Whose idea was blood sacrifice anyway?

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It started with the ancient celts. The year kind would die every Midsummer and his blood and flesh would be distributed through the fields as a fertility sacrifice.

Who?

From a Biblical standpoint, the sacrifice of blood was needed in the Old Covenant as a temporary substitute for what Jesus would eventually do on the cross. God Himself killed an animal after Adam & Eve sinned against Him, so they would have clothing upon leaving the Garden and wouldn't suffer from the elements. It was also a personal reminder that sin is no slight matter to God, but a very serious one. Many years later, when Cain committed the first murder against his brother Abel, God chastised him, saying "your brother's blood calls out to Me from the ground!" The clear meaning is that sin eventually manifests in death...and to save one means sacrificing another.

As the eternal Son of God, Jesus was able to take in 3 days an eternity of punishment for every sin all humanity had or ever would commit. That resulted in Him being briefly separated from God, and the pain is why He cried out, "Why have You forsaken Me?" It was a rhetorical question, as Jesus already knew the answer: God is pure, and sin has no place in his presence. When Jesus rose again, the punishment and restoration were completed. God's wrath and justice were satisfied forever, regarding all who were loyal to Him through His Son. Those who are not will, in the end, receive the same punishment Jesus did...but since they aren't divine, the penalty is eternal.

Why, then, does Ezekiel talk about sin offerings in the messianic age?

How do you come to such a conclusion?




Edit = correcting quote marks

Last edited by DentArthurDent on 05 Mar 2014, 6:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

Because the concept of a messiah was a great temporal leader who would restore Israel to its former glory among nations. The messiah was never thought of as Yahweh in human form who would offer himself as a blood sacrifice for future humanity's sins. Yahweh was never depicted as human in the OT. Jewish law forbids, very strictly, any "graven" image being made of Yahweh. The various offerings (for atonement of sin and otherwise) are set forth in detail in Leviticus. It was presumed by the prophets that Leverite law would still form the basis for the restored kingdom's relationship with its god. Jesus as God Incarnate for a blood sacrifice was a Pauline concept (ie, originating with Paul) that became the foundation of modern Christianity. Paul's letters are the earliest of all of the books of the NT, written between ~60-66 CE. All four gospels were written later, beginning about 70-72 CE with Mark, and ending in the early second century CE with the Fourth Gospel, also known as John.