This Festschrift is dedicated to Prof. Dr. J. van Baal on the occasion of his retirement from the chair of cultural anthropology at the University of Utrecht. The essays presented here are written by fellow scholars in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of anthropology. In order to arrange the papers araund a theme that has never ceased to fascinate van Baal, we have asked the contributors to concentrate on a rel igious subject. Within this broad area no specific topics have been solicit ed, and the authors-- mainly fellow anthropologists and students of relig ion--...