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The World of Myth: An Anthology
by David Adams LeemingHercules, Zeus, Thor, Gilgamesh--these are the figures that leap to mind when we think of myth. But to David Leeming, myths are more than stories of deities and fantastic beings from non-Christian cultures. Myth is at once the most particular and the most universal feature of civilization, representing common concerns that each society voices in its own idiom. Whether an Egyptian story of creation or the big-bang theory of modern physics, myth is metaphor, mirroring our deepest sense of ourselves in relation to existence itself. Now, in The World of Myth, Leeming provides a sweeping anthology of myths, ranging from ancient Egypt and Greece to the Polynesian islands and modern science. We read stories of great floods from the ancient Babylonians, Hebrews, Chinese, and Mayans; tales of apocalypse from India, the Norse, Christianity, and modern science; myths of the mother goddess from Native American Hopi culture and James Lovelock's Gaia. Leeming has culled myths from Aztec, Greek, African, Australian Aboriginal, Japanese, Moslem, Hittite, Celtic, Chinese, and Persian cultures, offering one of the most wide-ranging collections of what he calls the collective dreams of humanity. More important, he has organized these myths according to a number of themes, comparing and contrasting how various societies have addressed similar concerns, or have told similar stories. In the section on dying gods, for example, both Odin and Jesus sacrifice themselves to renew the world, each dying on a tree. Such traditions, he proposes, may have their roots in societies of the distant past, which would ritually sacrifice their kings to renew the tribe. In The World of Myth, David Leeming takes us on a journey "not through a maze of falsehood but through a marvellous world of metaphor," metaphor for "the story of the relationship between the known and the unknown, both around us and within us." Fantastic, tragic, bizarre, sometimes funny, the myths he presents speak of the most fundamental human experience, a part of what Joseph Campbell called "the wonderful song of the soul's high adventure."
The Aramaic of Daniel in the Light of Old Aramaic (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
by Zdravko StefanovicThe author examines a number of the published Old Aramaic inscriptions, and compares them with the Aramaic of Daniel according to a broad-based set of criteria; detailed literary, grammatical and lexicographical comparisons build a cumulative case for questioning both the unified character of Old Aramaic and the supposedly late character of numerous features in Old Aramaic. The author thus contributes to the discussion of whether Old Aramaic texts can be used for understanding the Aramaic of Daniel, on the one hand, while contributing to an evaluation of the debate concerning the origin of the Aramaic of Daniel on the other.
Jewish-Christian Dialogue: A Jewish Justification
by David NovakMany studies written about the Jewish-Christian relationship are primarily historical overviews that focus on the Jewish background of Christianity, the separation of Christianity from Judaism, or the medieval disputations between the two faiths. This book is one of the first studies to examine the relationship from a philosophical and theological viewpoint. Carefully drawing on Jewish classical sources, Novak argues that there is actual justification for the new relationship between Judaism and Christianity from within Jewish religious tradition. He demonstrates that this new relationship is possible between religiously committed Jews and Christians without the two major impediments to dialogue: triumphalism and relativism. One of the very few books on this topic written by a Jewish theologian who speaks specifically to modern Christian concerns, it will provide the groundwork for a more serious development of Jewish-Christian dialogue in our day.
Israel in Egypt: Reading Exodus 1-2 (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
by Gordon F. DaviesThis close synchronic analysis of Exodus 1-2 looks at how the pericope's structure, language, focalization and management of information form its conception and judgement of its events and characters. A coherence of concerns is detectable in Exodus 1-2 with allusions to Genesis and the later chapters of Exodus. One chapter is assigned to each of seven narrative unities and deals in various ways with its narrative problems. The resulting eclectic choice of analytical tools includes the study of Proppian structural functions, repetition, public rhetoric, narrative speeds, order and symbolism.
