264. Sacrifices in the Old Law: Types, Animals, and Figurative Meaning

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Three Types of Sacrifices #

Holocaust (Whole Burnt Offering) #

• Most perfect sacrifice; entire animal consumed by fire
• Only male animals offered (females are imperfect)
• Signifies complete subjection of all man’s possessions to God’s dominion
• Offered in special way for reverence of God’s majesty and love of His goodness
• Belongs to the status of those in perfection and fulfillment of counsels

Sin Offering (Sacrifice for Sin) #

• Divided into two parts: one burned, one given to priests
• Offered from necessity of remission of sin; belongs to status of the penitent
• Signifies expiation of sins through God’s agency and priestly ministry
• When offered for sin of whole people or priest himself, entire sacrifice burned
• Nothing from it comes into use of those for whom sins were offered

Peace Offering (Sacrificium pacificum) #

• Divided into three parts: one burned to honor God, one for priests, one for offerer
• Offered for thanksgiving or for salvation and prosperity (hoped-for benefits)
• Belongs to status of those progressing in fulfillment of commands
• Signifies salvation proceeds from God through priestly direction and human cooperation

Why Specific Animals Were Sacrificed #

Four Reasons for Cattle, Sheep, and Goats #

1. Exclusion of Idolatry: These animals were not commonly offered to idols by surrounding peoples

   • The Egyptians worshipped lambs and goats as sacred, so Hebrews did not sacrifice them to false gods

2. Purity and Usefulness: Most useful for sustaining human life with most pure nourishment

   • Wild animals are not commonly used by men
   • Domestic animals with unclean nourishment (pigs, chickens) excluded

3. Designation of Purity of Mind: Immolation signifies spiritual dispositions

   • Calf: overcoming pride of flesh
   • Lamb: correcting irrational emotions
   • Goat: overcoming lascivious desires
   • These designations found in glosses of Leviticus

4. Figuration of Christ:

   • Calf: virtue of the cross
   • Lamb: innocence of Christ
   • Goat: sovereignty of Christ

Why Turtledoves and Doves #

• Offered for poverty of those unable to afford larger animals
• Abundant in the land of promise
• Birds signify devotion and charity
• Older turtledoves preferred to young ones (offering what is best to God)
• Used in holocaust and sin offerings, not peace offerings (which were voluntary)

Why Fish Were Excluded #

• Live in waters, more alien from man than air-dwelling creatures
• Die when extracted from water, cannot be kept alive for temple presentation
• Cannot be offered in the temple for this practical reason

Blood and Fat: Four Reasons for Prohibition #

1. Exclusion of Idolatry: Idolatrous peoples drank blood and ate fat of victims (Deuteronomy 32)

2. Forming of Human Life (Horror of Bloodshed): Prohibition creates horror of effusion of human blood

   • Preserves reverence for human life
   • Expression “shed blood” used for killing, not “shed flesh”
   • Genesis 9: “Thou shalt not eat flesh with blood”

3. Divine Reverence: Blood most necessary for life (soul is in blood per Leviticus)

   • Fat demonstrates abundance of nourishment
   • Both offered to God’s honor: blood poured out, fat burned up
   • Shows life and sufficiency of all goods come from God

4. Figuration of Christ: Blood represents pouring out of Christ’s blood; fat represents fatness (pinguedo) of His charity

   • Word “pinguedo” appears in Psalms regarding fatness of devotion

Breast and Right Arm in Peace Offerings #

• Given to priests in peace offerings to exclude divination (spatulamantia)
• In pagan practice, diviners examined bones of chest and spatulas of immolated animals
• Signifies priest must have wisdom (sapientia) of heart for instruction
• Right arm signifies fortitude for sustaining defects

Hierarchy of Sacrifices by Sanctity #

1. Holocaust: Most special, whole burned for God’s honor
2. Sin Offering: Second in sanctity, eaten only in atrium by priests on day of sacrifice
3. Peace Offering for Thanksgiving: Eaten same day, throughout Jerusalem (not confined to atrium)
4. Peace Offering for Votive Purposes: Flesh could be eaten even later

Key Arguments #

Why Animals Are Killed #

Three reasons for killing sacrificial animals:

1. Animals come into use of man; God gave them for food
2. Through killing, signified destruction of sin and that men were worthy of death for sins
   • Animals killed in place of men to signify expiation of sins
3. Through killing of animals, signified the killing of Christ

Why Specific Method of Killing #

• Special way of killing determined by law to exclude idolatrous methods
• Law chose death by which animals are least afflicted
• Excludes lack of proper offering and deterioration of animals

