sacrifice essay introduction

Please wait while we process your request

Sacrifice Essay Writing Guide

Academic writing

Essay paper writing

Sacrifice is a phenomenon that is largely lacking in modern society. In the era of consumer philosophy and selfish goals, people tend to forget about acts of kindness that bring not material but moral satisfaction.

It is important to draw the attention of schoolchildren and students to a topic of sacrifice by assigning them to write academic papers on this topic. Young people can express their views and share experiences regarding parental unconditional love, spiritual growth through sacrifice, and examples of sacrificing in family and social relations.

If you are looking through this article right now, you probably have to perform a similar task. If this is the case, we recommend reading the whole article as you will surely find some useful tips on how to write about sacrifice.

Sacrifice essay topics ideas

Got lost among essay ideas? Check out the list of the best ones to make a final choice:

Parents’ sacrifice essay
“My sacrifice” essay
Essay on whether or not you need to sacrifice for love
Essay about sacrifice in love and when it becomes unhealthy
Essay about family sacrifice
Essay about love and sacrifice in literary works
Reasons for self-sacrifice essay
“Sacrifice and bliss” essay
Essay on importance of self-sacrifice in different cultures
Essay about making sacrifices to better the world
“Sacrifice of a teacher” essay
Human sacrifice essay
“Importance of sacrifice” essay
Ultimate sacrifice essay

Topic ideas for informative essay on sacrifice

Writing an informative essay about making sacrifices, consider focusing on one of the following:

Different kinds of sacrifices that people make
“What is sacrifice?” essay
Self-sacrificing personality type
Ritual sacrifice essay
Sacrificial moral dilemmas
“What does sacrifice mean?” essay
Chronic self-sacrifice and its influence on mental health
Essay about mothers’ sacrifice
Soldiers’ sacrifice essay
Essay on sacrifice definition and etymology
“Sacrifice in sport” essay

How to write essays on sacrifice?

The majority of students have to write essays on a regular basis. The main thing is not just to write some information on the topic in question but also to make it interesting and attract the attention of a potential reader starting from the first sentence. We have prepared all the useful information on essay writing so that you can craft a decent paper.

The following details should be taken into account while writing an essay about sacrifice:

The topicality of the problem under consideration. The issues raised should be relevant to the modern world or interesting if you are writing about a history of the subject.
Personal opinion. You will need to explain your stance on the problem and back it up with information you have found in the literary sources.
Small volume. There are no strict boundaries when it comes to the length of an essay, but 2-5 pages of text will likely be enough. Ask your professor about the word limit or simply request a rubric if you aren’t sure.
Narrow focus. Only one issue or problem may be considered within the framework of the essay. There cannot be many different topics or ideas discussed within one assignment as you will not be able to cover any of them properly.

Sacrifice essay outline

In general, the essay has quite a specific structure:

Sacrifice essay introduction. This part should set the mood of the whole paper, bring the reader’s attention to the issue under consideration, and consequently prompt him or her to read the text to the end. The most important aspect of intro is a thesis statement, which bears the main idea you are going to discuss.
The main part. Here, it is necessary to elaborate on the points put forward in a thesis statement using factual information found in credible sources. However, you should not operate with facts alone – add your analysis of what you have read and address the contradictions in sources if any. Please note that you need to devote at least one paragraph to each point made in the thesis to effectively cover it.
By summarizing what has been said in the main part, you will draw a general sacrifice essay conclusion. If the goal of the introduction is to attract attention, then that of the conclusion is to ensure integrity of the overall paper and leave no doubts about the legitimacy or viability of the ideas expressed in the body of the paper. How to wrap up an essay about sacrifice so that your reader has a good impression? Leave him or her some food for thought!

Brainstorming sacrifice essay titles

The last thing you need to do after you are done with your paper is create a good title for a sacrifice essay. At this point, you will already know the subject under the research perfectly, which will make it easier to come up with a short title that will show what exactly you have reviewed in the paper. Use your thesis statement to guide yourself, and think about some common phrases people use when talking about the topic to rework them into your title.

How to write a sacrifice essay: Best tips

Speak you mind. This particular type of writing gives you an opportunity to say what you really think about the topic. Make your voice heard in your sacrifice essay!
Mind your language. It’s very important to find a balance as your language should be neither too scientific nor too elevated. Slang words are not acceptable as well – try writing as if you are having a conversation with your professor and are trying to sound convincing.
Spend some time researching. Whether it’s a sacrifice research paper or an essay, you need to focus a lot of your attention on finding credible sources. So, conduct some research on sacrifice topic on the Web and try reading journal articles rather than news or blog posts.
Proofread your writing. After writing the first draft, let it rest for a day or two and then proofread it with a fresh eye. This will help you spot more mistakes, inconsistencies, or lack of transition between ideas and paragraphs.
Mind the formatting. A properly formatted essay will probably win you a good impression. Ask your teacher what style of formatting you have to stick to and follow all the requirements to the letter.

Writing a narrative essay on sacrifice

A narrative essay about sacrifice is a story about some event experienced by a writer or another person. A narrative essay is usually written in the artistic style. This means that it is necessary to use all the diversity of the English vocabulary. You can add conversational elements and descriptions to paint a clearer picture of what is going on to the reader.

In order to write a high-quality narrative essay, you need to follow these simple steps:

Select the event or a person which you are going to write about;
Think about the mood and the main idea of the future story;
Recall in memory all the necessary details about this story and write them down in bullet points to use later;
Create a well-detailed outline. Make sure it includes introduction (background), main part, culmination, and conclusion.
Use the dialogue or separate replicas, elements of description, etc., which will help you to present the course of events in a more realistic way and humanize the characters.

If you are writing a narrative essay on personal sacrifice, be careful not to overshare. You need to understand how much information you professor is comfortable with you sharing, and it is best to ask them what is acceptable and what is not before you proceed. If you are narrating a story of your friend or relative, make sure you have gotten their permission to do so, and, preferably, inform your professor that you did. Check some samples of a narrative essay about a family member sacrifice to see how such information can be conveyed.

There is a bunch of different topics pertaining to sacrifice that you might write an essay on. Whatever the topic is, you do not have to worry. It is quite easy to write a top-notch essay if you have sufficient information and know the basic rules of writing academic papers.

Your email address will not be published / Required fields are marked *

Try it now!

Calculate your price

Number of pages:

Order an essay!

Fill out the order form

Make a secure payment

Receive your order by email

Writing about Gender Stereotypes

Naturally, there always were heated debates over gender issues topics in the world. Nowadays, the problem of gender inequality and stereotype remains topical. This is exactly the reason why many…

8th Jul 2020

What is a poetry essay and how to write it?

Writing about poetry is a challenging task that requires the application of different strategies and techniques. For example, when writing an essay on poetry, you need to look into the author’s…

26th Oct 2022

Writing About The Internet

It is literally impossible to imagine our lives without the Internet today. People work, sell and buy goods, communicate with friends and family, and look for entertainment online. The list of…

30th Jul 2020

Get your project done perfectly

Professional writing service

Reset password

We’ve sent you an email containing a link that will allow you to reset your password for the next 24 hours.

Please check your spam folder if the email doesn’t appear within a few minutes.

Student Essays

Essay on Sacrifice | Types, Value & Importance of Sacrifice in Life

The concept of sacrifice is central to many religious traditions and also has an important place in secular societies. It is often considered a noble thing: The word “sacrifice” comes from the Latin sacrificium, which meant the performance of sacred rites in exchange for something or on someone’s behalf. This etymology implies that sacrifices are performed for the sake of something else, and usually to please a god or spirit.

Essay on Sacrifice & its Importance in Life

Sacrifice is a word with many meanings. In everyday usage, it refers to any event in which someone gives up something that he or she values highly for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. It can be defined as an act of giving up something highly valued, but it also means the surrendering of goods and property.

It is an act or instance of surrendering something, for example a battle or one’s life, especially to the enemy under the compulsion of direst necessity. It is an inconvenience or difficulty that causes someone to suffer so as to achieve a desired result.

>>>> Related Essay: Life of a Soldier Essay for Students

Types of Sacrifice

Personal sacrifice – this means sacrificing for other people rather than sacrificing for self. Personal sacrifices can be made through giving time, energy or money Personal sacrifice usually involves doing things that do not benefit you at all but give you inner satisfaction about helping others. The second type of sacrifice is religious sacrifice, which is associated with piety.

This type of sacrifice is mainly practiced at temples or places of worship. It involves offering items such as food, money or other valuables to please a god or an idol in the hope of getting some thing valuable in return for example prosperity and good luck in life. The third one is sacrifice in war which means giving up something very important for your country i.e., your people’s safety by sacrificing your life for them.

Finally, the fourth type is self-sacrifice which means giving up something of yours without any hope of getting anything valuable in return i.e., example when you give your life to save others or you jump before a moving train so that the people behind you can live their lives happily.

Value of Sacrifice in Life

In life, we need to put some value on things, if you want something more valuable in return for a less valued thing you sacrifice it. Example: when we go shopping with our mom and we see the most beautiful dress we ever saw in our lives and we really like it and ask our mothers can I buy that?

And she says no, because you have a lot of clothes at home and if we buy that one dress now, then we will need to sacrifice something else which was much valuable or needed more. Sacrifice is a way to distribute limited resources across competing needs.

Importance of Sacrifice

Sacrifice means to make a sacrifice and offering up. It can be an animal, goods or property that is sacrificed. A sacrifice may also mean that you put forward your own interests in favor of someone else’s interest or well-being. The act of sacrificing something such as time, comfort, money etc., for the sake of achieving something more important.

Example of sacrifice is you are hungry and want some delicious food, but your mother wants you to study for exams, so the benefit of getting the delicious food goes out of window as you choose to study.

Benefits of Sacrifice

It mean that something more valuable will be achieved through sacrificing what is less valued or giving up something. In an employee’s point of view, they perform extra work in order to receive a promotion or a reward, the reward is something valuable it means you don’t have to sacrifice but receive more valuable things in return.

In the corporate world, you have to put yourself ahead of your company and do some very hard tasks that others may not do, this is because it will make you more valuable and help your company to grow. For achieving something valuable or increasing the value of an object we need to sacrifice something.

>>>> Related Post: Essay on My Favorite Author Robinder Nath Tagore

Sacrifices take place in almost every field of life, from the corporate world to religious places. Sacrifice is a way to get more valuable rewards by means of giving up something less valued for it. In today’s time we see everything seems to be getting expensive and difficult for us that our basic needs are no longer fulfilled, because we spend most of our money on some unimportant things that has no benefit to us. A lot of self-sacrifice is required in order to bring some changes in our lives, be it the personal life or the professional life.

How to Subscribe

Free Trials

In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Sacrifice

Introduction, general studies on ritual.

