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The Myth and Ritual Theory: An Overview

The Myth and Ritual Theory: An Overview The)ou",alo!JewiJh Thought and PhiloJophy, Vol. 6, pp. 1~18 © 1997 Reprints available directly from the publisher Photocopying permitted by licence only The Myth and Ritual Theory: An Overview Robert A. Segal Lancaster University, Dept. of Religious Studies, Lancaster LA] 4YG Among the many theories of myth and many theories of ritual, the myth and ritual theory is distinctive in connecting myths to rituals. The myth and ritual, or myth-ritualist, theory maintains that myths and rituals operate together. The theory claims not that myths and rituals happen to go hand in hand but that they must. In its most uncompromising form, the theory contends that myths and rituals cannot exist without each other. In a milder form, the theory asserts that myths and rituals originally exist together but may subsequently go their separate ways. In a still milder form of the theory, myths and rituals can arise separately but subsequently coalesce. Original Formulation: Smith In a few introductory pages of his Lectures on the Religion of the Semites the Victorian biblicist and Arabist William Robertson Smith pioneered the myth-ritualist theory.l Smith begins by warning against the anachronistic "modern habit ... to look at religion from the side of belief http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy Brill

The Myth and Ritual Theory: An Overview

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1997 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1053-699X
eISSN
1477-285X
DOI
10.1163/105369997790231441
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The)ou",alo!JewiJh Thought and PhiloJophy, Vol. 6, pp. 1~18 © 1997 Reprints available directly from the publisher Photocopying permitted by licence only The Myth and Ritual Theory: An Overview Robert A. Segal Lancaster University, Dept. of Religious Studies, Lancaster LA] 4YG Among the many theories of myth and many theories of ritual, the myth and ritual theory is distinctive in connecting myths to rituals. The myth and ritual, or myth-ritualist, theory maintains that myths and rituals operate together. The theory claims not that myths and rituals happen to go hand in hand but that they must. In its most uncompromising form, the theory contends that myths and rituals cannot exist without each other. In a milder form, the theory asserts that myths and rituals originally exist together but may subsequently go their separate ways. In a still milder form of the theory, myths and rituals can arise separately but subsequently coalesce. Original Formulation: Smith In a few introductory pages of his Lectures on the Religion of the Semites the Victorian biblicist and Arabist William Robertson Smith pioneered the myth-ritualist theory.l Smith begins by warning against the anachronistic "modern habit ... to look at religion from the side of belief

Journal

The Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1997

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