This study sets out to interpret the Marcan Temple incident (Mark 11,15-19) as a distancing device, by which the Marcan faction differentiates itself from other Jews, especially the anti-Roman revolutionaries who had turned the temple in Jerusalem into ‘a den of bandits’ during the Jewish revolt between 66 and 74 CE. It concentrates on the interactions between the Marcan faction and other Jewish factions in the context of its Jewish symbolic universe. The study concludes that the Marcan faction is ‘Jewish but differently’.

Presents an overview of what the authors see as the roots of Western traditional thought: Homer, the tragedians, Plato, Aristotle, and the Bible. Each section of the book offers lucid intepretations of a major figure through discussion of seminal texts.

For more than forty years there was a single synagogue in the quiet town of Williamette, Oregon. But then disagreements over gender roles, homosexuality, Israeli politics, and other issues tore the synagogue in two. Where there was once one Jewish community under one roof, there are now two hostile congregations one Reconstructionist, one Orthodox across the street from one another. Through a year as a participant in both congregations and in-depth interviews, Zuckerman tells a mesmerizing story of this religious schism. Strife in the Sanctuary then contemplates why religious groups split apart and how religious symbols come to mean different things to different groups. The first book-length study of a single congregation breaking in two, Strife in the Sanctuary provides a welcome ethnographic study for sociologists of religion. Plus, its moving story makes it an excellent read for undergraduate classes or anyone interested in religious divisions.

Spirituality Research Studies in Higher Education offers two uniquely designed sections that showcase a group of talented scholars from major research institutions. This edited volume by Terence Hicks provides the reader with topics such as spiritual aspects of the grieving college students, spirituality and sexual identity among lesbian and gay students, spirituality driven strategies among first-generation students, the role of spirituality in home-based education, and counseling and spiritual support among women.

In this volume, The Buddhist Society presents Yoka Daishi's Realizing the Way, a T'ang Dynasty Chinese text known as Zhang Dao Ge, or Shodoka in Japanese. This 12th century Japanese edition has been translated by the Venerable Myokyo-ni and accompanied throughout by her own commentary on the text. The title, which is variously translated, is most commonly known as 'The Song of Enlightenment'. With vivid imagery and striking turns of phrase, these verses weave in and out of the various Mahayana doctrines. Each section of the Song is accompanied here by extensive and illuminating commentary.

Originally published in 1978, Zen and the Ways is the first publication in a series of books published by the Buddhist Society in association with the Trevor Leggett Trust. In Japanese Zen, every activity in life, including the martial arts, flower arrangement and serving tea, are considered a field for practicing inner control, mediation and inspiration, and can be termed the 'Way' when practised in this manner. In this book, Leggett collects together translation of texts relating to this phenomenon and offers his own thoughts and observations on the subject.

The late Karl-Johan Illman was a professor of Biblical and Judaic studies at Abo Akademi University in Abo/Turku, Finland. A beloved and respected figure in the Judeo-Christian dialogue and an accomplished scholar of Judaism, he is remembered in this memorial volume by leading scholars of Biblical and Judaic studies in Europe and North America.

Finding hope can sometimes feel like a daunting, almost impossible task. How refreshing to be able to experience glimpses of hope in the simplest of daily interactions with others-even animals. All Creatures challenges the reader to see beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary treasures hidden by our Creator in the least of his creations. This collection of twenty-five devotions focuses on learning to look for God's promises of hope regardless of your current circumstances.

At day's end, quiet your mind and unburden your heart. These peaceful reflections offer wisdom to "sleep on." For each night of the year, an inspiring quote from a Jewish source and a personal reflection on it from an insightful spiritual leader help you to focus on your spiritual life and the lessons your day has offered. Contributors include: Yosef I. Abramowitz • Bradley Shavit Artson • Leila Gal Berner • Jonathan Jaffe Bernhard • Tsvi Blanchard • Barry H. Block • Terry A. Bookman • Herbert Bronstein • Ayelet Cohen • Jerome K. Davidson • Avram Davis • Lavey Derby • Malka Drucker • Amy Eilberg • Edward Feinstein • Yehudah Fine • Mordecai Finley • James A. Gibson • Melvin J. Glazer • James Scott Glazier • Edwin C. Goldberg • Elyse Goldstein • James Stone Goodman • Irving Greenberg • Daniel Gropper • Judith HaLevy • Brad Hirschfield • Elana Kanter • Stuart Kelman • Francine Klagsbrun • Peter S. Knobel • Jeffrey Korbman • Jonathan Kraus • Irwin Kula • Neil Kurshan • Mark H. Levin • Levi Meier • Steven Heneson Moskowitz • David Nelson • Vanessa L. Ochs • Nessa Rapoport • Jack Riemer • Jeffrey Salkin • Nigel Savage • Ismar Schorsch • Harold M. Schulweis • Rami Shapiro • Rick Sherwin • Jeffrey Sirkman • Marcia Cohn Spiegel • Liza Stern • Michael Strassfeld • Michael White • Arnold Jacob Wolf • Joel H. Zaiman • Josh Zweiback • Raymond A. Zwerin

