The Rhetoric of Divination: A Comparative Approach
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review
In a comparative analysis of divinatory practices, such as Christian manna-grains, Yijing, Ifa divination, the Delphic oracle, and modern-day Tarot, this chapter argues that the rhetoric of divination may be studied in three phases: 1) The rhetoric of the act of divination is inherent in the stochastic procedure itself; its outcome parades as the result of fate, chance, a god, or dao. In addition, there is often a myth to account for the procedure. 2) The stochastic procedure nominates a text to be interpreted, e.g. a passage of holy writ, a time-honoured earlier prediction, or a proverb. It is not a straightforward verdict or prediction, but as ritually nominated, it claims relevance. The rhetoric of the text resides in its character as a model to be applied to the matter at hand. 3) The rhetoric of interpretation, then, consists in establishing a convincing continuity between the text and the matter at hand. In sum, the rhetoric of divination is very much a metamorphosis of signs: the act of divination produces a sign, from the beginning without meaning; this is turned into a linguistic sign that does not yet make sense. Finally, the interpretation establishes the full sense, uniting religious authority and relevance.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Theoretical and Empirical Investigations of Divination and Magic : Manipulating the Divine |
Editors | Jesper Frøkjær Sørensen, Anders Klostergaard Petersen |
Number of pages | 33 |
Place of Publication | Leiden |
Publisher | Brill |
Publication date | 2021 |
Pages | 41-73 |
Chapter | 3 |
ISBN (Print) | 9789004447578 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789004447585 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Series | Numen Book Series |
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Volume | 171 |
ISSN | 0169-8834 |
- Faculty of Humanities
Research areas
ID: 261408606