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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy > Sacred texts > General
The Qur'an's biblical foregrounds have long formed a controversial
concern within Qur'anic Studies, with field-leading scholars
debating the Muslim scripture's complex relationship and response
to the Judeo-Christian canon. This contentious subject has largely
overshadowed, however, a reciprocal, yet no less rich, question
which motivates the present study. Rather than read the Muslim
scripture in light of its biblical antecedents, The Qur'an &
Kerygma adopts the inverse approach, situating the Qur'an as itself
the formative foreground to Western literary innovation and
biblical exegesis, stretching from late antiquity in the 9th
century to postmodernity in the 20th. The book argues, in
particular, that Qur'anic readings and renditions have provoked and
paralleled key developments in the Christian canon and its
critique, catalyzing pivotal acts of authorship and interpretation
which have creatively contoured the language and legacy of biblical
kerygma. Structured chronologically, the study's span of more than
a millennium is sustained by its specific concentration on four
case studies selected from representative areas and eras, exploring
innovative translations and interpretations of the Qur'an authored
by Christian literati from 9th-century Andalucia to 20th-century
North America. Mirroring its subject matter, the book engages a
literary critical approach, offering close-readings of targeted
texts frequently neglected and never before synthesized in a single
study, highlighting the stylistic, as well as spiritual, influence
on Western authors exercised by Islamic writ.
If you have found the study of Talmud daunting, Swimming in the Sea
of Talmud is a perfect jumping off point for this central body of
rabbinic literature; it helps apply the Talmud's lessons to the
issues and conflicts of modern life, including business ethics,
sexuality, family dynamics, and their connections to a satisfying
and meaningful life.
This is a NEW (2010) easy-to-read translation by ancient languages
scholar Dr. A. Nyland and is NOT one of the many Public Domain
translations of Enoch NOR IS IT A REWORDED PUBLIC DOMAIN VERSION of
Enoch. Great advances which have been made in ancient word meaning
in the last twenty years were unknown to the translators of the
public domain versions of the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. There are copious background notes and cross references.
This book is an easy to read translation with cross references and
notes. Ideal for those interested in Theosophy Despite the current
trend for non-translators to reproduce public domain versions (both
as is and disguised by slight rewording) as a commercial venture,
be aware that such public domain versions do not take advantage of
recent scholarship. This new translation by Dr. A. Nyland contains
all three books of Enoch: 1 Enoch (Also called The Ethiopic Book of
Enoch) 2 Enoch (Also called The Slavonic Book of Enoch, The Secrets
of Enoch). This volume contains the extended version of 2 Enoch,
The Exaltation of Melchizedek. 3 Enoch (Also called The Hebrew Book
of Enoch) Note that this is Dr. Nyland's translation and NOT a
public domain work. 1 Enoch tells of the Watchers, a class of
angel, who taught humans weapons, spell potions, root cuttings,
astrology, astronomy, and alchemies. The Watchers also slept with
human women and produced the Nephilim. For this, they were
imprisoned and cast into Tartarus. This is also mentioned in the
New Testament. In 2 Enoch, two angels take Enoch through the 7
heavens. This volume contains the extended version of 2 Enoch, The
Exaltation of Melchizedek. In 3 Enoch, Enoch ascends to heaven and
is transformed into the angel Metatron. This is about the Merkabah
and is of interest to Kabbalists. People interested in Theosophy
and Rosicrucianism will find this book invaluable. Dr. A. Nyland is
an ancient language scholar and lexicographer who served as Faculty
at the University of New England, Australia. Dr. Nyland is also the
translator of "The Book of Jubilees," and "The Gospel of Thomas,"
among others. She is also the author of the Amy Stuart Mystery
series.
The Book of Jasher covers the Mosaic period of the Bible presented
in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua in greater
detail and with explanations not found in the present Old Testament
Documents. This apocryphal book of the Bible has been considered by
some to be the original beginning to the Bible and is referenced in
both the Book of Joshua and the Second Book of Samuel. Is not this
written in the Book of Jasher?-Joshua, X. 13. Behold it is written
in the Book of Jasher.-II. Samuel, I. 18
One of the most popular Asian classics for roughly two thousand
years, the Vimalakirti Sutra stands out among the sacred texts of
Mahayana Buddhism for its conciseness, its vivid and humorous
episodes, its dramatic narratives, and its eloquent exposition of
the key doctrine of emptiness or nondualism. Unlike most sutras,
its central figure is not a Buddha but a wealthy townsman, who, in
his mastery of doctrine and religious practice, epitomizes the
ideal lay believer. For this reason, the sutra has held particular
significance for men and women of the laity in Buddhist countries
of Asia, assuring them that they can reach levels of spiritual
attainment fully comparable to those accessible to monks and nuns
of the monastic order.