KADOC Studies on Religion, Culture and Society 5In the twenty years after the end of World War II, a "Third World" was added to the Cold War concepts of the First and Second worlds, and postwar decolonization ushered in an era of development. For the first time, theories and policies designed to eradicate underdevelopment became prominent on the agenda of the United Nations. This international evolution inevitably had a dramatic impact on socialism and Christian democracy, two major ideologies with their roots in Western Europe. Both became part of the global political dialogues taking place beyond Europe's borders. The result was a sometimes violent clash of Western and non-Western belief systems.In Towards an Era of Development, Peter Van Kemseke explores the questions of whether political ideologies were being used as vehicles for promoting national interests and if socialism and Christian democracy were forced on developing nations or naturally spread to new parts of the globe. Van Kemseke also offers an assessment of the success of these ideologies in their new territories.

The story of Jesus feeding the five thousand is found in all four Gospels, and is told in two of them twice. Roger David Aus primarily explores the many facets of early Palestinian Judaism which inform the story, especially in regard to the miracle-worker Elisha. He describes four major motifs in the narrative, as well as the Markan and Johannine redaction. In addition, he analyzes the account's Semitic background, genre and historicity, and its part in a miracle collection.

By reading and meditating briefly on just one of these reflections each day in Lent, Bishop Bossuet's eloquence will soon have you not merely remembering the events of Christ's journey to His Crucifixion; it will have you spiritually walking with Him on that journey . . . which is precisely what we are called to do in Lent

This is a translation of the Gathas, the Sacred Readings of Sufism. They contain a condensed expression of the wisdom of the mystic Inayak Khan, and guidance of the seven most important subjects in Sufism.

Francis of Assisi as Artist of the Spiritual Life applies modern psychological understanding to a historical person. While most such studies have sought a comprehensive personality profile, this work focuses on one aspect - Francis' imagination - and seeks greater insight into the imaginatively inspired spiritual vision of St. Francis. An analysis of Francis' writings builds on a survey of modern views of the imagination and the approach of ORT, or Object Relations Theory. ORT, with its contention that the imaginative creation of an infant's world develops out of the earliest interactions with the maternal caregiver, highlights the way Francis formed his way of visualizing the reality around him. While any study of a person 800 years in the grave is more dependent on what is plausible than on what is determinable, this study finds numerous examples where Francis' writings display an adept use of imagination and even encourages others in that use in a manner that corresponds to an ORT perspective on tutoring the imagination.

Is Jesus Reasonable? questions the logic of Jesus Christ's Words in the Holy Bible. Gerald Prichard, a Bible teacher and Ph.D. scientist, details the answers to this question. Specifically, he compares all of the conditional and procedural statements attributed to Christ to each other, as well as to all of the formal rules of human reasoning. In so doing, this book demonstrates that formal human reasoning can be an applicable method of interpreting these statements, but not generally for logical inferences nor for a few specific passages. Lastly, Dr. Prichard determines the minimal set of human conditions that together imply each of the promises conditioned upon human attitudes or actions. This analysis indicates that individual sacrifice, desire, and perseverance in following Christ's Example and individual humility are the most common human conditions associated with these promises.

In this book, the authors present exhaustive literary and theological textual analyses of all Jesus' teachings, on prayer, parables, and model prayer. Jesus' teachings on prayer are compared with his own practice and examples recorded in the text. In the appendix, stylistic analysis is employed to compare Jesus' prayer with Greek cultic prayer. The authors conclude that prayer for Jesus was the authentic communication of a life acting out the commandments of God.

This book asserts that the better one understands the causes of behavior, the better one can apply that knowledge to produce a better world. It describes the mechanisms that cause human behavior, such as freedom of will, in a manner consistent with religious beliefs. It also asserts that all avenues for studying human behavior, like intuition and prayer, are acceptable and necessary. Thus, when studying the agent of human action, we must rely on faith, logic, and intuition, in addition to the full use of empirical science. Principles of Psychology for People of God begins with a description of the nervous system and continues with chapters on development, perception, internal states, learning, memory, and the ultimate selection of behaviors. Nevertheless, it steadfastly emphasizes that behavior is not produced by physical mechanisms alone, but also by a non-material spirit that can transcend some inheritances and environments.

In Recovering American Catholic Inculturation, McNeil follows the case of Bishop John England, who chose to govern the Diocese of Charleston with a Constitution that assigned rights and responsibilities to the church's membership. He argues that this was not a case of simple accommodation to Enlightenment rationality and autonomous individuality. Bishop England's adaptation of Catholicism should be understood as both a retrieval and an application of theoretical thinking to the practical judgment of specific contexts on the basis of reason and pragmatic esthetics. Social conflicts of interest are resolved through the allowance of an exercise of faith and reason within contexts wherein we understand and experience the truth of the situation is never final and that "good" and the "better" are not private, subjective, static nor simply progressive. Contemporary critics have often resorted more to static categories and political projections onto the earlier American experience than is warranted by a close study of the original texts of the founders of the American Republic or, particularly for this study, a personage such as John England. The study concludes that a re-embarkation on the road of inculturation is long overdue for American Catholicism. This book holds appeal for American historians, philosophers interested in the liberal tradition and autonomous individualism, epistemologists exploring rationality, aesthetics, and knowledge, Catholic theologians and Church historians, and all educated Catholics.

