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.
Aline et Valcour, ou le Roman Philosophique
Paris: Girouard, 1793.
Historia verdadera del falso y perverso profeta Mahoma. Sacada de S. Eulogio, Juan Sagredo, fray Jayme Bleda y otros
Murcia: Francisco Benedito, 1772.
De probatis Sanctorum historiis: partim ex tomis Aloysii Lipomani doctissimi episcopi. partim etiam ex egregiis manuscriptis codicibus, quarum per mulktae antehac nunquam in lucem prodiere: nunc recens optima fide callectis
Cologne: Geruinum Calenium et haeredes Quentelios, 1570.
Dissertatio de sacerdotibus et sacrificis Aegyptiorum
Tübingen: Cotta, Johann Georg, 1768.
De nieuwe bereysde wereldt
The Hague: Iohannes Tongerloo, 1662.
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.