OT sacrifices

[blackstrap]

I am currently slogging through the complete works of Josephus. I have reached point where he talks about the Temple and the sacrifices made there daily. I find there to be a great incongruity between a sacred and holy place and the slaughter of what is said to be tens of thousands of animals regularly. The noise and stench would have been horrendous. The smell of the offal would have been ...awful let alone the burning bodies. I must be missing something about the rituals . Any insight ??

[The Nehor]

1 hour ago, blackstrap said:

I am currently slogging through the complete works of Josephus. I have reached point where he talks about the Temple and the sacrifices made there daily. I find there to be a great incongruity between a sacred and holy place and the slaughter of what is said to be tens of thousands of animals regularly. The noise and stench would have been horrendous. The smell of the offal would have been ...awful let alone the burning bodies. I must be missing something about the rituals . Any insight ??

The smell of cooking meat is not awful. But yeah, there would be a smell of blood and animals mixed with incense. When the prophets talk about it it is about the ‘sweet smell’ or God finding the whole thing repulsive depending on whether God was happy with His people. Sacred places in the ancient world were places of bloodshed. It didn’t seem odd to them.

[Pyreaux]

2 hours ago, blackstrap said:

I am currently slogging through the complete works of Josephus. I have reached point where he talks about the Temple and the sacrifices made there daily. I find there to be a great incongruity between a sacred and holy place and the slaughter of what is said to be tens of thousands of animals regularly. The noise and stench would have been horrendous. The smell of the offal would have been ...awful let alone the burning bodies. I must be missing something about the rituals . Any insight ??

The animal was only partly burnt and most of it eaten in communion at a sacrificial meal. In fact, all meat that was eaten was a sacrafice, and the burnt portions were mostly the fat which actually made the place smelled good, "He will burn the fat as a soothing aroma to the Lord" (Lev 17).

Don't miss reading the Discourse Concerning Hades, because its 1 page long and in the very back, so it's easy to miss.

[MustardSeed]

I love the smell of BBQ. Rotten meat is another thing. 

[JustAnAustralian]

Do you personally see any difference between those sacrifices in the temple (where things could be easily washed), and the same sacrifices in the tabernacle (where you would end up with bloody mud)?

[mfbukowski]

10 hours ago, blackstrap said:

I am currently slogging through the complete works of Josephus. I have reached point where he talks about the Temple and the sacrifices made there daily. I find there to be a great incongruity between a sacred and holy place and the slaughter of what is said to be tens of thousands of animals regularly. The noise and stench would have been horrendous. The smell of the offal would have been ...awful let alone the burning bodies. I must be missing something about the rituals . Any insight ??

I have been watching videos about peoples who "live off the land", like some Inuits in Alaska and Canada who do not have a meat market within hundreds of miles, nor much need for cash money since so much is done by bartering, or simply doing it yourself.  You want a house? Chop down some trees, saw the wood, and make one!

Hungry? Go shoot a caribou or go fishing.

People in those kind of cultures have no sense of "ewww" in the facts of life involved in cleaning a carcass.  Such chores must be done or you don't eat- it is just part of life. Internal organ meats are eaten, and found to be special treats, and even eaten raw.  One fellow was speaking about how a special fat sack behind a caribou's eyeball, eaten raw, was one of his favorite snacks while cleaning a carcass.

These cultures usually also honor the life of the animal who gave his life, so that they could live.

Do we do that with a McDonald's burger?  Do we see a parallel between killing animals so we can live, with Christ's death so we can live forever?

Crucifixion was not pretty either.

Perhaps those who lived with blood and death and disease daily, saw it differently than we might have.

We are far, far, removed from what life was like then; we should honor them for knowing what sacrifice really is.

It's not always about giving up chocolate for Lent, or Tithing, or Fast Sunday.  🤔😉

Edited April 16, 2023 by mfbukowski

[mfbukowski]

16 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

In fact, all meat that was eaten was a sacrafice, and the burnt portions were mostly the fat which actually made the place smelled good, "He will burn the fat as a soothing aroma to the Lord" (Lev 17).

--Another evidence that they actually also believed in a fully anthropomorphic God, and theopomorphic humanity.

God likes what we like, because we are the same species, yet God of course is infinitely exalted over us.

[blackstrap]

I've lived and worked around feedlots with a thousand animals, and been in slaughter houses before. It is amazing how fast a skilled man with a sharp knife can dis assemble a cow. I'm curious as to what was done with the hides and the wool and the feathers , not to mention the ... manure. 

Seems like there will be a huge culture shock when the sons of Aaron/Levi again offer sacrifices at a modern temple, unless those are purely metaphorical. 

[mfbukowski]

3 hours ago, blackstrap said:

I've lived and worked around feedlots with a thousand animals, and been in slaughter houses before. It is amazing how fast a skilled man with a sharp knife can dis assemble a cow. I'm curious as to what was done with the hides and the wool and the feathers , not to mention the ... manure. 

Seems like there will be a huge culture shock when the sons of Aaron/Levi again offer sacrifices at a modern temple, unless those are purely metaphorical. 

As the presentation of the endowment has changed for different times, maybe today's interpretation will vary. 

Language's ambiguity can give loopholes you could "drive a truck through"- ask any lawyer or just look at the IDEAS of "loopholes" made from ropes, vs today's interpretation or "trucks driving through them" ! 

You'd need more than "enough rope to hang you".

When the prophet asks my opinion 😉🤪 on how to restore "burnt sacrifice" to the temple, with contemporary hermeneutics I would give him at least two examples right now! 😉

1. Contact the Fire Department to find the code restrictions for making a fire indoors, and construct such an edifice.  Perhaps a fireplace. But then we'd have air pollution restrictions, etc. etc. 😥🤔 

ANYWAY the concept is to write the words "Blood Sacrifice" on a piece of paper, and then burn it.🤗

There you go!  A "burnt blood sacrifice"!! A little too symbolic perhaps for some, but you can't just cater to the fundies! 😁  No "yuck" factor either!

2. Announce a blood drive. Collect the blood and donate it to the Red Cross.  Ceremonially. 🤔

Heck that's a "blood sacrifice" individuals already make them  anyway!😋

Yes sarcasm. But we live in an age of remodeling symbols!

I mean, we don't even need words anymore, we are back to pictographs !  :  🤔😇😉

Ain't pre-literacy fun? You never get anything "wrong", but never get them "right" either!

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by mfbukowski