General Studies on Sacrifice
General Studies on Greek and Roman Sacrifice
Essay Collections on Greek and Roman Sacrifice
Monographs and Overviews (Greek): Before 1970
Monographs and Overviews (Greek): Since 1970
Linguistic Evidence (Greek)
Epigraphical Evidence (Greek): Text Collections
Epigraphical Evidence (Greek): Studies
Archaeological Evidence (Greek)
Iconographic Sources (Greek)
Literary Sources (Greek)
Phases of the Ritual (Greek)
Animal Offerings (Greek)
Non-Animal Offerings (Greek)
Occasions for Sacrifice (Greek)
Participants (Greek)
Monographs and Overviews (Roman)
Epigraphical and Archaeological Evidence (Roman)
Literary and Iconographic Sources (Roman)
Food and Dining (Roman)
Gender (Roman)
Socio-Political Contexts (Roman)
Human Sacrifice in the Greek and Roman World
Philosophical Views
“Pagans” and Christians

Other Subject Areas

Forthcoming articles expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section.

Ancient Greek Polychromy
Ancient Olympia
Find more forthcoming articles...
Export Citations
Share This Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Sacrifice by Fred Naiden , James Rives LAST REVIEWED: 25 February 2016 LAST MODIFIED: 25 February 2016 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195389661-0209

For the purpose of this article, ancient “sacrifice” was the act of making a destructible or perishable offering to a god, hero, or spirit at an altar or other designated place, commonly accompanied by other rituals and activities. Sacrifice was characteristically a composite or nexus central for both Greek and Roman religion, and much introductory bibliography may thus be found in the separate Oxford Bibliographies articles Greek Religion by Angelos Chaniotis and Roman Religion by Elaine Fantham and Emily Fairey. Because it is not possible to separate sacrifice from other cultic practices, frequent reference is made to these more general bibliographies. Besides being more complex than other rituals, sacrifice has a distinctive intellectual history, closely tied to the development of the concept of ritual and to general ideas about ancient (and especially Greek) religion. A bibliography of sacrifice must accordingly have a comparatively large number of entries devoted to the history of the subject, just as it must have Greek and Roman entries that account for differences between these two religions. F. Naiden and J. Rives are jointly responsible for the entries of a general nature; Naiden has primary responsibility for entries dealing with Greek sacrifice, and Rives, for those dealing with Roman.

Sacrifice became a leading scholarly topic in the late 19th century, thanks to development of the concept of ritual by Smith 1894 and Mauss 1954 . Long dominant, this concept has met with criticism by Goody 1961 , Asad 1993 , Bell 1997 , and Bremmer 1998 .

Asad, Talal. 1993. Genealogies of religion: Disciplines and reasons of power in Christianity and Islam . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press.

Asad shows how priests and other religious leaders use ritual as well as sermons and other religious practices to maintain or increase their authority. To be read in contrast with Bloch 1992 (cited under General Studies on Sacrifice ).

Bell, Catherine M. 1997. Ritual: Perspectives and dimensions . Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.

Synthesizing decades of refinement of the concept of ritual, Bell contrasts the common definition of ritual as custom involving supernatural beings with a definition of “ritualization,” the use and structuring of customs so that they appear natural or self-justifying, without a necessary divine or liturgical element—a fundamental shift affecting much of the study of Greek religion.

Bremmer, J. 1998. Religion, ritual and the opposition ‘sacred vs. profane’: Notes towards a terminological genealogy. In Ansichten griechischer rituale: Geburtstags-Symposium für Walter Burkert . Edited by F. Graf, 9–33. Stuttgart: Teubner.

DOI: 10.1515/9783110962406

This essay brought to the attention of classicists the intellectual problems of the fundamental category of “ritual,” and thus of the organization of the study of religion according to ritual, as in Burkert 1985 (cited under Monographs and Overviews (Greek): Since 1970 ).

Goody, Jack. 1961. Religion and ritual: The definitional problem. British Journal of Sociology 12:142–164.

DOI: 10.2307/586928

This essay raised the issue of the connection between ritual and religion and thus between the topic of sacrifice and the topics of theology and myth, a connection that has remained problematic to the present time, as in Bell 1997 and Bremmer 1998 .

Mauss, Marcel. 1954. The gift: Forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies . Translated by I. Cunnison. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.

Originally published as Essai sur le don: Forme et raison de l’échange dans les sociétés archaïques (Paris: Alcan, 1925). An important aspect of ancient sacrifice given the form of a general social principle applicable to ancient Greece or other societies held to be “archaic.”

Smith, W. Robertson. 1894. Lectures on the religion of the Semites. First series: The fundamental institutions . New ed. Edinburgh: A. & C. Black.

Although sacrifice was but one part of this treatment of early Semitic and especially Hebrew religion, the treatment of sacrificial bloodshed and social bonding through sacrifice and feasting set forth themes that have inspired later writers down through the end of the 20th century.

Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login .

Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here .

About Classics »
Meet the Editorial Board »
Academy, The
Acropolis of Athens, The
Aeschylus’s Oresteia
Aesthetics, Greek and Roman
Africa, Roman
Agriculture in the Classical World
Agriculture, Roman
Alexander of Aphrodisias
Alexander the Great
Ammianus Marcellinus
Anatolian, Greek and
Ancient Classical Scholarship
Ancient Greek and Latin Grammarians
Ancient Greek Terracotta Sculpture
Ancient Mediterranean Baths and Bathing
Ancient Skepticism
Ancient Thebes
Antisthenes
Antonines, The
Apollodorus
Apollonius of Rhodes
Appendix Vergiliana
Apuleius's Platonism
Ara Pacis Augustae
Arabic “Theology of Aristotle”, The
Archaeology, Greek
Archaeology, Roman
Archaic Latin
Architecture, Etruscan
Architecture, Greek
Architecture, Roman
Arena Spectacles
Aristophanes
Aristophanes’ Clouds
Aristophanes’ Lysistrata
Aristotle, Ancient Commentators on
Aristotle's Categories
Aristotle's Ethics
Aristotle's Metaphysics
Aristotle's Philosophy of Mind
Aristotle’s Physics
Aristotle's Politics
Art and Archaeology, Research Resources for Classical
Art, Etruscan
Art, Late Antique
Athenaeus of Naucratis
Athenian Agora
Athenian Economy
Attic Middle Comic Fragments
Aulularia, Plautus’s
Aulus Gellius
Bacchylides
Banking in the Roman World
Bilingualism and Multilingualism in the Roman World
Biography, Greek and Latin
Birds, Aristophanes'
Britain, Roman
Bronze Age Aegean, Death and Burial in the
Caecilius Statius
Caere/Cerveteri
Callimachus of Cyrene
Carthage, Punic
Casina, Plautus’s
Cato the Censor
Cato the Younger
Christianity, Early
Cicero’s Philosophical Works
Cicero's Pro Archia
Cicero's Rhetorical Works
Cities in the Roman World
Classical Architecture in Europe and North America since 1...
Classical Architecture in Renaissance and Early Modern Eur...
Classical Art History, History of Scholarship of
Classics and Cinema
Classics and Dance
Classics and Opera
Classics and Shakespeare
Classics and the Victorians
Claudian (Claudius Claudianus)
Cleisthenes
Codicology/Paleography, Greek
Collegia, Roman
Colonization in the Roman Empire
Colonization in the Roman Republic
Constantine
Corpus Tibullianum Book Three
Countryside, Roman
Crete, Ancient
Critias of Athens
Death and Burial in the Roman Age
Declamation
Demography, Ancient
Demosthenes
Dio, Cassius
Diodorus Siculus
Diogenes Laertius
Doxography, Ancient
Drama, Latin
Economy, Roman
Egypt, Hellenistic and Roman
Epicurean Ethics
Epicureanism
Epigram, Greek Inscribed
Epigrams, Greek Poetry
Epigraphy, Greek
Epigraphy, Latin
Eratosthenes of Cyrene
Etymology, Greek Lexicon and
Euripides' Alcestis
Euripides’ Bacchae
Euripides’ Electra
Euripides' Orestes
Euripides’ Trojan Women
Fabius Pictor
Family, Roman
Federal States, Greek
Fishing and Aquaculture, Roman
Flavian Literature
Fragments, Greek Old Comic
Frontiers of the Roman Empire
Gardens, Greek and Roman
Gaul, Roman
Gracchi Brothers, The
Greek and Roman Logic
Greek Colonization
Greek Domestic Architecture c. 800 bce to c. 100 bce
Greek Epic, The Language of the
Greek New Comic Fragments
Greek Originals and Roman Copies
Greek Prehistory Through the Bronze Age
Greek Vase Painting
Hellenistic Tragedy
Herculaneum (Modern Ercolano)
Herculaneum Papyri
Heritage Management
Historia Augusta
Historiography, Greek
Historiography, Latin
History, Greek: Archaic to Classical Age
History, Greek: Hellenistic
History of Modern Classical Scholarship (Since 1750), The
History, Roman: Early to the Republic
History, Roman: Imperial, 31 BCE–284 CE
History, Roman: Late Antiquity
Homeric Hymns
Homo novus/New man
Horace's Epistles and Ars Poetica
Horace’s Epodes
Horace’s Odes
Horace's Satires
Imperialism, Roman
Indo-European, Greek and
Indo-European, Latin and
Intertextuality in Latin Poetry
Jews and Judaism
Knossos, Prehistoric
Land-Surveyors
Language, Ancient Greek
Languages, Italic
Latin, Medieval
Latin Paleography, Editing, and the Transmission of Classi...
Latin Poetry, Epigrams and Satire in
Lexicography, Greek
Lexicography, Latin
Linguistics, Indo-European
Literary Criticism, Ancient
Literary Languages of Greek, The
Literary Letters, Greek
Literary Letters, Roman
Literature, Hellenistic
Literature, Neo-Latin
Looting and the Antiquities Market
Magic in the Ancient Greco-Roman World
Marcus Aurelius's Meditations
Marcus Cornelius Fronto
Marcus Manilius
Maritime Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean
Marius and Sulla
Medea, Seneca's
Menander of Athens
Metaphysics, Greek and Roman
Metrics, Greek
Middle Platonism
Military, Greek
Military, Roman
Miltiades of Cimon
Minor Socratics
Mosaics, Greek and Roman
Mythography
Narratology and the Classics
Neoplatonism
Neoteric Poets, The
Nepos, Cornelius
Nonius Marcellus
Novel, Roman
Novel, The Greek
Numismatics, Greek and Roman
Optimates/Populares
Orpheus and Orphism
Ovid’s Exile Poetry
Ovid’s Love Poetry
Ovid's Metamorphoses
Painting, Greek
Panaetius of Rhodes
Panathenaic Festival, the
Papyrology: Literary and Documentary
Parthian Empire, The
Performance Culture, Greek
Perikles (Pericles)
Philo of Alexandria
Philodemus of Gadara
Philosophy, Dialectic in Ancient Greek and Roman
Philosophy, Greek
Philosophy of Language, Ancient
Philosophy, Presocratic
Philosophy, Roman
Philostratus, Lucius Flavius
Plato’s Apology of Socrates
Plato’s Crito
Plato's Laws
Plato’s Metaphysics
Plato’s Phaedo
Plato’s Philebus
Plato’s Sophist
Plato's Symposium
Plato’s Theaetetus
Plato's Timaeus
Plautus’s Amphitruo
Plautus’s Curculio
Plautus’s Miles Gloriosus
Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Younger
Plutarch's Moralia
Poetic Meter, Latin
Poetry, Greek: Elegiac and Lyric
Poetry, Greek: Iambos
Poetry, Greek: Pre-Hellenistic
Poetry, Latin: From the Beginnings through the End of the ...
Poetry, Latin: Imperial
Political Philosophy, Greek and Roman
Posidippus of Pella
Poverty in the Roman World
Prometheus, Aeschylus'
Prosopography
Pyrrho of Elis
Pythagoreanism
Religion, Greek
Religion, Roman
Rhetoric, Greek
Rhetoric, Latin
Roman Agricultural Writers, The
Roman Consulship, The
Roman Italy, 4th Century bce to 3rd Century ce
Roman Kingship
Roman Patronage
Roman Roads and Transport
Sardis, Ancient
Science, Greek and Roman
Sculpture, Etruscan
Sculpture, Greek
Sculpture, Roman
Seneca the Elder
Seneca the Younger's Philosophical Works
Seneca’s Oedipus
Seneca's Phaedra
Seneca's Tragedies
Severans, The
Silius Italicus
Slavery, Greek
Slavery, Roman
Sophocles’ Ajax
Sophocles’ Antigone
Sophocles’ Electra
Sophocles’ Fragments
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King
Sophocles’ Philoctetes
Sophocles’ Trachiniae
Spain, Roman
Stesichorus of Himera
Symposion, Greek
Technology, Greek and Roman
Terence’s Adelphoe
Terence’s Eunuchus
The Sophists
The Tabula Peutingeriana (Peutinger Map)
Theater Production, Greek
Theocritus of Syracuse
Theoderic the Great and Ostrogothic Italy
Theophrastus of Eresus
Topography of Athens
Topography of Rome
Tragic Chorus, The
Translation and Classical Reception
Transmission of Greek and Latin Literature
Valerius Flaccus
Valerius Maximus
Varro, Marcus Terentius
Velleius Paterculus
Wall Painting, Etruscan
Zeno of Elea
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Legal Notice
Accessibility

