CHRIST AS A HUMANE TEACHER 69 



one god " who desired nothing but the souls of the 

 victims." The Arabs had one god who was very 

 charitable, and demanded only "half of the blood 

 of victims." The Romans had a carnivorous god 

 " who was wont to eat human flesh." 



Some nations believed that by eating the flesh of 

 a victim its life would be renewed in the lives of 

 those who ate it ; hence the Issendones would eat 

 their parents and children in order to retain or per- 

 petuate the family. 



Another prominent feature of sacrifice was the 

 supposed unity of kinship by mingling the blood 

 of the victim in the veins of the whole tribe. The 

 blood-covenant was formed by eating the same 

 victim and having the same kind of blood course 

 through the veins of all. But if this sacrificial 

 blood was not partaken of it was sprinkled over 

 the people for the same purpose. 



Some portions of the Old Testament speak out 

 plainly against sacrifice, thus : " The sacrifices of 

 God are a broken spirit ; a broken and a contrite 

 heart. . . . For I spake not unto your fathers 

 nor commanded them in the days that I brought 

 them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt 

 offerings or sacrifices. ... I delight not in 