Text as Pretext: Essays in Honour of Robert Davidson (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
by Robert P. CarrollThis collection of essays in honour of Professor Robert Davidson celebrates a number of notable achievements of this outstanding Scottish churchman and scholar. It is published for the occasion of his sixty-fifth birthday, but it also marks his retirement from full-time university teaching and nods in the direction of his having been the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (1990-91). The guiding principle governing this collection of essays is the notion of the Bible as the generator of other texts and cultural productions. The contributors are drawn from Davidson's wide range of colleagues and former students and focus on many different aspects of this generative force within the Bible itself and in materials related to it. Contributors include A.G. Auld, J.M.G. Barclay, E. Best, J.C.L. Gibson, W. Johnstone, H.A. McKay, J.K. Riches, and the editor, among others.
Islamic Da`wah in the West: Muslim Missionary Activity and the Dynamics of Conversion to Islam
by Larry PostonThis book explains the concept of Islamic "da'wah", or missionary activity, as it has developed in contemporary Western contexts. Poston traces the transition from the early "external-institutional" missionary approach impracticable in modern Western society, to an "internal-personal" approach which aims at the conversion of individuals and seeks to influence society from the bottom upwards. Poston also combines the results of a questionnaire-survey with an analysis of published testimonies to identify significant traits that distinguish converts to Islam.
Psalm and Story: Inset Hymns in Hebrew Narrative (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies)
by James W. WattsThis book addresses the literary, historical and methodological issues which have been raised by the appearance of psalms in narrative contexts of the Hebrew Bible. The narrative role of each psalm is explored to determine the reasons for its present position. The study of each psalm's narrative role leads to a re-evaluation of the evidence for its secondary status in the prose context. The results of each separate analysis are compared to see what larger literary, historical and methodological patterns emerge.
Liberation Theology at the Crossroads: Democracy or Revolution?
by Paul E. SigmundLiberation theology originated in Catholic Latin America at the end of the 1960s in response to prevalent conditions of poverty and oppression. Its basic tenet was that it is the primary duty of the church to seek to promote social and economic justice. Since that time it has grown in influence, spreading to other areas of the Third World, along with bitter controversy about its ties to Marxist ideology and violent revolution. Drawing on both English and Spanish sources, this critical study examines the history, method, and doctrines of liberation theology. Sigmund considers the movement's origins in political circumstances in Latin America and provides case studies of its role in such events as the revolution and counter-revolution in Chile, and in the revolutionary movements in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Examining the thought of major liberation theologians, as well as the critical responses of the Vatican, Sigmund shows that liberation theology is a complex phenomenon, comprising a variety of kinds and degrees of radicalism. He discerns a general trend away from the Marxist rhetoric that has often characterized the movement in the past and towards the kind of grassroots populist reform typified by the Basic Christian Communities Movement.
Alfarabi, Avicenna, and Averroes, on Intellect: Their Cosmologies, Theories of the Active Intellect, and Theories of Human Intellect
by Herbert A. DavidsonA study of problems, all revolving around the subject of intellect in the philosophies of Alfarabi, Avicenna, and Averroes, this book starts by reviewing discussions in Greek and early Arabic philosophy which served as the background for the three Arabic thinkers. Davidson examines the cosmologies and theories of human and active intellect in the three philosophers and covers such subjects as: the emanation of the supernal realm from the First Cause; the emanation of the lower world from the transcendent active intellect; stages of human intellect; illumination of the human intellect by the transcendent active intellect; conjunction of the human intellect with the transcendent active intellect; prophecy; and human immortality. Davidson shows that medieval Jewish philosophers and the Latin Scholastics had differing perceptions of Averroes because they happened to use works belonging to different periods of his philosophic career.
Sacred Biography: Saints and Their Biographers in the Middle Ages
by Thomas J. HeffernanThough medieval "saints' lives" are among the oldest literary texts of Western vernacular culture, they are routinely patronized as "pious fiction" by modern historiography. This book demonstrates that to characterize the genre as fiction is to misunderstand the intentions of medieval authors, who were neither credulous fools nor men blinded by piety. Concentrating on English texts, Heffernan reconstructs the medieval perspective and considers sacred biography in relation to the community for which it was written; identifies the genre's rhetorical practices and purposes; and demonstrates the syncretistic way in which the life of the medieval saint was transformed from oral tales to sacred text. In the process, Heffernan not only achieves a more contextually accurate understanding of the medieval saints' lives, but details a new critical method that has important implications for the practice of textual criticism.
