A01=Kathryn McClymond
Author_Kathryn McClymond
Category=QRAX
Category=QRDP
Category=QRJP
comparative
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eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
Hinduism
Judaism
offering
Ritual
sacrifice
Temple
yajna
Product details
- ISBN 9780801887765
- Weight: 386g
- Dimensions: 140 x 216mm
- Publication Date: 27 Aug 2008
- Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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For many Westerners, the term sacrifice is associated with ancient, often primitive ritual practices. It suggests the death-frequently violent, often bloody-of an animal victim, usually with the aim of atoning for human guilt. Sacrifice is a serious ritual, culminating in a dramatic event. The reality of religious sacrificial acts across the globe and throughout history is, however, more expansive and inclusive. In Beyond Sacred Violence, Kathryn McClymond argues that the modern Western world's reductive understanding of sacrifice simplifies an enormously broad and dynamic cluster of religious activities. Drawing on a comparative study of Vedic and Jewish sacrificial practices, she demonstrates not only that sacrifice has no single, essential, identifying characteristic but also that the elements most frequently attributed to such acts-death and violence-are not universal. McClymond reveals that the world of religious sacrifice varies greatly, including grain-based offerings, precious liquids, and complex interdependent activities.
Engagingly argued and written, Beyond Sacred Violence significantly extends our understanding of religious sacrifice and serves as a timely reminder that the field of religious studies is largely framed by Christianity.
Kathryn McClymond is an associate professor of religious studies at Georgia State University.
