http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/2005/05/25/banquets-of-the-anti-associations-they-sacrificed-a-human-being-and-partook-of-the-flesh/ Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean houses my podcast, websites, blog, and publications, providing an entryway into social and religious life among Greeks, Romans, Jews, Christians, and others in the Roman empire. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:14:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/2005/05/25/banquets-of-the-anti-associations-they-sacrificed-a-human-being-and-partook-of-the-flesh/comment-page-1/#comment-7522 Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean » ‘Come! Plunge the knife into the baby’: Tertullian’s not-so-subtle retort Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:31:07 +0000 http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/?p=106#comment-7522 [...] On previous occasions I have discussed some common ethnic stereotypes that were at work when a given Greek or Roman author described the worldviews and practices of other peoples, and sometimes these views were reflected in novels as well (go here or here, for instance). Sometimes peoples outside of one’s own cultural group were viewed as inferior, barbarous, and dangerous. In particular, a common accusation against minority cultural groups was the claim that such “dangerous” people engaged in human sacrifice followed by a cannibalistic meal. [...] [...] On previous occasions I have discussed some common ethnic stereotypes that were at work when a given Greek or Roman author described the worldviews and practices of other peoples, and sometimes these views were reflected in novels as well (go here or here, for instance). Sometimes peoples outside of one’s own cultural group were viewed as inferior, barbarous, and dangerous. In particular, a common accusation against minority cultural groups was the claim that such “dangerous” people engaged in human sacrifice followed by a cannibalistic meal. [...]

]]> http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/2005/05/25/banquets-of-the-anti-associations-they-sacrificed-a-human-being-and-partook-of-the-flesh/comment-page-1/#comment-409 Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean » Satanic conspiracies of 1970s and 1980s (Satan) Thu, 23 Mar 2006 15:02:59 +0000 http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/?p=106#comment-409 [...] The fact that this was indeed a conspiracy arising out of certain peoples’ worldviews and not reality is now widely recognized. What is particularly interesting is the manner in which stereotypes of the dangerous “other” which have a very long history — including the trio of human sacrifice, cannibalism, and sexual perversion — play a key role in this incident as well. Back in Roman times, for instance, the early Christians were accused by outsiders of engaging in precisely these three activities, as were other marginalized or foreign groups in antiquity (on which see my earlier posts here and here, or my article here). Similar dynamics of marginalization and demonization were also at work in the late medieval and early modern witch hunts. [...] [...] The fact that this was indeed a conspiracy arising out of certain peoples’ worldviews and not reality is now widely recognized. What is particularly interesting is the manner in which stereotypes of the dangerous “other” which have a very long history — including the trio of human sacrifice, cannibalism, and sexual perversion — play a key role in this incident as well. Back in Roman times, for instance, the early Christians were accused by outsiders of engaging in precisely these three activities, as were other marginalized or foreign groups in antiquity (on which see my earlier posts here and here, or my article here). Similar dynamics of marginalization and demonization were also at work in the late medieval and early modern witch hunts. [...]

]]> http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/2005/05/25/banquets-of-the-anti-associations-they-sacrificed-a-human-being-and-partook-of-the-flesh/comment-page-1/#comment-364 Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean » “Alive and kicking”: Associations and Roman law again Wed, 08 Mar 2006 00:00:24 +0000 http://www.philipharland.com/Blog/?p=106#comment-364 [...] Philo doesn’t like these non-Jewish associations, in case you hadn’t noticed, and in another treatise on the Therapeutai contrasts the ascetic lifestyle of this particular Jewish group with the wild parties of the worshippers of the god Dionysos and others (see Philo, The Contemplative Life). On the need to exercize caution in evaluating descriptions of wild banquets see my earlier posts here and here. For an entire article on the subject read this: “Culturally Transgressive Banquets in Greco-Roman Associations: Imagination and Reality.” [...] [...] Philo doesn’t like these non-Jewish associations, in case you hadn’t noticed, and in another treatise on the Therapeutai contrasts the ascetic lifestyle of this particular Jewish group with the wild parties of the worshippers of the god Dionysos and others (see Philo, The Contemplative Life). On the need to exercize caution in evaluating descriptions of wild banquets see my earlier posts here and here. For an entire article on the subject read this: “Culturally Transgressive Banquets in Greco-Roman Associations: Imagination and Reality.” [...]

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