IN TALESTINE IN RELATION TO THE BIBLE. 



221 



He lias shown conclusively that among the modern inhabi- 

 tants of Palestine and Syria there survive many primitive beliefs 

 which are common to, and historically go back before, the 

 organised religions — Moslem, Christian and Druze. Going to 

 the land in the first instance a disciple of the late Professor 

 Eobertson Smith, and accepting his teaching that the sacrificial 

 meal was the oldest form of sacrifice, three summers of 

 investigation convinced him how ])rimitive and ingrained was 

 the institution of the Ijloody sacrifice and the behef in the need 

 of "redemption." He found that the putting of the blood of a 

 sacrificed victim on the door-posts and lintel — even on the tent 

 cords of the bedaw^in — survives all over the land to-day. When 

 foundations of new buildings are dug it is common to make 

 a " foundation sacrifice," the blood being allowed to flow to the 

 l:iottom of the trench. On one occasion, the explanation 

 offered by a Sheikh standing by was as follows* — 



" Every building must have its death — man, woman, child or 

 animal. God has appointed a redemption for every building, through 

 sacrifice. If God has accepted the sacrifice, He has redeemed the 

 house." 



In all parts there are sacrifices for the dead," — 



" They kill animals for the dead in behalf of his spirit. They go 

 before him as light, serve him as he approaches God,"t 



as one man explained. 



In the same way there are sacrifices in fulfilment of vows, 

 sacrifices " between the feet," the victim being killed while the 

 man stands with his legs on each side of the animal, sacrifices 

 (in the Nahlus district) when a reconciliation takes place 

 between the avenger of blood and the murderer, and so on. 

 The conclusion of Professor Curtiss is that the importance of the 

 " shedding of blood " and the necessity of " redemption " belong 

 to the primary religious instincts of the Semites. 



A second series of investigations were concerned with the 

 survival to-day of " High places " or local sanctuaries. Professor 

 Curtiss found that among the ignorant feJlaldn and bedawin, 

 unaffected as many of them are by either Mahommedanism or 

 Christianity, the conceptions of God are at the same primitive 

 stage as it was among the Canaanites or earliest Israelites. On 

 the one hand the ideas of God are anthropomorphic in the 

 extreme ; on the other far more reverence and respect is paid 

 to the local shrines or " Welies " than towards God Himself.f 



* p. 196, loc. cit. 



t p. 178, loc. ext. 



X p. 129, etc. loc. cit. 



