Window Quarterly
Vol. 2, No. 4, 1992
Copyright 1992

[Permission is granted to use, print, reproduce this article 
provided the following acknowledgment is given:  From 
Window Quarterly 2, 4 (1992);  ACRAG c. 1992. 

***

A Sacrifice of Praise: Blessing of the Madagh

by Michael Findikyan

A ceremony which is unique to the Armenian church is the 
ritual of the Blessing of Madagh.  In this ceremony an animal 
such as a chicken, dove or lamb is brought to a special stone 
altar in the courtyard of the church.  There the priest blesses 
salt, feeds it to the animal and offers special prayers, psalms 
and hymns.  Then the animal is led away to a separate 
building where it is slaughtered.
	
The ritual, which because of the ignorance and apathy of the 
officiating clergy has been abbreviated and ritualized to the 
point of meaninglessness, has become the victim of the same 
fate as the slaughtered beast. According to current pietistic 
customs, after the brief ceremony, the person offering the 
madagh rushes home with the meat of the sacrifice and gives 
a portion of it to each of seven neighbors. After that, they 
cook the remaining meat and host a festive (and sometimes 
raucous) day-long celebration with the participation of  
relatives, friends and neighbors. 
	
This ritual is very common in Armenia, where people offer a 
madagh sacrifice as a pious gesture on various occasions:  
upon the baptism or wedding of a child, on a birthday, to 
honor a special guest, or as a memorial to a loved one on the 
anniversary of his death.      
	
But  visitors to Armenia are regularly horrified and repulsed 
when they witness the seemingly barbaric ritual, so unlike 
the decorous ceremonies they have seen in the Armenian 
Church in the west. Others remember the universal Christian 
teaching that Christ's death on the cross became the final and 
ultimate sacrifice, rendering any others superfluous. They 
accuse the Church of perpetuating an obsolete Jewish 
custom, thereby denigrating the saving act of Christ and the 
entire new covenant.  Indeed, this ambivalence regarding the 
madagh reaches back to at least the time of St. Nersess the 
Gracefilled (11th century), who found it necessary to devote 
a portion of his famous pastoral encyclical to defending 
Madagh against the attacks of those who called it a "Jewish 
sacrifice."  At the same time he corrects errors which had 
crept into the performance of the ritual.
	
To determine whether such objections are legitimate, one 
need only turn to the words of the rite itself.  First, however, 
it is essential to understand the concept of sacrifice as 
witnessed in the Old Testament.

ATONEMENT BY SACRIFICE
	
According to Jewish understanding as revealed in the Old 
Testament,  the one God dwells among his people Israel and 
in return for his promise of blessings, he expects above all 
their absolute acknowledgement that he alone is God.  This 
they must demonstrate by unwavering obedience to his will. 
The first commandment makes this clear: "I am the Lord 
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of 
the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods besides 
me." [Ex 20:2-3] A transgression is therefore dangerous not 
so much in itself, but rather because it represents a lapse in 
obedience which calls into question the community's 
absolute allegiance to God.
	
Consequently, to become reconciled with God, a sinner must 
make atonement for his transgressions.    This is much more 
than "paying for your sins."  It means that in the wake of his 
aberrant behavior, the transgressor must do something to 
once again prove beyond any doubt his utter fidelity to God.  
Offering a sacrifice is the only way this can be done.   When 
one takes something of great value and offers it to God for 
His sole use, this is a radical and unmistakable, ontological 
affirmation of one's allegiance to God.    When Abraham, 
following God's instructions, took his son Isaac to a 
mountain, gathered wood. laid it on him and "took in his 
hand the fire and the knife, "Abraham was prepared to make 
the ultimate ontological demonstration of his total 
commitment to the One who said to him, "Take your son, 
your only son Isaac, whom you love...and offer him...as a 
burnt offering..." [Gen 22:2] There is no other rational 
explanation why a man would kill and burn his own son:  
Either he is lunatic, or he actually believes in the voice of 
Him who instructed him to do this. 
	
