Religion, Empire, and Torture: The Case of Achaemenian Persia, with a Postscript on Abu Ghraib
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press | ISBN: 0226481964 | edition 2007 | PDF | 192 pages | 1,3 mb
Lincoln identifies three core components of an imperial theology that have transhistorical and contemporary relevance: dualistic ethics, a theory of divine election, and a sense of salvific mission. Beyond this, he asks, how did the Achaemenians understand their place in the cosmos and their moral status in relation to others? Why did they feel called to intervene in the struggle between good and evil? What was their sense of historic purpose, especially their desire to restore paradise lost? And how did this lead them to deal with enemies and critics as imperial power ran its course?