Christian Celebration:The Mass
by J. D. CrichtonThis text covers changes in the Mass since publication in 1971, including the 1985 reprint revisions (notably Eucharistic Prayers and Eucharistic Prayers from Masses with children). It also describes the rites of the Church in the context of their theological and historical background and in relation to pastoral practice. It is aimed at theology students, students on liturgy courses especially those following the syllabus for liturgical formation issued by the Liturgy Office and all those seeking a deeper understanding of the Mass.
Religion and Mental Health
by John F. SchumakerThis is an interdisciplinary collection of previously unpublished papers on the controversial relationship between religious behavior and mental health. Schumaker has assembled a distinguished international roster of contributors--sociologists and anthropologists as well as psychiatrists and psychologists of religion--representing a wide range of opinions concerning the mental health implications of religious belief and practice. Taken together, the papers provide a comprehensive overview of theory and research in the field. Included are papers on the interaction of religion and self-esteem, life meaning and well-being, sexual and marital adjustment, anxiety, depression, suicide, psychoticism, rationality, self-actualization, and various patterns of anti-social behavior. Religion is also dealt with in relation to mental health of women, the elderly, and children. Contributions dealing with mental health in non-Western religious groups add an important cross-cultural dimension to the volume.
Yours Lord: A Handbook of Christian Stewardship
by Michael J. WrightChristian stewardship has changed and grown into a much broader and richer vision of grateful response to God for all creation. This book helps us with our attitude to money, lifestyle, and generosity; gives guidance on making a mission statement, coping with change, personal appraisal and action. It is backed by the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland Christian Stewardship Network, the Christian Stewardship Committee of the Central Board of Finance of the Church of England, the Archbishop of the Church in Wales, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the General Secretary of the Baptist Union, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, the Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army and the Secretary of the Methodist Stewardship Organisation.
The Joys of Hebrew
by Lewis GlinertWhen do you say mazal tov? What is the English equivalent to the Talmudic expression Alya ve-kots ba ("a sheep's tail with a thorn in it")? What is a get, a golem, a kibbutz, a chalutz? What four plant species are waved during prayers on the harvest festival of Sukkot? You'll find answers to these questions and hundreds of others--all in clear English--in this remarkable collection of the best known, most loved Hebrew words and phrases in the English speaking world. From Acharon to Zohar, this informative and often humorous dictionary features over six hundred Hebrew words and expressions arranged in alphabetical order (the Roman alphabet is used throughout, as well as Hebrew head words). The first such guide to Hebrew, this volume is more than a mere lexicon--it is a jubilant celebration of Hebrew itself, a treasure trove of Jewish wit, wisdom, culture, and tradition. Lewis Glinert provides a concise definition of each entry, and then illustrates the word's usage with generous passages from the Bible and the Talmud, the prayers and the sayings of famous rabbis, the razor's edge of Jewish humor, excerpts from the work of Elie Wiesel, Adin Steinsaltz, S.Y. Agnon, Martin Buber, Naomi Shemer and other contemporary writers, folklore from all over the Jewish world, and colorful slices of modern Israeli life. There are words directly related to the practice of religion, such as amida (a prayer said standing, under one's breath, essentially a cry for help--for wisdom, health, peace, prosperity, and so forth) as well as the names of all the Jewish holy days and religious customs; words from everyday Jewish experience, such peot (the long sidecurls customarily worn by the Chasidim); many words familiar from their use in Israel, such as rega (literally, "one moment," it is the Israeli equivalent of Mexico's mañana) or miluim (army reserve service); and many traditional sayings, such as Tsarat rabim chatsi nechama ("A public woe is half a comfort"). In addition, Glinert provides at the back of the book an alphabetical list of familiar biblical names in English, Sephardi/Israeli Hebrew, and Ashkenazi Hebrew. This celebration of Hebrew language and culture is a joy to read and to use. Everyone from Bible students to collectors of Judaica, from Woody Allen fans to people planning a journey to the Holy Land, will be delighted by this informative volume.
