ABSTRACT
WE have seen that one of the earliest ideas connected with sacrifice was that of communion, in the sense of sharing in the life of the God. Another such idea is that of a gift. Man’s natural instinct is to offer something to the object of his affection or worship, and this instinct found its expression in sacrifice. Which of these two ideas, if either, can be said to be the origin of sacrifice is a question to which no agreed answer has yet been given. The enthusiasm aroused by Robertson Smith’s adumbration of the ‘communion ‘theory has sobered down in recent years, and there are many signs of a reaction in favour of the older ‘gift’ theory. In any case the two ideas are by no means mutually exclusive, and a sacramental view may provide the raison d’être of the one as of the other. It is important to remember this when we discuss the meaning of sacrifice in the Old Testament.