[185.80.151.41]
185.80.151.41

Featured Essay The Love of God An essay by Sam Storms Read Now
Faithfulness of God
Saving Grace
Adoption by God

U.S. Edition

Arts & Culture
Bible & Theology
Christian Living
Current Events
Faith & Work
As In Heaven
Gospelbound
Post-Christianity?
The Carson Center Podcast
TGC Podcast
You're Not Crazy
Churches Planting Churches
Help Me Teach The Bible
Word Of The Week
Upcoming Events
Past Conference Media
Foundation Documents
Regional Chapters
Church Directory
Global Resourcing
Donate to TGC

To All The World

The world is a confusing place right now. We believe that faithful proclamation of the gospel is what our hostile and disoriented world needs. Do you believe that too? Help TGC bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work.

The Theology of Sacrifice

Other essays.

The biblical idea of sacrifice concerns the way of approach to God, finding acceptance before him by means of an acceptable substitute offered in place of the sinner and bearing the curse of sin.

This essay surveys the idea of sacrifice through the Old Testament in order to determine its intended significance. Next, this essay surveys the significance of the saving death of Christ as it is presented in these sacrificial categories. Special attention is given to Hebrews 9–10.

Introduction

The idea and practice of sacrifice is prominent throughout the biblical narrative. There is at least a hint of it as far back as Genesis 3:21, where God provides coats of skin for Adam and Eve. In Genesis 4:2-5 we read of the sacrifices offered by Cain and Abel, who presumably learned of the practice from Adam and Eve. We then read of sacrifices offered by Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (Gen. 12:7-8; 13:4, 18; 22:13), Isaac (Gen. 26:25), Jacob (Gen. 31:54; 33:20; 35:1-7; 46:1), and Job (1:5; 42:8). In Exodus and Leviticus, of course, the theme explodes. God delivers Israel from Egypt so that they may go and offer sacrifice to him (Exod. 3:18; 5:3, etc.; cf. 17:15), and it is by sacrifice, in fact, that they are delivered (Exod. 12). And in Exodus 20ff and in Leviticus God gives Moses detailed instructions for establishing and carrying out the sacrificial system that was to mark Israel’s worship under the terms of the old covenant. Various kinds of sacrifices were to be offered (the burnt offering, the guilt offering, the sin offering, the peace offering) at various times and for various specific purposes. Coming to the New Testament the practice of sacrifice is much less prominent, but the language of sacrifice dominates with reference to the death of Christ. Our objective here is to uncover the meaning and significance of sacrifice in the Old Testament in order better to discern the saving value of the death of Christ as explained by the New Testament writers.

Sacrifice in the Old Testament

As already observed, the idea of sacrifice begins in the early chapters of Genesis at the dawn of history. The significance tied to the coats of skin provided for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21) is not immediately evident but can be understood more fully only by looking back from later revelation. All we can say at this point is that God covered their shame in a way that involved death.

Likewise the significance of the respective offerings of Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:2-5) is not immediately evident. We are told only that Cain’s offering was “an offering of the fruit of the ground” (v. 3), that Abel’s was “of the firstborn of his flock” (v. 4), and that the Lord “had regard for” (i.e., accepted) Abel’s offering but rejected Cain’s (vv. 4-5). Assuming that Cain and Abel learned the idea and duty of offering to God from their parents (Gen. 3:21) we might further conjecture that Cain’s offering was a departure from the norm, but with no more information than we are given at this point this is just conjecture. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews repeats that Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and adds that it was offered “by faith” and that by it Abel was “commended as righteous” (Heb. 11:4). So much seems implicit in the Genesis narrative, but we must survey further revelation to see just how it is so.

The precise purpose of Noah’s sacrifice (Gen. 8:20-21) is not explicitly stated, only that “the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma” and promised continued blessing. This notion of “pleasing aroma” surely does not indicate that the smoking meat “smelled good” but that God was pleased with what the sacrifice signified and so on that basis promised blessing. The idea of satisfaction is not far away, but we will need further revelation to confirm this.

In Genesis 22 God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice. Before the sacrifice was actually carried out, however, God provided a ram to die in Isaac’s place. Here the idea of divinely-provided substitution is prominent (cf. John 3:16; Rom. 8:32).

Although Job’s sacrifices (1:5) are not precisely defined we are told that they were offered to God because of sin. Likewise it was because of the sins of Job’s friends and God’s consequent anger against them that they were commanded to offer sacrifice (42:7-8). Here it is rather explicit that sacrifice is for the purpose of appeasing divine wrath against sinners.

In the command to sacrifice the Lamb of Passover (Exod. 12) the notion of sin is presumed, and the ideas of substitution (v.3, 13), rescue from divine judgment (v.12, 23), the necessity of blood (v.13, 22) become prominent. By the sacrifice of a qualified lamb whose blood was properly applied each Israelite household escaped the death of God’s judgment.

With God’s instructions concerning sacrifice given in Leviticus the theme begins to receive more explicit definition. The repeated occurrence of “sin” and phrases such as “if anyone sins” (or similar) and “for sin” scores of times throughout the book and the requirement that sacrifices be offered “confessing sin” all specify that it is sin that occasions the sacrifices and gives rise to their need. The descriptive terms “guilt offering” and “sin offering” and the requirements that the sacrifice itself be “without blemish” are reflective of the same. Similarly, the often repeated vocabulary of “atonement” ( kaphar / exilaskomai , indicating propitiation, appeasement ) and “forgiven” specify their purpose. Leviticus 5:10 serves well to summarize: “the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.” On the Day of Atonement the priest was required to “lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins” (16:22). This symbolic action was to signify the transference of sin to the animal who, in turn, would “bear all their [Israel’s] iniquities on itself.” Elsewhere in Leviticus this oft-repeated expression “bear sin” consistently connotes responsibility for sin and liability to judgment (5:1, 17; 7:18; 10:17, etc.; cf. Isa. 53:12; 1Pet. 2:24). The killing of the animal thus signifies the divine judgment that sin merits. The symbolism of laying hands on the sacrificial animal, confessing sin, and then the ritual slaughter of the animal therefore conveys the idea of deliverance by substitution. Forgiveness is secured by substitutional sacrifice. Finally, the repeated assurance that the sacrifice was a “pleasing aroma to the Lord” symbolizes God’s satisfaction with the sacrifice and acceptance of the sinner.

Observations

Old Testament sacrifice was intended to signify more than mere homage. The significance was that of securing forgiveness, expiation of sin, through the offering of a substitute. The offeror is not portrayed as a mere creature but specifically as a sinner, a sinful creature in need of forgiveness. The offeror comes with a consciousness of sin seeking restoration to God’s favor by means of the acceptable sacrifice. The sacrificial victim itself is an intermediary, a substitute providing expiation. It bears the sin of the worshiper who receives forgiveness by that substitutional sin-bearing.

All this is to say that it belongs to the very nature of sacrifice that it is directed first to God. That is, it is designed to influence God, to appease him and satisfy his demand of judgment, and it is only with this satisfaction secured that the worshiper finds forgiveness.

The prominent ideas in Old Testament sacrifice are sin, guilt, and judgment on the one hand and satisfaction, expiation, forgiveness, and reconciliation on the other.

Sacrifice in Old Covenant Context

In its historical setting these sacrifices were provided in order to answer the question, How can a holy God live in the midst of a sinful people? In redeeming Israel from Egypt and in establishing them as a theocratic nation at Sinai (the old covenant) God had made Israel his own people. He pledged to be their God and to dwell with them accordingly. But how can his holy presence among sinners be established? The sacrificial system was given to answer this problem.

Of course there are questions that necessarily remain. Can an animal actually take the place of a man or woman? Can the blood of an animal actually atone for the sin of a nation? And if the sacrifices do indeed secure God’s favor and forgiveness, why must they be repeated?

The New Testament will take up these kinds of questions, but at the very least we can say that the Old Testament sacrificial system established the structure and frame of reference with regard to God’s redemptive purpose: Sinners may obtain divine favor if an acceptable substitute could be found to offer to God in sacrifice.

The Death of Christ as a Sacrifice

All this provides the background for the New Testament’s frequent description of the death of Christ in sacrificial terms; indeed, it cannot be understood otherwise. When Jesus himself and the New Testament writers employ language such as “give my life a ransom,” “ransom in his blood,” “by his blood,” “the blood of his cross,” “my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins,” “reconciled by his blood,” “justified by his blood,” “propitiation by his blood,” “through the death of his cross,” “made peace through the blood of his cross,” “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed,” “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God,” “him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,” “the lamb which takes away sin,” “he bore our sin,” “was made sin for us,” “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having been made a curse for us,” and so on, they direct us to understand our Lord’s death in sacrificial categories. The terminology of propitiation, ransom, redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation, all find their meaning against the backdrop of Old Testament sacrifice.

