CLARA Review: Diana L. Stein, Sarah Kielt Costello, Karen Polinger Foster (eds), 2021: The Routledge Companion to Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient World.

Abstract

The aim of Ecstatic Experience in the Ancient World is to cast light on what the editors maintain has been a neglected area of ancient religious expression, an assertion that can hardly be disputed as a general statement. Although there has been considerable interest in the topic, at least regarding some areas of the eastern Mediterranean, methodological and theoretical approaches have been lacking. The editors have largely succeeded in their aim of drawing attention to the ubiquity and variety of ecstatic experiences in the ancient world and have produced an impressive volume.