The Sin Offering in Hebrew Law

Abstract

The Hebrew law, including sacrificial regulations, is an element of the covenant. As for the type of the source of law, sacrificial regulations are mainly case law. In the society of ancient Israel, one of the important functions of the sacrificial system is to remove the danger caused by sin. Sin offerings are supposed to be brought to deal with unintentional sin, intentional sin, or major impurities. The main purpose of the sin offering is to make atonement for the worshipper by means of the principle of substitution and to remove the pollution caused by sin. The laws for sacrifice were for everyone in ancient Israel's society to note, and they were completely different from the secrecy of priestly legislation found in the surrounding nations. Even the Roman law did not come into a stage of publicity until around 300 BC, which was about a thousand years later than that of Hebrew law. There are principles of proportionality of crime and punishment, and principle of equality in the sacrificial system, which combines rules and affections in its ways of dispute resolution. The motivation for Israelites to obey the sacrificial regulations includes fear, faith, and gratitude. Characteristics of the Sacrificial Law provide beneficial illustrations and rationale for us to understand the principles of the rule of law.