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Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > Philosophy of religion > General
The work of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) consists of mystical
highlights, moments of stylistic beauty and traditional exegetical
discourse. In contrast to previous studies this book does not limit
itself to the historical and devotional side of Bernard, but brings
to the fore his stylistic originality. Bernard emerges as a
flexible thinker, a great dramatist and an adroit master of
language who combines the fixed pattern of monastic life with the
vicissitudes of extra-mural events.
On the one hand, Bernard's writings are composed according to the
rhythm of the uninterrupted ritual of prayer and singing inside the
walls of the monastery. On the other hand, that ritual is
interspersed with notions of love and death. The present study
describes the literary devices through which Bernard shapes the
monastic existence as a subtle blend of liturgical routine and
uncontrollable events and emotions.
This inspirational diary of insights and reflections by the
artist/bookseller/conservator Leo Madrigal (Lorenzo de la Paz)
addresses logically and with compassion every topic vital to an
overall philosophy of life.
Tracing a dialectical path, The Maturing of Monotheism emphasises
the plausibility of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and kindred forms of
monotheism and responds to anti-theistic challenges of our day.
These include materialism, determinism, the denial of objective
value, the pervasiveness of evil, and predictions of human
individual and collective extinction. The book reviews traditional
metaphysical ways of arguing for monotheism but employs a
cumulative, more experiential approach. While agnosticism affects
humanity's most basic beliefs, Garth Hallett demonstrates that
there remains ample room for rational, theistic faith. Of keen
interest to students and researchers alike, The Maturing of
Monotheism offers new insights and approaches in this steadily
advancing field.
In today's world, the boundaries within which Christian theologians
operate are becoming ever more permeable, and Christian theology is
increasingly influenced and challenged by multiple "outside"
factors. In Western Europe, two such factors stand out in
particular: the so-called "turn to religion" in continental
philosophy and religious diversity. Theologians working with
contemporary continental philosophers and theologians engaging the
multireligious world tend to work quite separately from one
another. The aim of the present book is therefore to initiate a
conversation between these two groups of theologians. The question
of truth was chosen because it is both a key issue in
contemporary-philosophical debates (in the continental and analytic
traditions) and one that arises in complex and problematic ways in
the praxis of, and theoretical reflection on, interreligious
dialogue. Some of the pressing questions that are addressed by the
contributors to this volume are: What is truth? What is theological
truth? How does the issue of truth arise from interreligious
encounter? To what extent can or should the nature of truth be
discussed explicitly during interreligious dialogue? Or should the
question of truth be rather postponed in the interest of successful
interreligious encounter? Is there a hermeneutical concept of truth
and, if so, how can it be of help for theological reflection on the
question of truth and on the role and place of truth in the context
of dialogue between religions?
In recent decades a new movement has arisen, bringing the
conceptual tools of analytic philosophy to bear on theological
reflection. Called analytic theology, it seeks to bring a clarity
of thought and a disciplined use of logic to the work of
constructive Christian theology. In this introduction to analytic
theology for specialists and nonspecialists alike, Thomas McCall
lays out what it is and what it isn't. The goal of this growing and
energetic field is not the removal of all mystery in theology. At
the same time, it insists that mystery must not be confused with
logical incoherence. McCall explains the connections of analytic
theology to Scripture, Christian tradition and culture, using case
studies to illuminate his discussion. Beyond mere description,
McCall calls the discipline to a deeper engagement with the
traditional resources of the theological task.
Cosmology and Self in the Apostle Paul challenges the traditional
reading of Paul. Troels Engberg-Pedersen argues that the usual,
mainly cognitive and metaphorical, ways of understanding central
Pauline concepts, such as 'being in Christ', 'having God's pneuma
(spirit), Christ's pneuma, and Christ himself in one', must be
supplemented by a literal understanding that directly reflects
Paul's cosmology.