Chattel or Person?: The Status of Women in the Mishnah
by Judith Romney WegnerExploring the place of women in the socioeconomic system formulated in the Mishnah, a book of legal rules with a spiritual basis compiled by Jewish sages in second-century Palestine, this study reveals a fundamental ambiguity in the role of women. Both the property and the peers of men, in some circumstances women were considered to possess no powers, rights, or duties in law, and in others were judged morally, practically, and intellectually fit to own property, conduct business, engage in lawsuits, and manage their own personal affairs. Wegner spells out in detail these variations in status, analyzes them, and isolates the factors that account for differential treatment of different classes of women in the private domain and for differential treatment of men and women in the public domain of mishnaic culture, relating her findings to recent developments in feminist analyses of the status of women in patriarchy.
Agriculture: An Introductory Reader (Pocket Library Of Spiritual Wisdom)
by Rudolf SteinerRudolf Steiner, the often undervalued, multifaceted genius of modern times, contributed much to the regeneration of culture. In addition to his philosophical teachings, he provided ideas for the development of many practical activities, including education - both general and special - agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, religion and the arts. Today there are thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and many other organizations that are founded directly on his principles.
All Is Forgiven: The Secular Message in American Protestantism
by Marsha WittenHow the image of God is being refashioned from the Protestant pulpit for an increasingly secular worldIn recent years, direct-mail Christianity has extended a new kind of invitation to the Protestant faithful: slick brochures enumerating the social and psychological advantages of church attendance, with no mention whatsoever of spiritual striving, suffering, or faith in God. Does this kind of secularity prevail in mainline Protestant churches? Marsha Witten looks for an answer to this question through an in-depth analysis of preaching on an important New Testament text: the Parable of the Prodigal Son.Witten finds that the transcendent and awesome God of Luther and Calvin, whose image informed early Protestant visions of the relationship between human beings and the divine, has been greatly softened in demeanor in American Protestant churches, with only minor resistance from conservative traditions. As preached from the pulpits of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Southern Baptist Convention, God is a deity whose primary function lies in providing psychological benefits to individual church members: the Parable of the Prodigal Son portrays God as a loving and understanding daddy figure. The focus is not on the challenges that the church could pose to the secular sphere of life. Instead, individuals are encouraged to make the right choices among the secular world&’s various offerings, or, as in many Southern Baptist messages, to accept God&’s offer of rescue from the &“lostness&” of secular confusions.Situating the sermon at the heart of Protestant worship, All Is Forgiven shows how complex rhetorical strategies continue to transform Christian faith and help it survive in a secular world.
Becoming Half Hidden: Shamanism and Initiation Among the Inuit
by Daniel MerkurFirst Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Becoming Half Hidden: Shamanism and Initiation Among the Inuit
by Daniel MerkurFirst Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Bioethics Yearbook: Theological Developments in Bioethics: 1990–1992 (Bioethics Yearbook #3)
by B. Andrew Lustig Baruch A. Brody H. Tristram Engelhardt Laurence B. McCulloughAs the field of bioethics has matured, increasing attention is being paid to how bioethical issues are treated in different moral and religious traditions and in different regions of the world. It is often difficult, however, to obtain accurate information about these matters. The Bioethics Yearbook series provides interested parties with analyses of how such issues as new reproductive techniques, abortion, maternal-fetal conflicts, care of seriously ill newborns, consent, confidentiality, equitable access, cost-containment, withholding and withdrawing treatment, active euthanasia, the definition of death, and organ transplantation are being discussed in different religious traditions and regions. Volume Three discusses theological developments from 1990--1992 in Anglican, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, Continental Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Hindu, Jewish, Latter-Day Saint, Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, and Presbyterian traditions. Volume Four will continue coverage of official governmental and medical society policies on these topics throughout the world.
