Home›Sacrificial Rituals›Scholarly Standing›Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedBrowse ByUsed, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedThis page groups rituals by how settled or contested their scholarly description is. Wikipedia notes plainly that "the field of ritual studies has seen a number of conflicting definitions of the term." Browsing this way lets a visitor see which rituals scholars broadly agree on and which remain genuinely disputed.FactsLearn MoreUsed, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedRites in which something is given up by a prescribed procedure to a recipient the tradition names - an animal, grain, ghee, a substitute. The one English word covers acts with no common mechanism: a Vedic oblation poured into fire, a Norse blot and an Islamic qurbani whose meat is distributed to the poor answer to different accounts of what the giving does. 2OriginsWhose Classification This IsWell-attestedThe comparative category was built by successive theorists - Tylor's gift theory, Robertson Smith's communion, Hubert and Mauss's essay of 1898, later Girard and Burkert - each generalising from a different tradition. No one theory has been accepted as covering the field, and the category holds only loosely. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedRituals 1StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedUsed, but its validity as a comparative category is disputed 2Learn MoreThe sacrificial rituals This group gathers sacrificial rituals, the rites of offering, in which something of value (food, drink, animal or symbol) is given to the divine, whether in thanksgiving, petition, atonement or communion. Sacrifice is among the most ancient and widespread forms of religious act. The browser will find sacrificial rituals from across the traditions. The entries describe each rite's form and meaning, noting the tradition that performs it and the purpose the offering serves.Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedFilter Results5 entriesOrigin Period Start YearAll-1650 (1)-957 (1)Attested InAllMishnah (2)Popol Vuh (1)FrequencyAllAs the occasion requires (4)Several times a day (1)ObligationAllObligatory (1)Social FormAllPerformed by a gathered group (1)Practice StatusAllEnded (1)PractitionerAllAll adherents of the tradition (1)Clergy or ordained officiants (3)Trained or authorised specialists (1)Native To RegionAllAncient Israel (2)Greece (1)Mesoamerica (1)Originated InAllAncient Israel (1)Greece (1)Mesoamerica (1)The Levant (2)Kind of ritualAllIndigenous Sacrificial Ceremonies and Sacred Games (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 5Asham (The Reparation Offering)Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedKorban (The Israelite Offering)Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedMesoamerican BallgameUsed, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedTamid (The Daily Offering)Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedThysia (Greek Animal Sacrifice)Used, but its validity as a comparative category is disputedSources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. SacrificeView the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.