it was deemed lawful to offer such victims after the manner of peace offerings.* IX. Nor were burnt offerings confined to the Hebrews and other worshippers of one God; they were every where in use among idolaters. Herodotus mentions an instance:† At this time Eumilcas 'sacrificed and made expiation, consuming whole ' bodies on a large flaming pile.' The same practice is introduced by Seneca: § He burns entire animals' which are holocausts. Evidence of this custom is also supplied by Virgil: And he lays upon the flames (solida viscera) the entire carcasses of bulls.' Servius explains solida viscera' to 'mean ' not the entrails but the flesh, all that is between the 'bones and the skin. This phrase denotes a holocaust, which, after the entrails had been extracted, was laid upon the altar.' The same commentator, on another passage, says: These animals are vic'tims which are only immolated, and the flesh is allotted to the priests. In one place the poet sig'nifies that only the blood was poured upon the 'altars; in another place, he mentions a sacrifice, 'consisting of a part of the body:** and in another place' (just quoted) he describes the consumption of entire victims.'-But holocausts which the law of of Moses required to be sacrificed to the one Maker and Lord of the universe, the disposer of life and death, used to be immolated by the heathens to their fictitious and all-devouring infernal deities. * Maimon. in Maase Korban. c. 3. + In Polymuia. ‡ TR.—A remarkable instance occurs in Xenophon: When they < were come to the sacred place, they offered sacrifices to Jupiter, and (whoxavτwoar) burnt whole bulls; then to the Sun, and burnt 'whole horses. Cyropæd. L. viii. § In Oedipode. Æneid. vi. 253. ¶ Æneid. iii, 65. ** Æneid. v. 237. 128 CHAPTER XI. The Peace Offerings, and those which may be classed with Peace Offerings, such as the Firstlings and the Tithes. THE Hebrew word rendered Peace Offerings* comes from a root,† which signifies either retribution or peace; and the term peace in the scriptures generally denotes, either the mutual concord of friends, or a state of prosperity. These different senses assigned to the root have produced different expositions of the appellation derived from it. By those who understand the root to mean retribution or recompence, the name given to this class of sacrifices is considered as indicating the division made of them into three parts, for God, for the offerers, and for the priests. This opinion is maintained by the author of the book Siphra; who says, they were so called, because a prescribed portion of them fell to the share of each 'party.' Those who understand the root to mean concord, think the name of these oblations to denote their being symbols of friendship between God, the priests, and the offerers; to each of whom was allotted a certain portion of them:-the blood and inwards to God, the breast and shoulder to the priests, the rest of the carcass and the skin to the offerers. • The peace offerings were so called, because they used to ' be offered, when any one was in favour with God, and their design was that the offerers, the priests, ' and God, to whom be praise, might use one common table. For the blood and inwards were assigned 'to the altar, the breast and shoulder to the priests, and the skin and flesh to the offerers.' With this representation of R. Levi Ben Gerson, agree R. Solomon Jarchi, David Kimchi, and the author of the book entitled Aruch; who all consider the common table to have been an indication of friendship, and those who fed upon the sacrifices, as having used one common table with God. But though this account of the matter may not be inconsistent with the truth, yet I prefer, as more simple and natural, the opinion of those, who, understanding the root to signify prosperity, conclude this class of sacrifices to have been so called, because they were always offered in reference to a prosperous state of affairs, either obtained, or prayed for. This explanation appears to have been adopted by the Septuagint translators,* and by Philo;t who designate these sacrifices by a Greek term which denotes their being offered on account of safety, or prosperity. And as sacrifices of this class received the original appellation, which is rendered peace offerings, from their being offered in thanksgiving or supplication for prosperity; so, because they were employed by the offerers themselves in sacred feasts, they were also very frequently designated by another name,§ which denotes their being victims slain for banquets. While the people were in the wilderness, living in the vicinity of the sanctuary, such banquets were always to be celebrated whenever any animal fit for sacrifice was slain: for the blood of every bullock, sheep, and goat, slaughtered there, was to be poured out, and its fat to be burnt, upon the altar :|| so that in the wilderness, it * In Exod. xx. 24. Num. x. 10. xxix. 39. † Περι. Ζωων εις Θυσ. Η Σωτηρία. זבחים $ K is evident, no Israelite was to taste the flesh of any animal of either of these species, unless it had been immolated at the altar. This law ceased on the settlement in Canaan, when the people were dispersed in various places remote from the sanctuary: then every individual was permitted to kill any cattle within his own gates, and to use the flesh for common food.* II. Of peace offerings the scripture, as we have already stated, mentions three kinds; voluntary, votive, and eucharistic. † The two former were offered on account of prosperity already enjoyed, the last in reference to prosperity desired and implored. Hence Abarbinel calls eucharistic sacrifices praise 'for good received; and votive and voluntary ones, prayers for good not yet obtained.' The same idea is conveyed by this author in another place: After eucharistic offerings, the scripture mentions ' votive and voluntary sacrifices, which were offered up as vows and prayers in order to obtain prosperity.' Indeed it was the opinion of the patriarchs before the law was given from Sinai, that the divine favour exhibited in the bestowment of prosperity could not be more suitably commemorated, or more easily obtained, than by offering to God some portion of the good things received from him. This sentiment appears to have given rise to the peace offerings (to say nothing of the burnt offerings) which used to be offered before the law was delivered to the Jews. The same sentiment prevailed among the heathens, who thought it unlawful to sit down to meals without oblations of bread and wine, being made to Deut. xii. 15. Levit. vii. 11, 12. 16. § Ad Levit. vii. their deities: which the book of Daniel shews to have been the ancient custom of Chaldea.* III. But though both votive and voluntary sacrices were offered in order to obtain prosperity, yet there was a distinction between them, which gave rise to their different appellations. A person who made a vow is represented as expressing himself to the following purpose: 'I solemnly engage to devote to God a peace offering, or a meat offering, or the ' value of this animal or flour :'-whereas he who presented a voluntary oblation is affirmed to have expressed himself thus: 'I will present to God this peace offering, or this meat offering.' On this sub'ject Maimonides says:† What is a votive sacrifice? and what is a voluntary one? If any person has 'said,-I solemnly bind myself to present to God a 'burnt offering, a peace offering, a meat offering; or the price of this animal for a burnt offering or peace offering;-this is a vow. But if he has said,-I 'will present to God this animal or the price of this 'animal, as a burnt offering or peace offering; or, this tenth of an ephah for a meat offering; this is a ⚫ voluntary sacrifice.' And in another place: He 'who says, I solemnly engage, makes a vow. Whoever says, THIS shall be sacrificed to God, makes a voluntary oblation.' Not very different is the account of Abarbinel :§ A votive sacrifice is a sacrifice 'promised generally, as if any one has said, I solemnly engage that I will present to God a burnt offering or a peace offering. But when a person fixes his eyes on one particular animal, and laying ' his hand upon it, says, I will offer this animal as a 'burnt offering, or as a peace offering; that is a vo*Dan. i. 8. + In Maase Korban. c. 14. Nedarim, c. 1. § Præf. ad Levit, 6 |