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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy > Sacred texts > General
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.
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Daodejing
(Paperback)
Lao zi; Translated by Martyn Crucefix
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R293
Discovery Miles 2 930
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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"so both thrive both discovering bliss-real power is female it
rises from beneath" These 81 brief poems from the 5th century BCE
make up a foundational text in world culture. In elegant, simple
yet elusive language, the Daodejing develops its vision of
humankind's place in the world in personal, moral, social,
political and cosmic terms. Martyn Crucefix's superb new versions
in English reflect - for the very first time - the radical fluidity
of the original Chinese texts as well as placing the mysterious
'dark' feminine power at their heart. Laozi, the putative author,
is said to have despaired of the world's venality and corruption,
but he was persuaded to leave the Daodejing poems as a parting
gift, as inspiration and as a moral and political handbook.
Crucefix's versions reveal an astonishing empathy with what the
poems have to say about good and evil, war and peace, government,
language, poetry and the pedagogic process. When the true teacher
emerges, no matter how detached, unimpressive, even muddled she may
appear, Laozi assures us "there are treasures beneath".
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 textbook not only provides a historical overview of this
religious tradition but also focuses on Hinduism in American
society today. Making this a very comprehensive overview of the
subject areas. Each chapter includes a helpful pedagogy including a
general overview, case studies, suggestions for further reading,
questions for discussion, and a glossary. Making this the ideal
textbook for students approaching the topic for the first time. The
use of case studies and first person narratives provides a much
needed 'lived religion' approach to the subject area. Helping
students to apply their learning to the world around them.
The Mahabharata has been explored extensively as a work of
mythology, epic poetry, and religious literature, but the text's
philosophical dimensions have largely been under-appreciated by
Western scholars. This book explores the philosophical implications
of the Mahabharata by paying attention to the centrality of
dialogue, both as the text's prevailing literary expression and its
organising structure. Focusing on five sets of dialogues about
controversial moral problems in the central story, this book shows
that philosophical deliberation is an integral part of the
narrative. Black argues that by paying attention to how characters
make arguments and how dialogues unfold, we can better appreciate
the Mahabharata's philosophical significance and its potential
contribution to debates in comparative philosophy today. This is a
fresh perspective on the Mahabharata that will be of great interest
to any scholar working in religious studies, Indian/South Asian
religions, comparative philosophy, and world literature.
Originally published in 1966, this was the first of Muhammad
'Abduh's works to be translated into English. Risalat al Tauhid
represents the most popular of his discussion of Islamic thought
and belief. 'Abduh is still quoted and revered as the father of
20th Century Muslim thinking in the Arab world and his mind, here
accessible, constituted both courageous and strenuous leadership in
his day. All the concerns and claims of successive exponents of
duty and meaning of the mosque in the modern world may be sensed in
these pages. The world and Islam have moved on since 'Abduh's
lifetime, but he remains a source for the historian of contemporary
movements and a valuable index to the self-awareness of Arab Islam.
What is so unique about Islam's scripture, the Quran? Who wrote it,
and when? Can we trust its statements to be from Muhammad? Why was
it written in Arabic? Does it command Muslims to fight Christians?
These are a few of the thirty questions answered in this clear and
concise guide to the history and contents of the Quran. Ayman
Ibrahim grew up in the Muslim world and has spent many years
teaching various courses on Islam. Using a question-and-answer
format, Ibrahim covers critical questions about the most sacred
book for Muslims. He examines Muslim and non-Muslim views
concerning the Quran, shows how the Quran is used in contemporary
expressions of Islam, answers many of the key questions non-Muslims
have about the Quran and Islam, and reveals the importance of
understanding the Quran for Christian-Muslim and Jewish-Muslim
interfaith relations. This introductory guide is written for anyone
with little to no knowledge of Islam who wants to learn about
Muslims, their beliefs, and their scripture.
Originally published in 1956, this book brings together from the
canonical writings of Buddhism, Islam and Christianity the most
important of the passages in which the view of the Founder is
reflected. It aims to let each of the sacred traditions tell its
own story and only such comments have been added as seem necessary
to bring out the full significance of the passage quoted. The final
chapter summarizes some of the difficult questions which arise from
a comparison of the extracts from the 3 traditions.
