The Sacred East

A study of The Sacred Books of the East, a fifty-volume series of translations of Asian religious writings edited by the German-born philologist and scholar of religions, Friedrich Max Muller (1823-1900), and published by Oxford University Press between 1879 and 1910.

Provides an introduction to the major spiritual and philosophical traditions of Asia, explaining religious practices as well as Eastern ideas that have become accepted in the West.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This book is primarily for researchers and students in the archaeology of the Ancient Near East. The volume results from intense interaction between archaeologists at these sites and a group of theorists studying the scholarship of René Girard.

This guide to the spiritual and philosophical traditions of Asia explains profound ideas such as karma and enlightenment.

What is sacrifice? How can we identify it in the archaeological record? And what does it tell us about the societies that practice it? Sacred Killing: The Archaeology of Sacrifice in the Ancient Near East investigates these and other questions through the evidence for human and animal sacrifice in the Near East from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic periods. Drawing on sociocultural anthropology and history in addition to archaeology, the book also includes evidence from ancient China and a riveting eyewitness account and analysis of sacrifice in contemporary India, which engage some of the key issues at stake. Sacred Killing vividly presents a variety of methods and theories in the study of one of the most profound and disturbing ritual activities humans have ever practiced.

This collection of essays considers the development and meaning of the iconostasis, the screen used in churches to separate the sanctuary from the nave. The contributors approach the history of the icon screen from a variety of disciplines, including art history, theology, and architecture.

This book combines study of the dynamic historical development of each religious tradition with a comparative thematic structure. In this way, the book helps readers to explore each of the major religions as a unique and integral system of meaning and life. At the same time, readers are encouraged to discover and explore the nature of religious experience by comparing basic themes and issues common to all religions. Covering the religions arising from India, China, Japan, and the Mediterranean world, this book introduces the key dimensions of religious experience, outlining the basic human concerns that give rise to religious experience, such as origin and identity, ultimate reality, human nature, and the good life. For anyone interested in exploring the origins and development of the diverse religions of the world.