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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy > Sacred texts > General
The purpose of this book is to re-examine those basic issues in the
study of Midrash which to some extent have been marginalised by
trends in scholarship and research. Irving Jacobs asks, for
example, whether the early rabbinic exegetes had a concept of
peshat, plain meaning, and, if so, what significance they attached
to it in their exposition of the biblical text. He enquires if the
selection of proemial and proof-texts was a random one, dependent
purely upon the art or whim of the preacher, or rather if
exegetical traditions linked certain pentateuchal themes with
specific sections of the Prophets (and particularly the
Hagiographa), which were acknowledged by preachers and audiences
alike. As Midrash in its original, pre-literary form, was a living
process involving both live preachers and live audiences in the
ancient synagogues of the Holy Land, to what extent, he asks, did
the latter influence the former in the development of their art and
skills?
Talmuda de-Eretz Israel: Archaeology and the Rabbis in Late Antique
Palestine brings together an international community of historians,
literature scholars and archaeologists to explore how the
integrated study of rabbinic texts and archaeology increases our
understanding of both types of evidence, and of the complex culture
which they together reflect. This volume reflects a growing
consensus that rabbinic culture was an "embodied" culture,
presenting a series of case studies that demonstrate the value of
archaeology for the contextualization of rabbinic literature. It
steers away from later twentieth-century trends, particularly in
North America, that stressed disjunction between archaeology and
rabbinic literature, and seeks a more holistic approach.
Lament, mourning, and the transmissibility of a tradition in the
aftermath of destruction are prominent themes in Jewish thought.
The corpus of lament literature, building upon and transforming the
biblical Book of Lamentations, provides a unique lens for thinking
about the relationships between destruction and renewal, mourning
and remembrance, loss and redemption, expression and the
inexpressible. This anthology features four texts by Gershom
Scholem on lament, translated here for the first time into English.
The volume also includes original essays by leading scholars, which
interpret Scholem's texts and situate them in relation to other
Weimar-era Jewish thinkers, including Walter Benjamin, Franz
Rosenzweig, Franz Kafka, and Paul Celan, who drew on the textual
traditions of lament to respond to the destruction and upheavals of
the early twentieth century. Also included are studies on the
textual tradition of lament in Judaism, from biblical, rabbinic,
and medieval lamentations to contemporary Yemenite women's laments.
This collection, unified by its strong thematic focus on lament,
shows the fruitfulness of studying contemporary and modern texts
alongside the traditional textual sources that informed them.
The Islamic prophet Muhammad initiated a theological program in
theocratic form. The Qur'an challenges Christians and Jews in many
ways and invites them to take a stance. This is why an explicitly
theological response is legitimate and necessary. This book draws
on current scholarly research on Islam and discusses the sources of
the Qur'an, the fundamental features of its relationship with
Judaism, and its perception of Jesus. This leads to a realistic
assessment of Islam and stimulates a renewed Christian
self-understanding. The fourth chapter presents the largely unknown
insights of the German-Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig and the
theologian Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI on Islam. They
provide an important perspective - beyond submission.
This book features detailed analysis of an ancient secret scroll
from the Middle East known as the Rivers Scroll or Diwan
Nahrawatha, providing valuable insight into the Gnostic Mandaean
religion. This important scroll offers a window of understanding
into the Mandaean tradition, with its intricate worldview, ritual
life, mysticism and esoteric qualities, as well as intriguing art.
The text of the Rivers Scroll and its artistic symbolism have never
before been properly analyzed and interpreted, and the significance
of the document has been lost in scholarship. This study includes
key segments translated into English for the first time and gives
the scroll the worthy place it deserves in the history of the
Mandaean tradition. It will be of interest to scholars of
Gnosticism, religious studies, archaeology and Semitic languages.
1) This is the first comprehensive book on Mauritian Hinduism. 2)
It contains a rich ethnographic study of the changing Mauritian
society. 3) This book will be of interest to departments of
religion, Hinduism, social anthropology, sociology, cultural
studies, diaspora studies, sociology of religion and African
studies.
1) This is the first comprehensive book on Mauritian Hinduism. 2)
It contains a rich ethnographic study of the changing Mauritian
society. 3) This book will be of interest to departments of
religion, Hinduism, social anthropology, sociology, cultural
studies, diaspora studies, sociology of religion and African
studies.
