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The Five Types of Sacrifice

Holocaust (Whole Burnt Offering). Lv. 1:1-17. An unblemished male animal (not a wild animal, but one you had to put money and work into) or a bird.

Later was added the gift (minah) of cereal, flour mixed with oil and wine. Lv 2:1-16. Offered for the sin of the offender. Only a small portion was burnt. The majority went for support of the priests.

Peace offering or Communion sacrifice. Lv 3:1-17. Emphasizes the union between God, who receives a small part that is burnt, and the donor, who also receives the major part. The victim could be male or female. It could not be a bird, which would be too small to share with God and the family of the donor.

Sin offering (freeing from the sin offering) hatta’t, Lv. 4:1-5:13. Something sacred has been violated and reparation needs to be made. The dignity of the person making the offering determines the animal. A bull is needed for a priest or the whole community. A goat can serve for a lay offender. A key part of this ceremony is the sprinkling of the victim’s blood on the altar. If the offence has been committed by a priest or the whole community, blood must also be sprinkled on the altar of incense in the holy part of the temple and on the curtain of the holy of holies. The fat is burnt. The priests get the rest if it was an offering for the sin of an individual. The guilty person gets nothing. However, if it was offered for the sin of the whole community, the other portion was thrown on the refuse heap.

Guilt offering – reparation for an offence that requires some kind of restitution. It pays God back for something we should have given or done.

Bibliography:

1. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.
2. McKenzies Dictionary of the Bible.
3. The Catholic Study Bible, 2^nd edition, by Scott Hahn.
4. "Faith Facts", Catholics United for The Faith (CUF).
5. Office for Catechesis of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago Catholic Scripture School.