All this teaches us just how it is that Jesus’ death effected our salvation. Our Lord’s death was that of a sacrifice. On the cross he offered himself to God in our place, bearing our sin and its deserved judgment; thus satisfying God’s just demands against us he frees us from our sin and reconciles us to God. All that the Old Testament sacrifices symbolized the Lord Jesus actually accomplished in his saving work. The former sacrifices were symbolic and anticipatory of what was actual in Christ’s offering of himself on our behalf. Just as the Old Testament sacrifices were directed first to God (propitiation) in order then to effect expiation, so our Lord’s death was offered to God (Eph. 5:2; Heb.9:14). His sacrifice of himself for his people was in God’s estimation “a fragrant offering” (Eph. 5:2) effecting propitiation (Rom. 3:24; Heb. 2:17; 1Jn. 2:2; 4:10), satisfying his just demands and thus appeasing his wrath and, in turn, expiating sin. Just as through the sacrifice of the Day of Atonement the people of Israel were, in the person of their representative priest, brought behind the curtain into the holy of holies, so also through the death of Christ we are brought into the very presence of God (Heb. 10:19-20; cf. Matt. 27:51; John 2:19-21).

On the one hand, then, we may speak of the Old Testament sacrifices as prospective, anticipating and symbolizing the saving work that Christ would actually accomplish in his death (Heb. 9:9; 10:1; cf. Col. 2:17). To say the same another way, the writer to the Hebrews specifies that the older sacrifices were in fact “copies” of the “true” sacrifice that Christ offered (Heb. 8:2, 5; 9:23-24; cf. 9:11-12). That is, Jesus’ sacrifice is the “original,” the reality – ultimately, his sacrifice was not patterned after the Old Testament sacrifices; rather, they were patterned after his coming sacrifice – the true sacrifice of which they were but a distant shadow.

Hebrews on the Sacrifice of Christ

The writer to the Hebrews highlights in several ways how the sacrifice of Christ excels the sacrifices of the old covenant.

Christ’s sacrifice was offered only once (9:6-7, 11-12, 25-26, 28; 10:1, 10-12, etc.). The older sacrifices had to be repeated over and again, year after year. This would leave the thinking worshiper with doubts as to their real value (10:2-4), with little reason to assume that even the repeated offering of an animal could satisfy God or remove human guilt? The happy announcement of the gospel is that the sacrifice of Christ was of such value that it needed to be offered only once for all. Christ’s saving work is a finished work (cf. John 19:30), accomplished “once for all.”
Christ’s sacrifice effected forgiveness (9:9-10, 12; 10:1, 4, 11, 18). Sin was the problem addressed in sacrifice – it demanded removal. The repetition of the older sacrifices testified to their inability to deal with sin with finality. They were inadequate. The sacrifice was not of sufficient value. But our Lord offered himself (9:12, 13, 26), a sacrifice of supreme value (cf. Heb. 1-2), effectual in removing sin. Again, what the older sacrifices only anticipated the sacrifice of Christ actually accomplished, and it is therefore able to “purge the conscience” (9:14) of guilt.
Christ’s sacrifice was accepted in heaven , the true temple (8:2, 5; 9:1, 9, 11-12, 23, 24; 10:1). That is to say, it was not prospective of anything. It did not symbolize or anticipate the accomplishing of atonement. Accepted by God himself, in the true temple, forgiveness is assured.
Christ’s sacrifice gained access to God (Heb. 9:7-8; 10:19-22). The old sacrificial system was designed to demonstrate that the way to God is not just open to anyone on any terms (v. 8). There must be a qualified priest and an acceptable sacrifice offered in an acceptable way. Even so, the people at large must stay back – only the high priest had access into the holy of holies and that just once a year and by a prescribed ceremony of sacrifice. We must not presume. It is a fearful thing to approach the holy God. But by the sacrifice of Christ the way now is open. All who come by him, on the ground of his sacrificial work, are accepted (cf. Matt. 27:51; John 2:19-21).

At the climax of this discussion the writer draws several applications, marked by the word “therefore”:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:19-24).

That is, if the sacrifice of Christ, offered once for all, was accepted in heaven itself, effecting forgiveness and gaining access to God, then let us be bold , confident in approaching God assured of our acceptance. Let us be confident , assured of our acceptance there with unwavering faith. Let us persevere through any difficulty with confidence of our final salvation, and let us encourage one another to the same.

Concluding Thoughts

The theme of sacrifice, then, takes us to the heart of the gospel and the essence of the Christian faith.

In a very real sense it [the theme of sacrifice] constitutes Christianity. It is this which differentiates Christianity from other religions. Christianity did not come into the world to proclaim a new morality and, sweeping away all the supernatural props by which men were wont to support their trembling, guilt-stricken souls, to throw them back on their own strong right arms to conquer a standing before God for themselves. It came to proclaim the real sacrifice for sin which God had provided in order to supersede all the poor fumbling efforts which men had made and were making to provide a sacrifice for sin for themselves; and, planting men’s feet on this, to bid them go forward. 1

Essays on Sacrifice

Faq about sacrifice.

Brill | Nijhoff

Brill | Wageningen Academic

Brill Germany / Austria

Böhlau

Brill | Fink

Brill | mentis

Brill | Schöningh

Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

V&R unipress

Open Access

Open Access for Authors

Transformative Agreements

Open Access and Research Funding

Open Access for Librarians

Open Access for Academic Societies

Discover Brill’s Open Access Content

Organization

Stay updated

Corporate Social Responsiblity

Investor Relations

Policies, rights & permissions

Review a Brill Book

Author Portal

How to publish with Brill: Files & Guides

Fonts, Scripts and Unicode

Publication Ethics & COPE Compliance

Data Sharing Policy

Brill MyBook

Ordering from Brill

Author Newsletter

Piracy Reporting Form

Sales Managers and Sales Contacts

Ordering From Brill

Titles No Longer Published by Brill

Catalogs, Flyers and Price Lists

E-Book Collections Title Lists and MARC Records

How to Manage your Online Holdings

LibLynx Access Management

Discovery Services

KBART Files

MARC Records

Online User and Order Help

Rights and Permissions

Latest Key Figures

Latest Financial Press Releases and Reports

Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

Share Information

Specialty Products

Press and Reviews

Share link with colleague or librarian

Stay informed about this journal!

Get New Issue Alerts
Get Advance Article alerts
Get Citation Alerts

Introduction: Sacrifice and Self-Sacrifice: A Religious Concept under Transformation

Sacrifice, originally a religious-cultic concept, has become highly secularized and used in various instances for different social phenomena. The current issue puts forward a selection of papers that offer insights into sacrifice and self-sacrifice and focus on the process of transformation of the sacrificial individual. Three main axes put the concrete papers into a dialogue with one another: first, there is the philosophical-theological and gender reflection of the experience of the paradigmatic sacrificial story of the western tradition, i.e., the Akedah (Gen 22); second, the existential-phenomenological interpretation of self-sacrifice in the secular world which nevertheless aims to reveal a higher good – Freedom, Love, or the Good; third, the gender and feminist reflection of the motherly sacrifice of childbirth both in the religious-cultic context and in the secular context which presents childbirth both as a moment of autonomy loss and submission and a moment of women self-emancipation.

Sacrifice is a troublesome concept that brings various pre-understandings and plenty of biases to the scholarly debate; however, to cover the whole spectrum of its possible meanings would go far beyond the possibilities of the current issue. The goal of this introduction is to outline the basic contours of sacrificial discourses included within the issue and to help the reader navigate these particular contributions. The term sacrifice developed in the cultic-religious environment, but it became secularised over time. It is no longer obvious in general usage that sacrifice has a religious origin. The secularisation process, together with the neo-liberal understanding of the self and its agency, brought about different ways of talking about sacrifice, including ways of discussing “sacrificial acting” without using the term sacrifice at all. 1 However, a conscious avoidance of the term, which has become for various reasons popular in current philosophical, theological and socio-political debates, does not change the fact that the Jewish and Christian roots of our culture and civilization are built on the logic of sacrifice. 2

The basic understanding of sacrifice (be it secular or religious) is the economy of exchange – I give up something to receive something (ideally more valuable) in return. This is the general form (despite all the potential nuances) 3 that is depicted by anthropologists of religion and theorists of sacrifice, such as Robertson Smith, Bataille, Burkett, Hubert and Mauss, 4 and with which they introduce ways that people communicated with their deity, the so-called do ut des model. Another influential theory of sacrifice, which is formulated from the perspective of social theory of violence and religion, is brought by the French literary theorist and social anthropologist René Girard. 5 Girard is convinced that sacrifice developed as a function of society needing to rid itself of accumulated violence and therefore generating the so-called sacrificial scapegoat (typically a foreigner, a captive or some other person incompatible with the community). Sacrifice, in Girard’s system, is a ritual which includes an “appointed scapegoat” who takes upon herself or himself all the sins, sicknesses, and impurities of the whole community to restore peace. The ritual includes chasing away and/or killing the scapegoat during an ecstatic cultic ritual. The scapegoat is deified after death and is therefore able to exercise magical atoning power over the community. The cycle repeats itself when the community needs another reconciliation process. 6

The present issue, even though its contributions refer here and there to the “economy of exchange” or “violence as a social phenomenon which is to be channelled away”, is based, however, on the sacrificial/self-sacrificial experience of the individual. A leitmotif running through almost all the articles is the story of the Binding of Isaac , the so-called Akedah in Gen 22. The most prominent interpretation referenced in the articles is of course that of the Danish master of existentialism Søren Kierkegaard, along with reflections on Kierkegaard by Franz Kafka, Jan Patočka or Jacques Derrida; the articles seek to embrace the efforts of various philosophers and theologians to depict the transformation of the self in the liminal situation of sacrifice. Special attention is paid to questions of gender. Among the authors who notice the importance of gender within the sacrificial discourse are Julia Kristeva, Judith Butler and Yvonne Sherwood. What is the role of gender in sacrifice? Does the experience of the feminine sacrificial self differ from the masculine sacrificial self? Is there any unique feminine sacrifice which is totally untranslatable, for example, childbirth and the experience of motherhood in the broader sense? Does the role of victim fall to women more often than to men? And is our society irredeemably built on sacrifice? The current issue is woven from these and other questions related to sacrifice and the transformation of the self within the process of self-sacrifice.

Despite the diversity of the contributions, there are significant links which bind them together. One of the most important links is undoubtedly the emphasis on the moment of transformation of the self within the sacrificial experience. The order of contributions follows a twofold logic: first, the chronological order and, second, the level of engagement of particular papers with the question of gender.

Anna Sjöberg, in her article “Other Abrahams: Sacrificing Faith. Augustine – Kierkegaard – Kafka”, explores sacrifice as a function of what she calls “the circle of faith”, including call (from God) and act (human response). Looking at Augustine, Kierkegaard and Kafka, she addresses three different approaches to the circle of faith and the role of sacrifice contained therein. Augustine, she believes, sacrifices those outside the circle of faith (unbelievers). In Kierkegaard, sacrifice stands for the internal struggle of those who do not accept religion in the aesthetic or ethical sense, a struggle which transforms them into solitary “knights of faith”. Kafka introduces doubt about the circle of faith in a highly secularised world, pointing out that not only our response but also the calling itself cannot be taken for granted. Victims of “sacrifice in service of faith” are to be found on all fronts, religious and non-religious alike. Sjöberg concludes: “If it is true that the circle of faith always demands a sacrifice in order to safeguard an interior space of faith, we all, believer and non-believer alike, find ourselves excluded from this interior perspective, sacrificed in order for the notion of faith to live on.”

