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Jewish-Christian Dialogue and the Life of Wisdom: Engagements with the Theology of David Novak
by Matthew LeveringThis book inquires as to whether theological dialogue between Christians and Jews is possible, not only in itself but also as regards the emergence of communities of Messianic Judaism. In light of David Novak's insights, Matthew Levering proposes that Christian theological responses to supersessionism need to preserve both the Church's development of doctrine and Rabbinic Judaism's ability to define its own boundaries. The book undertakes constructive philosophical theology in dialogue with Novak. Exploring the interrelated doctrines of divine providence/theonomy, the image of God, and natural law, Levering places Novak's work in conversation especially with Thomas Aquinas, whose approach fosters a rich dialogue with Novak's broadly Maimonidean perspective. It focuses upon the relationship of human beings to the Creator, with attention to the philosophical entailments of Jewish and Christian covenantal commitments, aiming to spell out what true freedom involves.It concludes by asking whether Christians and Jews would do better to bracket our covenantal commitments in pursuing such wisdom. Drawing upon Novak's work, the author argues that in the face of suffering and death, God's covenantal election makes possible hope, lacking which the quest for wisdom runs aground.
Jewish-Christian Dialogue and the Life of Wisdom: Engagements with the Theology of David Novak
by Matthew LeveringThis book inquires as to whether theological dialogue between Christians and Jews is possible, not only in itself but also as regards the emergence of communities of Messianic Judaism. In light of David Novak's insights, Matthew Levering proposes that Christian theological responses to supersessionism need to preserve both the Church's development of doctrine and Rabbinic Judaism's ability to define its own boundaries. The book undertakes constructive philosophical theology in dialogue with Novak. Exploring the interrelated doctrines of divine providence/theonomy, the image of God, and natural law, Levering places Novak's work in conversation especially with Thomas Aquinas, whose approach fosters a rich dialogue with Novak's broadly Maimonidean perspective. It focuses upon the relationship of human beings to the Creator, with attention to the philosophical entailments of Jewish and Christian covenantal commitments, aiming to spell out what true freedom involves.It concludes by asking whether Christians and Jews would do better to bracket our covenantal commitments in pursuing such wisdom. Drawing upon Novak's work, the author argues that in the face of suffering and death, God's covenantal election makes possible hope, lacking which the quest for wisdom runs aground.
Predestination: Biblical And Theological Paths
by Matthew LeveringPredestination has been the subject of perennial controversy among Christians, although in recent years theologians have shied away from it as a divisive and unedifying topic. In this book Matthew Levering argues that Christian theological reflection needs to continue to return to the topic of predestination, for two reasons: Firstly, predestinarian doctrine is taught in the New Testament. Reflecting the importance of the topic in many strands of Second Temple Judaism, the New Testament authors teach predestination in a manner that explains why Christian theologians continually recur to this topic. Secondly, the doctrine of predestination provides a way for Christian theologians to reflect upon two fundamental affirmations of biblical revelation. The first is God's love, without any deficiency or crimp, for each and every rational creature; the second is that God from eternity brings about the purpose for which he created us, and that he permits some rational creatures freely and permanently to rebel against his love. When theologians reflect on these two key biblical affirmations, they generally try to unite them in a logical synthesis. Instead, Levering argues, it is necessary to allow for the truth of each side of the mystery, without trying to blend the two affirmations into one. Levering pairs his discussion of Scripture with ecumenically oriented discussion of the doctrine of predestination in through the ages through the figures of Origen, Augustine, Boethius, John of Damascus, Eriugena, Aquinas, Ockham, Catherine of Siena, Calvin, Molina, Francis de Sales, Leibniz, Bulgakov, Barth, Maritain, and Balthasar. He concludes with a constructive chapter regarding the future of the doctrine.
Sacrifice and Community: Jewish Offering and Christian Eucharist (Illuminations: Theory & Religion)
by Matthew LeveringThis book explores the character of the Eucharist as communion in and through sacrifice. It will stimulate discussion because of its controversial critique of the dominant paradigm for Eucharistic theology, its reclamation of St Thomas Aquinas’s theology of the Eucharist, and its response to Pope John Paul II’s Ecclesia de Eucharistia. Argues that the Eucharist cannot be separated from sacrifice, and rediscovers the biblical connections between sacrifice and communion. Timed to coincide with the Year of the Eucharist, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II. Reclaims the riches of St Thomas Aquinas’s theology of the Eucharist, which had recently been reduced to a metaphysical defence of transubstantiation.
