|
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy > Sacred texts > General
This book focuses on the expressions used to describe Job's body in
pain and on the reactions of his friends to explore the moral and
social world reflected in the language and the values that their
speeches betray. A key contribution of this monograph is to
highlight how the perspective of illness as retribution is
powerfully refuted in Job's speeches and, in particular, to show
how this is achieved through comedy. Comedy in Job is a powerful
weapon used to expose and ridicule the idea of retribution.
Rejecting the approach of retrospective diagnosis, this monograph
carefully analyses the expression of pain in Job focusing
specifically on somatic language used in the deity attack
metaphors, in the deity surveillance metaphors and in the language
connected to the body and social status. These metaphors are
analysed in a comparative way using research from medical
anthropology and sociology which focuses on illness narratives and
expressions of pain. Job's Body and the Dramatised Comedy of
Moralising will be of interest to anyone working on the Book of
Job, as well as those with an interest in suffering and pain in the
Hebrew Bible more broadly.
Popol Vuh, the Quiché Mayan book of creation, is not only the most important text in the native languages of the Americas, it is also an extraordinary document of the human imagination. It begins with the deeds of Mayan gods in the darkness of a primeval sea and ends with the radiant splendor of the Mayan lords who founded the Quiché kingdom in the Guatemalan highlands. Originally written in Mayan hieroglyphs, it was transcribed into the Roman alphabet in the sixteenth century. This new edition of Dennis Tedlock's unabridged, widely praised translation includes new notes and commentary, newly translated passages, newly deciphered hieroglyphs, and over forty new illustrations.
As the world becomes increasingly globalised Islam faces some
important choices. Does it seek to "modernise" in line with the
cultures in which it is practised, or does it retain its traditions
even if they are at odds with the surrounding society? This book
utilizes a critical rationalist viewpoint to illuminate many of the
hotly contended issues in modern Islam, and to offer a fresh
analysis. A variety of issues within Islam are discussed in this
book including, Muslims and modernity; Islam, Christianity and
Judaism; approaches to the understanding of the Quran; Muslim
identity and civil society; doctrinal certainty and violent
radicalism. In each case, the author makes use of Karl Popper's
theory of critical rationalism to uncover new aspects of these
issues and to challenge post-modern, relativist, literalist and
justificationist readings of Islam. This is a unique perspective on
contemporary Islam and as such will be of significant interest to
scholars of Religious Studies, Islamic Studies and the Philosophy
of Religion.
In the current political and social climate, there is increasing
demand for a deeper understanding of Muslims, the Qur'an and Islam,
as well as a keen demand among Muslim scholars to explore ways of
engaging with Christians theologically, culturally, and socially.
This book explores the ways in which an awareness of Islam and the
Qur'an can change the way in which the Bible is read. The
contributors come from both Muslim and Christian backgrounds, bring
various levels of commitment to the Qur'an and the Bible as
Scripture, and often have significantly different perspectives. The
first section of the book contains chapters that compare the report
of an event in the Bible with a report of the same event in the
Qur'an. The second section addresses Muslim readings of the Bible
and biblical tradition and looks at how Muslims might regard the
Bible - Can they recognise it as Scripture? If so, what does that
mean, and how does it relate to the Qur'an as Scripture? Similarly,
how might Christian readers regard the Qur'an? The final section
explores different analogies for understanding the Bible in
relation to the Qur'an. The book concludes with a reflection upon
the particular challenges that await Muslim scholars who seek to
respond to Jewish and Christian understandings of the Jewish and
Christian scriptures. A pioneering venture into intertextual
reading, this book has important implications for relationships
between Christians and Muslims. It will be of significant value to
scholars of both Biblical and Qur'anic Studies, as well as any
Muslim seeking to deepen their understanding of the Bible, and any
Christian looking to transform the way in which they read the
Bible.
