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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General > History of religion
This book tells the story of the Prophet Muhammad as an inspirational role model for anyone who wants to be extraordinary.
You will learn how Muhammad shaped his personality as a child, dealt with the universal challenges of adolescence while a teenager, and then emerged as a leader in his community as a young adult. The book deliberately avoids the language of historical narration used in typical biographies of the Prophet in favor of a more informal, down-to-earth approach.
In this book, the reader will get a completely different view of Muhammad and hopefully will see how Muhammad addressed our own daily challenges, inspiring us to excel in confronting these challenges.
This study contextualizes the achievement of a strategically
crucial figure in Byzantium's turbulent seventh century, the monk
and theologian Maximus the Confessor (580-662). Building on newer
biographical research and a growing international body of
scholarship, as well as on fresh examination of his diverse
literary corpus, Paul Blowers develops a profile integrating the
two principal initiatives of Maximus's career: first, his
reinterpretation of the christocentric economy of creation and
salvation as a framework for expounding the spiritual and ascetical
life of monastic and non-monastic Christians; and second, his
intensifying public involvement in the last phase of the ancient
christological debates, the monothelete controversy, wherein
Maximus helped lead an East-West coalition against Byzantine
imperial attempts doctrinally to limit Jesus Christ to a single
(divine) activity and will devoid of properly human volition.
Blowers identifies what he terms Maximus's "cosmo-politeian"
worldview, a contemplative and ascetical vision of the
participation of all created beings in the novel politeia, or
reordered existence, inaugurated by Christ's "new theandric
energy". Maximus ultimately insinuated his teaching on the
christoformity and cruciformity of the human vocation with his
rigorous explication of the precise constitution of Christ's own
composite person. In outlining this cosmo-politeian theory, Blowers
additionally sets forth a "theo-dramatic" reading of Maximus,
inspired by Hans Urs von Balthasar, which depicts the motion of
creation and history according to the christocentric "plot" or
interplay of divine and creaturely freedoms. Blowers also amplifies
how Maximus's cumulative achievement challenged imperial ideology
in the seventh century-the repercussions of which cost him his
life-and how it generated multiple recontextualizations in the
later history of theology.
Religious controversies frequently center on origins, and at the
origins of the major religious traditions one typically finds a
seminal figure. Names such as Jesus, Muhammad, Confucius, and Moses
are well known, yet their status as "founders" has not gone
uncontested. Does Paul deserve the credit for founding
Christianity? Is Laozi the father of Daoism, or should that title
belong to Zhuangzi? What is at stake, if anything, in debates about
"the historical Buddha"? What assumptions are implicit in the claim
that Hinduism is a religion without a founder? The essays in
Varieties of Religious Invention do not attempt to settle these
perennial arguments once and for all. Rather, they aim to consider
the subtexts of such debates as an exercise in comparative
religion: Who engages in them? To whom do they matter, and when?
When is "development" in a religious tradition perceived as
"deviation" from its roots? To what extent are origins thought to
define the "essence" of a religion? In what ways do arguments about
founders serve as a proxy for broader cultural, theological,
political, or ideological questions? What do they reveal about the
ways in which the past is remembered and authority negotiated? As
the contributors survey the landscape shaped by these questions
within each tradition, they provide insights and novel perspectives
about the religions individually, and about the study of world
religions as a whole.
This is Laurence Gardner's final book, written shortly before his
death in 2010 and is the accompanying book to his Origin of God
(published 2011 by dash house publishing). Together with Origin of
God, this book outlines an irrefutable and searing indictment of
conventional belief and exposes the evils and absurdities
perpetuated over the millenia in the name of Christianity. In
Revelation of the Devil, Laurence Gardner traces the history of the
Devil, from its roots in Mesopotamia and the Old Testament all the
way up to the modern world of today. Travelling through the New
Testament, as well as the Koran, and then passing in turn through
the Inquisitions, the Reformation and the Enlightenment, he unmasks
what he has called "the myth of evil and the conspiracy of Satan."
