book: A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus (Forgotten Books)

book: A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus (Forgotten Books) | Richard Payne Knight ...

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	• A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus (Forgotten Books) Richard Payne Knight Forgotten Books, 2008 - 152 pages view larger image
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This extended essay on fertility worship in the Classical period was written by Robert Payne Knight (1750-1820), a distinguished English scholar, parlimentarian, writer, and antiquarian. Published in 1786, this book shocked English society to such an extent that Knight took it upon himself to surpress his own book. Subsequently this became a very rare book until it was republished in several editions in the mid-twentieth century. Although the study of the history of religion has vastly advanced since Knight's day, this was one of the first books to deal with the issue of sexuality and religion. (Quote from sacred-texts.com)

About the Author

Richard Payne Knight (1750 - 1824)
Richard Payne Knight (15 February 1750 - 23 April 1824) was a classical scholar and connoisseur best known for his theories of picturesque beauty and for his interest in ancient phallic imagery. He was born at Wormesley Grange in Herefordshire, UK, the grandson and heir to Richard Knight, a wealthy Shropshire ironmaster. He was educated at home, but toured Italy and the European continent from 1767 for several years. He was a collector of ancient bronzes and coins, a Member of Parliament from 1780 to 1806, and an author of numerous books and articles on ancient sculpture, coins and other artefacts. As a member of the Society of Dilettanti, Knight was widely considered to be an arbiter of taste. He bequeathed his collection of bronzes, coins, gems, marbles, and drawings to the British Museum.
An Account of the Remains of the Worship of Priapus (1786).

Notoriously, Knight's first book, The Worship of Priapus, sought to recover the importance of ancient phallic cults. Knight's apparent preference for ancient sacred eroticism over Judeo-Christian puritanism led to many attacks on him as an

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