The sun., 1894-12-02
i.
The general purport Of the conclusions reached

frOI. hODertSOn smith was Indicated IN
notice OF the first edition OF his book We may
now illustrate the interesting and suggestive
results Of the comparative method Of studying
the Hebrew religion by noting what is said at
various points in these lectures concerning the
materials employed or prohibited for food and
sacrifice by the Jews and other Semitic peoples.
As regards later times, the Hebrew sacrifices
seem to have been sufficiently typical OF the or
dinary usage OF the Semites generally. The
four footed animals from which the Levitical
law allows victims to be selected are the OK, the
sheep, and the goat; that is, the clean" do
nestle quadrupeds which men were permitted
to eat. The same quadrupeds are named upon
the Carthaginan inscriptions that give the tariff
OF sacrificial fees to be paid at the temple. and
In Lucian's account Of the Syrian ritual at
Hierapolls. The Israeites neither ate nor sac
rifced cames, but among the Arabs the camel
was common food and common Offering. The
swine. on the other hand. which was commonly
sacrificed and eaten in Greece, was forbidden
fcod to all the Semites and occurs a sacrifice
only in certain exceptional rites. Deer. gazelles
and other kinds of game were eaten by the
Hebrews. but not sacrificed. and from Deuteron-
omy Kill, 10. the conclusion Is drawn that this
was an ancient rule. Among the Arabs.
In like manner. Razellc was regarded
as an imperfect oblation, a shabby substi-
tute for a sheep. A regards birds, the
Levitical law admits pigeons and turtle doves
but only as holocausts. and in certain purihca-
tory ceremonies. Prof. Smith thinks that the
fact that the dove was not used by the Hebrews
for any ordinary sacrifice involving a sacrifcial
meal, can hardly be In its origin independent Of
the sacrosanct character ascribed to this bird in
the religions OF the heather Semites. The Sy-
rians would not est doves, and among them
their very touch made man unclean for a day.
In Palestine, also. the dove was sacred with the
Phencians and Philistines. and on this super
stition was based the common Jewish accusa-
tion against the Samaritans, that they were
worshippers OF the dove. Sacred doves that
may not be harmed, are found even at Mecca
In legal times the dove was. of course a clean"
bird TO the Hebrew, but IL Is noted rs somewhat
remarkable that we never read Of ii in the Old
Testament an article OF diet, though IL IL now
one OF tho commonest table birds all over the
East. Birds seem To he mentioned in the Car
thaG!nian sacrifcial list; what is said of them,
indeed, is very obscure; but IL would appear
that they might be used either for ordinary sac
rifces or for special purposes, piacular and oracu-
lar, That the quail was sacrificed TO the Tyrian
baal, appears from AthenRus. Fish were eaten
by the lsraelttes, but not sacrificed. Among their
heather neighbors, on the contrary, fish, or,
At least. certain kinds OF fish, were forbid
den food and were sacrificed only in GER
tain cases. Particular species OF fish were
sd'Teu 10 atdBhtlS anu forbidden food to
all the Syrians, her worshippers who be-
lieved, as totem peoples do. that II they ate the
sacred flesh OF sprat or anchovy, for instance,
they would be visited by ulcers. Mnaseas, as
quoted by Atheneus, AYERS that fish were daily
cooked and presented ON the table OF the god
dess, being Afterward consumed by the priest;
and Assyrlan cylinders display the fish laid
on the altar or presented before II, WHILE in one
example figure which stands by in an attitude
OF alteration is clothed, or disguised rather, in
gigantic fish skin. The meaning Of such dis
Guise is well known from many savage rituals;
II implies that the worshpper presents himself
as fish, {, e., as being kindred TO his sacrifice,
and doubtless also 10 the deity TO which IL is
consecTated. The mouse appears as an abomi-
nable sacrifice in Isaiah, along with the swine
and the "abOmination." The last word is ap-
piled in the Levitical law 20 creeping vermin
generally, term which included the mouse and
other such small quadrupeds as we also call
vermin. All such creatures were unclean in an
intense degree, and had the power TO COM
municato unclCanness to whatever they
touched. So strict taboo is hardly 10
be explained. EXCEPT by supposIng that
they had supernatural and demonlAc ouali-
ties. As a matter OF fact in Ezekiel, we and
them as objects of superstitious alteration
Prof. Smith has been unable 20 discover on
what authority MaimOnides says that the Sem
!tic Harranians sacrificed field mice. According
10 Al-Nadim, the same HaTTanians sacrificed
the swine, aud ate swine's flesh once a year
That this ceremony was ancient is evident from
the fact that II appears also in Cyprus Ia con-
nection with the Semitic Aphr0iits and
Adonis. In the ordinary worship OF Aphrodte
swine were NOT admitted, but in Cyprus Wild
boars were sacrificed once year The same
sacrifice Is alluded TO in the Book OF Isaiah as a 4
heathen illumination, with which the prophet
associates the sacrifice Of two other unclean ami
mails. the dog ard the mouse. According 10 a
modern syrian superstition, demOniac swine
hadnts EnusCs where there is marriageable |
maiden. We know from Lucan that the swine
was esteemed sscrOsanct by the Syrlans; and |
that u was especially sacred % APhrodits or
Astar.e, Is affirmed by Antiphanes, as quote1 IN
Athenaeus- The sacrifice OF dog Is mentioned
In the Book Of Isaiah, and II seems also 70 be al
luded 10 as Punic rite In Justin. where We
read that Darius sent a message 10 the CarthA-
EniAns not TO sacrifice human victims, or 70 eat |
the nssh OF dOSs; It Il evident from the CONTEXT