Scripture and Metaphysics: Aquinas and the Renewal of Trinitarian Theology (Challenges in Contemporary Theology)
by Matthew LeveringThis book makes a major contribution to contemporary theological and philosophical debates, bridging scriptural and metaphysical approaches to the triune God. Bridges the gap between scriptural and metaphysical approaches to biblical narratives. Retrieves Aquinas’s understanding of theology as contemplative wisdom. Structured around Aquinas’s treatise on the triune God in his ‘Summa Theologiae’. Argues that intellectual contemplation is part of a broader spiritual journey towards a better understanding of God. Contributes to the current resurgence of Thomistic theology in both Protestant and Catholic circles.
The Oxford Handbook of the Reception of Aquinas (Oxford Handbooks)
by Matthew Levering Marcus PlestedThe Oxford Handbook of the Reception of Aquinas provides a comprehensive survey of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant philosophical and theological reception of Thomas Aquinas over the past 750 years.This Handbook will serve as a necessary primer for everyone who wishes to study Aquinas's thought and/or the history of theology and philosophy since Aquinas's day. Part I considers the late-medieval receptions of Aquinas among Catholics and Orthodox. Part II examines sixteenth-century Western receptions of Aquinas (Protestant and Catholic), followed by a chapter on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Orthodox reception. Part III discusses seventeenth-century Protestant and Catholic receptions, and Part IV surveys eighteenth- and nineteenth-century receptions (Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic). Part V focuses on the twentieth century and takes into account the diversity of theological movements in the past century as well as extensive philosophical treatment. The final section unpicks contemporary systematic approaches to Aquinas, covering the main philosophical and theological themes for which he is best known. With chapters written by a wide range of experts in their respective fields, this volume provides a valuable touchstone regarding the developments that have marked the past seven centuries of Christian theology.
Jews and Australian Politics
by Geoffrey Brahm LeveyThis book -- an edited collection of new contributions from distinguished Australian academics -- contextualises, illuminates, and explains the contemporary politics of Australian Jewry. It critically analyses the three broad themes above through relevant case studies and source material, and situates the politics of Australian Jews through comparisons with general patterns in Australian politics, the politics of other minorities in Australia, and the politics of other Western Jewish communities. Contains a detailed appendix of Jewish Parliamentarians, 1849 to the Present.
Tonight is Already Tomorrow
by Lia LeviThe tragic history of mid-century Europe told through the lives of ordinary people1938. Thirty-two countries convene to decide how to deal with the influx of Jews fleeing Nazi Germany and Austria. Good intentions abound, but no government is willing to accept the refugees. At the same time, Fascist Italy is introducing its infamous racial laws.In this new, stirring novel Lia Levi portrays Italy’s tragic past through the story of a Jewish family, plagued by doubts, passions, weaknesses, impulses, and betrayals. Set in Genoa in the years of the racial laws, the novel follows a would-be genius son, a disappointed, regretful mother, a wise but irresolute father, an eccentric grandfather, nosy uncles, cousins who are always coming and going. How do individuals face the darkest periods of history? Will anyone rebel against the spread of violence and discrimination? Will anyone welcome them if this family flees certain persecution? A harrowing story that resonates with special urgency in our time.
Poverty and Welfare Among the Portuguese Jews in Early Modern Amsterdam (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)
by Tirtsah Levie BernfeldNational Jewish Book Awards Winner of the Mimi S. Frank Award in Memory of Becky Levy for Sephardic Culture, 2012.Early modern Amsterdam was a prosperous city renowned for its relative tolerance, and many people hoping for a better future, away from persecution, wars, and economic malaise, chose to make a new life there. Conversos and Jews from many countries were among them, attracted by the reputed wealth and benevolence of the Portuguese Jews who had settled there. Behind the facade of prosperity, however, poverty was a serious problem. It preoccupied the leadership of the Portuguese Jewish community and influenced its policy on admitting newcomers: the struggle to keep poverty under control and ensure that finances were available for welfare was paramount. Tirtsah Levie Bernfeld looks at poverty and welfare from the perspective of both benefactors and recipients. She analyses benefactors’ motives for philanthropy and charts its dimensions; she also examines the decision-making processes of communal bodies and private philanthropists, identifying the cultural influences that shaped their commitment to welfare. At the same time her detailed study succeeds in bringing the poor to life: she examines what brought them to Amsterdam, aspects of their daily life in the petitions they sent to the different welfare institutions, and the survival strategies offered by work, education, and charity. She also considers the related questions of social mobility and the motivation of the poor for joining the Amsterdam Portuguese community. Her research takes her, finally, beyond the margins of the established community to the small but active groups of Sephardi bandits who formed their own clandestine networks. Special attention is also paid to poor women, whether arriving alone or left behind and sometimes heading small family units, who were often singled out for relief. In this way the book makes a much-needed contribution to the study of gender, in Jewish society and more generally. This ground-breaking, multi-faceted study of the dynamics of the relationship between the rich and the poor adds a nuanced new dimension to our understanding of Jewish life in the early modern period.
