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 Scripture-doctrine of Antonement Examined: First, in Relation to Jewish Sacrifices: and Then, to the Sacrifice of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
London: J. Waugh, 1751.
Of Idolatry
London: Francis Tyton, 1678.
Discours des sacrifices antiens et modernes, suivant les six aages du munde. Dédié à la reine de Navarre, par François TERRASSON, son premier médecin.
Paris: BNF, Ms Français 9752 (Supplément français 1042), 16th.
Vida, martirio, traslación y milagros de San Euphrasio, obispo y patron de Andújar. Origen, antigüedad y excelencias de la ciudad, privilegios de que goza y varones insignes en santidad, letras y armas que á tenido. Ilustrado todo de varia erudición y buenas letras
Granada: Francisco Sanchez [Imprenta Real], 1657.
Voyages de Mr. de Thevenot Tant en Europe qu'en Asie & en Afrique: Divisez en trois Parties qui comprenent cinq volumes ; Enrichie de figures en tailles douces. Suite Du Voyage De Mr. De Thevenot Au Levant; Dans laquelle après plusieurs Remarques très-singulieres sur des particularitez de l'Egypte, de la Syrie, de la Mesopotamie, de l'Euphrate & du Tigre ..., Volume 2
Paris: , 1689.
De Imitatione Christi et de contemptu mundi
Venice: Johannes Leoviller ; Franciscus de Madiis, 1486.
La methode d’etudier et d’enseigner Chrétiennement et solidement les lettres humaines par rapport aux lettres divines et aux Écritures. Tome II. De l’etude des poëtes, où les divinitez de la fable sont rapportées à l’histoire de l’Ecriture, ou à l’histoire profane, ou àl’histoire naturelle
Paris: François Muguet, 1682.
Passio Beati Simonis pueri
Nürnberg: Friedrich Creussner, 1475.
A critical history of the Celtic religion and learning : containing an account of the druids; or, the priests and judges, of the vaids, or the diviners and physicians; and of the bards, or the poets and heralds; of the ancient Gauls, Britons, Irish and Scots /
London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, 1740.
La scienza nuova 1730
Roma: Storia e Letteratura, 2013 [1730].
La scienza nuova 1744
Roma: Storia e Letteratura, 2013 [1744].
Dissertatio theologica tertia, de festo tabernaculorum: quæ singularem ordinem sacrificiorum in eo faciendorum exponit, ad Numer. XXIX. 12-38
n. p.: Henricus Halma, 1721.