The Social Meanings of Sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible: A Study of Four Writings

By David Janzen

This work uses anthropological theory and field studies to investigate the social function and meaning of sacrifice. All rituals, including sacrifice, communicate social beliefs and morality, but these cannot be determined outside of a study of the social context. Thus, there is no single explanation for sacrifice - such as those advanced by Ren Girard or Walter Burkert or late-19th and early-20th century scholars. The book then examines four different writings in the Hebrew Bible - the Priestly Writing, the Deuteronomistic History, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles - to demonstrate how different social origins result in different social meanings of sacrifice.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3110181584
• ISBN13: 9783110181586
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: de Gruyter
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 22 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary