In ancient Israelite sacrifice as represented in the Hebrew Bible; the handling and use of the blood of sacrificed animals took many forms and served different functions. The Hebrew Bible refers to tossing sacrificial blood onto an altar or an assembly of people; daubing it on the altar's horns or parts of the human body; and sprinkling it on or in front of sacred objects.William Gilders investigates the significance of these blood rituals. Offering a close reading of Leviticus 17:11; Gilders emphasizes the secondary and innovative character of this biblical text; which has often been treated as a key for understanding biblical blood ritual. Focusing on the analysis of practice; Gilders finds that blood manipulation is regularly marked as elite activity; serving as an index of social relationships and hierarchies. Blood rituals also regulate access to sacred spaces and define the limits of such spaces. Drawing on recent theoretical approaches to ritual practices; this study offers a sophisticated new understanding of ancient rites.
#1901497 in Books The Johns Hopkins University Press 1996-11-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .95 x 5.98l; #File Name: 0801854806394 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Important work; worth reading. One of Dumezil's bestBy Christopher R. TraversIn his characteristic style; Dumezil sets out in this work to explore Roman religion as its own centerpiece rather than a mere comparative resource for explaining Vedic or Norse myth. His attention to detail and clear reasoning as well as wide knowledge helps bring archaic Roman religion to light. This is a book worth reading.It's worth noting that Dumezil was a pioneer in his field; and that pioneers often make some errors. In particular confirmation bias is hard to avoid when you are leading the vanguard.... While I think there are some issues of this sort in this book; they are generally on the sidelines (I'll save a critical review of Dumezil's tripartite framework for another day). The book is a wonderful resource of ancient Roman practice and comparative structures. More than even his "Gods of the Ancient Northmen" this work stands out as a solid reference that will be useful for decades come.I particularly enjoyed his discussions of the Dawn Goddess and of Janus. I found these to be of great clarity and full of insight.I'd highly recommend this book.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Historical researchBy Roberto Quintasthis is the first of two volumes of Georges Dumezil. The book is a good and deep historical research about the arcaic roman religion.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. A classic of the fieldBy ColinIf you have a scholarly interest in Roman religions; at some point you need to read this book. You may want to own it; because it is a useful compendium of a lot of dispersed data from the ancient sources. Getting; say; Wissowa's German handbook will cost you a good deal more. Many subsequent scholars have pointed out problems in Dumézil's method; and his claim to be reconstructing "archaic" Roman religion has been particularly contested. His suggestions are nevertheless stimulating. This book can also serve as an introduction to Dumézil's broader research into Proto-Indo-European culture; but his specifically Indo-European thoughts are perhaps more accessible in works like *The Destiny of the Warrior*.
