When a crisis occurs, it is common practice to not only blame, but also punish someone for a wrong committed by another. No matter the circumstance, it won't be the last time. The practice of scapegoating has followed humanity since its creation in biblical times. When an innocent party is accused of a wrongdoing, the religious practice of scapegoating is adopted, whether for social, political, or medical reasons. The term “scapegoat” first appears in the Christian Bible in Levictus, chapter 16. The original meaning was a goat who took on the sins of the people and was then sent into the wilderness on Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of 'Atonement. William Tyndale invented the word in 1530 in his translation of the Bible. He translated the Hebrew word “Azazel” to “ez azel,” meaning “goat runs away.” “A scapegoat must be innocent in causing the events, behaviors, or situations for which he or she is blamed” (Douglas 55). As the term derives, a scapegoat no longer had to be a goat; it could also be a person. In ancient Greece, human scapegoats were used to alleviate a plague or some other disease. During the Roman festival, Lupercalla, priests cut the thongs of sacrificial animals, ran around the Palestinian city walls, hitting women, believing this would cure sterility. One of the first Roman laws stated that an innocent person could take on the punishment of another who confessed to a crime. In Christianity, Jesus Christ is believed to have died for the sins of humanity (Das). During the Black Death of 1348-1350, a disease that killed 75 to 200 million Europeans, people, called Flaggents, roamed the country. The Flaggents believed that this plague occurred because of the sins of humanity and… middle of paper… J & Frampton, D. “Finding scapegoats. When the plague strikes: the Black Death, smallpox, AIDS.” New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1995. 30-40. Print.La Ganga, Maria L. "Ron Paul says Latinos have become 'scapegoats'." The New York Times [New York City] February 1, 2012: page n. Network. April 8, 2014.Mathers, Marshall. "The way I am." Marshall Mathers LP. Interscope Records, 2000. CD.McNeil, Jr, Donald G. “Finding a Scapegoat When the Epidemic Strikes.” The New York Times [New York City] August 31, 2009: n. page Network. April 8, 2014. "Birmingham Six" released after 16 years in prison. Np, March 14, 2012. Web. March 24, 2014. Pratt, John P. “The Scapegoat Dilemma.” John P. Pratt. Meridian Magazine, January 19, 2009. Web. April 14, 2014. Sanders, Jim. “Some California leaders want low-cost health care for undocumented immigrants.” The Bee of the Sacrament [Sacramento] 19 Apr. 2013: page n. Network. April 8. 2014.