioritizing justice, kindness, and walking humbly with God over elaborate rituals. They called for listening to God, removing evil deeds, learning to do good, seeking justice, and helping the oppressed. This perspective promoted straightforward conversation and reasoning with God, suggesting that honesty and mercy were what God truly sought, even more than or instead of sacrifice. Some psalmists even suggested that praise or prayer could be equivalent or superior to sacrifice, highlighting a shift towards inner disposition and ethical action.

Topic 8 Jesus displayed a consistent skepticism towards the ideology and practice of sacrifice, aligning himself strongly with the prophetic critique. While he occasionally made concessions to individual beliefs, such as instructing a healed leper to make a required offering, his core message highlighted reconciliation over ritual, indicating that repairing human relationships was more urgent than presenting offerings. His radical actions in the Temple, where he overturned tables and denounced it as a "den of robbers," served as a direct criticism of the sacrificial system's economic burden on the poor and its nationalistic exclusivity. By quoting prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, he affirmed a universal vision of the Temple as a "house of prayer for all peoples," contrasting with the priestly emphasis on national exclusiveness. His consistent challenge to institutional and hierarchical religion underscored his alignment with prophetic principles.

Topic 9 Jesus repeatedly affirmed and embodied the prophetic emphasis on mercy, justice, and direct, honest relationship with God, rather than relying on sacrificial rituals. He twice quoted Hosea's profound statement, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice," using it to critique the Pharisees' fixation on purity and ritual strictness, arguing that compassion and human needs (both spiritual and material) were paramount. He highlighted that one must humbly acknowledge spiritual need to be helped, rejecting unspiritual religious nitpicking. He also affirmed a scribe's assertion that loving God and neighbor was "much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices." Furthermore, Jesus opposed practices like "qorban" that used religious gifts to shirk family responsibilities, consistently criticizing ritual purity traditions as "human precepts" that voided God's word. His ministry was described as fulfilling Isaiah's hopes of bringing good news to the poor, release to captives, and freedom to the oppressed, emphasizing ethical action and spiritual transformation over adherence to sacrificial systems. He generally ignored the sacrificial system, offering a more direct and individual approach to God, akin to a child-parent relationship built on love, learning, and growth, rather than ritual or perceived purification needs. He chose to attack hypocrisy and cruelty as truly evil, but did not dwell on attacking sacrifice itself, instead emphasizing positive virtues like honesty and humility. Crucially, there is no mention of Jesus instructing anyone to believe in his coming death as a sacrifice, nor do his warnings about his death contain any sacrificial imagery.

Topic 10 The concept of Jesus's death as a sacrifice does not originate from Jesus himself or his direct teachings. Instead, this idea developed later through the interpretations and usage of common cultural images by some of his apostles, most notably Paul. The "ransom for many" saying attributed to Jesus in some accounts is considered to be of doubtful authenticity, possibly influenced by later Church doctrine, given its absence in other parallel narratives and its inconsistency with Jesus's broader emphasis on unselfish service rather than a literal ransom. The apostles, initially "oppressed" by their own preconceptions, biases, and ingrained categories of purity thinking, needed to be released from these older religious frameworks, a task Jesus sought to accomplish through his teachings that frequently labeled them as having "little faith." The idea of Jesus's death as a sacrifice thus represents a theological development that emerged after his time, drawing on existing cultural and religious concepts, rather than being a direct teaching of Jesus himself.