Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints: A Prehistory of Religion
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.48 (990 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B00MSQUUX6 |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 174 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-06-26 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
“An intensely scholarly work that is also eminently readable, this book is highly recommended for academic anthropology and religious studies collections.”—Library Journal
Five Stars Excellent book with lots of informstion. Paul Carleton said Three Books in One. The previous reviewer complained about the price of Hayden's book yet said it's a `masterful work'. Indeed Hayden has packed his big book with information, both text and graphics. So think of it as `three books in one' and its price won't seem so `outrageous'.Hayden explores how the adoption of religions was propelled by `politics' not only among the early egalitarian hunter-gatherers but especially the later hierarchical societies right on up to the present time. He's organized his book so the reader can sample as much or as little information as desired, by. thorough but confused Barbara Maat The book is a long haul, comprehensive, and thoroughly documented. Unfortunately the author repeatedly slips into his own apparent conviction that many of our forebears magical beliefs have actual merit and truth. He confuses brain hallucinations with reality outside the brain. Although he reaffirms this belief in the final summation chapter, the bulk of the book traces the development of religion over the centuries with handy references embedded in the text for anyone eager to research the details.Our human history of the development of religion is anything
Hayden opens his book with an examination of the difference between traditional religions, which are passed on through generations orally or experientially, and more modern “book” religions, which are based on some form of scripture that describes supernatural beings and a moral code, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Historians of art or religion and mythologists, such as Joseph Campbell and Mircea Eliade, have written extensively on prehistoric religion, but no one before has offered a comprehensive and uniquely archaeological perspective on the subject. He attempts to answer the question of why religion developed at all, arguing that basic religious behaviors of the past and present have been shaped by our innate emotional makeup, specifically our ability to enter into ecstatic states through a variety of techniques and to create binding relationships with other people, institutions, or ideals associated with those states.
BRIAN HAYDEN is an archaeologist and professor at Simon Fraser University.