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The language of the Mass hints at its sacrificial nature, and its connection to sacrificial practices in ancient Israel. But the word "sacrifice" has come to have two misleading meanings in ordinary English: perhaps any costly gift, especially of time or effort; perhaps, the ritual killing of an animal as such a gift.
Such a term leaves utterly mysterious the effects of the Crucifixion; Jesus's choices about how he would die, and the fittingness of his death as a way for God to save us; His instructions for re-presenting it in the Eucharist; and all the details of the "ritual law" God gave through Moses to bind the Israelites to Him in love and prepare them for the Christ.
The aim of this course is to examine cases of sacrifice throughout Scripture that have been central sites of theological reflection, and so enrich and correct our understanding of sacrifice to unravel these problems. We will see how Jesus designed His death to give God a gift good enough for Him, in a way His people could understand immediately, and in a way all humans can understand by reflection on the natural signs involved in Israelite practices.
Course Outline:
1. Binding and Burning: Abraham
2. The First Passover
3. Tent, Temple, Throne, Atonement
4. New Passover, New Priesthood
5. At-one-ment Disputed in Tradition
This week we introduce the course and consider the first (in/)famous act of sacrifice in the Old Testament, which the New Testament authors treat as a type for the Crucifixion: the akedah or “binding” of Isaac.
Questions for discussion:
1. Hugh (the tutor) proposes that we can reconcile the problems raised by the akedah by treating it as a burnt offering, or olah. Did you have any questions about this solution?
2. Did you have any quibbles or concerns? Anything it needs to address but does not? Any objections of any kind?
3. In the readings suggested below are some alternative interpretations. Do you think any of these are sufficient, and so make the case in the lecture, redundant?
4. Do you think any of them add something important to the interpretation given in the lecture?
5. Do you have any questions left over?
Scripture: Genesis 22;
Compare with: Leviticus1; 22:18 Exod 29:38–42; 30:28; 40:7; Numbers 28:1-7. For earlier sacrifice narratives in Genesis: 12:1-8; 13:1-4, 14-18; 18:18-20.
Secondary Readings:
Hahn S and … (eds). The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, “The Sacrifice of Isaac”, pp 86-87
Devorah Schoenfield’s overview of Talmudic typological attempts to explain the Akedah: Akedah: How Jews and Christians Explained Abraham's Faith - TheTorah.com
Levenson, J. D. (1993) The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son, Yale UP London. pp 3-5, 12-17; 201 The opening of Leve 210-219nson’s book on child sacrifice in Ancient Israel, and the opening of its chapter on the Jesus-Isaac parallel.
Levenson 1993, pp. A discussion of Paul’s identification of Jesus with Isaac, and his theological/polemical purposes in doing so.
Ulluci, D. (2011) “Contesting the Meaning of Animal Sacrifice” in D. J. Wright Knust and Z. Varhelyi (eds.) Ancient Mediterranean Sacrifice OUP Oxford; pp62-69 A good discussion of the role of gift-giving in animal sacrifice.
A. R. Rillera (2024) Lamb of the Free, Cascade Books, Eugene Oregon, pp30-35 an explanation of the burnt offering in the Levitical system.
WEEK 1
Hugh is Head of Philosophy and Theology at Eltham College, and has a PhD in Philosophy of Religion from the University of Cambridge. He is the writer and producer of the "PhilTh" podcast, which covers central topics in philosophy and theology.
