
Sacrifice
Rene Girard(Author)
Michigan State University Press
Will be published approx. on 1. April 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
116 pages
978-0-87013-992-5 (ISBN)
Description
In Sacrifice, Rene Girard interrogates the Brahmanas of Vedic India, exploring coincidences with mimetic theory that are too numerous and striking to be accidental. Even that which appears to be dissimilar fails to contradict mimetic theory, but instead corresponds to the minimum of illusion without which sacrifice becomes impossible.
The Bible reveals collective violence, similar to that which generates sacrifice everywhere, but instead of making victims guilty, the Bible and the Gospels reveal the persecutors of a single victim. Instead of elaborating myths, they tell the truth absolutely contrary to the archaic sense. Once exposed, the single victim mechanism can no longer function as the model for would-be sacrificers.
Recognizing that the Vedic tradition also converges on a revelation that discredits sacrifice, mimetic theory locates within sacrifice itself a paradoxical power of quiet reflection that leads, in the long run, to the eclipse of this institution which is violent but nevertheless fundamental to the development of human culture. Far from unduly privileging the Western tradition and awarding it a monopoly on the knowledge and repudiation of blood sacrifice, mimetic analysis recognizes comparable, but never truly identical, traits in the Vedic tradition.
The Bible reveals collective violence, similar to that which generates sacrifice everywhere, but instead of making victims guilty, the Bible and the Gospels reveal the persecutors of a single victim. Instead of elaborating myths, they tell the truth absolutely contrary to the archaic sense. Once exposed, the single victim mechanism can no longer function as the model for would-be sacrificers.
Recognizing that the Vedic tradition also converges on a revelation that discredits sacrifice, mimetic theory locates within sacrifice itself a paradoxical power of quiet reflection that leads, in the long run, to the eclipse of this institution which is violent but nevertheless fundamental to the development of human culture. Far from unduly privileging the Western tradition and awarding it a monopoly on the knowledge and repudiation of blood sacrifice, mimetic analysis recognizes comparable, but never truly identical, traits in the Vedic tradition.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
East Lansing, MI
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 152 mm
Width: 113 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
101 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-87013-992-5 (9780870139925)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Rene Girard is a member of the French Academy and Emeritus Professor at Stanford University. He is the recipient of the Modern Language Association's Lifetime Achievement Award (2008). His books have been translated widely translated.
Content
Contents
Preface
Ch. 1: Sacrifice in the Vedic Tradition
Ch. 2: The Founding Myths of Vedic Sacrifice
Ch. 3: Sacrifice Revealed in the Biblical and Vedic Religions
Notes
Preface
Ch. 1: Sacrifice in the Vedic Tradition
Ch. 2: The Founding Myths of Vedic Sacrifice
Ch. 3: Sacrifice Revealed in the Biblical and Vedic Religions
Notes

