Sacrifice facts for kids

The Sacrifice to Priapus, by Francisco de Goya

A sacrifice is giving something up. In many religions, it usually is about giving something to God or gods. Many Pagan peoples made human sacrifices and animal sacrifices. The Greek play Iphigenia by Euripides contains an example of this. In the Old Testament, Jewish people followed the laws about animal sacrifices in the book of Leviticus. Cows and pigeons were killed to make atonement with God. In the New Testament, Christ's death on the cross is seen as substitutionary atonement for sin.

Images for kids

Marcus Aurelius and members of the Imperial family offer sacrifice in gratitude for success against Germanic tribes: contemporary bas-relief, Capitoline Museum, Rome
The sacrificial cairn in Janakkala, Finland
An ancient Fourth-Pompeian-Style Roman wall painting depicting a scene of sacrifice in honor of the goddess Diana; she is seen here accompanied by a deer. The fresco was discovered in the triclinium of House of the Vettii in Pompeii, Italy.
Aztec human sacrifice, from Codex Mendoza, 16th century (Bodleian Library, Oxford).
A sacrificed pig during Ghost Festival
Artwork depicting the Sacrifice of Jesus: Christ on the Cross by Carl Heinrich Bloch
A page from the Waldburg Prayer Book illustrating the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Earth before the Holy Trinity and the Virgin Mary in Heaven