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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy > Sacred texts > General
This volume collects several articles by scholar Uri Zur on various
areas in the field of Jewish studies. Topics discussed include
different types of structure in Talmudic texts from a literary
point of view, the study of the Aramaic language utilized in the
Bible and the Talmud from a linguistic and interpretive
perspective, the redaction of sugyot in the Talmud Bavli analyzed
from a textual point of view, and matters of halakha and halakhic
rules. The author also examines contemporary topics such as modern
Judaism in Israel and peacemaking efforts grounded in the
Pentateuch and Jewish tradition.
The ancient rabbis believed that the Torah was divinely revealed
and therefore contained eternal truths and multitudinous hidden
meanings. Not a single word was considered haphazard or
inconsequential. This understanding of how Scripture mystically
relates to all of life is the fertile ground from which the Midrash
emerged. Here Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso explores how Midrash
originated and how it is still practiced today, and offers new
translations and interpretations of twenty essential, classic
midrashic texts. You will never read the Bible the same way again!
This history of Sufi conceptions of the hereafter - often imagined
as a place of corporeal reward (Paradise) or punishment (Hell) - is
built upon the study of five medieval Sufi Qur'an commentaries.
Pieter Coppens shows that boundary crossing from this world to the
otherworld, and vice versa, revolves around the idea of meeting
with and the vision of God; a vision which for some Sufis is not
limited to the hereafter. The Qur'anic texts selected for study -
all key verses on seeing God - are placed in their broader
religious and social context and are shown to provide a useful and
varied source for the reconstruction of a history of Sufi
eschatology and the vision of God.
Eknath Easwaran, translator of the best-selling edition of the
Dhammapada, sees this powerful scripture as a perfect map for the
spiritual journey. Said to be the text closest to the Buddha's
actual words, it is a collection of short teachings memorized
during his lifetime by his disciples. Easwaran presents the
Dhammapada as a guide to spiritual perseverance, progress, and
ultimately enlightenment -- a heroic confrontation with life as it
really is, with straight answers to our deepest questions. We
witness the heartbreak of death, for instance -- what does that
mean for us? What is love? How does karma work? How do we follow
the spiritual life in the midst of work and family? Does nirvana
really exist, and if so, what is it like to be illumined? In his
interpretation of Buddhist themes, illustrated with stories from
the Buddha's life, Easwaran offers a view of the concept of Right
Understanding that is both exhilarating and instructive. He shares
his experiences on the spiritual path, giving the advice that only
an experienced teacher and practitioner can offer, and urges us to
answer for ourselves the Buddha's call to nirvana -- that
mysterious, enduring state of wisdom, joy, and peace.
The present volume honours Rabbi Professor Nehemia Polen, one of
those rare scholars whose religious teachings, spiritual writings,
and academic scholarship have come together into a sustained
project of interpretive imagination and engagement. Without
compromising his intellectual integrity, his work brings forth the
sacred from the mundane and expands the reach of Torah. He has
shown us a path in which narrow scholarship is directly linked to a
quest for ever-broadening depth and connectivity. The essays in
this collection, from his students, colleagues, and friends, are a
testament to his enduring impact on the scholarly community. The
contributions explore a range of historical periods and themes,
centering upon the fields dear to Polen's heart, but a common
thread unites them. Each essay is grounded in deeply engaged
textual scholarship casting a glance upon the sources that is at
once critical and beneficent. As a whole, they seek to give readers
a richer sense of the fabric of Jewish interpretation and theology,
from the history of Jewish mysticism, the promise and perils of
exegesis, and the contemporary relevance of premodern and early
modern texts.
This book is based on the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, one of the
most widely read books in the world. In today's busy life, we
hardly get any time to meditate deeper into the meaning and purpose
of life. We tend to take certain things for granted such as our
status, wealth, educational achievements, etc. and also presume
that they will be given to us in our next birth. But scriptures do
not endorse this view. All our possessions, or the lack of them,
are the result of our karma in the previous births. We rewrite our
destiny everyday for our future births. Hence, we should decide our
actions in accordance with the teachings of the scriptures and not
allow our materialistic aspirations to distort our understanding
and conduct in this world. Also one should not wait till the old
age to start reading the scriptures. The right age to read
scriptures is as early as one gets the consciousness so as to
minimise the loss of deep, illuminating thoughts which an
insightful reading of the Bhagavad Gita entails and hence, engage
in righteous actions. The divine wisdom of Lord Krishna,
encapsulated in the Bhagavad Gita, is addressed to each and every
individual to help solve perplexing problems and progress towards a
brighter future.
