Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice Vindicated?”
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5. Jahrgang MBS TEX T E 91 2008 Thomas Schirrmacher Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice Vinticated? BUCER IN S T E M R A I N M A R 2 1 : E P 4 H Pro mundisPro mundis TableInhaltsverzeichnis of Contents 1 Common human knowledge ............................................... 3 2 Is cannibalism a myth? ........................................................ 4 3 Nobel Prize winners “offside” .............................................. 5 4 The researches of Erwin Frank an example .......................... 7 5 Vindication of cannibalism? ................................................ 8 6 Cannibalism in the Old Testament? .................................. 11 7 Sources for evidence of cannibalism .................................. 12 8 Cannibalism and evolution: cannibalism in pre-humans and early humans .................. 13 9 Human sacrifice vindicated? ...............................................15 10 The widespread incidence of human sacrifice ..................... 16 11 Christian human sacrifices? ............................................... 20 Annotation ............................................................................. 24 The Author ............................................................................. 30 Impressum ............................................................................. 31 Nachdruck aus “Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice Vindicated?”. Christianity and Society 10 (2000) Heft 1, S. 11-17 + Heft 2, S. 4-9, Download unter www.kuyper.org/main/uploads/ volume_10_no_1.pdf und www.kuyper.org/main/uploads/volume_10_no_2.pdf 1. Aufl. 2008 Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice Vindicated? Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice Vindicated?1 2 Thomas Schirrmacher 1 Common human knowledge As far as many are concerned it goes nibalism” thus: “Ritual consumption of without saying that cannibalism is human flesh. Sometimes, but very sel- widespread among so-called primitive dom, cannibalism appears to have been people, that early human beings, Teu- practised with the sole aim of provid- tons and Aztecs similarly fed upon those ing sustenance, whether from necessity of their own species, and that cannibal- (cannibalism through hunger) or incli- ism still exists today. The charge of can- nation (sometimes called ‘gastronomic nibalism against foreigners is universal cannibalism’).”8 and goes back to antiquity. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states Of course the charge of cannibalism further: is not in itself any proof of its existence. Thus, for instance, the African explorer Cannibalism, also called anthropo- and missionary David Livingstone dis- phagy, is the eating of human flesh by covered that almost all blacks were con- men. The term is derived from a Span- vinced that whites were man-eaters,3 ish form of the language of the Carib, a a charge that the first explorers of the West Indies tribe who were well-known River Gambia had countered as early for their practice of cannibalism. A as 1455.4 Similarly, the first Christians widespread custom going back into were suspected by the Romans of being early human history, it has been found cannibals,5 as were the Irish by the among peoples on most continents. Roman historian Strabo and the Scyth- Though many early accounts of can- ians by the Greek historian Herodotus.6 nibalism probably were exaggerated There are numerous other teachings or in error, cannibalism is still prac- and assumptions concerning cannibal- ticed [sic] in interior New Guinea. ism, and it is even suggested that canni- It prevailed until recently in parts of balism and war might have accelerated West and Central Africa, Melanesia the extinction of peoples involved in (especially Fiji), Australia, among the them.7 Maoris of New Zealand, in some of But what is cannibalism? The Taschen- the islands of Polynesia, among tribes wörterbuch der Ethnologie [Pocket of Sumatra, and in various tribes of Dictionary of Ethnology] defines “can- North and South America.9 PRO M UNDI S 3 Thomas Schirrmacher Thus the ethnological understand- man of Arizona State University, ing of cannibalism is not individual suggesting the reason why the scholar cases such as occur from time to time continued to be opposed by those in his following an accident, when the surviv- own discipline: “He is a real danger to a ing victims eat the bodies of their dead whole number of anthropologists.”13 companions. Still more infrequent are cases in which the victim has actually Arens had been asked by his students been murdered for that purpose, as was whether he could not sometimes go the case in a spectacular trial in Eng- into more interesting subjects, such as land in 1884.10 witchcraft or