saintactual killing of the victim by cutting its throat, cutting its chest open,
decapitation, or suffocating it as in the ancient Vedic cult of India. Within
the context of the Ogun sacrifice of the Yoruba of Africa, the invocation
involves splitting apart kola nuts and casting them before the god’s shrine
to ascertain his will, whereas the immolation entails cracking open a
snail’s shell and pouring its contents onto the god’s stone. Then, a
pigeon’s head is wrung off and a priest drips its blood on the stone.
Finally, a dog is beheaded and its blood is sprinkled on the stone.
The communion–purification phase begins with the sharing of the vic-
tim’s flesh, which confirms the spiritual bond between the sacrificer and
divine being. Communion also reinforces the moral and social bonds of
the participants. A final purification of the participants enables them to
return safely to society and normal social interaction. This final act pre-
supposes that the participants have become dangerous to other social
members because they have been in a sacred condition, performing sacred
acts, and in direct communion with supernatural beings, which means that
ordinary citizens are at risk from the power inherent in the acquired
sacredness. Thus, this final purification protects the non-sacrificial mem-
bers of society. Among the Yoruba, communion involves sharing the con-
secrated flesh of the dog, which renews the bonds of unity among
participants and reinforces god’s relation to the group.
Further reading: Burkert (1983); Detienne and Vernant (1989); Girard (1989);
Hubert and Mauss (1964); Widengren (1969)SAINT
This concept can be traced to an ancient Greek term hagios and the later
Latin term sanctus that are both originally used to mean a holy person.
Greeks and Romans use these terms broadly to refer to emperors, gods,
and deceased relatives. Later Christians use the terms in the plural to refer
to the faithful on earth, those in heaven, martyrs, monks, and clergy.
Developing the technical meaning of the term, the Latin church offers
three general definitions (identified respectively as moral, theological, and
liturgical): a person who leads or has led a life of heroic virtue, a person
who goes to heaven (regardless whether or not this fact is recognized), or
a person who by virtue of the church’s judgment resides in heaven and is
canonized, making that person a legitimate object of worship.
During the Patristic period of Christianity (c. 200–500 ce), the popular
veneration of saints begins in the West with St. Polycarp of the second