Why Defective Animals Prohibited #

• Every defect is a way to corruption and death
• Unsuitable to offer imperfect/defective animals to God (held in contempt among men)
• Animals before seventh day excluded (abortive, lack good consistency)
• Emphasis on offering that which is perfect and best to God

Prohibition of Honey in Sacrifices #

• Offered in idolatrous sacrifices
• Excludes carnal sweetness and pleasure from sacrifice
• Those offering should not be taken up with sensual enjoyment
• Salt (wisdom, mortification) more appropriate than honey

Important Definitions #

Holocaust (ὁλοκαύστωμα/holocaustum) #

A sacrifice entirely consumed by fire, signifying complete subjection of man and all his possessions to God’s dominion and majesty.

Sacrificium pacificum (Peace/Peaceful Offering) #

A sacrifice divided into three parts (for God, for priests, for offerer), offered for thanksgiving or votive purposes, signifying that salvation proceeds from God through priestly ministry and human cooperation.

Expiation (expiatio) #

The removal or remission of sin through sacrifice, accomplished through God’s agency and the priestly ministry.

Spatulamantia (Divination by spatulas) #

A form of pagan divination practiced by examining the bones and spatulas of sacrificed animals; forbidden in Hebrew law to exclude idolatrous practice.

Examples & Illustrations #

The Order of Sacrifice Recognition #

Berquist uses the analogy of knowing what is both a whole and a part before knowing what is only a whole or only a part:

• Massachusetts is part of New England; New England is part of United States
• Einstein sought what is a whole but not a part (the cosmos)
• Heisenberg sought what is a part but not a whole (elementary particles)
• Similarly, we know things that are both before knowing extremes

The Three Sacrificial Dispositions #

• Holocaust: Man offers all to God (perfection/counsels)
• Sin Offering: Man acknowledges his sinfulness and need for priestly intercession (penance)
• Peace Offering: Man gives thanks and seeks God’s continued blessing (progress)

Animals as Spiritual Figures #

• Calf overcomes pride → represents virtue of cross
• Lamb corrects irrational passions → represents innocence
• Goat overcomes lust → represents sovereignty
• Dove represents chastity and charity
• Turtledove represents devotion

Questions Addressed #

Why Divide Sacrifices into Three Types? #

Question: Should not one type of sacrifice suffice?

Answer: Different obligations require different expressions:

1. For God’s majesty (holocaust—complete offering)
2. For offense committed (sin offering—expiation through priestly ministry)
3. For benefits received or hoped (peace offering—thanksgiving and petition)

Why These Specific Animals and Not Others? #

Question: Why cattle, sheep, goats instead of more noble animals or different creatures?

Answer: Four convergent reasons:

1. Not offered to false gods (excluding idolatry)
2. Most useful and pure for human sustenance
3. Immolation designates dispositions of soul (purity, obedience, mortification)
4. Appropriately figure virtues of Christ (cross, innocence, sovereignty)

Why Prohibit Blood and Fat? #

Question: If animals are offered to God, why exclude these parts?

Answer: Four reasons:

1. Idolaters consumed these; prohibition excludes idolatry
2. Creates horror of bloodshed; preserves reverence for human life
3. Blood and fat poured out/burned to show all life and nourishment from God
4. Prefigure Christ’s pouring out of blood and charity (pinguedo)

Why Exclude Fish from Sacrifices? #

Question: Are not fish also part of creation and suitable offerings?

Answer:

1. Fish more alien to man than air-dwelling creatures
2. Practical impossibility: fish die when extracted from water and cannot be kept alive for temple presentation
3. Cannot be offered in the temple

Why These Animals Specifically Signify These Virtues? #

Answer: Based on the nature and behavior of animals:

• Calf: strength; yet subjected to yoke (overcoming pride)
• Lamb: meekness; without vice of irrationality (correcting passions)
• Goat: known for lust; overcome to show mortification
• Dove: faithful to spouse (chastity); flies high (charity)

Notable Quotes #

“Because through the offering of sacrifices, man professes that God is the first beginning of creation of things and the last end, to which all things ought to be referred.” — Thomas Aquinas, on the meaning of sacrifice

“The priest of the old law offered often the same hosts which never could take away sin. But Christ for sin offered himself once eternal.” — Hebrews 10 (cited by Aquinas and Berquist)

“So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that everyone who believes in him would not perish, but might have eternal life.” — John 3:16 (Berquist: “They should say that at the beginning of their sermon”)

“God does not wish these sacrifices to be offered to himself on account of the things themselves which are offered, as if he needed them.” — Thomas Aquinas, on why God commands sacrifices