cannibalism. The knowledge of what cannibalism is, and the belief that it is practised by Consequently, in preparing for a lecture, “primitive” tribes throughout the world, I turned to the study of man-eaters, is taken for granted by our society. In which was eventually transformed into the scientific field, too, cannibalism this study of the myth of man-eating. I seems not to be questioned. Scientific mention this to make it clear to readers surveys both ancient11 and modern12 that, like themselves, when I began to verify the worldwide incidence of this think about the subject I was already phenomenon. of the opinion that cannibalism in the past and present was a fairly common phenomenon. The essay which follows is 2 Is cannibalism a myth? the result of a conversion process.14 When, in 1979, the New York pro- Arens’ thesis could not be expressed fessor of anthropology William Arens more plainly: “I am dubious about in his book, The Man-Eating Myth, the actual existence of this act as an presented the public with his view that accepted practice for any time or place. there had never been such a thing as Recourse to cannibalism under survival habitual cannibalism, it seemed at first conditions or as a rare instance of anti- that this was the untenable opinion of social behavior is not denied for any an outsider. culture.”15 Thus Arens does not rule out the pos- Since then anthropologists and eth- sibility that under certain unusual cir- nologists have been changing sides in cumstances humans have eaten human ever increasing numbers, as shown last flesh. This is something which he consid- month in an investigative article in the ers possible in any culture. But he fun- US journal Science. But the debate damentally denies that there are proven about consumption of one’s own kind incidences of habitual cannibalism, i.e. continues. “I believe Arens is right,” cannibalism which might have been declared the anthropologist Lyle Stead- accepted as an integral part of religion, 4 MBS TEX T E 91 Cannibalism and Human Sacrifice Vindicated? culture, warfare or social custom. As a was the only missionary to hold this scientist, moreover, he points out that view.18 no anthropologist can ever confirm that Arens has made an exhaustive survey a practice has never taken place. He can of the sources of cannibalism: only confirm that there is no proof of its occurrence. And this is also the case This conclusion is based on the fact that, with cannibalism.16 As far as he is con- excluding survival conditions, I have cerned all the evidence is inconclusive, been unable to uncover adequate docu- so that cannibalism remains unproven. mentation of cannibalism as a custom In the light of the fact that thousands in any form for any society. Rumors, of scientists have assumed and continue suspicions, fears and accusations to assume that there is thousand-fold abound, but no satisfactory first-hand evidence of cannibalism, this is a very accounts. Learned essays by profession- far-reaching thesis to put forward. als are unending, but the sustaining Arens sees cannibalism as a myth ethnography is lacking. The argument which in almost all cultures has pro- that a critical re-examination is both vided an excuse for blaming other a necessary and a profitable exercise is peoples. It is to be found in the case based on the premise that cannibalism of Herodotus with regard to the bar- by definition is an observable phenom- barians, and similarly Columbus with enon.19 regard to the Indians, the Spaniards with regard to the Aztecs, colonialists with regard to the “natives” and the lat- 3 Nobel Prize ter with regard to whites. Almost every- winners “offside” where cannibalism constitutes the high point of the moral reprehensibleness of It should be pointed out here that the the enemy. It gives grounds for a mix- fact that different peoples accuse each ture of hatred and fear. other of cannibalism is no argument As early as 1874 the African explorer, against the existence of cannibalism. A anthropologist and prominent mission- worldwide phenomenon20 can naturally ary David Livingstone came to a simi- also be used as a worldwide accusation. lar conclusion concerning Africa. He Back in 1932 a specialist was able to travelled through large parts of Africa, write: among other things in order to find evi- dence of cannibalism. To his surprise he ... though the present range of the prac- discovered that there was no evidence tice is somewhat restricted, it was much which would stand up in a Scottish more widespread within even recent court, but that on the other hand the times, and there is every probability blacks were convinced that white men that all races have, at one period or were cannibals.17 However, Livingstone another, passed through a cannibalistic PRO M UNDI S 5 Thomas Schirrmacher stage, which survived occasionally in the kuru victim would end up in the ritual or in folk