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.

Displaying results from 101 to 120 of 681


Anonymous / Unknown

Naauw-keurige aanteekeningen van William Methold (1707)

from: van der Aa, P. Naauw-keurige aanteekeningen van William Methold, Presiden van de Engelsse Maatschappy, gehouden op sijn Voyagie, in het jaar 1619, Leiden, 1619

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1800_1899/hinduism/sati/sati.html

Anonymous / Unknown

Narasimha Avatar of Vishn (1760)

from: Illustrated folio from a Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord). Nurpur Fort, Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh, India

Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, Museum Associates Purchase, LACMA (M.82.42.8)

Anonymous / Unknown

Native American priest sacrifices or eviscerates a victim before an idol. (1774)

from: Zárate, Agustin de, Histoire de la découverte et de la conquête du Perou, vol. I, Compagnie des libraires, 1774, p. 64

John Carter Brown Library

Anonymous / Unknown

Passover seder (1475)

from: Historie von Simon zu Trient [Bayerische StaatsBibliothek, 2 Inc.s.a. 62#Beibd], fol. 6v

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich

Anonymous / Unknown

Ritual Human Sacrifice [1526 - 1550]

from: Codex Magliabecchiano, c. 70r

Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze, Florence

Anonymous / Unknown

Ritual killing of a goat and a fox during ceremonies in honor of Vishnu and Shiva (1670)

from: Abraham Rogerius, Le Théâtre de l’idolatrie ou la porte ouverte, Amsterdam, Jean Schipper, 1670, p. 224

Anonymous / Unknown

Ritual Sacrifice during a Fight [1526 - 1550]

from: Codex Magliabecchiano, c. 18r

Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze, Florence


Displaying results from 101 to 120 of 681