Originally published in 1953, The Hebrew Prophets' conception of
the meaning and purpose of human history has considerable
significance for a religious view of the world situation in the
middle of the 20th Century. This book discusses the nature of the
Hebrew prophets and the grounds for their claim to inspiration. He
then examines the fundamental and universal religious ideas
underlying their pronouncements. Particular attention is paid to
their views on the basis of human morals, the character of the good
society, the duties of government and the relation between religion
and politics. Other chapters deal with their ideas of true religion
and of the relation of God to human life.
Originally published in 1955, and containing some 500 passages,
this Biblical anthology brings together, in their original wording,
the highest expressions of the Biblical view of life. The anthology
is non-historical and non-doctrinal. It starts with the
confrontations of man with God as seen in the 'calls' of the
prophets, and proceeds to the ways of life demanded of man and the
duties accompanying the privilege of vocation. It ends with the
visions of the ideal society which in times of trial the author
believes have sustained the mind. When this was first published,
the anthology used often forgotten texts, and in so doing
stimulated much attention to these enduring religious documents.
About Carole Satyamurti's translation "Carole Satyamurti's version
of the Mahabharata moves swiftly and powerfully. She has found a
voice that's capable of a wide variety of expression, and a
line--basically classical English blank verse with a jazz-like
freedom to swing--that propels the reader effortlessly onward
through the cosmic, terrifying, erotic, sublime events of this
extraordinary work. I think I shall never get tired of it."
--PHILIP PULLMAN, author of The Golden Compass
Originally published in 1973, this volume consists of a sequence of
essays in religious thinking, responsive to the impact of Quranic
style and emphasis. It traces the implications of the Qur'an in the
related fields of man and history, evil and forgiveness, unity and
worship, wonder and the hallowing of the world. It does so with a
critical eye for the classical commentators, three of whom are
translated here in their exegesis of three important Surahs. The
underlying emphasis of this book is inter-religious converse and
responsibility in the contemporary world.
Shoah and Torah systematically takes up the task of reading the
Shoah through the lens of the Torah and the Torah through the lens
of the Shoah.The investigation rests upon (1) the metaphysical
standing that the Nazis ascribed to the Torah, (2) the obliteration
of the Torah in the extermination of the Jews, (3) the significance
of the Torah for an understanding of the Shoah, and (4) the
significance of the Shoah for an understanding of the Torah.The
basis for the inquiry lies not in the content of a certain belief
but in the categories of a certain mode of thought. Distinct from
all other studies, this book is grounded in the categories of
Jewish thought and Judaism-the categories of creation, revelation,
and redemption-that the Nazis sought to obliterate in the
Shoah.Thus, the investigation is itself a response to the Nazi
project of the extermination of the Jews and the millennial
testimony of the Jews to the Torah.
This book explores the early Jewish understanding of divine
knowledge as divine presence, which is embodied in major biblical
exemplars, such as Adam, Enoch, Jacob, and Moses. The study treats
the concept of divine knowledge as the embodied divine presence in
its full historical and interpretive complexity by tracing the
theme through a broad variety of ancient Near Eastern and Jewish
sources, including Mesopotamian traditions of cultic statues,
creational narratives of the Hebrew Bible, and later Jewish
mystical testimonies. Orlov demonstrates that some biblical and
pseudepigraphical accounts postulate that the theophany expresses
the unique, corporeal nature of the deity that cannot be fully
grasped or conveyed in some other non-corporeal symbolism, medium,
or language. The divine presence requires another presence in order
to be transmitted. To be communicated properly and in its full
measure, the divine iconic knowledge must be "written" on a new
living "body" which can hold the ineffable presence of God through
a newly acquired ontology. Embodiment of Divine Knowledge in Early
Judaism will provide an invaluable research to students and
scholars in a wide range of areas within Jewish, Near Eastern, and
Biblical Studies, as well as those studying religious elements of
anthropology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and gender
studies. Through the study of Jewish mediatorial figures, this book
also elucidates the roots of early Christological developments,
making it attractive to Christian audiences.