The Old Testament is replete with examples of individuals--
and at times the entire nation--making animal sacrifices to 
God to atone for their sins.  The opening of the book of 
Leviticus,which is appointed to be read during the madagh 
ceremony, describes the manner in which a person should 
make offerings to the Lord:  "If his offering is a burnt 
offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; 
he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he 
may be accepted before the Lord...and it shall be accepted for 
him to make atonement for him.  Then he shall kill the bull 
before the Lord; and Aaron's sons the priests [the "Levites", 
hence "Leviticus"] shall present the blood, and throw the 
blood round about against the altar that is at the door of the 
tent of meeting.  And he shall flay the burnt offering and cut 
it into pieces; and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire 
on the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire; and Aaron's 
sons the priests shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat, in 
order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar...And 
the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt 
offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the Lord."  
[Lev 1:3-9] 
	
Blood was considered the seat of life, and throwing the blood 
around the altar was understood to be an essential element of 
the ritual of sacrifice for atonement.  More important, 
however, is the notion that the animal to be offered was 
"without blemish."  (Madagh means literally soft, tender, 
delicate, young; these describe the kind of animal which is 
suitable for sacrifice). Offering a deformed or sick animal to 
God would  not be a true sacrifice, and would amount to a 
half-hearted  affirmation of God.  To be effective, the one 
offering a sacrifice must choose a prized possession (as 
Abraham did), slaughter it at the altar of the One God 
(thereby dedicating it to him) and  then after giving a portion 
to the officiating priests, burn the remains totally and 
completely, thereby assuring that God is the sole beneficiary 
of the sacrifice.  No part of the animal may remain, and/or be 
eaten or used in any way.  This is the power of the ritual.  To 
destroy an animal (or other prized possession) and effectively 
"waste" it is absurd.  The only other explanation is that the 
person destroying the animal is not wasting it, but dedicating 
it to an unseen but living deity, and ipso facto  affirming his 
fidelity to that deity.  Note that God has no particular need 
for charred animal carcasses; but he is pleased by the faith 
affirmation of those who make sacrifices in his name. 

CHRIST'S ETERNAL REDEMPTION
	
Of the five scripture readings appointed to be read during the 
ceremony of the Blessing of  Madagh,  three of them deal 
with the traditional Old Testament use of atoning sacrifice 
(Lev 1:1-9;  2Sam 6:17-19;  Is 56:6-7).  But the prescribed 
New Testament readings make it clear that even though the 
Madagh ceremony is rooted in the sacrificial rituals of the 
Old Testament, however it does not at all contradict or in any 
way minimize Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross.   
	
The Epistle to the Hebrews includes the most explicit 
assertion of Christ's redemptive sacrifice in the New 
Testament:  "But until Christ appeared as a high priest of the 
good things that have come, then through the greater and 
more perfect tent...he entered once for all into the Holy 
Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own 
blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.  For if the 
sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and 
bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the 
purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of 
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without 
blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to 
serve the living God."  [9:11-14]    The Blessing of Madagh 
ceremony includes a passage from the end of this argument 
which suggests that the emphasis of Madagh is not 
atonement for sins, but rather worship and charity:  "Through 
[Jesus Christ] let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise 
to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.  
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for 
such sacrifices are pleasing to God."  [Heb 13:15-16]  
Madagh is the actualization of these two mandates:  "Offer 
up a sacrifice of praise," and "share what you have."
	
Indeed this is confirmed by the prescribed gospel reading 
from Luke:  "He also said to the man who had invited him, 
"When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your 
friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, 
lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid.  But 
when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, 
the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay 
you.  You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  
[14:12-14]   It is clear that the compilers of this rite have 
made it their duty to affirm the traditional use of animal 
sacrifice, while providing a different purpose for the ritual.  
This is proven beyond any doubt in the prayer of blessing. 

SHADOW OF TRUE SALVATION
	
The author of the prayer clearly recognizes that the slaughter 
of animals is not expected by God and is no longer 
efficacious for the atonement of sins.   He affirms that God 
has no "need" for a sacrifice, or anything else, when he 
addresses God as the "Saviour who lacks nothing."    He also 
quotes Psalms 50 and 51 in which God rejects animal 
sacrifices in favor of "a broken heart and a humble spirit."  
Though the prayer establishes that in former  times God was 
pleased by the sacrifices offered by mankind, such as the 
sacrifices of Abel, Noah and Abraham,  nevertheless  true 
salvation results from Christ's coming into the world and the 
tradition of offering animal sacrifice is a mere "shadow of 
the true salvation to come."
	
