¶ … Blood sacrifice seen as holy: How did the ancients view and perform blood sacrifice?
What is blood sacrifice? Reasons behind blood sacrifice in ancient times.
Biblical use of blood, does this make blood a symbol of holiness?
Second position: Blood sacrifice as an evil tradition. What is the present view of blood sacrifice?
How are people linking blood sacrifice to identity?
What are the future implications of blood sacrifice?
Blood sacrifice has been a part of human history for countless years, going as far back as the ancient Greeks and Hebrews, whose stories documented blood sacrifice. Although some may see blood sacrifice as demonic and used to summon evil, in reality, at least in ancient times, it was seen as a way to connect to the gods, God, and it was seen as a holy experience. Blood sacrifice often involved the slaughter of an animal. Now people associate blood sacrifice to slaughtering a human. Although in ancient times the Aztecs were well-known for committing human sacrifices, even then it was still regarded as holy with sacrificed people often being willing to meet their fate as the sacrificed.
When blood sacrifice was performed in ancient times, it was seen as a way of communicating with the gods. In ancient Greek culture, blood sacrifice was not even a means of actual sacrifice as most of the animal sacrificed, was consumed. "Another striking feature of blood sacrifice is the fact that, in contrast to other forms of sacrifice, nothing is actually 'sacrificed,' or given up. The victim provides a meal for the sacrificers." (Sansone and Sansone 69) This meal is what often involved blood sacrifice, at least for the Greeks. It was a means of communicating with the gods and also allowing for respite...
And they shall take of he blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, wherein they shall eat it" (Exodus 12:5-7). The ultimate sacrifice was to give up the one thing that was most admired, their greatest possession in order to fulfill what they thought would be more important, forgiveness from their God and freedom from sin. The word sacrifice entails
Important ceremonies required that the sacrifice be held down at top of a pyramid or raised altar "while a priest made an incision below the rib cage and ripped out the heart with his hands. The heart was then burned in order to nourish the gods" ("Mayan Religion"). Though only captives were sacrificed to the gods, bloodletting was also common practice among the Mayan aristocracy. Blood was drawn from
violence in Bhagavad Gita and the Song of Roland In contrast to current conceptions of violence as problematic, in ancient societies violence was an accepted part of daily life and acting violently was even seen as a heroic attribute. In the Bhagavad Gita, the struggles of the central protagonist Arjuna with Krishna are portrayed as a dialogue between Man and God. Arjuna despairs at his fate at having to kill
Aztec Human Sacrifice It may be a startling fact for us to know some of the unusual ways that the people of the olden times lived their lives, particularly with respect to their beliefs, rituals, and practices. The Aztecs, considered as one of the most controversial groups of people that we can find in our history had lived in Mesoamerica. Their practice of human sacrifice and cannibalism, which according to their
Human Sacrifice in the Incan, Moche, And Wari Cultures Peru's first known cultures date back to over 20,000 years ago, and have left strong marks on the country. One of the most important known groups is the Chavin civilization, one of the earliest in Peru, and also the first building culture. After the decline of the Chavin culture, several regional cultures emerged. The most famous are the Paracas and Nazca civilizations,
In a culture that valued the accomplishments of its warriors in battle, the Aztecs needed a way to lift their greatest warriors up on a pedestal through a method that was understood by everyone in their society. They also needed a closely-guarded means of upward social mobility, which likely created a desire for Aztec warriors to perform well in battle, and gave them superior motivation to conquer their neighbors and
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