Contenu du sommaire

Ritual Purity in the ancient Near East The code of ritual purity, known in contemporary religions like Islam and Judaism, is partly a heritage from ancient Near Eastern religions. In the present contribution, the author studies the concept of ritual purity in the religious traditions of ancient Mesopotamia. He urges that the requirement of ritual purity was part of religious etiquette, the latter being patterned on the customs observed in social relations. As the anthropomorphic vision of the divine receded, the primary sense of the rules of ritual purity was lost sight of. In those cases where the code of ritual purity nonetheless was maintained, the observance of its precepts came either to have a symbolical value, or to be considered as a means of salvation.

Mask and unmask : effects of the enunciation in Ancient Comedy According to tradition, wearing a mask is interpreted as representation and identification. So the mask is considered as the best means for the « self » to become the « other ». Semiotic analysis of masked performances in ancient Greek comedy shows that there is always a distance between the person indicated by the mask and its wearer. Enhanced by the comic transvestite, the (dionysiac) masquerade is nothing but a game which emphasizes the utopia performed on the Athenian stage ; it leads to unmask the social and political reality one means to criticize.

Ethnic Transitions : The Case of the Karaites during the Second World War The Karaites can be defined in different ways depending on whether they are examined from a religious or ethnic viewpoint. This article studies what part some cultural components of a mimetic nature may have played in the relationship between the Karaites and the various societies in which they lived. After a number of varying and contradictory events, the Nazis decided that the Karaites did not belong to the Jewish faith and, as a result, the group was saved from persecution.

Origins of the French Reformation : A new approach ? H. Heller reconsiders the origins of the Reformation in France, a topic much debated in the past. Based on a study of six cities, he applies his conclusions to the whole of France, and in so doing proposes a kind of « model » of French Protestantism. In fact, under cover of originality, he disregards Lucien Febvre's warning and adopts the theses of H. Hauser believed to be outdated. For him the origins of the Reformation lie in the economic crises of the 16th century and the social unrest it engendered.