Title: Sacrifice in Greek and Roman religions and early Judaism.
Authors: Yerkes, Royden Keith.
Publisher: Scribner,
Year: 1952
Subjects: Sacrifice
Contents: I. Contrast between modern and ancient meanings of sacrifice -- 1. The flexibility of words: change of connotation -- Illustrated by religious words, especially sacrifice -- 2. Modern popular use of the term sacrifice -- (1) Secular use: deprivation, destruction, reluctance -- (2) Religious use: wholly from transfer of secular ideas -- (3) Application to the work of Jesus: necessary but terrible -- 3. Ancient concept of sacrifice: strictly religious -- (1) Necessity for recipient of a sacrifice -- (2) Eagerness, happiness and desire in performance -- (3) Death of victim a fact but never a factor in the sacrifice -- 4. Etymological origin of the word sacrifice -- II. The sacrifice of religion -- 1. Suggested theories of origin of religion -- 2. Obvious factors of the origin of religion -- (1) Primitive instincts: self preservation and continuance -- (2) Contact with environments -- (3) Human finiteness -- (4) Human potentialities: knowledge and choice -- 3. Progress and development of human activities -- (1) Irregular -- (2) Not linear -- (3) Complex -- 4. The bases of religion -- (1) Recognition of invisible powers -- (2) Quest of causality -- (3) "Magical Rites": developing into science and religion -- 6. The rise of worship -- (1) Natural processes become sacred acts -- (2) Natural transformation of rites: by isolation, translation, synthesis, separation and sublimation -- III. Early development of sacrifice -- I. The sacred meal -- (1) Quest of the life force -- (2) Necessary ceremoniousness -- (3) Regularity -- 2. Value of explanation of early sacrifice -- 3. The basic elements of all worship -- IV. Additional rites connected with sacrifice -- I. Exorcism and incarnation -- 2. Divination and oracles: hepatoscopy -- 3. Rites performed at the "wonder moments" of life: birth, maturity, marriage, sickness, death