Articles in JHS are being indexed in the ATLA Religion Database, RAMBI, and BiBIL. Their abstracts appear in Religious and Theological Abstracts. The journal is archived by the National Library of Canada, and is accessible for consultation and research at the Electronic Collection site maintained by the The National Library of Canada.

The ritual of the scapegoat is described in Lev 16:5-26. Each step of the ritual is clear, yet it remains enigmatic to this day. Ehrlich succinctly summarized the situation saying, 'Azazel' -- No one knows who he is or what he is. What previous scholarship said about him has no substance and cannot be relied upon.' This is also true at the present time, almost a century later.

Certainly, the complexity of the issues associated with the scapegoat ritual is rather daunting. In this paper I will try to discuss the scapegoat ritual within the framework of competing notions of God's abode on earth. I hope to show that within this framework many of the questions posed find a natural explanation. (Aron Pinker)