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Encyclopedia of Religion entry forCamel, TheCamels were used as food and offerings by the Arabs, but not by the Israelites. According to Nilus, among the Saracens, " the camel was not al-lowed to be killed and eaten except in a public rite, at which all the kinsmen assisted " (Robertson Smith). It was devoured by the Arabs in a sacramental meal while its blood and flesh were still warm. In the oldest known form of Arabian sacrifice, as described by Nilus, " the camel chosen as the victim is bound upon a rude altar of stones piled together, and when the leader of the band has thrice led the worshippers round the altar in a solemn procession accompanied with chants, he inflicts the first wound, while the last words of the hymn are still upon the lips of the congregation, and in all haste drinks of the blood that gushes forth. Forthwith the whole company fall on the victim with their swords, hacking off pieces of the quivering flesh and devouring them raw with such wild haste, that in the short interval between the rise of the day star which marked the hour for the service to begin, and the disappearance of its rays before the rising sun, the entire camel, body and bones, skin, blood and entrails, is wholly devoured " (R.S.). We read too of consecrated camels among the Arabs, which they released from service and allowed to roam at large. These might not be ridden, except in an emergency. But, though they seem some-times to be spoken of as the property of the deity, they were not used for his service. At Ramallah in Palestine there are two springs, one of which is supposed to be inhabited by a camel. citations: Encyc. of Rel., Canney
article created 2006-04-12 , last updated 2006-04-12 |
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