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.
De jure naturali & gentium juxta disciplinam Ebraeorum
London: Richard Bishop , 1640.
Uxor Ebraicaseu, De nuptiis & divortiis ex jure civili, id est divino & Talmudico veterum Ebraeorum, libri tres : stupenda & Christianis quasi inaudita Karaeorum seu Judaeorum scripturariorum de incestu dogmata interseruntur : accedunt non pauca de contrahendis solvendisque matrimoniis Paganorum, Mahumedanorum atque Christianorum, idque ex jure tam Caesareo aliarumque Gentium complurium, tam Pontificio tam Orientis quàm Occidentis, quà sive ex Ebraeorum moribus defluxerint, sive eis cognata videantur.
London: Richard Bishop , 1646.
The Apostolic See and the Jews: Documents, 1539–1545
Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1990.
De Iesu Christo servatore, hoc est, cur et qua ratione Iesus Christus noster servator sit, Fausti Socini Senensis disputatio. Quam annos ab hinc circiter decem et septem scripsit, respondens Iacobo Coveto Parisiensi, Evangelico, ut vocant, ministro; cujus scriptum ordine, suis locis, per partes digestum, in ea habetur. In qua multa, quae apud Evangelicos, et partim etiam apud alios, salutaria Christianae religionis axiomata creduntur, perniciosi errores esse demonstrantur; et tota salutis nostrae per Christum ratio copiose ac dilucide explicatur
[Raków]: Typis Alexii Rodecii, 1594.
Praelectiones theologicae Fausti Socini Senensis
Raków: Typis Sebastiani Sternacii, 1609.
Sacrorum, Sacrificiorumq[ue] Gentilium Brevis Et Accurata Descriptio: universae Superstitionis Ethnicae ritus cerimoniasq[ue] complectens: Ad Sacros Et Profanos Scriptores probe intelligendos explicandosq[ue] peraccommodata: Ex Antiquissimis probatissimisq[ue] Auctoribus depromta et nunc primum
Zürich: Johannis Wolphius, 1598.
Sacrorum, sacrificiorumque gentilium brevis et accurata descriptio
Zürich: Johannis Wulpius, 1598.
An essay upon the nature, design and origin of sacrifices
London: [John] Knapton ; [Paul] Knapton, 1748.
San Epitacio Apóstol y Pastor de Tui, ciudadano obispo y martir de Ambracia oy Plasencia, su vida y martirio. Escrivelo a la devocion y mandato del Illmo. y Rmo. Señor Don Diego de Arce Reynoso obispo de Plasencia [...] el Licen.do Iuan de Tamayo Salazar su secretario [...]
Madrid: Diego Diez de la Carrera, 1646.