Where Does the Expression “Scapegoat” Come From?

From the Old Testament to Greek mythology This metaphor, dating back to ancient times, has always been a way to express humanity’s common fears and feelings of guilt.

The strange thing is that societies fear and expressing feelings of guilt It also appears as an expression representing the devil!

Societies always seek a goal in the face of difficulties they experience.

Today “scapegoat” The term is still frequently used and often serves as a metaphor for any object or community that is marginalized.

However, when we look at the origins of this term, it is only on the shoulders of the declared guilty uploaded that there is no weight; At the same time, we can see that it is a deep symbol through which the fears and feelings of guilt in the collective consciousness of humanity are expressed.

This target often unfairly chosen and becomes an accused figure. This figure is the “scapegoat” that we all know very well.

The term first appeared in the 1530 English translation of the Torah by the English Protestant Linguist William Tyndale.

In fact, it was one of the most important holidays of Judaism in its emergence. Yom Kippur rituals It was describing a ceremony that was part of it. In this ceremony, a goat was chosen by lot and a high priest confessed the sins of his people and transferred them to the animal. In other words, goats would be sacrificed in return for the people’s crimes.

Tyndale, The Hebrew word “azazel” means “the goat that leaves or flees” He coined the famous term scapegoat by interpreting it as: However, some researchers also claim that Azazel actually represents a specific place in the desert where sins are exiled and represents the name of a goat-like desert demon.

Of course, this meaning was stripped from the Bible and took its current form.

Used for people who shoulder the burden of a crime or mistake The “scapegoat” metaphor We see that the reality behind it emerges once again when crimes against humanity are attributed to an innocent goat. So, as you can see, the subject of this term is; It was a goat sacrificed without any guilt.

Just as we always do today, it is always necessary to look for a victim for mistakes in history. first option dead.

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