Sacrifice and Sacred Violence

Sacrifice has long been a central topic in scholarly debate. Since the publication of Marcel Mauss and Henri Hubert's groundbreaking work in 1898-99, the concept has gained prominence as a distinct theme in comparative religion, anthropology, and the history of religions. Throughout the twentieth century, many distinguished scholars and intellectuals examined the meaning and function of sacrifice to better understand various aspects of human cognition and social interactions. While some explored its connections to violence—particularly forms of self-inflicted violence, such as martyrdom—others sought to disentangle the concept from violent practices altogether.

Building on this rich tradition, this collection of articles gathers contributions from leading scholars who explore the theme of sacrifice, examining its diverse meanings and roles across various religious traditions. While the book places particular emphasis on the history of Christianity and the early modern period, it also provides valuable insights into a broad spectrum of religious traditions, including Judaism, Islam, Greek and ancient religions, as well as Japanese religions. Its geographical scope spans regions such as India, China, Africa, and Brazil, offering a truly global perspective.By mapping the varied interpretations and transformations of sacrifice in the early modern period, this book seeks to illuminate its evolving significance. It also strives to offer a comparative framework that highlights the concept's complexity and adaptability across cultural and historical contexts.

Cristiana Facchini, Girolamo Imbruglia, Vincenzo Lavenia, Sabina Pavone, Introduction

Part 1. Comparative Perspectives

Jan Bremmer, The Beginning and End of Greek Animal Sacrifice in the Ancient World: Some Observations
Federico Dal Bo, Sacrifice, Blood, and Intention in Early Rabbinic Literature. A Critical Reading of Mira Balberg’s Blood for Thought
Roberta Denaro, The Sacrificial Dimension of Martyrdom in Sunni Islam: Some Observations on the Theme in Classical and Contemporary sources
Caterina Bori, ‘Every Little Boy is Taken as a Pledge against his Sacrifice at Birth’. ʿAqīqa and its Functioning in Late Medieval Handbook on Raising Good Muslim Children
Chiara Ghidini, Not Only to Heaven and Earth: Logics of Sacrifice in Japan

Part 2. Religion and Politics

Cristiana Facchini, Atonement and Sacrifice: Early Debates and Classical Theories
Daniel Barbu, Sacrifice and Idolatry
Francesco Quatrini, Freya Sierhuis, Hugo Grotius’s Christology: The Sacrifice of Christ across his Religious and Political Works
Robert Yelle, Where Did Sacrifice Go?: The Case of Thomas Hobbes

Part 3. Sacrifice, Martyrdom, and Holiness

Emiliano R. Urciuoli, Unoffered Pain: The Troubled Origins of Sacrificial Martyrdom
Pierre-Antonie Fabre, Sacrifice, Sanctity, and Martyrdom
Franco Motta, Self-sacrifice in the Ordinary Duty. Early Modern Martyrial Culture and Hagiographical Rhetoric in Mathias Tanner’s Societas Iesu apostolorum imitatrix (1694)

Part 4. Christian Readings on Sacrifice in the Global Sphere

Maria Berbara, Ritual Killings amongst the Tupinambá and the Christian Concept of Sacrifice in Early Modernity
Paola von Wyss-Giacosa, Staging Sacrifice: De Bry’s Pictorial Representation of Javanese Women Self-Immolation
Ronnie Po-chia Hsia, Martyrdom and Sacred Violence in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century China
Sabina Pavone, Save the Body to Save the Soul: Interpreting Sati in Jesuit Missionary Sources
Joan-Pau Rubiés, Discourses of Religion and Sacrifice in Sub-Saharan West Africa, c.1500-c.1700

Part 5. Sacrifice and Sacred Violence

Irene Bueno, Reframing Holy War and Sacrifice at the close of the Middle Ages: Crusading Treatises in Comparison
Olivier Christin, Why Committing Self-sacrifice? Martyrdom and Civic Heroism in Strasbourg (1529–30)
Lucia Ceci, Nationalism, Sacrifice, and Violence in the Narrative of Italian Catholics on the Ulster Question