The Sscapegoat Ritual Addresses the Threat of Uncontrolled Violence

René Girard: The word scapegoat originally referred to a ritual undertaken in good conscience by the ancient Hebrews. It was only as modern societies digested their biblical heritage, he says, that they began to give the word scapegoat a new meaning. He believes rituals of sacrifice and expulsion avert this crisis by reconciling everyone around a sacrificial victim.