Understanding Religious Sacrifice: A Reader (Controversies in the Study of Religion)

This volume provides a thorough introduction to the major classic and modern writings dealing with religious sacrifice. Collected here are twenty five influential selections, each with a brief introduction addressing the overall framework and assumptions of its author. As they present different theories and examples of sacrifice, these selections also discuss important concepts in religious studies such as the origin of religion, totemism, magic, symbolism, violence, structuralism and ritual performance. Students of comparative religion, ritual studies, the history of religions, the anthropology of religion and theories of religion will particularly value the historical organization and thematic analyses presented in this collection. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 6 Preface 10 General Introduction 14 1 EDWARD BURNETT TYLOR: From Primitive Culture: Researches in the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Language, Arts, and Custom 25 2 HERBERT SPENCER: From The Principles of Sociology 52 3 WILLIAM ROBERTSON SMITH: From The Religion of the Semites: The Fundamental Institution 66 4 JAMES G. FRAZER: From The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion 89 5 HENRI HUBERT and MARCEL MAUSS: From Sacrifice: Its Nature and Function 101 6 EDWARD A. WESTERMARCK: From The Origin and Development of the Moral Ideas 113 7 EMILE DURKHEIM: From The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life 139 8 SIGMUND FREUD: From Totem and Taboo: Some Points of Agreement between the Mental Lives of Savages and Neurotics 152 9 GERARDUS VAN DER LEEUW: From Religion in Essence and Manifestation: A Study in Phenomenology 163 10 GEORGES BATAILLE: From The Accursed Share: An Essay on General Economy 175 11 ADOLF E. JENSEN: From Myth and Cult among Primitive Peoples 188 12 EDWARD E. EVANS-PRITCHARD: "The Meaning of Sacrifice among the Nuer" 202 13 WALTER BURKERT: From Homo Necans: The Anthropology of Ancient Greek Sacrificial Ritual and Myth 223 14 REN脡 GIRARD: From Violence and the Sacred 252 15 JAN VAN BAAL: "Offering, Sacrifice and Gift" 289 16 VICTOR TURNER: From "Sacrifice as Quintessential Process: Prophylaxis or Abandonment?" 305 17 LUC DE HEUSCH: From Sacrifice in Africa: A Structuralist Approach 314 18 VALERIO VALERI: From Kingship and Sacrifice: Ritual and Society in Ancient Hawaii 328 19 JONATHAN Z. SMITH: "The Domestication of Sacrifice" 338 20 ROBERT J. DALY: "The Power of Sacrifice in Ancient Judaism and Christianity" 355 21 BRUCE LINCOLN: "Debreasting, Disarming, Beheading: Some Sacrificial Practices of the Scyths and Amazons" 370 22 NANCY JAY: From Throughout Your Generations Forever: Sacrifice, Religion, and Paternity 383 23 WILLIAM BEERS: From Women and Sacrifice: Male Narcissism and the Psychology of Religion 397 24 MAURICE BLOCH: From Prey into Hunter: The Politics of Religious Experience 408 25 JON D. LEVENSON: From The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity 434 Postscript 462 Selected Bibliography on Sacrifice 467 Index 474 A 474 B 474 C 475 D 475 E 476 F 476 G 476 H 476 I 477 J 477 K 477 L 477 M 477 N 478 O 478 P 478 Q 479 R 479 S 479 T 480 U 480 V 480 W 480 X 480 Y 480 Z 480 [selections / By] Edward Burnett Tylor, Herbert Spencer, William Robertson Smith, James G. Frazer, Henri Hubert And Marcel Mauss, Edward A. Westermarck, Emile Durkheim, Sigmund Freud, Gerardus Van Der Leeuw, Georges Bataille, Adolf E. Jensen, Edward E. Evans-pritchard, Walter Burkert, Ren©♭ Girard, Jan Van Baal, Victor Turner, Luc De Heusch, Valerio Valeri, Jonathan Z. Smith, Robert J. Daly, Bruce Lincoln, Nancy Jay, William Beers, Maurice Bloch, Jon D. Levenson. Edited By Jeffrey Carter. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 454-460) And Index. This volume provides an introduction to the major classic and modern writings dealing with religious sacrifice. It traces the history of scholarly attempts to define, classify and explain sacrifice and offers a view of the competing theories of sacrificial behaviour