This volume contains two closely related studies: Echoes of the Shema and Our Father's Footprints. The term Shema is derived from the initial word to hear in the Old Testament: "Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). Hence, God is deserving of ardent adoration and unqualified commitment. Morris A. Inch discusses God as Spirit, Light, and Love and also touches on divine holiness, grace, and compassion. The second study picks up with Jesus' allusion to God as our Father (Matt. 6:9). While this reference is primarily related to his authority, Jesus pointedly ties in his benevolent character. In this regard, he exclaims: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matt. 7:11). This quotation invites us to reflect on such associated themes as God's faithfulness, generosity, resolve, forgiveness, and creativity. Echoes of the Shema and Our Father's Footprints will be a useful text for those interested in exploring the inviting realm of biblical theology.

Intricately Connected contains academic papers presented by Kim at various international conferences in the fields of biblical studies, literary criticism, and intertexuality. The articles examine the question of how various literatures connect to consciousness and culture at personal and collective levels. The focus is on the functionality of literature across time and space and addresses such questions as: How do later books of the Bible, such as Jeremiah, utilize consciousness and ideas from earlier times, such as those found in the book Deuteronomy? How does Toni Morrison link African-American experience of today with experience of slavery hundreds of years ago? How does the film Da Vinci Code (2006) assess and manipulate the received tradition of the Lord's Supper?

In the past thirty years there has been a sea change in North American intellectual life regarding the role of religious commitments in academic endeavors. Driven partly by post-modernism and the fragmentation of knowledge and partly by the democratization of the academy in which different voices are celebrated, the appropriate role that religion should play is contested. Some academics insist that religion cannot and must not have a place at the academic table; others insist that religious values should drive the argument. Faithful Imagination in the Academy takes an approach based on dialogue with various viewpoints, claiming neither too much nor too little. All the authors are seasoned academics with many significant publications to their credit. While they all know how the academy operates and how to make worthwhile contributions in their respective disciplines, they are also Christians whose religious commitments are reflected in their intellectual work.

The Talmud chronicles the early development of rabbinic Judaism through the writings and commentaries of the rabbis whose teachings form its foundation. However, this key religious text is expansive, consisting of 63 books containing extensive discussions and interpretations of the Mishnah accumulated over several centuries. Sifting through the huge number of names mentioned in the Talmud to find information about one figure can be tedious and time-consuming, and most reference guides either provide only brief, unhelpful entries on every rabbi, including minor figures, or are so extensive that they can be more intimidating than the original text. In Essential Figures in the Talmud, Dr. Ronald L. Eisenberg explains the importance of the more than 250 figures who are most vital to an understanding and appreciation of Talmudic texts. This valuable reference guide consists of short biographies illustrating the significance of these figures while explaining their points of view with numerous quotations from rabbinic literature. Taking material from the vast expanse of the Talmud and Midrash, this book demonstrates the broad interests of the rabbis whose writings are the foundation of rabbinic Judaism. Both religious studies and rabbinical students and casual readers of the Talmud will benefit from the comprehensive entries on the most-frequently discussed rabbis and will gain valuable insights from this reader-friendly text. Complete in a single volume, this guide strikes a satisfying balance between the sparse, uninformative books and comprehensive but overly complex references that are currently the only places for inquisitive Talmud readers to turn. For any reader who wishes to gain a better understanding of Talmudic literature, Eisenberg's text is just as "essential" as the figures listed within.

The traditional Jew has always accepted the study of Torah as central to his or her way of life. But without the ability to effectively analyze and interpret the text, one misses the opportunity to gain a deep and authentic appreciation of the Torah's beauty and profundity. In Studying the Torah: A Guide to In-Depth Interpretation, Avigdor Bonchek equips the reader with the proper analytic methods to make reading the Bible both a serious pursuit and a pleasurable pastime. In order for the reader of the Torah text to delve into its veiled, but ultimately visible, layered messages, he or she must first learn the appropriate interpretive techniques. These skills are the same as those used by the classic Jewish Torah commentators (Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, and others), all of whom were experts in what scholars today refer to as a "close reading" of the text. Among the "Keys to Interpretation" discussed in this book are the significance of word order, opening sentences, repetitions, word associations, psychological dimensions, and similarities and differences between texts. Each key is illustrated by several examples that offer fresh insight into otherwise familiar text, and the author offers his own original and comprehensive in-depth interpretation of two central biblical stories: the story of Joseph and the ten plagues.

Written with the rigor and precision of a New Testament specialist, Preaching the Parables provides a responsible introduction to understanding and proclaiming the parables that pastors, church leaders, and seminary students will appreciate. Craig Blomberg demonstrates how the structure of a parable is key to its interpretation and thus to its exposition. He shows how a parable, when properly contemporized, can be a powerful rhetorical device, and that recognizing the elements of the parable that were atypical to everyday life leads to important surprises that will be of significance to contemporary parishioners. Each of the fifteen exemplary sermons is accompanied by an analysis that points out key interpretive decisions.