Abstract

The Hebrew ritual of killing animals during sacrifice and the manipulation of blood by the levitical priest might seem somewhat distasteful and clumsy to the modern world. The Hebrew Scripture itself complicates the issue by not explaining exactly why this form of worship was used. Like many other things, the scripture merely takes it for granted that everyone would know why blood sacrifice was an appropriate way to worship and this is worrisome. The article sought out the scriptural slant about priest and sacrifices to the original audience and showed that the purpose of atonement achieved by the priest through sacrifice aimed at religious apotheosis in the worshippers’ reconciliation with God. Grammatico-historical method was used to work out the meaning of the concerned text and in the circumstances of its writing. As discovered, blood was the strong primitive detergent that rinsed out the contaminated mark of sin. Blood appeased the divine and it was the mechanism by which sin is obliterated from the people and the world. Blood absorbed guilt; remunerated the debt owed for sin and restored the balance in the delicate bond between humanity and divinity. Blood manipulation by the priest was the authentic means through which the ancient Israelite developed to the highest point, to the apex of spiritual wholesomeness through obedience to God’s law, only then was apotheosis or union with God achieved. Through the integration of apotheosis into private and public life, individuals and the public can appreciate thoughtful renewal as they are inspired to live according to greater ethics and morals, such as kindheartedness, fear of God, and compassion thereby rebuilding a more pleasant and evenhanded society

Keywords: Sacrifice, Priest, Scripture, Atonement, Apotheosis