'Outstanding, timely and much needed.' Amir Hussain, Professor of
Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University 'A very
well-written, remarkably accessible, timely and important book. It
is sure to be read widely.' Muhammad Qasim Zaman, Robert H. Niehaus
'77 Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Religion, Princeton
University A compact introduction and reader's guide to the Qur'an
This is an ideal introduction to the Qur'an, featuring the most
up-to-date methods for reading and understanding the text. It deals
with sensitive issues regarding the interpretation of sacred texts
as well as differing points of view and major debates. A
substantial explanatory introduction summarises the historical and
literary issues and engages with the religious and political
context of understanding the Qur'an today, including an
appreciation of the ritual and oral uses of text. Key Features: *
Includes new translations of 725 Qur'anic verses * Promotes an
understanding of multiple interpretations of the Qur'an * Designed
for use on introductory courses and for self-study Keywords:
Qur'an; sacred; translation; text.
The essays in this volume address the conundrum of how Jewish
believers in the divine character of the Sinaitic revelation
confront the essential questions raised by academic biblical
studies. The first part is an anthology of rabbinic sources, from
the medieval period to the present, treating questions that reflect
a critical awareness of the Bible. The second part is a series of
twenty-one essays by contemporary rabbis and scholars on how they
combine their religious beliefs with their critical approach to the
Bible.
This volume offers a new reading of Maimonides' Guide of the
Perplexed. In particular, it explores how Maimonides' commitment to
integrity led him to a critique of the Kalam, to a complex concept
of immortality, and to insight into the human yearning for
metaphysical knowledge. Maimonides' search for objective truth is
also analyzed in its connection with the scientific writings of his
time, which neither the Kalam nor the Jewish philosophical
tradition that preceded him had endorsed. Through a careful
analysis of these issues, this book seeks to contribute to the
understanding of the modes of thought adopted in The Guide of the
Perplexed, including the "philosophical theologian" model of
Maimonides' own design, and to the knowledge of its sources.
"This is a groundbreaking study, examining the theme of creation in
4 Ezra more thoroughly than has been done before. Moo reads the
text with an exceptional alertness to data relating to creation and
nature and notices details often overlooked." -- Edward Adams,
Journal for the Study of the New Testament This exegetical study of
creation and nature in 4 Ezra argues that this first-century Jewish
apocalypse's profound pessimism concerning humankind and the
present age is matched by a surprisingly robust belief in the
goodness of the created order. 4 Ezra presents the natural world as
standing with God over and against corrupt humankind, envisions
substantial elements of continuity between the ages, and hints that
those parts of the earth that remain unsullied by humankind still
stand witness to God's sovereignty, love and justice and even serve
as material pointers to the new creation. This study calls into
question the persistent assumption that apocalypticism and the
'apocalyptic eschatology' of the historical apocalypses in
particular necessarily entails a profound dualism. Emerging as it
does from an experience of historical disaster and unresolved
questions of theodicy, 4 Ezra especially is often considered an
apocalypse in which the doctrine of the two ages has been
radicalised to the extent that creation, history and life in this
world have lost their meaning or significance. The results of this
study, however, indicate that while 4 Ezra considers the world of
humankind to be corrupted and corrupting, in the natural world the
creator's sovereignty is not so obscured, and there his original
intentions for creation can still be perceived. This study provides
a fresh reading of 4 Ezra that takes seriously the book's unity and
coherence. Its conclusions suggest that it may be best to abandon
the label 'apocalyptic eschatology' given its potential to mast the
interesting complexities and mix of continuity and discontinuity
that attend the portrayal of creation, nature and hope in an
apocalypse like 4 Ezra.
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