Religion and Medicine: A History of the Encounter Between Humanity's Two Greatest Institutions
by Jeff LevinThough the current political climate might lead one to suspect that religion and medicine make for uncomfortable bedfellows, the two institutions have a long history of alliance. From religious healers and religious hospitals to religiously informed bioethics and research studies on the impact of religious and spiritual beliefs on physical and mental well-being, religion and medicine have encountered one another from antiquity through the present day. In Religion and Medicine, Dr. Jeff Levin outlines this longstanding history and the multifaceted interconnections between these two institutions. The first book to cover the full breadth of this subject, it documents religion-medicine alliances across religious traditions, throughout the world, and over the course of history. Levin summarizes a wide range of material in the most comprehensive introduction to this emerging field of scholarship to date.
Religion and Medicine: A History of the Encounter Between Humanity's Two Greatest Institutions
by Jeff LevinThough the current political climate might lead one to suspect that religion and medicine make for uncomfortable bedfellows, the two institutions have a long history of alliance. From religious healers and religious hospitals to religiously informed bioethics and research studies on the impact of religious and spiritual beliefs on physical and mental well-being, religion and medicine have encountered one another from antiquity through the present day. In Religion and Medicine, Dr. Jeff Levin outlines this longstanding history and the multifaceted interconnections between these two institutions. The first book to cover the full breadth of this subject, it documents religion-medicine alliances across religious traditions, throughout the world, and over the course of history. Levin summarizes a wide range of material in the most comprehensive introduction to this emerging field of scholarship to date.
The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: 2 Chronicles 10 - 36: A New Translation and Commentary
by Yigal LevinThe book of Chronicles, the last book of the Hebrew Bible and a central historical book of the Christian Old Testament, has in recent decades gone from being “the Cinderella of biblical studies” to being one of the most researched books of the Bible. The anonymous author, often simply called “the Chronicler” by modern scholars, looks back at the old Israelite monarchy, before the Babylonian Exile, from his vantage point in the post-exilic early Second Temple Period, and attempts to “update” the older historiographies of Samuel and Kings in order to elucidate their meaning to the people of his own time. In The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, Yigal Levin does the same for the modern reader. He offers a brand-new translation and commentary on 2 Chronicles chapters 10-36, tracing the “sacred history” of the monarchy from the division of Solomon's kingdom to the final exile and return. Each chapter is translated from the original Hebrew into an English that is both faithful to the original and easy for the modern reader to follow. Extensive footnotes provide full explanations of the translator's choices and of linguistic and literary issues, taking note of alternative versions offered by a wide array of ancient and modern versions and translations. The comprehensive commentary on each section provides historical background and explains the text both on a literary and a historical level, making full use of the most up-to-date research on the text, literature, history, geography and on the archaeological background of the biblical world.The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah is to be followed by The Chronicles of David and Solomon on 1 Chronicles 10 – 2 Chronicles 9, and then by The Chronicles of All Israel on the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1-9 and including comprehensive essays on the book of Chronicles, its time, purposes, methods and meanings.
Economic Morality and Jewish Law
by Aaron Levine (1946-2011)Economic Morality and Jewish Law compares the way in which welfare economics and Jewish law determine the propriety of an economic action, whether by a private citizen or the government. Espousing what philosophers would call a consequentialist ethical system, welfare economics evaluates the worthiness of an economic action based on whether the action would increase the wealth of society in the long run. In sharp contrast, Jewish law espouses a deontological system of ethics. Within this ethical system, the determination of the propriety of an action is entirely a matter of discovering the applicable rule in Judaism's code of ethics. This volume explores a variety of issues implicating morality for both individual commercial activity and economic public policy. Issues examined include price controls, the living wage, the lemons problem, short selling, and Ronald Coase's seminal theories on negative externalities. To provide an analytic framework for the study of these issues, the work first delineates the normative theories behind the concept of economic morality for welfare economics and Jewish law, and presents a case study illustrating the deontological nature of Jewish law. The book introduces what for many readers will be a new perspective on familiar economic issues. Despite the very different approaches that welfare economics and Jewish law take in evaluating the worthiness of an economic action, the author reveals a remarkable symmetry between the two systems in their ultimate prescriptions for certain economic issues.
