Ritual Sacrifice: Blood and Redemption

by Brenda Ralph Lewis

Overview

The principle of sacrifice is as old as human life itself. Human, animal or inanimate offerings were an essential part of an effort to handle natural disasters, secure good luck or good health, ensure success in war or commerce, in fact to produce any outcome that could improve life on Earth.

This fascinating book provides the first general, fully illustrated overview of sacrificial practices around the world from prehistoric times to the present day. Human sacrifice is shown to have been common to civilizations as different as Ancient Greece and preHispanic Mexico; animal sacrifice is traced through biblical times to modern-day Voodoo; inanimate offerings, such as flowers, grain or possessions, are seen to be common to many societies and religions from native Americans to Hinduism. The reasons behind these rituals are examined, and in the case of human sacrifice an attempt is made to understand the mentality of the 'victims' who often willingly went to their deaths.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750945004
Publisher:	Sutton Publishing
Publication date:	02/25/2007
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations     iv
Introduction     vii
The Nature of Sacrifice: An Overview     1
The Birth of Belief: Sacrifice in Prehistory     13
The Wrath of Yahweh: The Bible Lands     25
In Search of the Sun: Ancient Egypt     37
A Classic Approach: Greece and Rome     49
Twilight of the Gods: Northern Europe     65
Heart of the Matter: Central and South America     79
A Darker Continent: Africa     99
A Sacred Profusion: The Indian Subcontinent     113
Steppes to Salvation: Central Asia and China     127
Invite to a Cook-Out: The Pacific Islands     145
New Age, New Fears: A Modern Perspective     161
Sources     175
Bibliography     177
Index     179

Editorial Reviews

Although many might dismiss ritual sacrifice as cruel, Lewis—a seasoned journalist and historian who is a specialist on the Aztecs—reveals it as a highly complex activity, one deeply entrenched even in the rituals of contemporary Christianity, and alive and well in the recent rise of neopaganism in the West. In fact, Lewis goes so far as to frame sacrifice as "the final step in the intellectual separation of humans from animals"—a claim that may give some readers pause. Peppered with vivid photographs and a full-color insert of images, from altars to funeral pyres, Lewis shows readers why, for many civilizations both ancient and recent, even the most extreme blood sacrifices were deemed essential not only to general survival but for preventing such atrocities as the end of the world. Her study canvases civilizations on six continents and assesses questions like why those chosen for human sacrifice embraced their fate so willingly. Lewis endeavors to hold her subject at arm's length so as not to disrupt this history with personal bias—though occasionally her partiality for science's superiority over religion is evident. Luckily, this does not disrupt her overall presentation of a topic that readers may be tempted to view with a misplaced, morbid fascination. (Mar.)

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly