Topic: 2. Sacrifice and religion: Comparisons, Antiquarians, Anthropology (16th-18th Century)
Religious sacrifices across various cultures and contexts sparked widespread interest in Early Modern Europe. As Christianity expanded into regions inhabited by "infidels" and "pagans", Europeans encountered a diverse array of sacrificial customs, ranging from the Sati rituals in India to the Aztec sacrifices in the Americas. This cross-cultural exposure captivated a wide audience, including theologians, philosophers, political thinkers, antiquarians, orientalists, missionaries, poets, artists, and even the general public. These encounters broadened the European understanding of sacrifice and led to a critical reassessment of classical and biblical sacrificial rites. This section includes:
- Sources: A selection of early modern printed materials, which include descriptions of the Americas, Asia, and Africa, alongside antiquarian and philological studies on religious sacrifice in classical antiquity and beyond. It also presents early modern works of ethnological observations and the first attempts to compare different sacrificial practices in various traditions and contexts, laying the groundwork for disciplines like the history of religions and anthropology.
- Iconographic Representations: A rich collection of images from the 16th to 18th centuries, illustrating a range of sacrificial rituals and practices as seen in different cultural and geographical contexts.
- Related Bibliography: An extensive bibliography spanning scholarly works from the 19th to 21st centuries, providing contemporary analyses and interpretations of these early studies and observations.
The Bahr ul-Asrar: Travelogue of South Asia, by Mahmud b. Amir Wali Balkhi
Karachi: Institute of Central & West Asian Studies, 1980.
in: Burning Women Widows, Witches, and Early Modern European Travelers in India, pp.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.
Women in India: The “Sati” and the Harem
in: India in Early Modern English Travel Writings, pp. 209-238
Leiden: Brill, 2012.
The Kuzari and Early Kabbalah: Between Integration and Interpretation regarding the Secrets of the Sacrificial Rite
in: Harvard Theological Review, v. 116 (2023), issue 2: pp.228-253.
The Kuzari and Early Kabbalah: Between Integration and Interpretation regarding the Secrets of the Sacrificial Rite
in: Harvard Theological Review, v. 116 (2023), issue 2: pp.228-253.
Women and Blood Libel: The Legend of Adil Kikinesh of Drohobycz
in: Western Folklore, v. 71 (2012), issue 3-4: pp.279-290.
The Jewish Blood Libel Legend: A Folkloristic Perspective
in: Ritual Murder in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Beyond: New Histories of an Old Accusation, pp. 39–55
Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2017.
Theophrastus on Jewish Sacrificial Practices and the Jews as a Community of Philosopher
in: The Image of the Jews in Greek Literature: The Hellenistic Period, pp. 15-39
Oakland, CA: California Scholarship Online, 2010.
The Jewish Sacking of Alien Temples: “Limits of Toleration” in a Comparative Perspective
in: History of Religions[Special Issue: Religion of the Alien and the Limits of Toleration: Ancient Perspectives], v. 50 (2010), issue 1: pp.21-42.
Le sacrifice de Pâque des Samaritains / The Easter Sacrifice among Samaritans
in: ASDIWAL. Revue genevoise d'anthropologie et d'histoire des religions, v. 7 (1012), issue 2012: pp.151-169.
Afterword Cannibalism and History
in: Through Your Eyes: Religious Alterity and the Early Modern Western Imagination, pp. 267–285
Leiden: Brill, 2021.
Human Sacrifice and Self-Sacrifice in China: A Century of Revelation
in: The Strange World of Human Sacrifice, pp. 237-257
Leuven: Peeters, 2007.
Dell’historia della Compagnia di Giesu, il Giappone, seconda parte dell’Asia, descritta dal P. Daniello Bartoli della medesima Compagnia
Rome: Ignazio de' Lazzeri, 1660.
2. Sacrifice and religion: Comparisons, Antiquarians, Anthropology (16th-18th Century) 7. Sacrifices of self: Martirology and Catholic global missions (16th-18th Century)
Dell’historia della Compagnia di Giesu. L’Asia descritta dal P. Daniello Bartoli della medesima Compagnia. Parte prima
Rome: Ignazio de' Lazzeri, 1653.
Dell’istoria della Compagnia di Giesu l’Asia descritta dal p. Daniello Bartoli della medesima Compagnia. Parte prima. Editione terza accresciuta della missione al Mogor e della vita e morte del p. Ridolfo Aquaviva. Composta dal medesimo autore
Roma : stamperia del Varese, 1667.
2. Sacrifice and religion: Comparisons, Antiquarians, Anthropology (16th-18th Century) 7. Sacrifices of self: Martirology and Catholic global missions (16th-18th Century)
Preparation for the Sacrifice (1764)
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
Tractatus theologico‐politicus/Traité théologico‐politique
in: Spinoza Œuvres
Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1999.