This book sets out how contemporary Iranian scholars have
approached the Qur'an during recent decades. It particularly aims
to explore the contributions of scholars that have emerged in the
post 1979-revolution era, outlining their primary interpretive
methods and foundational theories regarding the reading of the
Qur'an. Examining issues such as the status of women, democracy,
freedom of religion and human rights, this book analyses the
theoretical contributions of several Iranian scholars, some of
which are new to the English-speaking academy. The hermeneutical
approaches of figures such Abdolkarim Soroush, Muhammad Mojtahed
Shabestari, Mohsen Kadivar, Hasan Yousefi-Eshkevari, Abolqasem
Fanaie and Mostafa Malekian are presented and then analysed to
demonstrate how a contextualist approach to the Qu'ran has been
formed in response to the influence of Western Orientalism. The
effect of this approach to the Qu'ran is then shown to have
wide-ranging effects on Iranian society. This study reveals
Qu'ranic thought that has been largely overlooked by the West. It
will, therefore. Be of great use to academics in Religious, Islamic
and Qur'anic studies as well as those studying the culture of Iran
and the Middle East more generally.
Spurred by a curiosity about Daf Yomi-a study program launched in
the 1920s in which Jews around the world read one page of the
Talmud every day for 2,711 days, or about seven and a half
years-Adam Kirsch approached Tablet magazine to write a weekly
column about his own Daf Yomi experience. An avowedly secular Jew,
Kirsch did not have a religious source for his interest in the
Talmud; rather, as a student of Jewish literature and history, he
came to realize that he couldn't fully explore these subjects
without some knowledge of the Talmud. This book is perfect for
readers who are in a similar position. Most people have little
sense of what the Talmud actually is-how the text moves, its
preoccupations and insights, and its moments of strangeness and
profundity. As a critic and journalist Kirsch has experience in
exploring difficult texts, discussing what he finds there, and why
it matters. His exploration into the Talmud is best described as a
kind of travel writing-a report on what he saw during his
seven-and-a-half-year journey through the Talmud. For readers who
want to travel that same path, there is no better guide.
What is the Bhagavad-Gita? Is it just a religious text? When was it
composed? How relevant is it to the modern world? This book answers
these foundational questions and goes beyond. It critically
examines the Bhagavad-Gita in terms of its liberal, humanist and
inclusive appeal, bringing out its significance for the present
times and novel applicati
The largely Arabo-centric approach to the academic study of tafsir
has resulted in a lack of literature exploring the diversity of
Qur'anic interpretation in other areas of the Muslim-majority
world. The essays in The Qur'an in the Malay-Indonesian World
resolve this, aiming to expand our knowledge of tafsir and its
history in the Malay-Indonesian world. Highlighting the scope of
Qur'anic interpretation in the Malay world in its various
vernaculars, it also contextualizes this work to reveal its place
as part of the wider Islamic world, especially through its
connections to the Arab world, and demonstrates the strength of
these connections. The volume is divided into three parts written
primarily by scholars from Malaysia and Indonesia. Beginning with a
historical overview, it then moves into chapters with a more
specifically regional focus to conclude with a thematic approach by
looking at topics of some controversy in the broader world.
Presenting new examinations of an under-researched topic, this book
will be of interest to students and scholars of Islamic studies and
Southeast Asian studies.
This book, first published in 1962, is an analysis of the history
of the philosophy of a country that has never distinguished
philosophy from religion. Indian philosophy is not merely
metaphysical speculation, but has its foundation in immediate
perception. This insistence upon immediate perception rather than
abstract reasoning is what distinguishes the Indian philosophy of
religion from philosophy as Western nations know it.
'Hinduism' is a term often used to summarize the aspirations of the
majority of the Indian people. But any simple definition of it is
difficult, if not impossible. This is partly owing to the nuances
of the Sanskrit language, in which many texts are written, and
partly to the too literal interpretation of Hindu imagery and
mythology that often veils its real significance. This book, first
published in 1977, is an essential reference source that goes some
way to clarifying the difficulties of understanding Hinduism.
|
|