AN ALLEGED PARALLEL TO LEVITICUS--A CARTHAGINIAN LAW CONCERNING
SACRIFICES[469]
THE TEXT OF THE CARTHAGINIAN LAW. COMPARISON WITH THE LEVITICAL LAW.
=1. The Text of the Carthaginian Law.=
Temple of Baal[zephon], Tar[iff of d]ues, which [the superintendents
of d]ues fixed in the time [of our rulers, Khalas]baal, the judge, son
of Bodtanith, son of Bod[eshmun, and of Khalasbaal], the judge, son of
Bodeshmun, son of Khalasbaal, and their colleagues.
For an ox as a whole burnt-offering[470] or a prayer-offering, or a
whole peace-offering,[471] the priests shall have 10 (shekels) of
silver for each; and in case of a whole burnt-offering, they shall
have in addition to this fee [300 shekels of fle]sh; and, in case of a
prayer-offering, the trimmings, the joints; but the skin and the fit
of the inwards[472] and the feet and the rest of the flesh the owner
of the sacrifice shall have.
For a calf whose horns are wanting, in case of one not castrated (?),
or in case of a ram as a whole burnt-offering, the priests shall have
5 shekels of silver [for each; and in case of a whole burnt-offering
they shall have in addit]ion to this fee 150 shekels of flesh; and, in
case of a prayer-offering, the trimmings and the joints; but the skin
and the fat of the inwards and the fe[et and the rest of the flesh the
owner of the sacrifice shall have].
In case of a ram or a goat as a whole burnt-offering, or a
prayer-offering, or a whole peace-offering, the priests shall have 1
shekel of silver and 2 _zars_ for each; and, in case of a
prayer-offering, they shall [have in addition to this fee the
trimmings] and the joints; but the skin and the fat of the inwards and
the feet and the rest of the flesh the owner of the sacrifice shall
have.
For a lamb, or a kid, or the young (?) of a hart, as a whole
burnt-offering, or a prayer-offering, or a whole peace-offering, the
priests shall have ¾ (of a shekel) and ...... _zars_ of silver [for
each; and, in case of a prayer-offering, they shall have in addition]
to this fee the trimmings and the joints; but the skin and the fat of
the inwards and the feet and the rest of the flesh the own[er of the
sacrifice] shall have.
For a bird, domestic or wild, as a whole peace-offering, or a
sacrifice-to-avert-calamity (?) or an oracular (?) sacrifice, the
priests shall have ¾ (of a shekel) of silver and 2 _zars_ for each;
but the f[lesh shall belong to the owner of the sacrifice].
For a bird, or sacred first-fruits, or a sacrifice of game, or a
sacrifice of oil, the priests shall have 10 _g_[_erahs_] for each; but
......................
In case of every prayer-offering that is presented before the gods,
the priests shall have the trimmings and the joints; and in the case
of a prayer-offering ....
For a cake, and for milk, and for every sacrifice which a man may
offer, for a meal-offering[473] ..........
For every sacrifice which a man may offer who is poor in cattle, or
poor in birds, the priests shall not have anything ..........
Every freeman and every slave and every dependent[474] of the gods and
all men who may sacrifice .........., these men [shall give] for the
sacrifice at the rate prescribed in the regulations ..........
Every payment which is not prescribed in this table shall be made
according to the regulations which [the superintendents of the dues
fixed in the time of Khalasbaal, son of Bodtani]th, and Khalasbaal,
son of Bodeshmun, and their colleagues.
Every priest who shall accept payment beyond what is prescribed in
this table shall be fi[ned] ............
Every person who sacrifices, who shall not give ............ for the
fee which ..............
=2. Comparison with the Levitical Law.=
This document is not earlier than the fourth or fifth century B. C. The
Carthaginians, from whom it comes, were an offshoot of the Phœnicians, who
were, in turn, descended from the Canaanites. They were accordingly of
kindred race to the Hebrews. One can, therefore, see from this document
something of how the Levitical institutions of Israel resembled and how
they differed from those of their kinsmen. It will be seen that the main
sacrifices bore the same names among both peoples. We find the “whole
burnt-offering,” the “peace-offering,” and the “meal-offering.” The
Carthaginians had no “sin-offering,” while among the Hebrews we find no
“prayer-offering.” The ways of rewarding the priests also differed with
the two peoples. The Hebrews had no such regular tariff of priests’ dues
as the Carthaginians, but parts of certain offerings and all of others
belonged to them. Leviticus assigns from the peace-offering the
“heave-thigh” and the “wave-breast” to the priests (Lev. 7:14, 34; Num.
5:9, 10; 31:29, 41). Meal- or flour-offerings belonged to the priests
(Lev. 5:13; 7:9, 10), as did the sin- and trespass-offerings (Lev. 6:18,
29; 7:9, 10). Of the burnt-offerings the priests had the skin (Lev. 7:8).
The interesting thing is that in the ritual, as in the social laws, we
find that the heathen Semites had a considerable number of regulations
similar to those of the Hebrews.