In many situations, we know that an innocent person can end up being accused and punished for something they did not do or had no direct responsibility for. Before his innocence is proven, people repudiate, mock and insult him without even knowing the truths behind the facts. In general, the unsuspecting end up being used as "scapegoat”.
The expression, often used, does not always deserve a reflection on the original meaning that explains its recurrent application. Someone more precipitous can imagine that it is a northeastern expression, considering that the raising of goats is closely associated with this territory. A mistake. To know where this guilt-ridden goat came from, it is necessary to go back to the ancient traditions of the Jewish world.
in the call Day of Atonement, found in the biblical book of Leviticus, the Hebrews organized a series of rituals intended to purify their nation. To do so, they organized a religious act that had the participation of two goats. In a draw, one of them was sacrificed along with a bull and its blood marked the walls of the temple.
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The other goat was turned into a "scapegoat" and therefore had the ritual function of carrying all the sins of the community. At that moment, a priest put his hands to the head of the innocent animal so that it symbolically carried the sins of the population. After that, it was abandoned in the desert so that evils and the influence of demons were far away.
Throughout history we have found that various minorities or marginalized groups have been used as the “scapegoats” of some misfortune or failure. To some extent, Jews were ironically the target of their own tradition. First, by being blamed for Black Plague, in the Low Middle Ages, and – long after – persecuted in Europe by the anti-Semitic movements that prevailed in the 20th century.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Curiosities - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "How did the famous expression 'scapegoat' come about?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/bode-expiatorio.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
