Sacrifice remained an active part of Jewish worship in the first century. Priests offered the regular Temple sacrifices, while individuals brought offerings required or permitted by the Torah.
Different offerings served different purposes, and not every act of worship involved an animal sacrifice.
The sacrificial system was rooted in the Torah and centered on the sanctuary. During the Second Temple period it operated through the Jerusalem priesthood until the Temple was destroyed by Rome in AD 70.
Most ordinary Jews did not personally perform sacrifices every day. Their contact with the system was especially visible during festivals, purification procedures, fulfillment of vows, thanksgiving, and other occasions requiring or encouraging offerings.
Temple-related archaeology, animal remains, coins, vessels, ritual baths, and the monumental Jerusalem complex help reconstruct the environment surrounding sacrificial worship.
The Torah describes sacrifices in detail. Josephus, Jewish literature, and the New Testament confirm that the sacrificial system remained active in the first century.
Leviticus and other books of the Torah describe burnt offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, grain offerings, and other sacrifices and gifts.
The Gospels refer to offerings and sacrifices in several settings. Jesus directs a healed man to make the offering commanded by Moses, observes people placing gifts in the Temple treasury, and enters Jerusalem during the Passover season.
Sacrifice remained central to Temple worship during Jesus' lifetime, and the priesthood actively administered the system.
The personal experience of sacrifice differed greatly depending upon location, wealth, circumstance, and frequency of pilgrimage.
Understanding sacrifice clarifies references to priests, offerings, purity, Passover, the Temple, and atonement throughout the New Testament.