The Birth of the Lukan Narrative: Narrative as Christology in Luke 1-2 (The Library of New Testament Studies #88)
by Mark ColeridgeAs a narrative critical study of the Lukan Infancy Narrative, this is a work which puts new questions to an old and (some would claim) over interpreted text. The work traces through the Infancy narrative two trajectories - one theological, the other epistemological. At the point of theology, Luke focuses upon God and the strange shape of the divine visitation; at the point of epistemology, Luke focuses upon the human being and what is needed to recognise the divine visitation, given its strangeness. The study then shows how the two trajectories converge in the Infancy Narrative's last episode, the Finding of the Child in the Temple. Though often accorded scant attention, this is an episode which, Coleridge argues, is the true climax of the Infancy Narrative, since it is only then that Jesus is born in the narrative as the protagonist he will prove consistently to be and only then that the Lukan Narrative itself is born. It is this rather than any physical birth which most absorbs Luke in the first two chapters of the Gospel. Though a study of the Infancy narrative, this is a work with far-reaching implications for the whole of Luke-Acts
Blessing (Mills And Boon Love Inspired Historical Ser.)
by Deborah BedfordLADY IN DISGUISE Though the secret behind Uley Kirland’s cap and mining togs is unsuspected in 1880s Tin Cup, Colorado, she longs to shed the clothing of deception…especially when handsome stranger Aaron Brown awakens her woman’s heart.
Book of Daniel: An Annotated Bibliography
by Henry O. Thompson'Book of Daniel' An Annotated Bibliography, This volume is one of a series of bibliographies on the books of the Bible. This is the first volume of the series of bibliographies described in the series introduction, in this case on the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament (OT) or the Hebrew Scriptures fTanakh).Scholars for these bibliographies have been drawn from across the Judeo-Christian perspective as well as across doctrinal perspectives. These bibliographies should be of value to students and faculty, to laity and professional, to religious and academic groups, for undergraduate and graduate study. They should serve a significant role as reference works in libraries for the public, the university, and religious groups, as well as individuals.
Book of Daniel: An Annotated Bibliography (Books Of The Bible Ser. #Vol. 1)
by Henry O. Thompson'Book of Daniel' An Annotated Bibliography, This volume is one of a series of bibliographies on the books of the Bible. This is the first volume of the series of bibliographies described in the series introduction, in this case on the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament (OT) or the Hebrew Scriptures fTanakh).Scholars for these bibliographies have been drawn from across the Judeo-Christian perspective as well as across doctrinal perspectives. These bibliographies should be of value to students and faculty, to laity and professional, to religious and academic groups, for undergraduate and graduate study. They should serve a significant role as reference works in libraries for the public, the university, and religious groups, as well as individuals.
The Book of Margins (Religion and Postmodernism)
by Edmond JabèsThe death of Edmond Jabès in January 1991 silenced one of the most compelling voices of the postmodern, post-Holocaust era. Jabès's importance as a thinker, philosopher, and Jewish theologian cannot be overestimated, and his enigmatic style—combining aphorism, fictional dialogue, prose meditation, poetry, and other forms—holds special appeal for postmodern sensibilities. In The Book of Margins, his most critical as well as most accessible book, Jabès is again concerned with the questions that inform all of his work: the nature of writing, of silence, of God and the Book. Jabès considers the work of several of his contemporaries, including Georges Bataille, Maurice Blanchot, Roger Caillois, Paul Celan, Jacques Derrida, Michel Leiris, Emmanuel Lévinas, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and his translator, Rosmarie Waldrop. This book will be important reading for students of Jewish literature, French literature, and literature of the modern and postmodern ages. Born in Cairo in 1912, Edmond Jabès lived in France from 1956 until his death in 1991. His extensively translated and widely honored works include The Book of Questions and The Book of Shares. Both of these were translated into English by Rosmarie Waldrop, who is also a poet. Religion and Postmodernism series