Vivian Liska, in her contribution “Law and Sacrifice in Kafka and his Readers”, explores the relationship between the law, which is implicitly present and which penetrates all Kafka’s writings, and sacrifice, and asks if the law makes its subjects victims of sacrifice. Liska compares “important interpretations of Kafka’s relation to law and sacrifice, one by the contemporary Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben […], the other by the German-Jewish thinker Walter Benjamin […].” Agamben, similarly to the Apostle Paul, Liska observes, argues that the law is always oppressive and must be overcome by the messianic form of self-sacrifice. Liska notes that Benjamin compares Kafka’s interpretations of the law to the Haggadic narrations that complement the Halakhic orders. These Haggadic narrations then suggest the deferral of the law (and therefore also of sacrifice). To make her argument about Kafka’s ultimate deferral of sacrifice crystal clear, Liska appeals to Kafka’s “other Abrahams”, who invent anything conceivable to postpone endlessly the divine order. Liska concludes: “Kafka imagines another Abraham, however, one who engages in an ongoing conversation with God and his commandments, who would not depart for Mount Moriah intending to sacrifice his beloved son.”

Clarissa Breu, in her “Exposure of Violence”, approaches the ever-repeating story of the Binding of Isaac as a performative reading of the passage alongside Judith Butler’s and Giorgio Agamben’s theories of gesture. Sacrifice in Breu’s article plays a functional role within an inherently violent society. Breu suggests that “violence is not abolished in the Aqeda , but exposed and thereby questioned.” She focuses on the moment of interruption: “[H]e [Abraham] reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son” (Gen 22:10). The sacrificial act is not completed, but neither it is negated. The question remains with us until today: What would have happened if the angel of God did not interrupt the sacrifice? Breu deliberately decides to put this question aside to focus rather on what we see happening in the text (and not on what we do not see). We see Abraham stretching out his hand but then yielding. We see God compelling but then interrupting. In the Girardian vein (used by Breu in another context), we observe sacrifice as a means of channeling away the accumulated violence. Breu concludes: “The Aqeda is an example of a restrained violent act that is first interrupted and then redirected.”

Esther and Richard Heinrich, in their article “Sacrifice and Obedience: Simon Weil on the Binding of Isaac”, focus on the relationship between sacrifice and unconditional obedience to God. They point out the importance of the “void” created by Abraham (in other words, by Abraham’s obedience towards God’s command) twice during the story and which provided space for God to give Abraham his son back. Abraham’s obedience is compared to the parallel story about Iphigenia in Aulis, in which Agamemnon’s disobedience (killing Artemis’s stag) not only brought misery upon the whole of Greece, but also culminated in his daughter Iphigenia being sacrificed. Violence is, in Weil’s system, understood as a political and not as a philosophical category. Despite the problematic nature of categories such as sacrifice and obedience in the current philosophical debates, Heinrich suggest that “Weil’s estimation of these conceptions as the very basics of moral acts could be read as a call for a kind of modesty, as a call not to put oneself above the world.”

Sandra Lehmann, in her contribution “Ways of Self-Transcendence: On Sacrifice for Nothing and Hyperbolic Ontology”, explores ways of transcending the category of Being in the extreme situation of self-sacrifice. Lehmann addresses the “concept of a transcendent Good and its impact on one’s attitude towards life.” She remarks that “[i]n the ancient version, the Good is beyond all things, both sensible and intelligible, and exceeds them. This is why it enables those orienting themselves towards it to also exceed their worldly self.” In her friendly polemic with Jan Patočka, Lehmann remarks that Patočka’s concept of sacrifice for nothing , that is, for nothing else but for pure Being in the sense of its ontological difference, is in fact too hollow to promise anything positive to turn to. Even if this “nothing” in Patočka’s system means freedom from the instrumentalization of human beings, it is, Lehmann claims, too little. What Lehmann offers instead is the idea of the hyperbolic ontology, in other words, “transcending oneself” for the sake of pure Good, based on antique philosophy.

Martin Koci, in his article “Almost for Nothing: The Question of Sacrifice in Jan Patočka”, offers a different interpretation of Patočka’s “sacrifice for nothing”. Koci is persuaded that the controversial and maybe somewhat misleading term “for nothing” is the best and in fact the only way to rescue Being from increasing instrumentalization and from misuse. If “there is nothing like sacrifice” (only utilization of human resources), then the elegant solution is, according to Koci, “sacrifice for nothing”. However, beyond defending the troublesome concept, Koci investigates Patočka’s oeuvre and notices two slightly different aspects of the “sacrifice for nothing”: first, the so-called “heroic sacrifice” (one could say the “active sacrifice”), which Koci illustrates with the figure of the Czech student who immolated himself in the protest against the Soviet occupation in 1968; second, the “kenotic/self-emptying sacrifice” (one could say the “more accepting sacrifice”), which, for Koci, is illustrated by the death of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross. To join these two aspects of “sacrifice for nothing”, Koci provides an example which is both heroic and kenotic, that of the sacrifice of a mother for her child.

René Rosfort, in his contribution entitled “Sacrificing Gender: Kierkegaard and the Traumatic Self”, enters a rather contested research field of “Kierkegaard and gender”. Rather than addressing the question of Kierkegaard’s misogyny, Rosfort instead investigates the role of gender in the key Kierkegaardian concept of “becoming Self”. He observes: “We are not simply free to choose who we are. Because of our gender we already are a self before we become a self. In becoming who we are we cannot escape what we are.” Following the complex dialectics of Kierkegaard’s self-denial and self-affirmation, Rosfort employs the same logic to discuss “sacrificing gender”. On the one hand, we have to “sacrifice” our gendered biases to embrace the universal and ethical self. On the other hand, to be true and loving human beings, we must embrace our gendered (that is, our human) self. Thus, Rosfort concludes: “To sacrifice gender is not and cannot be to cultivate an ungendered love. On the contrary, it is a radical love that sacrifices my sexual biases to make room for the individual otherness of gender differences that make me and other people the gendered selves that we are.”

Petr Vaškovic, in his account “Kierkegaard’s Existentialist Sacrifice”, asks whether the state of “reflective sorrow” (a phenomenon discussed in Kierkegaard’s Either/Or ), which entraps one in the aesthetic stage by cyclical self-interrogation and prevents any advancement towards the ethical and religious stages, is or is not gendered. Analysing Kierkegaard’s portrayal of two fictious female characters – Marie Beaumarchais and Donna Elvira – and his interpretation of their inner state, Vaškovic concludes that the gendered state of both characters demonstrates pre-Romantic conceptions of women’s role in society and gender essentialism, rather than a gendering of “reflective sorrow” itself. Similarly to Rosfort, Vaškovic is convinced that despite its clear misogynistic traces, Kierkegaard’s oeuvre is multi-layered with regard to gender-related questions. Furthermore, Vaškovic contends, Kierkegaard’s depiction of the state of reflective sorrow is highly influenced by his own experience of the break up with his fiancé Regine Olsen. Vaškovic is convinced that, after peeling away layers of context and other miscellaneous factors, the phenomenon of reflective sorrow proves to be gender neutral.

Caecile Varslev Pedersen, in her contribution “Mothers and Melancholia: Sacrifice in Søren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling ”, juxtaposes four alternative interpretations of the Binding of Isaac that represent the image of the religious/fatherly love and four ways of weaning the infant that stand for the aesthetic/motherly love. Borrowing Freudian terminology, Pedersen points out that mourning is temporary and promises both transformation and a way forward (weaning of the infant), whereas melancholia is timeless and does not promise any advancement (Abraham’s loss of Isaac). Pedersen observes: “Motherly love is an image of a sacrifice that is only relative, and of a loss that is acknowledged so that a new beginning can ensue. Thus, the weaning images lead us to a story about sacrifice in Fear and Trembling that not only concerns pain, violence, and death, but also mourning, birth, transition, and mothering new possibilities.” Despite the hopeful image of positive and transformative motherly sacrifice, Pedersen fears that the predominant model of sacrifice in Kierkegaard’s oeuvre is the fatherly sacrifice which leaves the scar on one’s soul forever – that is, the self-sacrifice which is the prerequisite for becoming the “knight of faith”.

My own article, entitled “All the Rest Is Commentary: Being for the Other as the Way to Break the Sacrificial Logic”, compares the woman’s sacrifice in childbirth with what feminist scholars have labelled the “patriarchal sacrifice” in the story of the Binding of Isaac . I present both events as potentially self-emptying, transformative and identity-dividing moments that empower the individual to break the sacrificial logic constituting the roots of our Jewish and Christian society. Even if we deconstruct the gender stereotypes in the story of the Binding of Isaac , the sacrifice of childbirth remains undeniably gendered. However, thanks to the account of Julia Kristeva, who introduces the so-called Third Party (or the pre-oedipal father) into the otherwise enclosed and dialectical relationship of the mother and her child, we are invited to think of this utterly gendered sacrifice in a less gender-biased way.

Sara Cohen Shabot, in the closing article “From Women’s Sacrifice to Feminist Sacrifice: Medicalized Birth and ‘Natural’ Birth versus Woman-Centered Birth”, critiques long-standing birthing practices and asks whether it is possible to talk about such a thing as “feminist sacrifice”. Cohen Shabot argues that two typical forms of childbirth – medicalized birth and natural birth – objectify women, rob them of agency, and make them, in fact, instruments of others’ ideology. To fight these practices, Cohen Shabot suggests simply seeing the woman as the centre of the childbirth event, during which she decides what is best for her and her child. In this way, Cohen Shabot suggests that we may talk about the “feminist sacrifice” and not about “sacrifice of a woman”.

Articles included in the current issue have its origin in the papers presented at the international workshop entitled “Doomed to Sacrifice? Existential and Phenomenological Perspectives on Sacrifice and Gender”, held at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna in October 2021. This event took place as part of the research project “Woman without a Name: Gender Identity in Sacrificial Stories”, 7 supported by the Centre for Religion and Transformation (University of Vienna) and the Institute for Human Sciences. Particular authors of these articles had a unique opportunity to include ideas, remarks and comments of their fellow presenters and develop their papers in vivid exchange with other authors. Thus, I would like to invite the reader not only to immerse herself to the article of her selection or interest but also to read such an article within the broader context of this special issue. The common effort of the articles presents a mosaic of perspectives which create together an image of experience of self-sacrifice in the process of transformation of the individual with a special regard to gender.

Katerina Koci is a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, Austria, and a laureate of the Lise Meitner Fellowship funded by the Austrian Science Fund ( FWF ) for the project entitled Woman without a Name: Gender Identity in Sacrificial Stories ( M 2947- G ). After defending her doctoral dissertation from KU Leuven, Belgium, in 2017, Katerina held a fellowship at Charles University, Prague. She has recently completed the project The Land without Promise: The Roots and Afterlife of One Biblical Allusion , which resulted in a monograph of the same title (published by Bloomsbury, August 2021). Katerina’s research focus is biblical, feminist and philosophical-theological hermeneutics, the afterlife of biblical motifs in Christian culture, and the existentialism and phenomenology of sacrificial experience.