Economic Morality and Jewish Law
by Aaron Levine (1946-2011)Economic Morality and Jewish Law compares the way in which welfare economics and Jewish law determine the propriety of an economic action, whether by a private citizen or the government. Espousing what philosophers would call a consequentialist ethical system, welfare economics evaluates the worthiness of an economic action based on whether the action would increase the wealth of society in the long run. In sharp contrast, Jewish law espouses a deontological system of ethics. Within this ethical system, the determination of the propriety of an action is entirely a matter of discovering the applicable rule in Judaism's code of ethics. This volume explores a variety of issues implicating morality for both individual commercial activity and economic public policy. Issues examined include price controls, the living wage, the lemons problem, short selling, and Ronald Coase's seminal theories on negative externalities. To provide an analytic framework for the study of these issues, the work first delineates the normative theories behind the concept of economic morality for welfare economics and Jewish law, and presents a case study illustrating the deontological nature of Jewish law. The book introduces what for many readers will be a new perspective on familiar economic issues. Despite the very different approaches that welfare economics and Jewish law take in evaluating the worthiness of an economic action, the author reveals a remarkable symmetry between the two systems in their ultimate prescriptions for certain economic issues.
The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics (Oxford Handbooks)
by Aaron LevineThe interaction of Judaism and economics encompasses many different dimensions. Much of this interaction can be explored through the way in which Jewish law accommodates and even enhances commercial practice today and in past societies. From this context, The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics explores how Judaism as a religion and Jews as a people relate to the economic sphere of life in modern society as well as in the past. Bringing together an astonishingly strong group of top scholars, the volume approaches the subject from a variety of angles, providing one of the most comprehensive, well-rounded, and authoritative accounts of the intersections of Judaism and economics yet produced. Aaron Levine first offers a brief overview of the nature and development of Jewish law as a legal system, then presents essays from a variety of angles and areas of expertise. The book offers contributions on economic theory in the bible and in the Talmud; on the interaction between Jewish law, ethics, modern society, and public policy; then presents illuminating explorations of Judaism throughout economic history and the ways in which economics has influenced Jewish history. The Oxford Handbook of Judaism and Economics at last offers an extensive and welcome resource by leading scholars and economists on the vast and delightfully complex relationship between economics and Judaism.
Feminist Companion to John: Volume 1 (Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings)
by Amy-Jill LevineThe first of two volumes devoted to the Johannine literature. The contents include an introduction by the editor, F. Scott Spencer on 'You Just Don't Understand' (Or Do You?): Jesus, Women, and Conversation in the Fourth Gospel; Jennifer Berenson McLean on The Divine Trickster: A Tale of Two Weddings in John; Stephen Moore, Are There Impurities in the Living Water that the Johannine Jesus Dispenses? and Jerome Neyrey, What's Wrong with this Picture? John 4, Cultural Stereotypes of Women, and Public and Private Space.Jane Webster writes on Overcoming Difference: Strange Woman to Samaritan Woman; Mona West on The Raising of Lazarus: A Lesbian Coming Out Story; Holly Toensing on Divine Intervention or Divine Intrusion? Jesus and the Adultress in John's Gospel; and Ingrid Rosa Kitzberger on Transcending Gender Boundaries in John.
Feminist Companion to John: Volume 2 (Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings)
by Amy-Jill LevineThe second feminist volume volume on Johannine literature includes an Introduction by Amy-Jill Levine; Adele Reinhartz on Women in the Johannine Community: An Exercise in Historical Imagination; Satako Yamaguchi, 'I Am (I Do)' Sayings and Women in Context and Dorothy Lee, Abiding in the Fourth Gospel.Colleen Conway writes on Gender Matters in John; Adeline Fehribach on The Crucifixion in the Fourth Gospel: A Birthing Moment; Deborah Sawyer on Water and Blood: Birthing Images in John's Gospel; Harold Attridge on Don't Be Touching Me: Recent Feminist Scholarship on Mary Magdalene; and Jane Schaberg, Thinking Back through the Magdalene.
