This article is about a burnt religious sacrifice. For other uses, see Holocaust (disambiguation).

A holocaust is a religious sacrifice that is completely consumed by fire. The word derives from the Greek holókauston (ὁλόκαυστον = ὁλον + καυστον [burnt).

In Greek and Roman pagan rites, gods of the earth and underworld received dark or golden animals, which were offered by night and burnt in full.

Some of the Jewish sacrifices specified by the Torah were required to be completely burnt. The Hebrew word for such a sacrifice, `olah, was translated as holókauston in the Septuagint. Today, some English Bible translations render the word as "holocaust", while others translate it as "burnt offering". For example, Exodus 18:12a is translated in the New American Bible as "Then Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, brought a holocaust and other sacrifices to God," while it is translated in the New International Version as "Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God."

In the mid-nineteenth century, the word began to be used by a large variety of authors to reference large catastrophes and massacres. In the 20th century, it became strongly associated with the Final Solution of the Nazis' Third Reich.

See also

• fire ritual
• oblation

Religious behaviour and experience | Jewish law and rituals | Paganism | Fire