Friedrich Max Müller and the Sacred Books of the East
Arie L. Molendijk
Abstract
The edition of the fifty massive volumes of the Sacred Books of the East (1879–1910) was one of the most ambitious and daring editorial projects of late Victorian scholarship. The German-born philologist, orientalist, and religious scholar Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) persuaded Oxford University Press to embark on this venture. ‘Müller’s grand design’ was supported financially by the India Office of the British empire and Oxford University Press. Müller resigned from his Oxford chair of comparative philology to become the general editor of this megaproject. He engaged an international team ... More
The edition of the fifty massive volumes of the Sacred Books of the East (1879–1910) was one of the most ambitious and daring editorial projects of late Victorian scholarship. The German-born philologist, orientalist, and religious scholar Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) persuaded Oxford University Press to embark on this venture. ‘Müller’s grand design’ was supported financially by the India Office of the British empire and Oxford University Press. Müller resigned from his Oxford chair of comparative philology to become the general editor of this megaproject. He engaged an international team of renowned scholars (among whom James Legge, James Darmesteter, Hendrik Kern, Julius Eggeling, Thomas William Rhys Davids, Kashinath Trimbak Telang, and Hermann Oldenberg) to translate the ‘sacred texts’. The series used and defined categories of the study of culture, especially of religion. Religious studies was often called ‘comparative religion’ at the time, indicating the importance of the comparative method for this emerging discipline. The edition also contributed significantly to the Western perception of the ‘religious’ or even ‘mystic’ East, which was textually represented in English translations. This book is a study in intellectual history, in particular the history of the study of religions (1860–1900). A close reading of Müller’s work is combined with theoretical reflection on the defining moments in the making of the Sacred Books of the East series. The focus is on Max Müller’s conceptualization, management, and ambitions in bringing this grand project to a conclusion.
Keywords:
sacred books,
the East,
history of ideas,
comparative method,
Oxford University Press,
Victorian Britain,
history of the study of religion and culture,
Friedrich Max Müller,
orientalism
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2016 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780198784234 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: August 2016 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198784234.001.0001 |