In Muslim countries, apostasy and blasphemy laws are defended on
the grounds that they are based on Islamic Shari'a and intended to
protect religion. But blasphemy and apostasy laws can be used both
to suppress thought and debate and to harass religious minorities,
both inside and outside Islam. This book - comprising contributions
from Muslim scholars, experts and activists - critically and
constructively engages with the theological, historical and legal
reasoning behind the most restrictive state laws around the world
to open up new ways of thinking. The book focuses on the struggle
within Muslim societies in Iran, Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia
where blasphemy and apostasy laws serve powerful groups to silence
dissent and stifle critical thought. The first part of the book
covers the development of the law in shifting historical
circumstances and surveys the interpretations of Qur'anic verses
that seem to affirm freedom of religion. The second part examines
the present politics and practices of prosecuting alleged
blasphemers and/or apostates in Muslim countries. The third part
looks to the future and where reforms of the law could be possible.
Debates on Islam and freedom of expression are often cast in
polarizing terms of rights versus religion, East versus West. This
volume avoids such approaches by bringing together a diverse group
of Muslim scholars and activists with the knowledge, commitment and
courage to contest repressive interpretations of religion and
provide a resource for reclaiming the human rights to freedom of
expression and belief.
1) The book critically analyses questions of gender and sexuality
in the medieval religious texts of Bengal. 2) It contains rich
archival resources to understand the projection of the goddess in
the text. 3) This book will be of interest to departments of South
Asian studies across UK.
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.
This book provides a comprehensive study on the proclamation of
Holy Scriptures as an enacted celebration, as well as its function
as a performance within sacralized theatrical spaces. Scripture is
integral to religious life within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,
and these traditions have venerated the reading of texts from an
appointed place as a sacred act. Thus, the study of how these
readings are conducted illuminates some vitally important aspects
of this widespread act of worship. Contributing to an underexplored
area of scholarship, the book offers an overview of scripture
reading in the three Abrahamic faiths and then focuses on where and
how the "Word of God" is presented within the Christian tradition.
It gathers and summarizes research on the origins of a defined
place for the proclamation of holy writings, giving a thorough
architectural analysis and interpretation of the various uses and
symbols related to these spaces over time. Finally, the listener is
considered with a phenomenological description of the place for
reading and its hermeneutical interpretation. The material in this
book uncovers the contemporary impact of a rich history of publicly
reading out scriptures. It will, therefore, be of great interest to
scholars of liturgical theology, religious studies, and ritual
studies.
In addition to three scrolls containing the Book of Joshua, the
Qumran caves brought to light five previously unknown texts
rewriting this book. These scrolls (4Q123, 4Q378, 4Q379, 4Q522,
5Q9), as well as a scroll from Masada (Mas 1039-211), are commonly
referred to as the Apocryphon of Joshua. While each of these
manuscripts has received some scholarly attention, no attempt has
yet been made to offer a detailed study of all these texts. The
present monograph fills this gap by providing improved editions of
the six scrolls, an up-to-date commentary and a detailed discussion
of the biblical exegesis embedded in each scroll. The analysis of
the texts is followed by a reassessment of the widely accepted view
considering 4Q123, 4Q378, 4Q379, 4Q522, 5Q9 and Mas 1039-211 as
copies of a single composition. Finally, the monograph attempts to
place the Qumran scrolls rewriting the Book of Joshua within the
wider context of Second Temple Jewish writings concerned with the
figure of Joshua.
This study examines the marital data preserved within the Arabic
genealogical works of the early ninth century CE in order to better
understand the tribal relationships of the pre-Islamic Quraysh (the
Arabic tribe to which Muhammad belonged). The research establishes
the accuracy of the Nasab Quraysh (Genealogy of the Quraysh) and
informs a more nuanced analysis of the politics of the Central
Hijaz into which Islam was born.
The Shoshinge is a gatha of particular importance from The
Kyogyoshinso by Shinran (1173-1262). Living in Nenbutsu is a
translation of, and commentary on the Shoshinge, which means Hymn
on the Right Faith in Nenbutsu. In the teaching of Pure Land
Buddhism, the term is usually understood as a particular 'practice'
by virtue of which we attain birth in the Pure Land and ultimately
the 'realisation' of Supreme Enlightenment. The Shin Buddhist
notion of Nenbutsu, however, is something entirely different. In
Shin Buddhism the Nenbutsu is actually seen as the working of Amida
Buddha's great love and compassion, his call to all of us sentient
beings to come to him just as we are without any reservation. This
new translation and commentary will explore the Shoshinge in all
its depth and meaning.
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.
Indian art, increasingly popular in the west, cannot be fully
appreciated without some knowledge of the religious and
philosophical background. This book, first published in 1985,
covers all aspects of Hindu iconography, and explains that its
roots lie far back in the style of prehistoric art. The dictionary
demonstrates the rich profusion of cults, divinities, symbols,
sects and philosophical views encompassed by the Hindu religious
tradition.
