среда, 6 октября 2021 г.
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The history of religions as a science
The scientific study of the history of religions, both ancient and modern, began relatively recently. Almost until the beginning of the 19th century, scholars did not seem to fully accept the idea that the numerous religions professed and professed by various peoples deserve to be the subject of independent historical study. The reason for this was partly the religious intolerance that Europeans often exhibited until the beginning of the last century towards all non-Christian religions. There can be only one religious truth, and it is fully expressed in Christianity; all other religions, especially pagan ones, are gross superstition, which is least of all worthy of scientific study: this is the point of view that was guided then. The study of false religions seemed something sinful, some kind of betrayal of Christianity; here they even saw a danger for weak and unstable souls, who might, they say, be carried away by the disastrous lies of paganism.
But even apart from these religious reasons, the history of religions until the last century could not be the subject of a special independent science due to the lack of proper material. Brief information contained in the writings of Greek and Roman writers about the religious beliefs of the ancient peoples was too scarce, scattered and scientifically unreliable material for a strictly scientific presentation of the history of religions.
Only since the last century, friendly and painstaking work began to study the religious monuments of various peoples. The rich religious literature of the Hindus, Chinese, ancient Persians, Buddhists, not to mention the Greeks and Romans, was translated into European languages, systematized and illuminated through a variety of historical references. The application of the method of the natural sciences in this area also gave the most fruitful results; the path of careful analysis and study of the smallest details relating to one or another religion led to the fact that, perhaps, the ancient confessors themselves, for example, the Vedic religion, did not have such a thorough acquaintance with their religious beliefs, which modern researchers have achieved Vedic literature.
The scientific material for the history of religions was especially enriched after the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphs and Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions was unraveled. It is true that the work of studying the Egyptian and Assyrian religious monuments is far from finished, since here, instead of complete certainty, one often has to be content with mere guesses; but for all that, the acquired material is quite sufficient to clarify the foundations of the religious beliefs of the peoples who played such an outstanding role in the history of antiquity.
The foundation for building the history of religions, one might say, is ready, and, moreover, the foundation is so solid that even such sciences that have long ago won the right to exist can envy it. But the very science of the history of religions is still in its infancy or primary growth. The fact is that religion is such an intimate side of human life that it is very difficult to unravel in all the subtleties of religious beliefs, customs and institutions. In this case, the complexity and richness of the material can only complicate the historical coverage of the subject, and not facilitate it.
Moreover, this is material for studying the religions of only cultured peoples who have left written evidence of themselves. Meanwhile, in order to illuminate historically the gradual development of religious beliefs, it would be necessary to open the veil that separates primitive man from us at the dawn of his life. How did a person begin his religious life - this is the question that should be of most interest to both the historian of religions and the researcher of primitive culture. Meanwhile, in solving this problem, our science is extremely weak. Therefore, we have to start not from the beginning, but from the middle. Whether it will ever be possible to restore the beginning is a dark question. All hope in this case is on the history of primitive culture, which even now has already managed to reveal much of what relates to the life and religious customs of primitive tribes. Perhaps a study of the religious life of contemporary savages will bring us somewhat closer to resolving the question of primitive religion. In this regard, the material is also stored in sufficient quantities, thanks to scientific reports on the life of savages, scientists, travelers and missionaries. But all this is too little to restore those primary beliefs and rituals with which primitive man began his religious life.
вторник, 5 октября 2021 г.
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