Nevertheless, avowing all of this, the author boldly 
beseeches God to receive this sacrifice the same way he 
accepted the sacrifices of our forefathers, "as a burnt offering 
of rams and bulls and as ten thousand fattened lambs."  But 
again in the next breath the prayer declares that we will not 
rejoice in this sacrifice, but "in your salvation,"  in "the 
spotless faith of the Holy Trinity," and in the "power of the 
sign of your all-conquering cross."  
	
Therefore we have in this prayer a confession of the power of 
sacrifice to please God with the acknowledgement that 
salvation comes only from Christ.  We must conclude that in 
Madagh, the Armenians have preserved what they consider a 
radical act of faith affirmation.  Standing with Christ on the 
ephemeral bounds of the old and new covenants, they utilize 
the ritual of animal sacrifice for its supreme ontological 
value as an indisputable demonstration of faith and worship, 
and simultaneously they make a definitive and eloquent 
confession of Christ as saviour.  In this sense, the rite is a 
real tour de force.
	
Furthermore, the New Testament readings indicate that the 
emphasis in this rite is not on the slaughter of animals, much 
less for the atonement of sins.  Instead, there is a clear 
emphasis on charity.  Clearly the meat from the sacrifice is 
intended to be fed to "the poor, the maimed, the lame, the 
blind."  Unlike the Jewish sacrifice, there is no evidence in 
this rite to suggest that slaughtering the animal is anything 
more than the necessary means to this end.   It seems 
gruesome to many only because our sterile modern western 
culture insulates us from the vivid details of what is, for most 
of the world, a daily and rather mundane task.

MADAGH IN MILWAUKEE?
	
In the Armenian Churches of the United States, the rite of 
Madagh has been reduced to the serving of dainty boiled 
lamb finger sandwiches after the Divine Liturgy on April 24, 
in commemoration of the martyrs of 1915.  As such, the 
modern-day ritual lacks what we have found are the two 
essential elements of  the ceremony, personal sacrifice and 
charity.  It follows that in this guise, the ceremony is equally 
anemic as an act of affirmation of faith in God.  Instead of 
striving to preserve the original spirit and purpose of the 
ritual, we have mindlessly preserved its physical elements, 
which, in twenty-first century America, are ripped out of 
their intended context.
	
What is needed is a creative reunification of  ritual and 
context.  It is not necessary to slaughter animals on the steps 
of the Armenian Church in Milwaukee, Fresno or Montreal.  
What matters is that the donation be a sacrifice.  In the same 
way that in former times a person sacrificed an 
"unblemished" young animal, the meat of which is food for 
many days, and the fur of which is clothing for many people, 
likewise today, a Madagh offering must have such value that 
the person offering it feels the loss of that which he has given 
up.  In sacrifice, the hurt of loss is transformed into the joy of 
giving and of pleasing God.  
	
Beyond the sacrifice itself, the gospel passage from the rite 
declares that all the fruits of the sacrifice must be given to 
"the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind..."  No part should 
be enjoyed by "your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen 
or rich neighbors."  These deserve our charity as well, but the 
fruits of Madagh are reserved for those who "cannot repay 
you."
	
Finally, sacrifice and charity come together when standing 
before the altar, the offering is made to God reading the 
words of the prayer. 
	
Recently five students went to a grocery store and pooling 
their limited money, they bought 40 pounds of chicken.  That 
night, with great care they washed the chicken pieces, placed 
them on baking sheets, flavored them with spices and baked 
them.  Later they wrapped each piece individually and placed 
them all in  large cardboard boxes.  The next evening they 
brought the boxes to church, and placed this sacrifice at the 
foot of the holy altar.  Standing reverently in the quiet peace 
of the darkened church, they read aloud the appointed 
passages from Leviticus, from 2 Samuel, and from Isaiah and 
following those, passages from Hebrews and the Gospel 
according to Luke.  One of them then stepped forward, in the 
midst of the saran-wrapped offering, and read the words of 
the prayer:  "...Receive from us by your mercy this gift, for 
the pleasure of your all-powerful will.  Receive, O Lord our 
loving God this gift which we have promised and pledged to 
you...Receive, O provident God this sacrifice which we lift 
up and offer to you...Receive it, O compassionate Lord and 
liken it to the blessed offerings of the holy forefathers..."
	
