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 Phalaris bull (16th Century)
Bibliothèque municipale, Lyon
Martyrium des Simon von Trent, Darstellung aus der Nürnberger Weltchronik von Hartmann Schedel - Purported Martyrdom of Simon of Trent, depiction from the Nuremberg World Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel. (1493)
from: Hartmann Schedel, Nürnberger Weltchronik
Cain and Abel Sacrifices (1493)
from: Schedel, Hartmann. Liber chronicarum, Nuremberg, 1493, c. 9v
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Rar. 287, Münich
Heretic Jewish at the Stake (1493)
from: Schedel, Hartmann. Liber chronicarum, Nuremberg, 1493, c. 230v
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Rar. 287, Münich
Martyrdom of Judas Thaddeus (1493)
from: Schedel, Hartmann. Liber chronicarum, Nuremberg, 1493, c. 107v
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Rar. 287, Münich
Martyrdom of Saint Simon the Apostle (1493)
from: Schedel, Hartmann. Liber chronicarum, Nuremberg, 1493, c. 107v
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Rar. 287, Münich
The Sacrifice of Isaac (1493)
from: Schedel, Hartmann. Liber chronicarum, Nuremberg, 1493, c. 22v
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Rar. 287, Münich
Animal Sacrifice and Pouring out the victim's blood (1491)
from: Stephan Fridolin, Der Schatzbehalter, Nuremberg, Koberger, November 18, 1491, fol. 24r
British Museum, London
Beasts and the birds sacrificed (1491)
from: Stephan Fridolin, Der Schatzbehalter, Nur,emberg, Koberger, November 18, 1491, fol. 18r
British Museum, London
Offering of the first-born in the Temple (1491)
from: Stephan Fridolin, Der Schatzbehalter, Nuremberg, Koberger, November 18, 1491, fol. 26r
British Museum, London
Scapegoat sent to the wilderness where five wild beasts are waiting to devour it, and secondly the sacrifice of an ox (1491)
from: Stephan Fridolin, Der Schatzbehalter, Nuremberg, Koberger, November 18, 1491, fol. 23v
British Museum, London
Opfer an Priapus (1493-1497)
from: Buchprojekt des Titels Archetypus triumphantis Romae[Germany]
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Kupferstichkabinett, Inv. 183-1920
The Scapegoat Being Sent out into the Wilderness Where Five Wild Beasts Are Waiting to Devour It, and Secondly the Sacrifice of an Ox (1491)
from: Stephan Fridolin, Der Schatzbehalter, Nuremberg, Koberger, November 18, 1491, fol. 23v
Boston, Harvard Art Museums / Fogg Museum, Gift of Philip Hofer
Book of Shrines and Sacrifice
London: B.T. Batsford, 1992.
A Human Sacrifice, in a Morai, in Otaheite (1785)
from: Cook, James - King, James (1785) Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for making discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere. Performed under the direction of Captains Cook, Clerke and Gore, in His Majesty's ships the Resolution and Discovery , in the years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779 and 1780. In three volumes. and a fourth folio volume with engravings, known as Atlas
British Museum, London
A Contextual Comparison of Conceptual Categories: A Christian-Confucian Test Case in Taiwan from a Ritual Perspective
in: A Companion to Comparative Theology, pp. 446–466
: , 2022.
Sacrifice-action within a Relationship : a Phenomenology of Sacrifice
in: Sacrifice in Modernity : Community, Ritual, Identity : from Nationalism and Nonviolence to Health Care and Harry Potter, pp. 230-240
Leiden: Brill, 2017.
Killing the Cat: Sacrifice and Beauty in Genet and Mishima
in: Religion & Literature, v. 25 (1993), issue 2: pp.105-118.
Die Offne Thür zu dem verborgenen Heydenthum. Frühe Titelkupfer zu Indien
in: Librarium , v. 49 (2006), issue 1: pp.58-68.