Bibliography

Bataille , Georges : Theory of Religion . New York, NY : Zone 1992 .

Search Google Scholar
Export Citation

Burkert , Walter : Homo Necans. The Anthropology of Ancient Greek Sacrificial Ritual and Myth . Berkeley, CA : University of California Press 1983 .

Derrida , Jacques : The Gift of Death . Chicago, IL : University of Chicago 1996 .

Girard , René : Violence and the Sacred . London : Bloomsbury 2013 .

Girard , René : Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World . London : Continuum 2003 .

Hubert , Henri / Mauss , Marcel : Sacrifice. Its Nature and Function . Chicago, IL : University of Chicago Press 1964 .

Marion , Jean-Luc : The Reason of a Gift . Charlottesville, VA : University of Virginia Press 2011 .

Robertson Smith , William : The Religion of the Semites . London : Black 1907 .

Watt , James : Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus. From Sacrifice to Scripture . Cambridge : Cambridge University 2007 .

Among the most well-known “substitutes” for sacrifice belongs the concept of the “gift”. See, for example, Derrida, The Gift of Death ; or Marion, The Reason of a Gift .

Derrida, The Gift of Death , p. 69 et seq.

James Watt suggests that “every attempt to describe and explain ‘sacrifice’ always fails to encompass the whole range of ritual and nonritual behavior called sacrifice”, and, therefore, that it would ultimately be best to abandon the “label” of sacrifice altogether. Watt, Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus , p. 174; there are indeed strong arguments for Watt’s theory – the fact that we do not actually find the term “sacrifice” in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the fact that the intentions, forms and contexts of the behaviour which we are accustomed to call “sacrifice” differ significantly. Nevertheless, I opt for keeping sacrifice in our discourse because it has been used throughout the centuries, and its removal from our philosophical/theological discussions or substitution with another term, for example, “gift” (thus, for example, Jean-Luc Marion, or Jacques Derrida), does not change the nature of the debate. Moreover, the basic intention – that is, communication with the deity – remains valid in all the different forms of “sacrifice”.

Bataille, Theory of Religion ; Burkert, Homo Necans ; Hubert and Mauss, Sacrifice ; Robertson Smith, The Religion of the Semites .

Girard, Violence and the Sacred, Things Hidden.

Girard, Violence and the Sacred , p. 15.

This research was funded by the Austrian Science Fund ( FWF project M 2947- G “Woman without a Name: Gender Identity in Sacrificial Stories”, Principal Investigator: Katerina Koci).

	All Time	Past Year	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	0	0	0
Full Text Views	4270	2839	101
PDF Views & Downloads	3823	2098	140

Content Metrics

Cover Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society

Reference Works

Primary source collections

COVID-19 Collection

How to publish with Brill

Open Access Content

Contact & Info

Sales contacts

Publishing contacts

Stay Updated

Newsletters

Social Media Overview

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Statement

Cookie Settings

Accessibility

Legal Notice

[185.80.151.41]
185.80.151.41

Character limit 500 /500

Architecture and Design
Asian and Pacific Studies
Business and Economics
Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Computer Sciences
Cultural Studies
Engineering
General Interest
Geosciences
Industrial Chemistry
Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Jewish Studies
Library and Information Science, Book Studies
Life Sciences
Linguistics and Semiotics
Literary Studies
Materials Sciences
Mathematics
Social Sciences
Sports and Recreation
Theology and Religion
Publish your article
The role of authors
Promoting your article
Abstracting & indexing
Publishing Ethics
Why publish with De Gruyter
How to publish with De Gruyter
Our book series
Our subject areas
Your digital product at De Gruyter
Contribute to our reference works
Product information
Tools & resources
Product Information
Promotional Materials
Orders and Inquiries
FAQ for Library Suppliers and Book Sellers
Repository Policy
Free access policy
Open Access agreements
Database portals
For Authors
Customer service
People + Culture
Journal Management
How to join us
Working at De Gruyter
Mission & Vision
De Gruyter Foundation
De Gruyter Ebound
Our Responsibility
Partner publishers

Your purchase has been completed. Your documents are now available to view.

On Sacrifice

Moshe Halbertal
X / Twitter

Please login or register with De Gruyter to order this product.

Language: English
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Copyright year: 2012
Edition: Course Book
Audience: Professional and scholarly;College/higher education;
Main content: 152
Keywords: self-sacrifice ; religion ; ethics ; politics ; ritual ; violence ; love ; sacrificial community ; modern state ; sacrifice ; psychoanalysis ; evolutionary biology ; moral sphere ; war ; Western religious life ; Judaism ; temple worship ; Christianity ; God ; attentiveness ; exchange ; dependency ; humans ; instrumental relationship ; sacrificial system ; Jewish life ; charity ; suffering ; prayer ; martyr ; sacrificing for ; self-transcendence ; golden rule ; general will ; social contract ; categorical imperative ; utilitarianism ; original position ; agent-relative actions ; political violence ; self ; other ; laws of war ; soldiers ; civilians ; Paul Kahn ; political bond ; reliigous communities ; heroic sacrifices ; loyalty ; past sacrifice ; retroactive desecration ; political order ; cooperation ; competition ; individuals ; sovereign ; self-interest ; religious life ; ethical life ; political life ; state
Published: February 26, 2012
ISBN: 9781400842353

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

We're Hiring!
Help Center

The Power of Sacrifice: Roman and Christian Discourses in Conflict - By George Heyman

2009, Religious Studies Review

Related Papers

Scott S. Elliott

Kyle Potter

Explores the connection between Pauline language of Christians offering themselves as a "living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1-2) and his understanding of Christ as a sacrifice for sin.

The Journal of Theological Studies

Stephen Finlan

A review of this edited volume

Johannes Zachhuber

This paper traces contemporary perceptions of sacrifice in scholarly and public debates. It seeks to show how they are due to the very specific and in some ways counterintuitive interpretation the notion of sacrifice has received in Christian theology.

Journal of religion in Africa

Ben Fulford

Sacrifice in Modernity: Community, Ritual, Identity

Gerard Rouwhorst

Max Botner , Justin Harrison Duff

The language of sacrifice appears prominently in the New Testament and the liturgical theology of various early Christian writers. It has often been considered a “spiritualization” of the Israelite cult centered at the Temple in Jerusalem. As such it can be seen as an embarrassing holdover from primitive religion, or a moral progression in religious thought. The way that continuity with the Temple cult is applied to the death of Jesus and Christian eucharistic theology has proven ecumenically controversial, and this has in recent year revived interest in the way that the Old Testament cult informs Christian theology. In this paper I will consider how a Christian understanding of sacrifice might helpfully rely upon general contextual understandings of sacrificial rituals. By examining two prominent theologians’ work, I will demonstrate the limit of attempts to trace the language of sacrifice as it pertains to Jesus and Christian worship back to specific types of sacrifice. I will apply critiques from recent Old Testament studies that suggest no easy metaphorical readings for that cult. This will demonstrate that Christian theologians are on firmest ground when they use the Old Testament sacrificial system as a matrix of rituals that maintain Israel’s life with Yahweh. The atoning work of Jesus and the ongoing worship of Christians can be seen as reflecting some of the purposes of that system, but the analogies break down when a strictly defined theory of Old Testament sacrificed is advanced as the basis for them.

Guy G Stroumsa

Johannes Zachhuber , Julia Meszaros

The Introduction starts from the observation that sacrifice has been an obsession of modernity. This is subsequently explicated through a survey of approaches to sacrifice from the 16th century. Three contexts are explored in particular: the theological debate following the Reformation; the reception of Greek tragedy; the encounter with non-European practices of sacrifice in the wake of the age of discovery. There are evident overlaps between the three, and yet they have to be seen as in a way separate factors ensuring the abiding fascination of the modern West with the notion of sacrifice.

Loading Preview

Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.

RELATED PAPERS

Stephen Ryan, O.P.

Ayan Oryntay

Kwang Meng Low

Ecclesia orans

Bruce A . McClelland

J. LaRae Ferguson

Göran Eidevall

Journal for the study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman period

Anders Klostergaard Petersen

Sung Jin Park

James DeFrancisco

Religions 10.1, special issue on 'Sacrifice and Religion', edited by Daniel Ullucci

James Rives

Studia Philonica Annual 23

Paul Robertson

The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

Eugene R. Schlesinger

Svensk exegetisk årsbok, ed. S. Byrskog, Uppsala

Gunnel Ekroth

Richard Bell

Dale Launderville

Peter Stork

Nidhani De Andrado

Modern Theology

John Milbank

Scott D. Mackie

The Gift of The Magi: Theme of Sacrifice

Categories: The Gift of the Magi

About this sample

Words: 595 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 595 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Introduction, summary of the story, analysis of the theme of sacrifice, analysis of selfless love, comparison to the magi.

Henry, O. (2010). The Gift of the MagChartwell Books, Inc.
Smith, T. (2015). Sacrifice: Its Nature and Significance. Oxford University Press.
Richards, C. (2018). Selfless Love: A Philosophical Analysis. Cambridge University Press.

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 944 words

1.5 pages / 780 words

2 pages / 1012 words

3 pages / 1428 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on The Gift of the Magi

O. Henry's short story "The Gift of the Magi" serves as a beautiful portrayal of pure love, non-material values, and devotion. Rehman et al. (2018) describe it as a story that highlights love, compassion, and care amidst extreme [...]

Irony is a literary device that often adds depth and complexity to a story. In "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry, irony is used multiple times to convey a deeper meaning and evoke various emotions in the readers. This essay [...]

American literature varies from other literary works across the world. Every story seems to express a different theme, and yet somehow they all seem similar. The Gift of the Magi and The Story of an Hour, written within 15 years [...]

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry is a timeless tale of love, sacrifice, and irony that has captivated readers for generations. Set during the holiday season, the story follows a young couple, Jim and Della, who are faced with [...]

To become wealthy is a dream for many people because they think as you get more money, and then you can get the better life quality. However, I found the wealth is not only the most important thing for humans, but also being [...]

Ernest Hemingway called his novel A Farewell to Arms his “Romeo and Juliet.” The most obvious similarity between these works is their star-crossed lovers, as noted by critic Carlos Baker; another is that the deaths of both [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)  

The introduction of an essay plays a critical role in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. It sets the stage for the rest of the essay, establishes the tone and style, and motivates the reader to continue reading.

What is an essay introduction , what to include in an essay introduction, how to create an essay structure , step-by-step process for writing an essay introduction , how to write an essay introduction paragraph with paperpal – step -by -step, how to write a hook for your essay , how to include background information , how to write a thesis statement .

Argumentative Essay Introduction Example:
Expository Essay Introduction Example

Literary Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Check and revise – checklist for essay introduction , key takeaways , frequently asked questions .

