THE THEORY OF RITUAL SACRIFICE: PAST AND PRESENT

Abstract

Traditional theories of ritual sacrifice have focused their interpretive efforts on cultural, religious, and economic explanations. They argued that sacrifices gained approval because they served a practical role in affirming sacralization or exchange. Humans utilized sacrifices to establish connections between the profane and the sacred through exchange. Modern research proposes a more multidimensional view of ritual sacrifice. It directs attention to both religious and socio-psychological motivations for ritual sacrifice. This article presents a multi-aspect approach to ritual sacrifice, emphasizing that, in addition to satisfying cultural and economic needs, there were also biological and socio-psychological needs motivating the practice of ritual sacrifice. The practice of ritual sacrifice provided psychological satisfaction and alleviated the challenges of death and other uncertainties that arise in human life. A wide range of elements in the ritual of sacrifice, such as singing, dancing, feasting, experiencing acts of danger and violence, provided a biopsychosocial motivation for the ritual. The paper argues that these elements, containing psychological states of joy and fear, satisfied deep biological and psychological needs of humans.