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animal sacrifice Jesus’ suffering and bloody death on the cross took the place of the bloody sacrifice in the temple. The warm-hearted Jesus of Sunday school might well be a member of PETA, as would Francis of Assissi. Judaism has a long tradition of mercy toward animals, and Jesus doubtless kept up the tradition. As a Jew living in the Second Temple period, however, he was taught that animal sacrifice was proper. Jesus’ ministry was concerned with the well-being of the son of man, not the son of beast. John the Baptist washed Jews in the Jordan as a token of their repentance, indicating forgiveness of sins. This move was a vote of no confidence against Herod’s temple in Jerusalem, which was supposed to have a monopoly on forgiving sins, accomplished by animal sacrifice. Jesus took John’s idea even further, promoting repentance apart even from the ritual of washing. Any opposition to animal sacrifice, however, was indirect, part of an opposition to ritual in general. In Jesus’ time, animal sacrifice was ubiquitous among the pagans, but for Jews sacrifice was only proper at the Temple in Jerusalem (or, for some, at a single substitute temple somewhere else). Jews had therefore developed a form of religious expression not related to sacrifice, something that they could carry out in Alexandria, in Rome, or in Galilee: meeting at the synagogue. These assemblies were marked by reading scripture, a practice that marked the Jews as a philosophical people. With the fall of the Temple in AD 70, sacrifice went by the wayside and assembling at the synagogue became central to the rabbinic Judaism that developed. This Jewish innovation of a religious service marked by reading scripture proved to be a keeper. Christians picked it up, as would Manicheans and Muslims. The first generation of Jewish Christians continued to sacrifice at the Temple, with Jesus brother James serving as their priestly leader. But Paul’s gentile converts gave up sacrificing to idols and never picked up sacrificing at Herod’s temple. Like Jews, early Christians dropped animal sacrifice in favor of listening to scripture.
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contents table of contents you're already looking at it introduction for the inquisitive reader biographical overview who he was and wasn't
afterlife not Jesus' concern animal sacrifice bloodless religion apocalypse did Jesus preach hellfire? baptism sin wash for Jesus and others beatitudes Jesus' words and others' words beloved disciple witness for the un-gospel bible scripture old and new bishop the unjesus body focus on the physical Buddha Jesus' close kin charity key Christian virtue and legacy of Jesus The Da Vinci Code secret (and false) messages divorce women's status dreams convenient literary device Elijah Jewish prophet with his own second coming equality ancient source of modern egalitarianism exorcist Jesus and demons failure reinterpreting Jesus as a failure faith from trust to blind belief father Jesus on titles of honor Francis of Assisi the most Christlike Christian Gandhi the 20th century's most Christly holy man Galilee Jesus' inauspicious homeland gentiles Jesus' inadvertent audience god how Jesus became god golden rule key to Jesus' success gospels competing accounts heaven from sky to spiritual home hell revenge fantasy humanism Jesus' legacy inerrant Christian treatment of scripture Thomas Jefferson ethics of Jesus Jewish guilt Christian libel John's gospel the un-gospel John the baptist, see John the washer John the washer Jesus' apocalyptic mentor Judaism libeled religion of Jesus kingdom of god what Jesus promised Lao Tzu poet of the cosmic way logos jesus as the word of god C. S. Lewis famous, flawed trilemma little drummer boy Luke beats Matthew logos Jesus as the divine word LORD Yahweh transitioning to the one god of all Luke's gospel the all-around best gospel Mark's gospel the gospel that lost its point Mary of Magdala women, visions, and sex massacre of the innocents bloodshed starts early Matthew's gospel best gospel for church reading Mormon, see Joseph Smith Moses Jewish lawgiver Muhammad a prophet who got it right mystery Orpheus and transubstantiation oppression origin of Jesus' compassion The Passion of the Christ Luke as buzzkill Paul revealer of the revealer private and public public Jesus and secret Christ relativism the secret power of the golden rule sacrifice Jesus' death and Christian sacrament Albert Schweitzer Jesus as a failure sheol dark pit of death show Jesus' deeds as put-ons slavery abolished by Jesus' efforts Joseph Smith flesh-and-blood Jesus Socrates secular Jesus son of god on close terms with the man upstairs soul, see body synoptics three gospels that agree temple center of Jewish religion trinity unifying and divisive doctrinre vision, see dreams Yahweh, see LORD Zoroaster Persian dualistic holy man
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