Atonement

RECOVERING BIBLICAL AT-ONE-MENT : M.
M. M. NINAN
Then, in the 24 th verse, we read that when a ruler had sinned through ignorance and brought his sin
offering, “He shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the
burnt offering before the Lord.”
And, in the 33 rd verse, you find that if a common person had committed a sin through ignorance, or if
his sin should come to his knowledge, he was to bring a sin offering and then it was added, “He shall
lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering.”
African Traditional Rituals
This is not only true in Judaism but in most ancient traditional religions of the world. The Dinka
practices of South Sudan is a typical example. Oborji, Francis Anekwe. “In Dialogue with African
Traditional Religion: New Horizons”. Mission Studies, Vol. 19, Issue 1, 2002, p. 22-23 .states as
follows:
“In African Traditional Ritual (ATR), when blood is shed in making a sacrifice, it means that the purpose
of the sacrifice must be a serious one. This is because, in African traditional society, as Mbiti
confirms, life is closely associated with blood. So, when blood is shed in making a sacrifice, it means
a human or animal life is being given back to God, who is in fact, the ultimate source of all life. Such
sacrifices may be made when lives of many people are in danger. The life of one person or animal is
sacrificed in the belief that this will save the lives of many people. Thus, the destruction of one
becomes the protection of many. Commenting on this, Metuh remarks that offerings accompanied
with blood, a ritual killing or offering demonstrate that immolation is an essential element in ATR. He
goes further to say that in this type of sacrifice, something is always done to the offering to show that is
has been removed from human use and given over to God. In addition, in some cases, as Metuh
underlines, it is what is said at the ritual sacrifice that gives the clue as to the type and purpose of a
particular sacrifice. As he puts it: “Sacrifice is primarily a ritual prayer. It allows man to achieve
communion with God through mediation of the offering.”
My earlier studies of 1980s in the South Sudanese Tribe of Kuku also gives the same similarities.
It should be clarified that from a Jewish perspective the purpose of the sacrifices was never to
appease God, which is a Pagan concept, but to cleanse us (cf. Heb 9:13-14) and draw us near to God.
In Paganism there are many gods. The Pagans presented offerings to these tyrant gods to appease
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