Pure Gift?
Is the olah , the “whole burnt offering,” a “pure gift, as Moshe Halbertal has it in On Sacrifice (14)?
It seems so: The entire animal is burned, no meat remains for the worshiper, there is no evident benefit given in return for the total devotion of an animal to Yahweh,
Sed contra: The olah is said to “make atonement” for the worshiper (Leviticus 1:4) that produces a pacifying aroma (1:9).
It’s not a “pure” unreciprocated gift. It’s a gift whose return is invisible. The return gift is known only by faith.
Every morning and evening, Israel was reminded that man does not live by meat alone.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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