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Quote by William Robertson Smith

“It is only in times of social dissolution, as in the last age of the small Semitic states, when men and their gods were alike powerless before the advance of the Assyrians, that magical superstitions based on mere terror, or rites designed to conciliate alien gods, invade the sphere of tribal or national religion. In better times the religion of the tribe or state has nothing in common with the private and foreign superstitions or magical rites that savage terror may dictate to the individual.”

Book:Lectures on the Religion of the Semites: First Series. The Fundamental Institutions

Work

Lectures on the Religion of the Semites: First Series. The Fundamental Institutions

In 'Lectures on the Religion of the Semites: First Series. The Fundamental Institutions,' the author provides an in-depth analysis of the core religious institutions that have shaped the religious life of Semitic societies. The text is a significant contribution to the field of religious studies, offering insights into the rituals, customs, and beliefs that have been central to the religious experiences of these groups throughout history. more

Author

William Robertson Smith

William Robertson Smith (November 8, 1846 - March 31, 1894) was a Scottish scholar known for his work in the fields of religion, mythology, and folklore. He is considered one of the pioneers of religious anthropology for his studies on the origins and development of religion. more

“This, it may be said, is no more than a hypothesis, but it satisfies the conditions of a legitimate hypothesis, by postulating the operation of no unknown or uncertain cause, but only of that force of precedent which in all times has been so strong to keep alive religious forms of which the original meaning is lost.”