Esteemed translator Burton Watson has rendered a beautiful
English translation from the popular Chinese version produced in
406 C.E. by the Central Asian scholar-monk Kumarajiva, which is
widely acknowledged to be the most felicitous of the various
Chinese translations of the sutra (the Sanskrit original of which
was lost long ago) and is the form in which it has had the greatest
influence in China, Japan, and other countries of East Asia.
Watson's illuminating introduction discusses the background of the
sutra, its place in the development of Buddhist thought, and the
profundities of its principal doctrine: emptiness.
Genesis: The Beginning of Desire breathes new life into the stories
of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Esau,
Rachel, and Joseph. Zornberg brings biblical, midrashic, and
literary sources together, weaving them into a seamless tapestry
and illuminating the tensions that grip human beings as they search
for and encounter God. The author's vibrant spirit, charming
personality, and infectious enthusiasm for the Bible draw the
reader into the search for meaning.
2010 Reprint of 1908 edition. The Gita is a small but much loved
part of the vast Hindu epic the Mahabarata, a poetic chronicle
about two warring groups of cousins. The title means Celestial Song
or Song of the Lord. This is a perfect self-help book because it is
not scholarly or academic, but remains a source of the most
profound wisdom, offering a path to steadiness of mind and joy in
one's work that could not be more relevant amid the speed and
pressure of life in the 21st century. This translation is by Edwin
Arnold, noted scholar and translator
In Understanding the Talmud: A Modern Reader's Guide for Study,
Rabbi Edward S. Boraz presents a thoughtful introduction to the
Talmud designed for study by the untrained reader. Using a unique
approach, Rabbi Boraz focuses on a specific selection from one
tractate of the Talmud, allowing readers to uncover the moral and
theological concerns of the text. The portion he has selected comes
from the tractate Bava Metziah and deals with the conditions under
which an oath may be administered in a civil lawsuit. On the
surface this issue appears mundane and far removed from the domain
of holiness. However, when the discourse is studied in relation to
passages from Scripture, Midrash, and Mishnah that are also
presented, it becomes a spiritual and ethical adventure. Before
embarking on this journey of discovery, the reader is given a
concise explanation of the rules of logic and the argumentative
style utilized in the Talmud. It becomes evident that the Talmud's
style is essential to its mission to understand the timeless
messages of Torah in the context of the ever-changing world in
which we live. Equipped with the necessary background, the reader
is prepared to delve into the texts.
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Ganesh Puja
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Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Shree Maa
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2009 reprint of 1939 edition. The Reverend Justinas Pranaitis
(1861-1917) was a Lithuanian Catholic priest, Russian Master of
Theology and Professor of the Hebrew Language at the Imperial
Ecclesiastical Academy of the Roman Catholic Church in Saint
Petersburg, Russia. He published The Talmud Unmasked as an
anti-Semitic tract called Christianus in Talmude Iudaeorum in Latin
in 1892 under the imprimatur of the Archbishop Metropolitan of
Mogilev. This tract was subsequently translated into Polish (1892),
French (1892), German (1894), Russian (1911), Lithuanian (1912),
Italian (1939), English (1939) and Spanish. In 1912, Pranaitis was
called to testify as an expert witness in Jewish hatred of
Christians in the famous case of Menahem Mendel Beilis. During the
course of that trial his credibility rapidly evaporated, however,
when the defense demonstrated his ignorance of some simple Talmudic
concepts and definitions, such as hullin, to the point where many
in the audience occasionally laughed out loud when he clearly
became confused and couldn't even intelligibly answer some of the
questions asked by my lawyer. According to accounts of the trial,
"cross-examination of Pranaitis has weakened evidentiary value of
his expert opinion, exposing lack of knowledge of texts,
insufficient knowledge of Jewish literature. Because of amateurish
knowledge and lack of resourcefulness, Pranaitis' expert opinion is
of very low value." The significance of The Talmud Unmasked is as
an influential anti-Semitic tract written from a Catholic
perspective.
This is a very detailed commentary on the meaning of each stanza
comprising Arya Nagarjuna's Bodhisambhara Shastra ("Treatise on the
Provisions for Enlightenment") wherein Nagarjuna explains the
essential prerequisites for achieving the enlightenment of a buddha
and explains as well the most important practices to be undertaken
by bodhisattvas. This is the only extant commentary on one of the
most important works of Arya Nagarjuna, the 2nd century Indian monk
who figured most importantly in articulating the terrains of the
Bodhisattva Path. This commentary was composed by the early Indian
monk, Bhikshu Vasitva, sometime in the middle or first half of the
first millennium. Translation and clarifying notes are by the
American monk, Bhikshu Dharmamitra. This volume includes
facing-page source text in both traditional and simplified scripts.
