Right, I’ve always thought there seemed to be a lot stories around human sacrifice. Isaac’s test of faith, Jesus the only begotten son… The Israelites and Romans disparaged the Canaanites and Phoenicians because of their supposed rites of child sacrifice, with scant proof. I should read this book. 

The ritualistic killing of a person has been a dark yet significant practice in ancient cultures across most continents.

Some Reasons:

• Appeasement of Deities: A primary motivation was to placate angry gods or secure favour. Many cultures believed that offering the most valuable thing would ensure good harvests, battlefield victory, and avert natural disaster.

• Fertility and Prosperity: Sacrifices were often performed to ensure the fertility of the land, crops, or livestock, possibly seen as nourishing the earth.

• Funerary Rites (Retainer Sacrifice): A common form was the entombment or killing of servants, slaves, or concubines to accompany a deceased high-ranking individual into the afterlife. This was believed to ensure the continuation of their service and status in the next world. 

• Foundation Sacrifices: In some instances, humans were sacrificed and buried within or beneath new buildings, bridges, or other major constructions. This was believed to provide stability, protection, or spiritual blessing to the structure. Ask Jimmy Hoffa. 

• Maintaining Social Order: Human sacrifice could serve to reinforce social hierarchies and political control through fear and awe.

• Divination: In some cultures, the manner of a victim’s death or the state of their body parts after sacrifice was used to divine the future

• Exceptional Circumstances: In some societies, human sacrifice was a rare, extreme measure resorted to in times of dire crisis, such as famine, plague, or war, when divine favour was desperately needed.

Locations and Cultures:

• Mesoamerica: The Aztecs are perhaps the most well-known for large-scale human sacrifice, often performed on top of pyramids to honour deities like Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. The Maya and Inca also practiced human sacrifice, with the Inca sometimes sacrificing children (capacochas) on mountain summits.

• Ancient Near East: Evidence suggests human sacrifice occurred in cultures like the Canaanites and Assyrians, sometimes involving child sacrifice to deities like Moloch. The Old Testament of the Bible frequently prohibits such practices among the Israelites, indicating their existence among neighbouring peoples and at times even within Israelite communities themselves. Early Dynastic Egypt shows evidence of retainer sacrifices in royal tombs.

• Europe: Archaeological evidence and historical accounts point to human sacrifice among some Celtic, Germanic, and Norse peoples, often in exceptional circumstances or as part of funerary rites. Bog bodies found in Northern Europe, displaying signs of ritualistic killing, are also interpreted by some as sacrificial victims.

• Asia: Human sacrifice was practiced in ancient China, particularly during the Shang Dynasty, often for religious and political purposes, including foundation sacrifices and retainer burials. Legends of “human pillars” (hitobashira) in Japan suggest similar practices.

• Africa: Various African cultures practiced human sacrifice, often connected with ancestor worship or at the death of kings, such as in the Dahomey kingdom and among the Asante.

Christian theology views the story of Jesus as a unique act of self-sacrifice with profound parallels to the concept of sacrifice found in ancient religions, yet with crucial distinctions.

• Sacrifice for Atonement/Expiation: In many ancient sacrifices, the goal was to atone for sins or appease divine wrath. Similarly, Christian theology views Jesus’ death as an atoning sacrifice, a “propitiation” for the sins of humanity, reconciling humanity with God.

• The Most Valuable Offering: Just as ancient cultures offered what they considered most precious to their deities, Jesus, being understood as both fully human and fully divine (the “Son of God”), is presented as the ultimate and perfect sacrifice, of incomparable worth.

• Voluntary Nature vs. Coercion: A critical distinction lies in the voluntary nature of Jesus’ sacrifice. While many human sacrifices in the past involved unwilling victims, Jesus is portrayed as willingly laying down his life, stating, “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18). This transforms the act from a forced offering by humans to God into a self-giving act by God for humanity.

• Substitutionary Atonement: The concept of one life being offered in place of others is central to both. In many ancient sacrifices, a victim was substituted for the community or for a desired outcome. In the Abraham and Isaac story, a ram–no bull!–is provided as a substitute for Isaac at the last moment, a narrative often interpreted by Christians as a foreshadowing of Jesus. In Christian theology, Jesus is the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world, serving as a substitute for all humanity.

• Covenant and New Order: Ancient sacrifices often sealed covenants or initiated new eras. Jesus’ death is understood to establish a “new covenant”, ushering in a new relationship between God and humanity, fulfilling and transcending the older sacrificial systems.

• Transcendence of Ritual: While ancient sacrifices were often repeated rituals, Christian belief posits that Jesus’ sacrifice was “once for all”, a singular and perfect act that rendered further animal or human sacrifices unnecessary. This marks a fundamental shift away from the practice of ritualistic bloodshed for expiation.

While the historical practice of human sacrifice reveals humanity’s deep-seated need to connect with the divine, to atone, and to seek favour through ultimate offerings, the Christian narrative of Jesus’ death reinterprets and transforms this concept. It shifts the focus from human-initiated, often coercive, offerings to a divine, self-initiated act of love and redemption, emphasizing voluntary self-giving rather than forced immolation.