SACRIFICE, HUMAN (sak'rI-fiz, hu'inan). The offering of human life, as the most precious thing on earth, came in process of time to be practiced in most countries of the world. All histories and traditions darken our idea of the earlier ages with human sacrifices. But the pe riod when such prevailed was not the earliest in time, though probably the earliest in civilization. The practice was both a result and a token of barbarism more or less gross. In this, too, the dearest object was primitively selected. Human life is the most precious thing on earth, and of this most precious possession the most precious portion is the life of a child. Children, therefore, were offered in fire to the false divinities, and in no part of the world with less regard to the claims of natural affection than in the land where, at a later period, the only true God had his pe culiar worship and highest honors.
(1) Prohibited by the Hebrew Religion. It is, under these circumstances, a striking fact that the Hebrew religion, even in its most rudimental condition, should be free from the contamination of human sacrifices. The case of Isaac and that of Jephtliah's daughter cannot impair the general truth that the offering of human beings is neither enjoined, allowed, nor practiced in the Biblical records. On the contrary, such an offering is strictly prohibited by Moses, as adverse to the will of God, and an abomination of the heathen. `Thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to defile not yourselves with any of these things' (Lev. xviii :21 ; see also chap ter xx :2; Dent. xii :31 ; Ps. cvi :37).
(2) Its Absence Evidence of Superiority of the Bible. We do not think that it requires any deep research or profound learning to ascertain from the Biblical records themselves that the re ligion of the Bible is wholly free from the shock ing abominations of human sacrifices ; and we do not therefore hesitate to urge the fact on the at tention of the ordinary reader, as not least con siderable among many proofs not only of the superior character, but of the divine origin, of the Hebrew worship. It was in Egypt that the
mind of Moses and of the generation with whom he had primarily to do, were chiefly formed, so far as heathen influences were concerned. Here offerings were very numerous. Sacrifices of meat offerings, libations, and incense were of very early date in the Egyptian temples. Oxen, wild goats, pigs, and particularly geese, were among the animal offerings; besides these there were pre sented to the gods, wine, oil, beer, milk, cakes, grain, ointment, flowers, fruits, vegetables. In these, and in the case of meat, peace and sin offer ings (as well as others), there exists a striking re semblance with similar Hebrew observances, which may be found indicated in detail in Wilkinson (Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, v. 358, sq.; see also ii. 378), who, in agreement with Hcrodotus, maintains, in opposition to Dio dorus, that the Egyptians were never accustomed to sacrifice human beings ; a decision which has a favorable aspect on our last position, namely, that the religion of the Israelites, even in its ear liest days, was not profaned by human blbod. A remarkable instance of disagreement between the observances of the Egyptians and the Jews, in regard to sacrifices, is, that while the Egyptians received the blood of the slaughtered animal into a vase or basin, to be applied in cookery, the eat ing of blood was most strictly forbidden to the Israelites (Deut. xv :23). J. R. B.