From Hero to Ancestor, God, and Ghost

LONDON CHAPMAN & HALL, LIMITED , 1909

This Beautiful exhaustive book with 1000s of subjects listed in the contents explores themes of pagan idolatry and ancestor worship while delving into the complexities of ancient Egypt and ancient Babylon. His work examines various religious practices, encompassing rituals and ceremonies that reflect the significance of idols and icons. Garnier reveals the nuances of spiritual beliefs that influenced historical theology and the sociocultural dynamics of Mesopotamian religion. The book provides insights into cultural heritage, shedding light on concepts of death and afterlife intertwined with sacred traditions. Additionally, the text integrates archaeological insights to enhance our understanding of early civilizations and their spiritual landscapes. Garnier highlights the impact of mythology and legends, which are essential to grasping the theological frameworks that shaped ancient beliefs. This comparative study emphasizes historical analysis, weaving together elements of religion that inform contemporary discussions. Furthermore, the author investigates the mysteries of the afterlife, highlighting the significance of sacred texts and ritualistic symbolism in ancient practices. The examination of divine intercession and offerings to the dead enriches the discourse on ritual purity and sacred geography. Garnier’s inquiry into funerary customs and mummification practices provides a foundation for understanding cultural continuities in the Fertile Crescent. The exploration of temple architecture and sacred spaces contributes to a broader appreciation of religious art and iconography. He also investigates mystical traditions, including shamanism and spiritual intermediaries, that influenced the ancient worldview. The work considers the role of sorcery and magical practices in shaping religious experiences, alongside the importance of divination and omens. Garnier’s comprehensive approach addresses the interplay between ethics and morality within these cultures, revealing their implications for societal governance. The study highlights the significance of rulers and priesthoods in maintaining religious authority and the social order. By analyzing cultural syncretism, Garnier underscores the blending of beliefs that emerged through trade and conquest. He also examines the influence of cosmology and creation myths on ancient thought, while discussing the impact of religious festivals on community identity. The book touches upon sacred animals and their representations, emphasizing the relationship between nature and divinity. Additionally, it explores philosophical thought in relation to theodicy and the problem of evil, inviting reflections on existential questions faced by these ancient peoples. The investigation into ritual calendars and sacred time further enriches our understanding of their cosmological views. Garnier includes discussions of sacred geography, outlining the significance of holy mountains and sacred rivers that shaped religious practices. The study of archaeological artifacts related to religious devotion reveals insights into the daily lives of worshippers. Moreover, the examination of funeral practices and burial sites offers a glimpse into how beliefs about the afterlife influenced societal norms. Garnier's research also encompasses prayers and incantations, reflecting the deep-seated need for divine connection and intercession. The work culminates in a thoughtful reflection on the legacy of pagan traditions in contemporary religious practices, illustrating how these ancient beliefs continue to resonate today. By connecting themes of mythical narratives with sociopolitical structures, Garnier provides a comprehensive overview of the intricate relationships between religion and culture. His exploration of cosmic order and the hierarchical nature of the divine realm underscores the complexity of ancient belief systems. Ultimately, The Worship of the Dead serves as a vital resource for understanding the profound impact of ancestor veneration and idol worship on the early civilizations of Egypt and Babylon, revealing the enduring significance of these practices in the human experience. Tags pagan idolatry, ancestor worship, ancient Egypt, ancient Babylon, religious practices, rituals and ceremonies, idols and icons, spiritual beliefs, historical theology, Mesopotamian religion, cultural heritage, death and afterlife, sacred traditions, archaeological insights, early civilizations, mythology and legends, theological frameworks, historical analysis, comparative religion, esoteric practices, mystical traditions, divine intercession, offerings to the dead, ritual purity, sacred geography, funerary customs, mummification practices, cultural continuities, Fertile Crescent, sacred texts, ritualistic symbolism, prayers and incantations, cosmic order, hierarchical nature of divinity, religious authority, societal governance, cultural syncretism, trade and conquest, creation myths, religious festivals, sacred animals, nature and divinity, philosophical thought, theodicy, problem of evil, existential questions, ritual calendars, sacred time, holy mountains, sacred rivers, archaeological artifacts, funeral practices, burial sites, divine connection, cultural dynamics, ancient spirituality, intergenerational beliefs, communal identity, historical context, worship and devotion, ritual dynamics, iconographic representations, ancient rituals, symbols of power, societal norms, ancestral lineage, sacred rites, divination and omens, mysticism and spirituality, religious evolution, ancient cosmologies, mythological narratives, sacred architecture, spiritual intermediaries, healing practices, religious innovation, temples and shrines, religious art, iconology, ceremonial offerings, religious syncretism, moral frameworks, ancient ethics, death rituals, mythic structures, cosmic balance, ancestor spirits, rites of passage, cultural memory, folklore and mythology, oral traditions, wisdom literature, belief systems, collective memory, ritual significance, animism and spirit worship, historical continuity, the role of priests, shamanic practices, sacred music, religious symbols, spiritual hierarchy, philosophical inquiries, eschatological beliefs, sacred landscapes, beliefs in fate, conceptions of divinity, resurrection beliefs, immortality and transcendence, mythic archetypes, cultural anthropology, worship practices, rituals of initiation, symbolism of the afterlife, collective rituals, community cohesion, sacred texts and interpretations, cosmological myths, divine narratives, sacred spaces, ceremonial calendar, rituals of purification, religious iconography, divine favor, collective identity, myth and ritual, cycles of life and death, religious transformations, sacred objects, historical significance, spiritual journeys, ancient legacies, sacrificial practices, the power of ritual, sacred and profane, rites of worship, cultural practices, the afterlife journey, theological debates, ancient cultural identities, sacred festivals, power dynamics in religion, mythological themes, ritual spaces, cultural expressions, gender roles in religion, community rituals, the impact of mythology, sacred stories, religious pilgrimage, spiritual enlightenment, ancestral worship practices, the interplay of religion and politics, human connections to the divine, sacred rituals in daily life, interfaith dialogues, religious pluralism, divine agency, and the search for meaning.

