Religion of the Gods
Ritual, Paradox, and Reflexivity
By: Kimberley Christine Patton
Hardcover | 1 December 2008
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In Religion of the Gods, Kimberley C. Patton uses a comparative approach to take up anew a longstanding challenge in ancient Greek religious iconography: why are the Olympian gods depicted on classical pottery making libations? The sacrificing gods in ancient Greece are compared to gods who perform rituals in six other religious traditions: the Vedic gods, the heterodox god Zurvan of early Zoroastrianism, the Old Norse god Odin, the Christian God and Christ, the God of Judaism, and Islam's Allah. Patton examines the comparative evidence from a cultural and historical perspective, uncovering deep structural resonances while also revealing crucial differences.
Instead of looking for invisible recipients or lost myths, Patton proposes the new category of "divine reflexivity." Divinely performed ritual is a self-reflexive, self-expressive action that signals the origin of ritual in the divine and not the human realm. Above all, divine ritual is generative, both instigating and inspiring human religious activity. The religion practiced by the gods is both like and unlike human religious action. Seen from within the religious tradition, gods are not "big people," but other than human. Human ritual is directed outward to a divine being, but the gods practice ritual on their own behalf. "Cultic time," the symbiotic performance of ritual both in heaven and on earth, collapses the distinction between cult and theology each time ritual is performed. Offering the first comprehensive study and a new theory of this fascinating phenomenon, Religion of the Gods is a significant contribution to the fields of classics and comparative religion. Patton shows that the god who performs religious action is not an anomaly, but holds a meaningful place in the category of ritual and points to a phenomenologically universal structure within religion itself.
Industry Reviews
ISBN: 9780195091069
ISBN-10: 019509106X
Published: 1st December 2008
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number of Pages: 512
Audience: Professional and Scholarly
Publisher: Oxford University Press USA
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 16.0 x 23.9 x 4.3
Weight (kg): 0.87
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You Can Find This Book In
This product is categorised by
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsReligionComparative Religion
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsReligionHistory of Religion
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsOther Non-Christian ReligionsAncient Religions & Mythologies
- Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsAspects of Religion for Non-ChristiansTheology
- Non-FictionArts & EntertainmentArt Treatments & SubjectsReligious Subjects Depicted in Art