ABSTRACT
Literature formulated and written during the period c.450 BCE to CE 700 provides the material that furnishes the substance of this book. The elaboration of a set of rituals combined with a myth of origin inspired an enduring way of life that has survived in various guises. Specific people, by virtue of their exceptional righteousness, were granted visionary experiences of God’s immanence in the world. These visions were generally followed by acts of sacrificial offerings. Ancient Israelite sacrifice to the single God was based on the notion of drawing near to God by way of ritually acceptable offerings of birds and animals, cereals and wine.
