To cut off, purify, and make whole: historiographical and ecclesiastical conceptions of ritual space. From: The Journal of the American Oriental Society | Date: January 1, 2003| Author: Choksy, Jamsheed K. | COPYRIGHT 2003 American Oriental Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

INTRODUCTION

Notions of ritual space, and patterns of behavior within such spaces, seem to be intrinsic to individual aspiration and collective resolution as sectarian groups organize means of rationalizing life and death. The purity attributed to ritual spaces by Zoroastrians or Mazdeans can be probed in the context of theological, mythological, and linguistic links to space, place, and time in chronological contexts. Despite specific divergences between various religio...