Having made their offering, they proceeded downtown, 
where they fed those "who cannot repay you."  

***

PRAYER OF MADAGH

Almighty God, you are praised by the highest heavenly 
orders and you are worshiped by those of the earthly realm, 
O God the Word, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. 
In the beginning you imprinted the shape and example of the 
good things to come.  For although mankind fell from his 
rightful place in paradise by the instinctive artifice of the 
crafty deceiver [Satan], who made promises of noble glory, 
nevertheless when mankind multiplied and became 
numerous upon the earth, you were pleased by the pious 
deeds we offered to you as sacrifices upon the altar.

Like the sacrifice of Abel, who by being sacrificed, was 
called just; and Noah, when he left the ark, offered there a 
fragrant oblation to  you for God.  And Abraham, being 
tested, offered the true burnt offering and typified your 
incorruptible death on the cross.
And  therefore, O Lord our beneficent God, we ask and beg 
you, receive from us by your mercy this gift, for the pleasure 
of your all-powerful will.

Receive, O Lord our loving God this gift which we have 
promised and pledged to you in our affliction, when we 
called to you and you saved us.

Receive, O provident God this sacrifice which we lift up and 
offer to you, O Saviour who lacks nothing, whose mercy and 
compassion are incomprehensible and infinite.

Receive [it], O compassionate Lord and liken it to the 
blessed offerings of the holy forefathers, and dissociate it 
from the false sacrifices and pagan burnt offerings of satanic 
idolatry.

By Moses your holy and blessed prophet you commanded 
your people Israel to offer you burnt offerings.  And by other 
holy ones, [you commanded that] animals be brought to the 
door of the tent of meeting before the Levite priests.  By 
placing their hand upon [the animal] and  and letting its 
blood flow upon your holy altar, O God, transgressions were 
forgiven and prayers were answered.  But this was [only] a 
shadow of the true salvation to come, which was granted to 
us by your coming into the world.

For you yourself, O most-merciful and beneficent Lord, by 
your prophetic spirit, said through your prophet, 'I do not 
accept your fattened bulls .  Rather offer to God an offering 
of blessing, and willfully offer a bloodless offering--a broken 
heart and a humble spirit, which God will not despise"  [Ps. 
50:9; 51:17].

But now, we sinners who are unworthy fall down before your 
compassion with humble hearts and we beg you for the great 
love [you showed to] your beloved ones, our fathers.

Look down upon this our offering and receive it from us as a 
burnt offering of rams and bulls and as ten thousand fattened 
lambs.

Answer our prayers,  O Lord, so that we not be put to shame 
before our enemies.  But rather let us delight and rejoice in 
your salvation.

For if by your gaze you can weigh all the mountains and the 
hills and the fields; and you hold heaven and earth in your 
hand, and you are seated in the highest heights upon the 
throne of the cherubim and hell is not invisible to you;  and if 
giving you all the four-footed beasts and all the animals [in 
the world] is still not sufficient as a burnt offering to you, 
then how do we dare to offer [you] a sacrifice?

But you, O Lord, were pleased to become incarnate for us, 
and by your holy apostles you taught us the spotless faith 
which is the Holy Trinity, by which you made us worthy to 
be called brothers and sons by your incorruptible body and 
blood, O God the Word.
Now, therefore, O miraculous Lord, receive from our hands 
this gift of sacrifice by the intercession of the holy Mother of 
God, and by the power of the sign of your all-conquering 
cross which we worship continually.

And by the prayers of the holy apostles and prophets and the 
blessed martyrs who shed their blood in return for  your 
blood, O Lord, grant the petitions of those who make this 
offering and grant them forgiveness of their sins.  Increase 
the flocks and the herds and all animals and the prosperity of 
your servants.  Make the clouds rain sweetly upon our fields 
and grant the fruit of profit, and dispel from us the snares of 
Satan.

So that standing here in piety and in your pleasure, we might 
be worthy to meet you when you are revealed in your glory 
on that awesome day when you come again from heaven to 
apportion [to us] according to our works.  For you are worthy 
of glory, dominion and honor, now and ever and unto the 
ages of ages.  Amen.

***

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