Why the Term: Scapegoat?

Today, the term “scapegoat” refers to a person or group unfairly blamed for problems or negative events they did not cause. This can occur in various contexts, such as workplaces, politics, or social groups, where an individual or group is singled out to bear the brunt of blame, often to deflect attention or responsibility from those truly at fault.

The word “scapegoat” originates from the Bible, specifically the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. The term is a mistranslation by William Tyndale, an early English translator of the Bible. Tyndale combined “escape” and “goat” to translate the Hebrew word “Azazel,” found in Leviticus 16:8-10.

In the original Hebrew text, Azazel could refer to a demon or a rugged place, but Tyndale interpreted it as a “goat that escapes,” thus forming the term “scapegoat.” In ancient Jewish tradition, particularly on Yom Kippur^[1] (the Day of Atonement), two goats were chosen. One goat was sacrificed to God, while the other, known as the scapegoat, symbolically carried the sins of the people.

The High Priest would lay his hands on the scapegoat, transferring the community’s sins onto it, and then the goat was sent into the wilderness, removing the sins from the community (Leviticus 16:20-22). This ritual was a crucial part of the atonement process, emphasizing purification and forgiveness.

In Christian theology, the concept of the scapegoat is seen as a prefiguration of Jesus Christ, who is believed to have taken on the sins of humanity and sacrificed himself to atone for them. The New Testament often draws parallels between the scapegoat and Jesus’ role in salvation. For instance, in the Book of Hebrews, Jesus is depicted as both the sacrificial lamb and the scapegoat, who bears away the sins of the world (Hebrews 9:11-14, 13:11-12).

In ancient Syria, rituals involving scapegoats were similar to those in ancient Judaism. A scapegoat was used in expulsion rituals to rid the community of sins and impurities. This practice extended to ancient Greece, where the ritual of the “pharmakos” involved expelling an individual (often a marginalized person) from the community to cleanse it of pollution and misfortune.

The pharmakos was sometimes sacrificed or exiled, symbolically carrying away the community’s sins and misfortunes. The scapegoat motif has been prevalent in literature, symbolizing the unjust blaming of an innocent party for the problems of others. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” Hester Prynne becomes a scapegoat for her Puritan community’s moral failings.

Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649.

Similarly, in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” individuals are scapegoated during the Salem witch trials, highlighting how fear and hysteria can lead to the persecution of innocents. The theme of scapegoating serves as a powerful critique of societal tendencies to displace guilt and responsibility onto vulnerable individuals or groups.

The story is based on the real events of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.