The Structure and Morphology of the Sacred

The elements of Eliade’s understanding of religion are interdependent and interpenetrating, as was obvious from the introduction to The Sacred and the Profane , and the reader should be cautious in attempting to formulate an understanding of any one of these elements without attempting to understand them all. The following selection has something to say, not only about the sacred, but also about hierophany, the dialectic of the sacred and the profane, and illud tempus. However, an initial consideration of the sacred is rewarding in the attempt to understand all these other interpenetrating elements.