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 Serpent and the Sacrifice: An Anthill Myth from Tiruvārūr
in: History of Religions, v. (1978), issue 18/2: pp.107-137.
The ritual of animal sacrifice in Islam
Delhi: Kitab Bhavan, 2000.
Fleisch und Geist: Opfer und Versöhnung in den exegetischen Traditionen von Judentum und Christentum
in: Versöhnung in der jüdischen und christlichen Liturgie (QD 124), pp. 197-219
Freiburg im Breisgau : Herder, 1990.
Yom Kippuring Passover: Recombinant Sacrifice in Early Christianity
in: Ritual and Metaphor: Sacrifice in the Bible, pp. 65-83
Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2011.
Kurban in the Balkans
Belgrade: Institute for Balkan Studies, 2007.
Echoes of Sacrifice? Repertoires of Giving in the Great Religions
in: Sacrifice in Religious Experience, pp. 291-312
Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2002.
0. General bibliography (19th-21th Century) 2. Sacrifice and religion: Comparisons, Antiquarians, Anthropology (16th-18th Century)
El sacrificio humano en la Apologética histórica
in: Historia Mexicana, v. 16 (1967), issue 3: pp.341-357.
The Apostolic See and the Jews: Documents, 1539–1545
Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1990.
The Iconography of Sati: An Archaeological Study of Sati Memorial Pillars of Central India
in: The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: Annual Review, v. 5 (2010), issue 8: pp.--.
The Role of Missionaries in the abolition of Sati custom in India with special reference to Serampore Missionary
in: Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), v. 20 (2015), issue 10: pp.52–55.
Aspetti giuridici e rituali della religione romana : sacrifici, vittime e interpretazioni dei scerdoti
in: Poteri religiosi e istituzioni : il culto di san Costantino imperatore tra Oriente e Occidente, pp. 3-71
Torino: G. Giappichelli, 2003.
The Iconography of the Sacrifice of Isaac in Early Christian Art
in: American Journal of Archaeology, v. 26 (1922), issue 2: pp.159-173.
The Vedic Sacrifice in Transition
Pune: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1987.
Bare Facts of Ritual
in: History of Religions, v. 1 (1980), issue 2: pp.112-127.
Relating Religion. Essays in the Study of Religion
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.
When the Bough Breaks
in: History of Religions, v. 12 (1973), issue 4: pp.342-371.
0. General bibliography (19th-21th Century) 2. Sacrifice and religion: Comparisons, Antiquarians, Anthropology (16th-18th Century)
Fools, Martyrs, Traitors: The Story of Martyrdom in the Western World
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.