This paper is a study on two annual events organized and celebrated by a Chinese community. The first event is the celebration of the birthday of the Tai Pak Kung 1 deity (大伯公) which falls on the second day of the second lunar month. The other event is a celebration of the Hungry Ghost Festival (七月半) which falls on the seventh lunar month. Through these two events, in addition to the Chinese celebrants, there are participations of other ethnic groups and also involvements of gods or deities of non-Chinese ethnicity. There is a synthesization of beliefs in this particular area, a Chinese dominated village which is situated closely to a Malay and two Bidayuh villages. The existence of these villages date back to time immemorial. The Chinese community respects the existence of " local " gods and incorporates the gods into their temple of worship. They believe the local gods offer them equal protection as their own gods. Likewise, the Dayak and Malay villagers also respect their Chinese neighbours and their beliefs. They accept and live with the festivity mood and noisy atmospheres created during the procession at the temple and at the cemetery. These communities are tolerant to and have lived to accept one another " s beliefs. 1 Note on the use of languages in this paper: All vernacular terms, unless otherwise indicated, are written in Romanized form according to the Hakka pronunciation. Terms in Bahasa Melayu are written in italic forms.

Journal of Chinese Religions, 2018

A critical study of the rich religious tradition surrounding Guan Yu 關羽 (Guandi 關帝 / Guangong 關公 / Lord Guan) was long overdue. Bared ter Haar's recent book rises up to the task with commendable thoroughness, a tour de force of religious and cultural history analysis. One of the book's many contributions is its treatment of religious practices as inseparable from cultural, political,

Early Chinese Religion, Part Two: The Period of Division (220-589), edited by John Lagerwey and Lü Pengzhi, 2010

In early medieval China, among its upper classes, no religious ceremonies were more frequently performed and had a greater impact on daily life than the ancestral rites. Sacrifi ces to the ancestors punctuated the calendar, sanctioned the institutions of marriage and concubinage, and periodically reminded the living of their lifelong debt to those who came before them. One could argue that it was the most fundamental and universal form of religious worship in China. Regardless of social class, no matter who one was, one esteemed and made off erings to his departed kin. 1 Furthermore, unhappy ancestors were not to be toyed with-they could have an adverse eff ect on the fortune and fate of oneself and one's family. For rulers, since their powerful ancestors helped secure their present fortune, how and which ancestors were to be honored was an important political issue-one that oft en occasioned vigorous court debate. Despite the obvious signifi cance of these rites, beyond the earliest period of Chinese history, Western scholars have written relatively little about them, especially about the form they took during the early medieval period. In other words, we only have a vague sense of how these rituals were performed and what their participants saw themselves as doing. We take it for granted that, at the very least, the upper classes had been performing these rituals for a long time and that the rites themselves changed little. We also assume that rulers undertook these rites because they legitimated their power, but it is not entirely clear how these rites did so. Th is chapter's purpose is to explore in what ways and to what extent the ancestral rites were practiced in early medieval China (AD 100-600), as well as how these ceremonies were connected to the conveyance of political legitimacy. 2 1 Although commoners probably only worshipped their own most recent deceased kin, such as their father and grandfather, they would have regarded this as being akin to the sacrifi ces that the upper classes dedicated to more remote ancestors.