Feminist Companion to Matthew (Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings)
by Amy-Jill LevineConjoining diverse methodological and ideological approaches with a focus on specific texts, this inaugural volume to the new series presents ground-breaking insights on the Gospel of Matthew. The eleven essays address women's social roles and literary representations, earthly and heavenly fathers, purity regulations and household configurations, Jesus and Wisdom, professional and lay reactions to women's service, the Canaanite women and the women at the tomb, and the interrelation of Matthew's female characters and contemporary struggles for justice. Throughout, the articles expose the politics of gender and sexuality imbedded in the narrative, and often in the scholarship, of the Gospel.This volume includes contributions by Janice Capel Anderson, Celia Deutsch, Stephenson Humphries-Brooks, Amy-Jill Levine, Thomas R.W. Longstaff, Gail R. O'Day, Caroline Osiek, Marie-Eloise Rosenblatt, Anthony J. Saldarini, Julian Sheffield and Elaine M. Wainwright.
Feminist Companion to Paul: Deutero-Pauline Writings (Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings)
by Amy-Jill LevineThe seventh volume of this Companion series is devoted to the writings ascribed to Paul but widely thought not to be genuiinely from the Apostle. These are of particular importance in showing how Paul's authority was exploited in the Early Church, and the topics addressed often deal with Christian discipline and hierarchy. Hence there is a particularly strong feminist agenda to be explored here.The Pastoral Epistles, Ephesians and Colossians are prominent among the writings addressed in this sparkling collection, and the authors include David Scholer, Luise Schottroff, Bonnie Thurston, Lilian Portefaix, Sara Winter and Ingrid Rosa Kitzberger.
The Historical Jesus in Context
by Amy-Jill Levine Dale C. Allison Jr. John Dominic CrossanThe Historical Jesus in Context is a landmark collection that places the gospel narratives in their full literary, social, and archaeological context. More than twenty-five internationally recognized experts offer new translations and descriptions of a broad range of texts that shed new light on the Jesus of history, including pagan prayers and private inscriptions, miracle tales and martyrdoms, parables and fables, divorce decrees and imperial propaganda. The translated materials--from Christian, Coptic, and Jewish as well as Greek, Roman, and Egyptian texts--extend beyond single phrases to encompass the full context, thus allowing readers to locate Jesus in a broader cultural setting than is usually made available. This book demonstrates that only by knowing the world in which Jesus lived and taught can we fully understand him, his message, and the spread of the Gospel. Gathering in one place material that was previously available only in disparate sources, this formidable book provides innovative insight into matters no less grand than first-century Jewish and Gentile life, the composition of the Gospels, and Jesus himself.
The Historical Jesus in Context
by Amy-Jill Levine Dale C. Allison Jr. John Dominic CrossanThe Historical Jesus in Context is a landmark collection that places the gospel narratives in their full literary, social, and archaeological context. More than twenty-five internationally recognized experts offer new translations and descriptions of a broad range of texts that shed new light on the Jesus of history, including pagan prayers and private inscriptions, miracle tales and martyrdoms, parables and fables, divorce decrees and imperial propaganda. The translated materials--from Christian, Coptic, and Jewish as well as Greek, Roman, and Egyptian texts--extend beyond single phrases to encompass the full context, thus allowing readers to locate Jesus in a broader cultural setting than is usually made available. This book demonstrates that only by knowing the world in which Jesus lived and taught can we fully understand him, his message, and the spread of the Gospel. Gathering in one place material that was previously available only in disparate sources, this formidable book provides innovative insight into matters no less grand than first-century Jewish and Gentile life, the composition of the Gospels, and Jesus himself.
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
by Amy-Jill Levine Marc Zvi BrettlerFirst published in 2011, The Jewish Annotated New Testament was a groundbreaking work, bringing the New Testament's Jewish background to the attention of students, clergy, and general readers. In this new edition, eighty Jewish scholars bring together unparalleled scholarship to shed new light on the text. This thoroughly revised and greatly expanded second edition brings even more helpful information and new insights to the study of the New Testament. · Introductions to each New Testament book, containing guidance for reading and specific information about how the book relates to the Judaism of the period, have been revised and augmented, and in some cases newly written. · Annotations on the text--some revised, some new to this edition--provide verse-by-verse commentary. · The thirty essays from the first edition are thoroughly updated, and there are twenty-four new essays, on topics such as "Mary in Jewish Tradition," "Christology," and "Messianic Judaism." · For Christian readers The Jewish Annotated New Testament offers a window into the first-century world of Judaism from which the New Testament springs. There are explanations of Jewish concepts such as food laws and rabbinic argumentation. It also provides a much-needed corrective to many centuries of Christian misunderstandings of the Jewish religion. · For Jewish readers, this volume provides the chance to encounter the New Testament--a text of vast importance in Western European and American culture--with no religious agenda and with guidance from Jewish experts in theology, history, and Jewish and Christian thought. It also explains Christian practices, such as the Eucharist. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, Second Edition is an essential volume that places the New Testament writings in a context that will enlighten readers of any faith or none.