Engberg-Pedersen shows that Paul's cosmology, not least his
understanding of the pneuma, was a materialist, bodily one: the
pneuma was a physical element that would at the resurrection act
directly on the ordinary human bodies of believers and transform
them into 'pneumatic bodies'. This literal understanding of the
future events is then traced back to the Pauline present as
Engberg-Pedersen considers how Paul conceived in bodily terms of a
range of central themes like his own conversion, his mission, the
believers' reception of the pneuma in baptism, and the way the
apostle took the pneuma to inform his own and their ways of life
from the beginning to the projected end.
In developing this picture of Paul's world view, an explicitly
philosophically oriented form of interpretation ('philosophical
exegesis') is employed, in which the interpreter applies categories
of interpretation that make sense philosophically, whether in an
ancient or a modern context. For this enterprise Engberg-Pedersen
draws in particular on ancient Stoic materialist and monistic
physics and cosmology - as opposed to the Platonic, immaterialist
and dualistic categories that underlie traditional readings of Paul
- and on modern ideas on 'religious experience', 'self', 'body' and
'practice' derived from Foucault and Bourdieu. In this way Paul is
shown to have spelled out philosophically his Jewish, 'apocalyptic'
world view, which remains a central feature of his thought.
The book states the cosmological case for the author's earlier
'ethical' reading of Paul in his prize-winning book, Paul and the
Stoics (2000).
David S. Cunningham offers a sustained account of the relationship
between rhetoric and Christian theology. He addresses various kinds
of deconstructionist and literary interests, and discusses the
grammatical, probabilistic, audience-centred concerns of
Christianity's oldest theologians.
This collection of papers represents a wide range of opinions concerning the mental health implications of religious belief and practice.
Scepticism has been the driving force in the development of
Greco-Roman culture in the past, and the impetus for far-reaching
scientific achievements and philosophical investigation. Early
Jewish culture, in contrast, avoided creating consistent
representations of its philosophical doctrines. Sceptical notions
can nevertheless be found in some early Jewish literature such as
the Book of Ecclesiastes. One encounters there expressions of doubt
with respect to Divine justice or even Divine involvement in
earthly affairs. During the first centuries of the common era,
however, Jewish thought, as reflected in rabbinic works, was
engaged in persistent intellectual activity devoted to the laws,
norms, regulations, exegesis and other traditional areas of Jewish
religious knowledge. An effort to detect sceptical ideas in ancient
Judaism, therefore, requires a closer analysis of this literary
heritage and its cultural context. This volume of collected essays
seeks to tackle the question of scepticism in an Early Jewish
context, including Ecclesiastes and other Jewish Second Temple
works, rabbinic midrashic and talmudic literature, and reflections
of Jewish thought in early Christian and patristic writings.
Contributors are: Tali Artman, Geoffrey Herman, Reuven Kiperwasser,
Serge Ruzer, Cana Werman, and Carsten Wilke.
It has long been thought that Edwards's polemical arguments were aimed against Arminianism -- a doctrine that denied the Calvinist idea of predestination. In this book, Gerald McDermott shows that Edwards's real target was a larger and more influential one, namely deism -- the belief in a creator God who does not intervene in His Creation. To Edwards's mind, deism was the logical conclusion of most, if not all, schemes of divinity that appropriated Enlightenment tenets. McDermott argues that Edwards was an inclusivist who came to realize that salvation was open to peoples beyond the hearing of the Christian gospel.
This substantial anthology is a comprehensive, authoritative
collection of the classical and contemporary readings in the
philosophy of religion, providing a survey and analysis of the key
issues, figures and concepts.
Comprises the most comprehensive and authoritative collection of
the classical and contemporary readings in the philosophy of
religion.
Provides a survey and analysis of the key issues, figures and
concepts.
Examines religious identity, theism and divine attributes,
explanations of religion, and theistic arguments.
Includes readings concerned with nontheistic religions, evils and
goods, religious values, personal identity, and death.