An introduction is the opening section of an essay, paper, or other written work. It introduces the topic and provides background information, context, and an overview of what the reader can expect from the rest of the work. 1 The key is to be concise and to the point, providing enough information to engage the reader without delving into excessive detail.

The essay introduction is crucial as it sets the tone for the entire piece and provides the reader with a roadmap of what to expect. Here are key elements to include in your essay introduction:

Hook : Start with an attention-grabbing statement or question to engage the reader. This could be a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or a compelling anecdote.
Background information : Provide context and background information to help the reader understand the topic. This can include historical information, definitions of key terms, or an overview of the current state of affairs related to your topic.
Thesis statement : Clearly state your main argument or position on the topic. Your thesis should be concise and specific, providing a clear direction for your essay.

Before we get into how to write an essay introduction, we need to know how it is structured. The structure of an essay is crucial for organizing your thoughts and presenting them clearly and logically. It is divided as follows: 2

Introduction:  The introduction should grab the reader’s attention with a hook, provide context, and include a thesis statement that presents the main argument or purpose of the essay.
Body:  The body should consist of focused paragraphs that support your thesis statement using evidence and analysis. Each paragraph should concentrate on a single central idea or argument and provide evidence, examples, or analysis to back it up.
Conclusion:  The conclusion should summarize the main points and restate the thesis differently. End with a final statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Avoid new information or arguments.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write an essay introduction:

Start with a Hook : Begin your introduction paragraph with an attention-grabbing statement, question, quote, or anecdote related to your topic. The hook should pique the reader’s interest and encourage them to continue reading.
Provide Background Information : This helps the reader understand the relevance and importance of the topic.
State Your Thesis Statement : The last sentence is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be clear, concise, and directly address the topic of your essay.
Preview the Main Points : This gives the reader an idea of what to expect and how you will support your thesis.
Keep it Concise and Clear : Avoid going into too much detail or including information not directly relevant to your topic.
Revise : Revise your introduction after you’ve written the rest of your essay to ensure it aligns with your final argument.

Unsure of how to start your essay introduction? Leverage Paperpal’s Generative AI templates to provide a base for your essay introduction. Here’s an example of an essay outline generated by Paperpal.

Use the generated essay outline as your base for the introduction. If you’re stuck writing, you can use Paperpal’s Predictive AI writing features to continue writing.

Use Paperpal’s Preditive AI writing features to maintain your writing flow

This is one of the key steps in how to write an essay introduction. Crafting a compelling hook is vital because it sets the tone for your entire essay and determines whether your readers will stay interested. A good hook draws the reader in and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.

Avoid Dry Fact : Instead of simply stating a bland fact, try to make it engaging and relevant to your topic. For example, if you’re writing about the benefits of exercise, you could start with a startling statistic like, “Did you know that regular exercise can increase your lifespan by up to seven years?”
Avoid Using a Dictionary Definition : While definitions can be informative, they’re not always the most captivating way to start an essay. Instead, try to use a quote, anecdote, or provocative question to pique the reader’s interest. For instance, if you’re writing about freedom, you could begin with a quote from a famous freedom fighter or philosopher.
Do Not Just State a Fact That the Reader Already Knows : This ties back to the first point—your hook should surprise or intrigue the reader. For Here’s an introduction paragraph example, if you’re writing about climate change, you could start with a thought-provoking statement like, “Despite overwhelming evidence, many people still refuse to believe in the reality of climate change.”

Write essays 2x faster with Paperpal. Try for free

Including background information in the introduction section of your essay is important to provide context and establish the relevance of your topic. When writing the background information, you can follow these steps:

Start with a General Statement:  Begin with a general statement about the topic and gradually narrow it down to your specific focus. For example, when discussing the impact of social media, you can begin by making a broad statement about social media and its widespread use in today’s society, as follows: “Social media has become an integral part of modern life, with billions of users worldwide.”
Define Key Terms : Define any key terms or concepts that may be unfamiliar to your readers but are essential for understanding your argument.
Provide Relevant Statistics:  Use statistics or facts to highlight the significance of the issue you’re discussing. For instance, “According to a report by Statista, the number of social media users is expected to reach 4.41 billion by 2025.”
Discuss the Evolution:  Mention previous research or studies that have been conducted on the topic, especially those that are relevant to your argument. Mention key milestones or developments that have shaped its current impact. You can also outline some of the major effects of social media. For example, you can briefly describe how social media has evolved, including positives such as increased connectivity and issues like cyberbullying and privacy concerns.
Transition to Your Thesis:  Use the background information to lead into your thesis statement, which should clearly state the main argument or purpose of your essay. For example, “Given its pervasive influence, it is crucial to examine the impact of social media on mental health.”

A thesis statement is a concise summary of the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, or other type of academic writing. It appears near the end of the introduction. Here’s how to write a thesis statement:

Identify the topic:  Start by identifying the topic of your essay. For example, if your essay is about the importance of exercise for overall health, your topic is “exercise.”
State your position:  Next, state your position or claim about the topic. This is the main argument or point you want to make. For example, if you believe that regular exercise is crucial for maintaining good health, your position could be: “Regular exercise is essential for maintaining good health.”
Support your position:  Provide a brief overview of the reasons or evidence that support your position. These will be the main points of your essay. For example, if you’re writing an essay about the importance of exercise, you could mention the physical health benefits, mental health benefits, and the role of exercise in disease prevention.
Make it specific:  Ensure your thesis statement clearly states what you will discuss in your essay. For example, instead of saying, “Exercise is good for you,” you could say, “Regular exercise, including cardiovascular and strength training, can improve overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.”

Examples of essay introduction

Here are examples of essay introductions for different types of essays:

Argumentative Essay Introduction Example:

Topic: Should the voting age be lowered to 16?

“The question of whether the voting age should be lowered to 16 has sparked nationwide debate. While some argue that 16-year-olds lack the requisite maturity and knowledge to make informed decisions, others argue that doing so would imbue young people with agency and give them a voice in shaping their future.”

Expository Essay Introduction Example

Topic: The benefits of regular exercise

“In today’s fast-paced world, the importance of regular exercise cannot be overstated. From improving physical health to boosting mental well-being, the benefits of exercise are numerous and far-reaching. This essay will examine the various advantages of regular exercise and provide tips on incorporating it into your daily routine.”

Text: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

“Harper Lee’s novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is a timeless classic that explores themes of racism, injustice, and morality in the American South. Through the eyes of young Scout Finch, the reader is taken on a journey that challenges societal norms and forces characters to confront their prejudices. This essay will analyze the novel’s use of symbolism, character development, and narrative structure to uncover its deeper meaning and relevance to contemporary society.”

Engaging and Relevant First Sentence : The opening sentence captures the reader’s attention and relates directly to the topic.
Background Information : Enough background information is introduced to provide context for the thesis statement.
Definition of Important Terms : Key terms or concepts that might be unfamiliar to the audience or are central to the argument are defined.
Clear Thesis Statement : The thesis statement presents the main point or argument of the essay.
Relevance to Main Body : Everything in the introduction directly relates to and sets up the discussion in the main body of the essay.

Write strong essays in academic English with Paperpal. Try it for free

Writing a strong introduction is crucial for setting the tone and context of your essay. Here are the key takeaways for how to write essay introduction: 3

Hook the Reader : Start with an engaging hook to grab the reader’s attention. This could be a compelling question, a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or an anecdote.
Provide Background : Give a brief overview of the topic, setting the context and stage for the discussion.
Thesis Statement : State your thesis, which is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be concise, clear, and specific.
Preview the Structure : Outline the main points or arguments to help the reader understand the organization of your essay.
Keep it Concise : Avoid including unnecessary details or information not directly related to your thesis.
Revise and Edit : Revise your introduction to ensure clarity, coherence, and relevance. Check for grammar and spelling errors.
Seek Feedback : Get feedback from peers or instructors to improve your introduction further.

The purpose of an essay introduction is to give an overview of the topic, context, and main ideas of the essay. It is meant to engage the reader, establish the tone for the rest of the essay, and introduce the thesis statement or central argument.

An essay introduction typically ranges from 5-10% of the total word count. For example, in a 1,000-word essay, the introduction would be roughly 50-100 words. However, the length can vary depending on the complexity of the topic and the overall length of the essay.

An essay introduction is critical in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. To ensure its effectiveness, consider incorporating these key elements: a compelling hook, background information, a clear thesis statement, an outline of the essay’s scope, a smooth transition to the body, and optional signposting sentences.

The process of writing an essay introduction is not necessarily straightforward, but there are several strategies that can be employed to achieve this end. When experiencing difficulty initiating the process, consider the following techniques: begin with an anecdote, a quotation, an image, a question, or a startling fact to pique the reader’s interest. It may also be helpful to consider the five W’s of journalism: who, what, when, where, why, and how. For instance, an anecdotal opening could be structured as follows: “As I ascended the stage, momentarily blinded by the intense lights, I could sense the weight of a hundred eyes upon me, anticipating my next move. The topic of discussion was climate change, a subject I was passionate about, and it was my first public speaking event. Little did I know , that pivotal moment would not only alter my perspective but also chart my life’s course.”

Crafting a compelling thesis statement for your introduction paragraph is crucial to grab your reader’s attention. To achieve this, avoid using overused phrases such as “In this paper, I will write about” or “I will focus on” as they lack originality. Instead, strive to engage your reader by substantiating your stance or proposition with a “so what” clause. While writing your thesis statement, aim to be precise, succinct, and clear in conveying your main argument.

To create an effective essay introduction, ensure it is clear, engaging, relevant, and contains a concise thesis statement. It should transition smoothly into the essay and be long enough to cover necessary points but not become overwhelming. Seek feedback from peers or instructors to assess its effectiveness.

References

Cui, L. (2022). Unit 6 Essay Introduction.  Building Academic Writing Skills .
West, H., Malcolm, G., Keywood, S., & Hill, J. (2019). Writing a successful essay.  Journal of Geography in Higher Education ,  43 (4), 609-617.
Beavers, M. E., Thoune, D. L., & McBeth, M. (2023). Bibliographic Essay: Reading, Researching, Teaching, and Writing with Hooks: A Queer Literacy Sponsorship. College English, 85(3), 230-242.

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.

Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!

Similarity Checks: The Author’s Guide to Plagiarism and Responsible Writing

Types of plagiarism and 6 tips to avoid it in your writing , you may also like, dissertation printing and binding | types & comparison , what is a dissertation preface definition and examples , how to write a research proposal: (with examples..., how to write your research paper in apa..., how to choose a dissertation topic, how to write a phd research proposal, how to write an academic paragraph (step-by-step guide), maintaining academic integrity with paperpal’s generative ai writing..., research funding basics: what should a grant proposal..., how to write an abstract in research papers....

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, generate accurate citations for free.

Knowledge Base
How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

Catch your reader’s attention.
Give background on your topic.
Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

Braille was an extremely important invention.
The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly why the topic is important.

