Abstract: Jesus sought to replace the system of Temple worship in which atonement was made by animal sacrifice. This is shown by, among other things, the accusation at his trial that he would destroy ‘this temple that is made with hands’. At the Last Supper he instituted a ceremony with the words ‘my body’ and ‘my blood’, implying that what was to be commemorated was the sacrifice of himself. Many strands of the New Testament contain the idea of the death of Jesus as an atoning sacrifice, so that it is natural to look for a common source of this in the actions and teaching of Jesus.

Keywords: animal sacrifice, atonement, Jesus, Last Supper, sacrifice, Temple,