Ezourvedam(741 words)
The Ezourvedam is an Indian text of disputed authenticity that became known in the 18th century through the agency of missionaries and colonial officials. It exerted a profound influence on French philosophy and the view of India at the time. Voltaire was deeply impressed by the Ezourvedam, dating it to the time “before Alexander and Pythagoras” and using it as a source in his writings on India, the Brahmins, and their rituals. His reading of the work led him to conclude that the oldest civilization was not China (Chinese world), as was generally supposed, but India [2. 73].
In 1762, t…
Cite this page
Neubert, Frank,
“Ezourvedam”, in:
Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012.
Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_SIM_019065>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20180126
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