2018

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The dead serve as a constant reminder of our mortality. The corpse exists in a transitional state between personhood and objecthood. Human remains are the ultimate vestiges of a loved one, friend, or neighbour, contrasting sharply with an object that incites horror and revulsion. The cadaver acts as a reminder of the impermanence of human existence and the imperative to address our deep fears around the awareness of our own mortality. Mythical, religious, and folkloric accounts have developed over millennia to elucidate the fate of individuals post-mortem and the rationale behind it. Religious narratives regarding death and the afterlife serve as a power and control mechanism that can either mitigate or evoke further anxiety over our own mortality.

Mortality in traditional Chinese thought, 2011

Archaeological discoveries constantly fuel historical revisionism. The standard expositions of death culture in ancient China could no longer remain the same after the excavation of the second-century B.C.E. tombs at Mawangdui in the early 1970s. 1 The astounding riches of the well-preserved burial site showcase, with material integrity and visual vivacity, an entire world of funerary culture to which early textual accounts provide only partial verbal testimonials. Not only does the cache enrich our knowledge of death in ancient China; it may also shake it up. The shake-up, however, has taken longer than expected-more than three decades and still counting. The delayed revelation is not for lack of information; on the contrary, it is the embarrassment of riches. One would think that the palpable immediacy of the artifacts would tell a straightforward story, but it does not. The artifacts in fact appear to manifest different and often seemingly confl icting impulses.

DRAFT It is probably true to say that all human cultures have entertained some kind of belief in an " afterlife " —from the Palaeolithic or earlier (and possibly even our kin the Neanderthals 1) to the present, with views, however primitive and inchoate their conception, on the continuance, beyond the point of biological death, of the life of individual humans—and have treated their engagement with it in ritual fashion. That is, they have not believed that life was simply extinguished at death, but that in some manner, a part of the individual was carried over into a post-mortem existence. In the ancient Near East, this further state might be a generally dreary persistence in the underworld, as expressed in poignant lines in the Gilgamesh epic 2 , though the widespread observance of kispum rites shows that provided the correct ritual procedures were observed, the dead lived in a state of relative tranquillity, in continuing solidarity with their surviving kin 3. In Egypt a process of apotheosis by identification with Osiris was eventually adopted widely throughout the population, by the adoption of a hope limited originally to the king, then by his entourage, with a gradual percolation of belief down to the general population, and a variety of other destinies, from identification with various deities, to astral ascent and bodily resurrection, were also available, in a kaleidoscope of beliefs 4. This ritualisation of death means that some meaning and purpose has probably been felt to be present—or has been invested in it—and that its negative quality can somehow be tempered. Ritual confers meaning. A belief in some kind of survival of an element of individual identity seems to have been universal (perhaps due to encountering dead relatives in dreams). The idea of total annihilation (" the second death "), whenever mentioned in ancient texts, came to be understood from early times to be a terrible punishment for unforgivable sins 5 , or for failure to observe the appropriate rites, with survival as otherwise normative. If we turn to the West Semitic peoples, a variety of belief-systems was probably observed, reflected in the different local means for the disposal of the dead. Archaeology has had an important part to play in advancing a modern understanding of ancient beliefs, which has enabled recent scholarship to offer important correctives to older perceptions, particularly with regard to Israel and Judah. The conventional histories of 1 Some of the Neanderthal remains found in a cemetery at Shanidar have been interpreted as ritualised burials, with chert fragments deliberately arranged in association, and flowers strewn over body 4 (an interpretation now in doubt: see Fiacconi—Hunt 2015).