Stephen Headley

This article offers an introductory study of the notion of sacrifice based on its various meanings in biblical texts, particularly in the history of the people of Israel. The author, an anthropologist and theologian, adopts an interdisciplinary approach that brings together the human sciences and theological reflection. The central idea is that sacrifice cannot be reduced to a negative connotation of loss or renunciation: it fundamentally constitutes a form of positive gift, whose ultimate meaning is rooted in God's creative act and in his salvific economy oriented toward the deification of the human being. The contribution of the article lies in the connection it establishes between the anthropology of gift and sacramental theology: sacrifice, thus redefined, finds its fulfillment in the Eucharistic liturgy, understood as participation in the unique and definitive sacrifice of Christ.