This volume asks to which extent ancient practices and traditions of human sacrifice are reflected in medieval and modern Judeo-Christian times. The first part of the volume, on antiquity, focuses on rituals of human sacrifice and
polemics against it, as well as on transformations of human sacrifice in the Israelite-Jewish and Christian cultures, while the Ancient Near East and ancient Greece are not excluded. The second part of the volume, on medieval and modern times, discusses human sacrifice in Jewish and Christian traditions as well as the debates about euthanasia and death penalty in the Western world.
Karin Finsterbusch, Dr. theol. (1994), University of Heidelberg, is Professor for Old Testament Studies at Landau University. She has published recently on Deuteronomy (
Weisung für Israel, Mohr Siebeck 2005).
Armin Lange, Dr. theol. (1995), University of Münster, is Professor of Jewish Studies (Second Temple Period) at the University of Vienna. He has published on prophecy (
Vom prophetischen Wort zur prophetischen Tradition, Mohr Siebeck 2002) and wisdom texts in the Qumran library (
Weisheit und Prädestination, Brill 1995).
Diethard Römheld, Dr. theol. (1989), University of Marburg (Germany) is protestant minister in Rheinbach near Bonn. He has published on Prov 22--24 and the Neo-Egyptian Wisdom of Amen-em-Ope (
Wege der Weisheit, de Gruyter 1989;
Die Weisheitslehre im Alten Orient, Görg 1989).
Contributors include: Yaakov Ariel, Michaela Bauks, Udo Benzenhöfer, Katell Berthelot, Karin Finsterbusch, Jasper Hopkins, Tal Ilan, Peter Lampe, Armin Lange, Beate Pongratz-Leisten, Bennie H. Reynolds, Wilhelm Rimpau, Christopher Roberts, Randall Styers, Rainer Walz, Gabriele Weiler and Viktor von Weizsäcker.
All those interested in the religions and literatures of the Ancient Near East, ancient Greece, ancient Israel, ancient, medieval, and modern Judaism as well as early, medieval, and modern Christianity.