The life of the flesh is in the blood

In Leviticus it says that, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Vampires are the antithesis of this statement. A vampire would agree that the life of the flesh is in the blood. But, rather than the spilled blood making atonement for sins, the spilled blood is the reverse, for a vampire takes life rather than gives life. And the blood that is spilled is not their own blood. The sacrificed victim is not themselves, but rather an innocent. And, rather than damnation, the traditional interpretation of vampires is that they bring damnation. This is why I said that a vampire is the antithesis of the Christian conception of blood.

But, this conception of a vampire is a contradiction of Christian theology. In Christian theology, we do not say that there is an opposite and equal to God. Rather, we say that at best Satan is a creature of God who has been given some temporary freedom to act upon the Earth until the great and dreadful Day of the Lord arrives. Thus, the idea that a vampire can eternally damn someone by biting them and turning them into a vampire is a contradiction of the Gospel. If that idea were true, then each and every one of us would have no hope, because we have all sinned. It is in this sense that the modern conception of a vampire is much closer to Christian truth than the traditional conception. In the modern conception, a vampire is corrupted, but not corrupted utterly. So, a modern vampire is not utterly corrupted, only corrupted. Their corruption can be resisted. Their “sin” can be fought. Even if they make a mistake (even if they sin), this does not mean that they are forever damned, but rather that they have to work on their self-control. Of course an out of control vampire or a vampire is sanctioned, not for “sinning” but rather for being out of control.

For us, as Orthodox, we do receive our life from the blood (and body). Without the blood (and body), we would quickly die a spiritual death. But, the blood (and body) that we receive is the Body and Blood of Christ, which is freely given and found in his “creatures” of bread and wine (as one old translation said). We are like the vampires in that without the blood (and body), we die. Without the blood (and body), there is no hope that we will be changed into the likeness of Christ. Just like the vampire, without the blood (and body), we die for lack of sustenance. But, we have to make sure to drink (and eat) the correct blood (and body). That is why Saint Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11 that we are to examine ourselves, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” If we are not careful, we do not partake of life, but of death.

There is one author I have known that deals with this conundrum, and that is Sue Dent. She has vampires who refuse to drink human blood lest they be damned. She is the only one who deals with this whole conception of the life being in the blood and what that may mean for those who are turned into vampires while being practicing Christians. I wish that more dealt with this subject as Christians and correlated the whole issue of vampires, blood, Leviticus, and the Death (and Resurrection) of Christ. Should you wish to read Sue Dent, you can find her books on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sue+dent.