The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

Historical, geographical, or social context
An outline of the debate you’re addressing
A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Discover proofreading & editing

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

Argumentative
Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

Ad hominem fallacy
Post hoc fallacy
Appeal to authority fallacy
False cause fallacy
Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

Choosing Essay Topic
Write a College Essay
Write a Diversity Essay
College Essay Format & Structure
Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay

(AI) Tools

Grammar Checker
Paraphrasing Tool
Text Summarizer
AI Detector
Plagiarism Checker
Citation Generator

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

It gives your writing direction and focus.
It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, July 23). How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 6, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/introduction/

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Other students also liked, how to write a thesis statement | 4 steps & examples, academic paragraph structure | step-by-step guide & examples, how to conclude an essay | interactive example, get unlimited documents corrected.

✔ Free APA citation check included ✔ Unlimited document corrections ✔ Specialized in correcting academic texts

24/7 writing help on your phone

To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”

Love and Sacrifice

Save to my list

Remove from my list

Love and Sacrifice. (2016, Apr 03). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/love-and-sacrifice-essay

"Love and Sacrifice." StudyMoose , 3 Apr 2016, https://studymoose.com/love-and-sacrifice-essay

StudyMoose. (2016). Love and Sacrifice . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/love-and-sacrifice-essay [Accessed: 8 Sep. 2024]

"Love and Sacrifice." StudyMoose, Apr 03, 2016. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://studymoose.com/love-and-sacrifice-essay

"Love and Sacrifice," StudyMoose , 03-Apr-2016. [Online]. Available: https://studymoose.com/love-and-sacrifice-essay. [Accessed: 8-Sep-2024]

StudyMoose. (2016). Love and Sacrifice . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/love-and-sacrifice-essay [Accessed: 8-Sep-2024]

Love and Sacrifice Theme in The Nightingale and the Rose Pages: 2 (581 words)
An-mei's Mother's Sacrifices: A Deep Analysis of Maternal Love and Sacrifice in "The Joy Luck Club" Pages: 2 (555 words)
The Themes of Love and Sacrifice in Casablanca Pages: 5 (1208 words)
Love And Sacrifice in Those Winter Sundays Poem Pages: 3 (848 words)
Antigone's Heroic Sacrifice: Unyielding Love and Bravery Pages: 3 (612 words)
Unwavering Love: A Mother's Sacrifice Pages: 3 (636 words)
Irony and Sacrifice in 'The Gift of the Magi' and 'The Necklace'" Pages: 2 (563 words)
Self-Motivation, Courage and Sacrifice in Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Harrison's The Black Man's Burden Pages: 4 (1193 words)
Glory: A Cinematic Tribute to Heroism and Sacrifice Pages: 2 (565 words)
The Significance of Veterans: Honoring Sacrifice and Upholding Values Pages: 3 (670 words)

👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!

Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.

COMMENTS

What is a Sacrifice: Definition Paper: [Essay Example], 424 words
Sacrifice is a complex and multifaceted concept that plays a significant role in shaping our lives and societies. It is an act of selflessness, commitment, and transformation that requires individuals to give up something valuable for the greater good. Whether it is sacrificing time, resources, or personal desires, the act of sacrifice can have ...
Essay About Sacrifice: Great Tips For Every Student
Sacrifice essay introduction. This part should set the mood of the whole paper, bring the reader's attention to the issue under consideration, and consequently prompt him or her to read the text to the end. The most important aspect of intro is a thesis statement, which bears the main idea you are going to discuss. ...
Making Sacrifices: a Path to Personal Growth
Sacrifice is a profound and often challenging aspect of the human experience. In this essay, we will delve into the significance of making sacrifices and how they can be a transformative force for personal growth and development. Sacrifices are not merely acts of selflessness; they are opportunities for self-awareness, change, and the reshaping of our values and beliefs.
≡Essays on Sacrifices
1 page / 638 words. Sacrifice is a profound and often challenging aspect of the human experience. In this essay, we will delve into the significance of making sacrifices and how they can be a transformative force for personal growth and development. Sacrifices are not merely acts of selflessness; they...
Essay on Sacrifice & its Importance in Life
Sacrifice means to make a sacrifice and offering up. It can be an animal, goods or property that is sacrificed. A sacrifice may also mean that you put forward your own interests in favor of someone else's interest or well-being. The act of sacrificing something such as time, comfort, money etc., for the sake of achieving something more important.
PDF Warm-Up Making Sacrifices
Steps to writing a : Restate the using different words. Restate the concluding statements from each paragraph using. words. End by making a judgment or about the topic that. comes from your original thinking about it. Underline the judgment the author makes in this paragraph. conclusion. thesis.
Sacrifice
This essay raised the issue of the connection between ritual and religion and thus between the topic of sacrifice and the topics of theology and myth, a connection that has remained problematic to the present time, as in Bell 1997 and Bremmer 1998. Mauss, Marcel. 1954. The gift: Forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies. Translated ...
The Theology of Sacrifice
The Theology of Sacrifice
Essays About Sacrifice ️ Free Examples & Essay Topic Ideas
Free essays on sacrifice discuss the various forms of sacrifice people make and the reasons behind such actions. These essays explore the religious, moral, cultural, and emotional aspects of sacrifice, examining the ways in which it has been used throughout history to achieve certain goals or express devotion to a particular ideal or cause.
An Introduction to the Creative Essay on the Topic of Sacrifices
Sacrifices are made all the time. They are made in politics, war, nature, love and in everyday life. A sacrifice is made when someone gives up something that they value, for the sake of something that is more important. It could be a sacrifice as big as your life, or just sacrificing a few...
Self-Sacrifice and Moral Philosophy
And in the most basic cases altruistic/moral reasons involve the empathic transfer of one person's prudential reasons and emotions to another person or persons who can help them. Practical/moral reasons for self-sacrifice also depend on empathic transfer and can vary in strength with the strength of the transfer.
Sacrifice Essays: Examples, Topics, & Outlines
Pages: 4 Words: 1760. Isaac and Jesus. THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC AND JESUS. The story of God's demand for human sacrifice from Abraham is one of the most difficult in the ible. It prefigures many of the other atrocities which litter the pages of the Old Testament, incidents where the sacrifice could not be averted as in Deuteronomy 13:13 ("Put the ...
Augustine on Sacrifice: A Synthesis Abstract Introduction
treatment of sacrifice. It ought to become clear at that point that Augustine viewed sacrifice as a necessary process in the larger project of ascent to God; moreover, for Augustine, Christ played a constitutive and eternal role as priest, mediator, and sacrifice in this same process.3 This essay
Introduction: beyond the sacrifice zone
To frame this collection of essays, this introduction reviews existing research on sacrifice zones and related concepts, extractivist thinking and regenerative mindsets, and the presence of damaged settings in contemporary literature and literary history. To be more precise, it considers the affordances and limitations of notions such as the ...
Introduction: Sacrifice and Self-Sacrifice: A Religious Concept ...
Sacrifice is a troublesome concept that brings various pre-understandings and plenty of biases to the scholarly debate; however, to cover the whole spectrum of its possible meanings would go far beyond the possibilities of the current issue. The goal of this introduction is to outline the basic contours of sacrificial discourses included within the issue and to help the reader navigate these ...
On Sacrifice
The idea and practice of sacrifice play a profound role in religion, ethics, and politics. In this brief book, philosopher Moshe Halbertal explores the meaning and implications of sacrifice, developing a theory of sacrifice as an offering and examining the relationship between sacrifice, ritual, violence, and love. On Sacrifice also looks at the place of self-sacrifice within ethical life and ...
(PDF) The Power of Sacrifice: Roman and Christian Discourses in
The language of sacrifice appears prominently in the New Testament and the liturgical theology of various early Christian writers. ... An Introduction and seven essays provide a thorough case for how Roman domestic art can illuminate the beliefs and practices of early Jesus believers. Balch examines visual representations of Greek, Roman, and ...
Introduction To A Womans Sacrifice English Literature Essay
Introduction To A Womans Sacrifice English Literature Essay. Women often suffer an unfair amount in their marital lives and often in their marital lives, they live oppressed lives. In "Madame Celestine's Divorce," Celestine's progression towards freedom gets rejected due to societal expectations. Likewise, in "The Story of an Hour," a woman ...
Human Sacrifice In Aztec Culture
Human Sacrifice was important to Aztec culture, which can be seen through intimidation and social status. Body Paragraph 1- Your Viewpoint 1 Aztec civilization was expanded greatly because of intimidation. Human sacrifice was an effective method used to intimidate rivals of the aztecs.
The Gift of The Magi: Theme of Sacrifice
Introduction "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry that revolves around the selfless and unconditional love between a young couple, Della and Jim. In this essay, we will explore how O. Henry utilizes the theme of sacrifice to depict their love for each other.
How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)
How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)
How to Write an Essay Introduction
How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples
Love and Sacrifice Free Essay Example
Love and Sacrifice. Download. Essay, Pages 4 (977 words) Views. 6067. Sacrifice is one of the purest and most selfless ways to love someone. There is no better way to show one's loyalty or love for another than through sacrifice. The Kite Runner clearly demonstrates the sacrifices individuals made to make the ones they love happy.

Sacrifice Essay Writing Guide

Sacrifice essay topics ideas

Topic ideas for informative essay on sacrifice

How to write essays on sacrifice?

Sacrifice essay outline

Brainstorming sacrifice essay titles

How to write a sacrifice essay: Best tips

Writing a narrative essay on sacrifice

Essay on Sacrifice | Types, Value & Importance of Sacrifice in Life

Essay on Sacrifice & its Importance in Life

Types of Sacrifice

Value of Sacrifice in Life

Importance of Sacrifice

Benefits of Sacrifice

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

How to Subscribe

In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Sacrifice

Related Articles Expand or collapse the "related articles" section about

Other Subject Areas

Sacrifice by Fred Naiden , James Rives LAST REVIEWED: 25 February 2016 LAST MODIFIED: 25 February 2016 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195389661-0209

Most Popular

U.S. Edition

To All The World

The Theology of Sacrifice

Introduction

Sacrifice in the Old Testament

Observations

Sacrifice in Old Covenant Context

The Death of Christ as a Sacrifice

Hebrews on the Sacrifice of Christ

Concluding Thoughts

Further Reading

Essays on Sacrifice

Share link with colleague or librarian

Introduction: Sacrifice and Self-Sacrifice: A Religious Concept under Transformation

Content Metrics

On Sacrifice

The Power of Sacrifice: Roman and Christian Discourses in Conflict - By George Heyman

Related Papers

RELATED PAPERS

RELATED TOPICS

The Gift of The Magi: Theme of Sacrifice

Table of contents

Cite this Essay

Related Essays

Still can’t find what you need?

Related Essays on The Gift of the Magi

Related Topics

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)

Table of Contents

Literary Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Examples of essay introduction

Argumentative Essay Introduction Example:

Expository Essay Introduction Example

Related Reads:

Similarity Checks: The Author’s Guide to Plagiarism and Responsible Writing

Have a language expert improve your writing

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Table of contents

Examples: Writing a good hook

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services

Checklist: Essay introduction

Cite this Scribbr article

Is this article helpful?

Shona McCombes

Love and Sacrifice

COMMENTS

How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)  