Muti rituals and the biblical portrayal of child sacrifice

Abstract

The question addressed by this study would be to ask where there is any semantic overlap in the way in which on the one hand child sacrifices functioned in the OT and on the other hand how muti rituals function in contemporary South Africa. Do these different rituals function similarly, or not? In answering this question, this study will first provide a literature overview of how muti murders are described in academic literature and show the complexities of trying to understand African religion and culture. This is achieved by looking at the concept of muti rituals, its meaning, targeted victims (who are usually women and children) and development in history, from sacrifice in war times to sacrifice for material gain. In this section works from cultural anthropology are used to help form a clearer picture of what muti rituals are and how they function within society. The study then moves to how the practice of child sacrifice is portrayed in texts such as Genesis 22:1-19 (the binding of Isaac) and Judges 11:29-40 (Jephthah’s vow). Although many scholars chose to separate the sacrifices of Genesis 22 and Judges 11, this study will show that they should be read together since they share the common theme of burnt-offering. In the comparison it will become clear that both Abraham and Jephthah are fathers of an only child; their child is the single most precious thing they possess. Moreover, both accounts are of an etiological nature. The fact that both narratives are in the canon should be seen as an indication of the important contribution that they make to the theme of sacrifice. In a more general chapter, the concepts of sacrifice and offering are outlined and are both acknowledged as a form of worship. This is followed by an overview of the different types of sacrifices as outlined in the Levitical literature and their different occurrences, focusing on the burnt-offering. Rituals are therefore understood as a communicating and clarifying social reality and establishing it. These patterns are understood with the use of a Mesopotamian inscription about “The death of Gilgamesh” which shows that warfare and killing were necessary to maintain and establish order, prosperity and peace. A comparison between muti rituals and child sacrifice yields more differences than similarities. One of the major similarities is that a blessing is bestowed on the offerer, be it success in business, victory in war or the acquisition of land. The motif of sacrificing one for the greater good seems to be at play. The main difference between muti rituals and child sacrifice is that in muti rituals, the sacrifice is dedicated to ancestors while in child sacrifice they are dedicated to Yahweh. In muti rituals, the victim does not need to be related to the offerer but in both these texts; the victim is the only child, a special possession of the father.