This is a treatise on the meaning of "The Sutra on Generating the
Resolve to Become a Buddha." It was written by the famous early
Indian shastra master and bodhisattva, Shramana Vasubandhu (ca 300
ce). In this text, Vasubandhu discourses on the causality behind
the origination of the bodhisattva vow (bodhicitta) and on each of
the six perfections through which that vow reaches its fruition in
buddhahood. This volume includes facing-page source text in both
traditional and simplified scripts, variant-readings from other
editions, and translator's notes. The translation is by the
American monk, Bhikshu Dharmamitra, a translator of numerous
important classic Buddhist works.
This is The Bodhisambhara Shastra ("Treatise on the Provisions for
Enlightenment"), written by Arya Nagarjuna, the early Indian monk
(ca 2nd c.) who is one of the most famous figures in the history of
Indian Mahayana Buddhism. This work describes the essential
prerequisites for achieving the complete enlightenment of a buddha
while also describing the most important practices to be undertaken
by bodhisattvas. The text is accompanied here by an abridged
version of its only commentary, originally written by the early
Indian Bhikshu Vasitva, a monk who lived sometime in the middle or
first half of the first millennium. This volume includes
facing-page source text for the stanzas in both traditional and
simplified scripts. Abridgement, notes, and translation by the
American monk, Bhikshu Dharmamitra.
This is Tripitaka Master Paramartha's earliest (ca 550 ce) complete
edition of The Ratnavali, one of Arya Nagarjuna's most important
works. In its five 100-verse chapters, Nagarjuna presents both
abstruse teachings and practical advice to lay and monastic
practitioners while also describing in considerable detail the
short-term and long-term terrains of the Bodhisattva Path. This
very early edition is particularly useful in shedding light on
difficult passages in the much-later Tibetan "revised translation"
edition, the only other complete edition of this work. Translation
by the American monk, Bhikshu Dharmamitra. This volume includes
facing-page source text in both traditional and simplified scripts.
In this volume, Bhikshu Dharmamitra presents translations of three
classic works on the bodhisattva vow (bodhicitta) authored by: The
early Indian monastic eminence, Arya Nagarjuna (2nd c.); The Dhyana
Master and Pureland Patriarch, Sheng'an Shixian (1686-1734); The
Tang Dynasty literatus and prime minister, the Honorable Peixiu
(797-870). Given that the bodhisattva vow constitutes the very
essence of the path to buddhahood, this text can be said to be
dedicated to the most important topic in all of Mahayana Buddhism.
The translation and notes are by the American monk, Bhikshu
Dharmamitra. This volume includes text outlines and facing-page
source text in both traditional and simplified scripts.
Sefer ha-Zohar (The Book of Radiance) has captivated readers ever
since it emerged in Spain over seven hundred years ago. Written in
a lyrical Aramaic, the Zohar, a masterpiece of Kabbalah, features
mystical interpretation of the Torah, rabbinic tradition, and
Jewish practice. Volume 11 comprises a collection of different
genres within the Zoharic library. The fragmentary Midrash
ha-Ne'lam on Song of Songs opens with its treatment of mystical
kissing. Highlights of Midrash ha-Ne'lam on Ruth are the spiritual
function of the Kaddish prayer, the story of the ten martyrs, and
mystical eating practices. In Midrash ha-Ne'lam on Lamentations,
the inhabitants of Babylon and the inhabitants of Jerusalem vie to
eulogize a ruined Jerusalem. It reframes the notion of a Holy
Family in Jewish terms, in implicit contrast to the Christian triad
of Father, Mother, and Son. The Zohar on Song of Songs consists of
dueling homilies between Rabbi Shim'on bar Yohai and the prophet
Elijah, contrasting spiritual ascent with the presence of the
demonic. The climax projects the eros of the Song of Songs onto the
celestial letters that constitute the core of existence. Matnitin
and Tosefta are dense, compact passages in which heavenly heralds
chide humanity for its spiritual slumber, rousing people to learn
the mysteries of holiness. Packed with neologisms and hortatory in
tone, these passages are spurs to pietistic devotion and mystical
insight.
Nine short essays exploring the K'iche' Maya story of creation, the
Popol Vuh. Written during the lockdown in Chicago in the depths of
the COVID-19 pandemic, these essays consider the Popol Vuh as a
work that was also written during a time of feverish social,
political, and epidemiological crisis as Spanish missionaries and
colonial military deepened their conquest of indigenous peoples and
cultures in Mesoamerica. What separates the Popol Vuh from many
other creation texts is the disposition of the gods engaged in
creation. Whereas the book of Genesis is declarative in telling the
story of the world's creation, the Popol Vuh is interrogative and
analytical: the gods, for example, question whether people actually
need to be created, given the many perfect animals they have
already placed on earth. Emergency uses the historical emergency of
the Popol Vuh to frame the ongoing emergencies of colonialism that
have surfaced all too clearly in the global health crisis of
COVID-19. In doing so, these essays reveal how the authors of the
Popol Vuh-while implicated in deep social crisis-nonetheless
insisted on transforming emergency into scenes of social,
political, and intellectual emergence, translating crisis into
creativity and world creation.
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