This complete work unites two of Roman philosopher Boethius's
finest works; his Theological Tracts regarding Christianity, and
his Consolation of Philosophy which concerns the nature of fortune
and dying. The works of Boethius emerged at the symbolic conclusion
of the classical era, and the beginning of post-Roman Europe. As
such they draw deeply upon extant classical traditions and the
religious significance of Christianity; the chaos and upheaval of
the author's time colors his writing in a fashion vibrant and
compelling. Venerated in Catholicism for his theological studies,
it was the philosophical ideas of Boethius that saw his popularity
endure for ages. Given his compelling life story - Boethius was
among the final Roman politicians to serve as a senator before the
collapse of the Western Empire - the author's writings gain an
additional, historic context. The famous Consolation was written
while Boethius was in jail awaiting what transpired as the death
sentence.
This magnum opus is not another catalogue of the forms of biblical
literature, but a deeply reflected account of the significance of
form itself. Buss writes out of his experience in Western
philosophy and the intricate involvement of biblical criticism in
philosophical history. Equally, biblical criticism and the
development of notions of form are related to social contexts,
whether from the side of the aristocracy (tending towards
generality) or of the bourgeois (tending towards particularity) or
of an inclusive society (favouring a relational view). Form
criticism, in Buss's conception, is no mere formal exercise, but
the observation of interrelationships among thoughts and moods,
linguistic regularities and the experiences and activities of life.
This work, with its many examples from both Testaments, will be
fundamental for Old and New Testament scholars alike.>
This book collects multiple disciplinary voices which explore
current research and perspectives to discuss how spirituality is
understood, interpreted and applied in a range of contexts. It
addresses spirituality in combination with such topics as Christian
mysticism, childhood and adolescent education, midwifery, and
sustainability. It links spirituality to a variety of disciplines,
including cognitive neuroscience, sociology, and psychology.
Finally, it discusses the application of spirituality within the
context of social work, teaching, health care, and occupational
therapy. A final chapter provides an analytical discussion of the
different voices that appear in the book and offers a holistic
description of spirituality which has the potential to bring some
unity to the meaning, expression and practice of spirituality
across a variety of disciplines as well as across cultural,
religious and secular worldviews. "A strength of the book is that
each chapter is characterized by a fearless confronting of
oppositional perspectives and use of the latest research in
addressing them. The book takes the difficult topic of spirituality
into almost every nook and cranny of personal and professional
life. There is a persistent grasping of the contentiousness of the
topic, together with addressing counter positions and utilizing
updated research across a range of fields in doing this. The
opening and closing chapters serve as book ends that keep the whole
volume together."Terence Lovat, The University of Newcastle,
Australia "The interdisciplinary nature of the work is by far the
strongest aspect of this volume. It has the potential to contribute
to a dialogue between different professions and disciplines. This
prospective publication promises to promote a more holistic
approach to the study of spirituality. This volume takes into
consideration a wide variety of issues. The way the editors have
structured the sequence of chapters contributes to facilitate any
possible dialogue between the different areas."Adrian-Mario Gellel,
University of Malta, Malta
Plotinus' mysticism of henosis, unification with the One, is a
highly controversial topic in Plotinian scholarship. This book
presents a careful reading of the Enneads and suggests that
Plotinus' mysticism be understood as mystical teaching that offers
practical guidance concerning henosis. It is further argued that a
rational interpretation thereof should be based on Plotinus'
metaphysics, according to which the One transcends all beings but
is immanent in them. The main thesis of this book is that Plotinus'
mystical teaching does not help man attain henosis on his own, but
serves to remind man that he fails to attain henosis because it
already pertains to his original condition. Plotinus' mysticism
seeks to change man's misconception about henosis, rather than his
finite nature.
Life is full of uncertainties, failures, disappointments - it's
loaded with pain, grief and injustice. People mosey around this
earth alone, afraid, and desperately in need of affection. All of
our problems are directly related to our interpretation and
application of our greatest single emotion...love. Love Life was
written as an inspirational guide, simply to encourage people to
live their lives in love. Love is more than an emotion; it is a way
of life. This book is written in an essay form, with 16 different
but relative subjects. This book takes each subject and teaches
love principals that will allow people to live victoriously in life
no matter who they are. From ages sixteen to one hundred, single or
married, this book is for everyone - because everyone is capable of
loving someone beyond them selves.
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