This volume explores the relationship between the Qur'an and the
Jewish and Christian traditions, considering aspects of continuity
and reform. The chapters examine the Qur'an's retelling of biblical
narratives, as well as its reaction to a wide array of topics that
mark Late Antique religious discourse, including eschatology and
ritual purity, prophetology and paganism, and heresiology and
Christology. Twelve emerging and established scholars explore the
many ways in which the Qur'an updates, transforms, and challenges
religious practice, beliefs, and narratives that Late Antique Jews
and Christians had developed in dialogue with the Bible. The volume
establishes the Qur'an's often unique perspective alongside its
surprising continuity with Judaism and Christianity. Chapters focus
on individual suras and on intra-Qur'anic parallels, on the
Qur'an's relationship to pre-Islamic Arabian culture, on its
intertextuality and its literary intricacy, and on its legal and
moral framework. It illustrates a move away from the problematic
paradigm of cultural influence and instead emphasizes the Qur'an's
attempt to reform the religious landscape of its time. The Qur'an's
Reformation of Judaism and Christianity offers new insight into the
Islamic Scripture as a whole and into recent methodological
developments, providing a compelling snapshot of the burgeoning
field of Qur'anic studies. It is a key resource for students and
scholars interested in religion, Islam, and Middle Eastern Studies.
Zvi Mark uncovers previously unknown and never-before-discussed
aspects of Rabbi Nachman's personal spiritual world. The first
section of the book, Revelation, explores Rabbi Nachman's spiritual
revelations, personal trials and spiritual experiments. Among the
topics discussed is the powerful "Story of the Bread," wherein
Rabbi Nachman receives the Torah as did Moses on Mount Sinai - a
story that was kept secret for 200 years. The second section of the
book, Rectification, is dedicated to the rituals of rectification
that Rabbi Nachman established. These are, principally, the
universal rectification, the rectification for a nocturnal emission
and the rectification to be performed during pilgrimage to his
grave. In this context, the secret story, "The Story of the Armor,"
is discussed. The book ends with a colorful description of Bratzlav
Hasidism in the 21st century.
Gender in the Book of Ben Sira is a semantic analysis and, also, an
investigation of hermeneutical pathways for performing such an
analysis. A comparison of possible Greek and Hebrew gender
taxonomies precedes the extensive delineation of the
target-category, gender. The delineation includes invisible
influences in the Book of Ben Sira such as the author's choices of
genre and his situation as a member of a colonized group within a
Hellenistic empire. When the Book of Ben Sira's genre-constrained
invectives against women and male fools are excluded, the remaining
expectations for women and for men are mostly equivalent, in terms
of a pious life lived according to Torah. However, Ben Sira says
nothing about distinctions at the level of how "living according to
Torah" would differ for the two groups. His book presents an Edenic
ideal of marriage through allusions to Genesis 1 to 4, and a
substantial overlap of erotic discourse for the female figures of
Wisdom and the "intelligent wife" creates tropes similar to those
of the Song of Songs. In addition, Ben Sira's colonial status
affects what he says and how he says it; by writing in Hebrew, he
could craft the Greek genres of encomium and invective to carry
multiple levels of meaning that subvert Hellenistic/Greek claims to
cultural superiority.
In this book, Charles B. Jones provides the first English language
translation of one of the most important texts of modern Chinese
Buddhism: monk-reformer Taixu's 'On the Establishment of the Pure
Land in the Human Realm'. The essay, written in 1926 as part of
Taixu's attempt to revive Chinese Buddhism with a Humanistic
Buddhist approach, incorporates Western thought into a
reconstruction of the idea of the 'Pure Land in the human realm'.
In his commentary on the text, Jones argues that it has been widely
misunderstood and mischaracterized. Jones demonstrates that,
besides laying out the very modern idea of the Pure Land in the
human realm as a slogan for Buddhist engagement with the problems
of the modern world, the essay does not, as commonly assumed,
discourage practices leading to rebirth in the Pure Land. He also
shows that the 'human realm' can mean anywhere in Buddhist
cosmology that humans reside, and that the essay's attempts to
reconcile Buddhism with modern science is tentative and incomplete.
Jones reveals that the essay promotes visions of both paradises and
utopias, and that Taixu supports his ideas with many lengthy sutra
quotations. The book concludes with an examination of how Taixu's
followers developed the idea of the Pure Land in the human realm
into a more coherent and modernized ideal.
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