Considers the three main conceptions of Quran Comprehensive in
scope Brings both established scholars and newer voices to the
discussion
The book investigates modern Qur'an commentaries in South Asia and
engages with how Muslim scholars have imagined and assessed their
past intellectual heritage. The research is focused on British
India from the time of the Mutiny of 1857 to the moment of the
Partition of united India in 1947. Offering critical scrutiny of
Muslim exegesis of the Qur'an in North India, the study especially
focuses on the Qur'anic thought of Sayyid Ahmed Khan (d. 1989),
Ashraf Ali Thanawi (d. 1943), and Hamid al-Din Farahi (d. 1930).
The volume challenges widespread assumptions of an all-pervasive
reform and revivalism underlying the academic study of Islam.
Instead of looking for Muslim revivalism and reform as
epistemological foundations, it stresses the study of modern Qur'an
commentaries, in particular local and cosmopolitan contexts.
Departing from the oft-repeated explanations of Muslim scholarship
and modern Islam through the lens of traditionalism and modernism,
it discovers how Muslim scholars viewed themselves in relation to
the Islamic tradition, and how they imagined and assessed their
past intellectual heritage. Studying the history of the
interpretation of the Qur'an in the multiple contexts of nineteenth
and early twentieth-century British India, the book will be of
interest to readers of Qur'anic studies, modern Islam and South
Asian studies.
Jeremiah in History and Tradition examines aspects of the Book of
Jeremiah from a variety of perspectives including historical,
textual, redaction, and feminist criticism, as well as the history
of its reception. The book looks afresh at the Book of Jeremiah
through the lens of intertextuality and reception history in the
broadest sense, exploring Jeremiah in its historical context as
well as the later history and interpretation of the text, and also
reconsidering aspects of the Book of Jeremiah's traditions. This
volume features essays from a unique assembly of scholars, both
seasoned and new. It is divided into two parts: "Jeremiah in
History", which explores a variety of readings of Jeremiah from the
point of view of classical historical criticism; and "Jeremiah in
Tradition", which discusses the portraits and use of both the book
and the figure of Jeremiah in extra-biblical traditions. Offering
challenging new theories, Jeremiah in History and Tradition is
invaluable to scholars and students in the field of Biblical
Studies. It is a useful resource for anyone working on the
interpretation of the biblical text and the readings of the text of
Jeremiah throughout history.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew
Congregations of the Commonwealth in the United Kingdom offers a
refreshing and insightful commentary to the Koren Haggada, together
with illuminating essays on the themes and motifs of the Festival
of Freedom. Sensitively translated, the traditional texts are
carefully balanced alongside the Chief Rabbi's contemporary ideas,
in a modern and user-friendly design. With new interpretations and
in-depth analyses of the Passover liturgy and ritual, Rabbi Sacks'
style is engaging, intelligent at times daring in its innovation
and always inspiring. With essay titles as diverse as Pesah, Freud
and Jewish Identity and Pesah and the Rebirth of Israel, as well as
explorations of the role of women in the exodus, and the philosophy
of leadership and nation-building, the Chief Rabbi's Haggada is a
thought-provoking and essential companion at the Seder table.
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.
This book examines an undertheorized topic in the study of religion
and sacred texts: the figure of the neighbor. By analyzing and
comparing this figure in Jewish, Christian and Islamic texts and
receptions, the chapters explore a conceptual shift from "Children
of Abraham" to "Ambiguous Neighbors." Through a variety of case
studies using diverse methods and material, chapters explore the
neighbor in these neighboring texts and traditions. The figure of
the neighbor seems like an innocent topic at the surface. It is an
everyday phenomenon, that everyone have knowledge about and
experiences with. Still, analytically, it has a rich and innovative
potential. Recent interdisciplinary research employs this figure to
address issues of cultural diversity, gender, migration, ethnic
relationships, war and peace, environmental challenges and
urbanization. The neighbor represents the borderline between
insider and outsider, friend and enemy, us and them. This ambiguous
status makes the neighbor particularly interesting as an entry
point into issues of cultural complexity, self-definition and
identity. This volume brings all the intersections of religion,
ethnicity, gender, and socio-cultural diversity into the same
neighborhood, paying attention to sacred texts, receptions and
contemporary communities. The Ambiguous Figure of the Neighbor in
Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Texts and Receptions offers a
fascinating study of the intersections between Jewish, Christian
and Islamic text, and will be of interest to anyone working on
these traditions.
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