Sacrificio: questioni, interpretazioni, comparazioni. Una introduzione

This introduction aims to explain the lines of research of a group of scholars, brought together in a joint project on the history of sacrifice from the late Middle Ages to the modern world. Taking into account the theoretical framework formulated by a long tradition of studies on sacrifice, the group compared different historical contexts, focusing on the emergence of religious sciences, biblical commentaries, self-sacrifice and the idea of martyrdom, sanctity, the global missionary context, European approaches to sacrificial rites in Asia, and the relationship between the idea of crusade and the doctrine of sacrifice.