Bibliography
Program - Sacrifice
The Encyclopedia of Religion, editor-in-chief Mircea Eliade (Macmillan, 1986) This multivolume set is an invaluable reference for Sound & Spirit research. We checked out articles on the "Eucharist" and "Passover" by Monika Hellwig and Barbara Sproul, as well as the major article, "Sacrifice", by Joseph Henniger.Throughout Your Generations Forever - Sacrifice, Religion, and Paternity, by Nancy Jay (Un.Chicago, 1992) Women bear children and, generally, only men perform sacrifices: Why? From the Ashanti and Aztecs to the Neur, Dinka and the Hawaiians; from the ancient Hebrews, Greeks and Romans to the Jews and contemporary Christians, Jay explores the role that gender dichotomy plays in the world-wide religious institution of sacrifice. Wide ranging and detailed, Jay's social-scientific explanations are a good, fascinating introduction to the topic of sacrifice.
Dictionary of Jewish Lore & Legend, by Alan Unterman (Thames & Hudson, 1997) Clear, concise entries regarding "sacrifice", "atonement", "prayer", and the "temple" lead one to other articles such as "tikkun", "kapparot", "pidyon ha-ben" and the "red heifer", giving one a deeper understanding of how sacrifice figured in ancient Hebrew tradition and how this tradition was developed by the rabbis and folk Judaism so that it exists in different forms even today.
The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of Child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity, by Jon D. Levenson (Yale, 1993) Levenson explores the core of ancient Hebrew religious tradition to tell the story of the transformation of the barbaric ritual of child sacrifice into the sublime, "subtle and easily misunderstood theologies of chosenness that...in their different ways, undergird both Judaism and Christianity."
Ancient Israelite Religion, by Susan Niditch (Oxford, 1997) In a "brief, accessible, and perceptive account of the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Israelites" Niditch provides us with a look at the ways Israelite religion and culture changed during three great historical periods. Blood and purification, sacrificial ritual and ethics, chaos and social order, are just some of the topics and themes she explores.
The Fifth Sun - Aztec Gods, Aztec World, by Burr Cartwright Brundage (Un.TX, 1979) The human sacrifice cult, cannibalism and hallucinogens, life-and-death ball games, calendars and the Mexican War God are just some of the topics covered in this "vivid and highly readable introduction" to the Aztecs and their religion. "A great read..." says Diane Bray, researcher/writer for this Sound & Spirit program.
Sioux Indian Religion: Tradition and Innovation, edited and introduced by Raymond J. DeMallie and Douglas R. Parks (U of OK, 1987) A collection of essays on many topics, divided into three parts 1. Foundations of Traditional Sioux Religion; 2. Christianity and the Sioux; and 3. Traditional Religion in the Contemporary Context. Arthur Amiotte's essay "The Lakota Sun Dance: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives" is of particular interest for this program.
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