It surely can't be only springing from a biblical tradition; it must occur anywhere that people think about sacrifice.
Agreed. I was looking at Biblical traditions because Elizabeth Goudge is a Christian writer and because the Binding of Isaac was the first story I thought of where the willingness alone is enough; the sacrifice is not required. If you can think of others, Biblical or not, I'd love to hear them.
but especially in the case of a personally undertaken sacrifice, the two most powerful components seem to be that it's a genuine sacrifice (i.e., it doesn't count to offer up something you don't care about) and that you're doing it with full consent.
Publius Decius Mus at the battle of Vesuvius, dedicating himself to the gods of the underworld and annihilating the enemy. Devotio can only be done with your own life, not with anyone else's. You think it's just in the zeitgeist of how we think about sacrifice, then?
no subject
Agreed. I was looking at Biblical traditions because Elizabeth Goudge is a Christian writer and because the Binding of Isaac was the first story I thought of where the willingness alone is enough; the sacrifice is not required. If you can think of others, Biblical or not, I'd love to hear them.
but especially in the case of a personally undertaken sacrifice, the two most powerful components seem to be that it's a genuine sacrifice (i.e., it doesn't count to offer up something you don't care about) and that you're doing it with full consent.
Publius Decius Mus at the battle of Vesuvius, dedicating himself to the gods of the underworld and annihilating the enemy. Devotio can only be done with your own life, not with anyone else's. You think it's just in the zeitgeist of how we think about sacrifice, then?