Apocalyptic Geographies: Religion, Media, and the American Landscape

Abstract

117 strate how Tibetan texts become more sacred through ritualised interactions. The chapter by Yohan Yoo examines how Neo-Confucian scholars from the twelfth and sixteenth centuries promoted sensory readings of scriptures to facilitate religious experiences ‘in which they could see the sages and hear their voices’ (162). Yoo shows that the senses were inherent to the practice of reading Confucian scriptures, and highlights the need for further study in this area. The final chapter of the collection, by James W. Watts, brings together the study of these different ritualistic traditions. Watts uses Charles Pierce’s Sign Theory to explore the indexical relationship between sacred books and their users. In addition, he draws on Roy Rappaport’s theory of ritual to demonstrate that holding or touching sacred scriptures ‘indexes’ a person’s religious identity. Watts also examines how such veneration can ‘manifest itself in a refusal to touch scripture’ (178), such as the handing of the Torah in antiquity and traditional Jewish practices. He concludes his chapter with an investigation of the representations of scribes, professors, and deities holding books, and the observation that touching and holding sacred books enables people to ‘feel like they can touch divinity’ (183). The collection of essays demonstrates the intrinsic relationship between the senses and sacred texts, highlighting the importance for further study in this area. Sensing Sacred Texts provides a fascinating array of studies from a wide range of religious traditions and historical periods. The broad contributions will be of interest to scholars working in a variety of fields, especially those of religion, materiality, art history, as well as ritual and performative studies.