sacrifices, especially one's own children, as Abraham offering Isaac,
Jephtha his daughter, and the practice in Israel so severely condemned
by some of the earlier prophets, of making "their children pass the
fire unto Moloch."

Other offerings in the course of time grew up, such as fruits,
vegetables, incense, etc.; but no offering was acceptable as an
_atonement for sin_, except the offering of blood. Thus Cain brought
an offering "of the fruit of the ground" and Jehovah rejected it. But
Abel came with "the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.
And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and unto his offering."

The later Levitical ritual with its organized priesthood, tabernacle,
temple, etc., was by no means the beginning of this idea of appeasing
the wrath of Jehovah by blood atonement; but was only the more perfect
and systematic organization and administration of it. Blood was
considered so precious, because it was the life, that the children of
Israel were forbidden to eat it on penalty of death. "For the life of
the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to
make atonement for your sins: for it is the blood that maketh atonement
by reason of the life." Lev. xvii, 11.

I shall assume here that the reader is already sufficiently familiar
with the practices of the Jews, as recorded thruout the Old Testament,
concerning this matter of blood atonement, to render it unnecessary to
go into further details. If he is not already familiar with it, he can
easily become so.

The question has been asked, why _burn_ the offering? Why was it not
sufficient simply to shed the blood? Perhaps in the beginning this was
the practice. There is nothing said about burning the offerings of
either Cain or Abel. It is highly probable they were not burnt.
Jehovah was satisfied with the mere _sight_ of blood, the destruction
of a life. But this, Cain did not offer. There was no _blood_ in his
fruit-offering; hence Jehovah was not only unappeased, but insulted.
The first mention of "burnt-offerings" in the Bible is the offering
made by Noah after the flood. From this on they are common. The
purpose of burning the offering was simply to cook it,--to roast it.
The offering was nearly always eaten. Sometimes only the fat,
considered the choicest part, was burnt as an offering to the god;
while the people and priests ate the balance, either roasted or boiled.
See a full account of this in 1 Sam. ii,