Sacrifice--ranging from the sacrifice of virgins to circumcision to giving up what is most valued--is essential to all religions. Could there be a natural; even biological; reason for these practices? Something that might explain why religions of so many different cultures share so many rituals and concepts? In this extraordinary book; one of the world's leading authorities on ancient religions explores the possibility of natural religion--a religious sense and practice naturally proceeding from biological imperatives.Because they lack later refinements; the earliest religions from the Near East; Israel; Greece; and Rome may tell us a great deal about the basic properties and dynamics of religion; and it is to these cultures that Walter Burkert looks for answers. His book takes us on an intellectual adventure that begins some 5;000 years ago and plunges us into a fascinating world of divine signs and omens; offerings and sacrifices; rituals and beliefs unmitigated by modern science and sophistication. Tracing parallels between animal behavior and human religious activity; Burkert suggests natural foundations for sacrifices and rituals of escape; for the concept of guilt and punishment; for the practice of gift exchange and the notion of a cosmic hierarchy; and for the development of a system of signs for negotiating with an uncertain environment. Again and again; he returns to the present to remind us that; for all our worldliness; we are not so far removed from the first Homo religiosus.A breathtaking journey; as entertaining as it is provocative; Creation of the Sacred brings rich new insight on religious thought past and present and raises serious questions about the ultimate reasons for; and the ultimate meaning of; human religiousness.
#536327 in Books Belknap Press 2012-10-22 2012-09-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.70 x 1.10 x 5.70l; 1.25 #File Name: 0674066103432 pages
Review
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful. A very thoughtful analysisBy Lawrence M. HinmanI just chanced upon this book. Justice Stevens had an article in the New York Review of Books (December; 2010); which turned out to be a review of this book; that was mentioned in the New York Times in an article on Justice Stevens and the death penalty. I'm about halfway though; and find Garland wrestling with one of the more difficult issues: why so many people in the United States are in favor of the death penalty. It's the kind of finely-textured analysis that I like; rich in detail while maintaining a clear overarching structure.I was surprised to see the review that criticized this book for ignoring issues about the rights of individual states. Garland seems clearly sensitive to this issue and his analysis is nuanced in regard to states; the death sentence; and executions. This is simply puzzling to me that someone would object on this level. It was this prior review that prompted me to write this--the first time I've written an review.Occasionally; I felt Garland was repetitive; announcing what he was going to do; telling the reading when he was doing it; and then summarizing by telling us he had done it.One minor quibble about the Kindle edition: I couldn't directly access the footnotes from the body of the text. I would have to bookmark my current location; go to the Table of Contents; read the notes; then go back to the menu to find my bookmark. In an age of hypertext; this seems like extraordinarily poor design. Given the high price of the book from HUP; this is particularly annoying.Incidentally; in the notes I would have liked to have seen some references to more recent empirical work on the race of victims in (a) charging crimes as capital offenses and (b) actual sentencing patterns.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Fred M Tolliverno problems; exactly what I ordered0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Dr. ViteazuGreat!