A Feminist Companion to the Apocalypse of John (Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings)
by Amy-Jill Levine Maria Mayo RobbinsThe thirteenth volume in this landmark series examines the Revelation of John through the categories of post-colonial thought, deconstruction, ethics, Roman social discourse, masculinization, virginity, and violence. The reach of this volume therefore goes beyond that of most feminist studies of Revelation, which frequently focus on the female imagery: the Thyatiran prophet called 'Jezebel', the 'Woman Clothed with the Sun', the 'Whore of Babylon', and the 'Bride'/the 'Heavenly Jerusalem'. The symbols of Revelation remain open and interpetations continue. Some readers will refuse to rejoice at the dismemberment of the Woman-who-is-Babylon; they will resist the (masochistic? infantile?) self-abasement before this imperial Deity who rules by patriarchal domination. Others will conclude that these descriptions are 'only' metaphors, separate form from substance, and worship the transcendent to which the metaphors imperfectly point. Some readers will understand, if not fully condone, John's rhetoric by seeking his political and social location; others will condone, if not fully understand, how the Apocalypse can provide comfort to those undergoing persecution or deprivation. Some readers may reject the coercive aspects of a choice between spending eternity in praise of the divine or being 'tortured' with fire and sulfer; others may rejoice in their own salvation while believing that those being tortured deserve every pain inflicting upon them; still others may use mimicry or parody or anachronistic analogy to challenge, defang, or replace John's message. What we find behind the veil may be beautiful, or terrifying, or both, but we cannot avert our eyes: John's vision is too influential today, in our own political climate, not to look for ourselves. The Feminist Companion to the Apocalypse of John includes contributions by David L. Barr, Mary Ann Beavis, Greg Carey, Adela Yarbro Collins, Lynn R. Huber, Catherine Keller, John Marshall, Stephen Moore, Jorunn Økland, Hanna Stenström, Pamela Thimmes, and Carolyn Vander Stichele. There is an introduction by Amy-Jill Levine and a comprehensive bibliography.
Religion and Politics in Latin America: The Catholic Church in Venezuela & Colombia
by Daniel H. LevineThis book explores the transformations in religion in conjunction with political change. Professor Levine suggests, highlights the dynamic and dialectical interaction between religion and politics in general, and addresses the more universal problem of relating thought to action.Originally published in 1981.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
The Joy of Secularism: 11 Essays for How We Live Now
by George LevineCan secularism offer us moral, aesthetic, and spiritual satisfaction? Or does the secular view simply affirm a dog-eat-dog universe? At a time when the issues of religion, evolution, atheism, fundamentalism, Darwin, and science fill headlines and invoke controversy, The Joy of Secularism provides a balanced and thoughtful approach for understanding an enlightened, sympathetic, and relevant secularism for our lives today. Bringing together distinguished historians, philosophers, scientists, and writers, this book shows that secularism is not a mere denial of religion. Rather, this positive and necessary condition presents a vision of a natural and difficult world--without miracles or supernatural interventions--that is far richer and more satisfying than the religious one beyond. From various perspectives--philosophy, evolutionary biology, primate study, Darwinian thinking, poetry, and even bird-watching--the essays in this collection examine the wealth of possibilities that secularism offers for achieving a condition of fullness. Factoring in historical contexts, and ethical and emotional challenges, the contributors make an honest and heartfelt yet rigorous case for the secular view by focusing attention on aspects of ordinary life normally associated with religion, such as the desire for meaning, justice, spirituality, and wonder. Demonstrating that a world of secular enchantment is a place worth living in, The Joy of Secularism takes a new and liberating look at a valuable and complex subject. The contributors are William Connolly, Paolo Costa, Frans de Waal, Philip Kitcher, George Levine, Adam Phillips, Robert Richards, Bruce Robbins, Rebecca Stott, Charles Taylor, and David Sloan Wilson.