For nearly 2,000 years a supernatural entity known as the Devil has
been held responsible by Church authorities for bringing sin and
wickedness into the world. Throughout this period, the Devil has
been portrayed as a constant protagonist of evil, although his
origin remains a mystery and his personality has undergone many
interpretive changes, prompting questions such as: If God is all
good and all powerful, then why does evil exist? How can it exist?
If God created everything, then where did the Devil come from? If
the Devil exists, then why does he not feature in any pre-Christian
document? Revelation of the Devil follows the Devil's sinister
history, in the manner of a biography, from his scriptural
introduction to the dark satanic cults of the present day. In a
strict chronological progression, we experience the mood of each
successive era as the Devil's image was constantly manipulated to
suit the changing motives of his creators in their bid for
threat-driven clerical control.
Creating a Scottish Church considers Catholicism's transition from
an underground and isolated church to a multi-faceted institution
that existed on a national scale. By challenging the dominant
notion of Scotland as a Presbyterian nation, this study represents
a radical departure from traditional perceptions. Included in this
journey through nineteenth-century industrial urbanisation are the
roles of women as well as the effect of Irish migration that
initiated a reappraisal of the Church's position in Scottish
culture and society. In taking a more critical look at gender and
ethnicity, Kehoe investigates the myriad ways in which Scotland's
Catholic population enhanced their experiences of community life
and acquired a sense of belonging in a rapidly evolving and
modernising nation. Introducing previously unseen material from
private collections and archives, Kehoe also considers how the
development of church-run social welfare services for the Catholic
population helped to support the construction of a civil society
and national identity that was distinctively Scottish. The book's
primary focus on gender, ethnicity and religiosity introduces a
deeper understanding of religion and culture in modern Britain,
thus providing a significant contribution to existing
historiography.
The doctrine of "the covenant of works" arose to prominence in the
late sixteenth century and quickly became a regular feature in
Reformed thought. Theologians believed that when God first created
man he made a covenant with him: all Adam had to do was obey God's
command to not eat from the tree of knowledge and obey God's
command to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth. The reward
for Adam's obedience was profound: eternal life for him and his
offspring. The consequences of his disobedience were dire: God
would visit death upon Adam and his descendants. In the covenant of
works, Adam was not merely an individual but served as a public
person, the federal head of the human race. The Covenant of Works
explores the origins of the doctrine of God's covenant with Adam
and traces it back to the inter-testamental period, through the
patristic and middle ages, and to the Reformation. The doctrine has
an ancient pedigree and was not solely advocated by Reformed
theologians. The book traces the doctrine's development in the
seventeenth century and its reception in the eighteenth,
nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Fesko explores the reasons why
the doctrine came to be rejected by some, even in the Reformed
tradition, arguing that interpretive methods influenced by
Enlightenment thought caused theologians to question the doctrine's
scriptural legitimacy.
One of Aquinas's best known works after the Summa Theologica, Summa
Contra Gentiles is a theological synthesis that explains and
defends the existence and nature of God without invoking the
authority of the Bible. A detailed expository account of and
commentary on this famous work, Davies's book aims to help readers
think about the value of the Summa Contra Gentiles (SCG) for
themselves, relating the contents and teachings found in the SCG to
those of other works and other thinkers both theological and
philosophical. Following a scholarly account of Aquinas's life and
his likely intentions in writing the SCG, the volume works
systematically through all four books of the text. It is,
therefore, a solid and reflective introduction both to the SCG and
to Aquinas more generally. The book is aimed at students of
medieval philosophy and theology, and of Aquinas in particular. It
will interest teachers of medieval philosophy and theology, though
it does not presuppose previous knowledge of Aquinas or of his
works. Davies's book is the longest and most detailed account and
discussion of the SCG available in English in one volume.
In September, 1219, as the armies of the Fifth Crusade besieged the
Egyptian city of Damietta, Francis of Assisi went to Egypt to
preach to Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil.
Although we in fact know very little about this event, this has not
prevented artists and writers from the thirteenth century to the
twentieth, unencumbered by mere facts, from portraying Francis
alternatively as a new apostle preaching to the infidels, a
scholastic theologian proving the truth of Christianity, a champion
of the crusading ideal, a naive and quixotic wanderer, a crazed
religious fanatic, or a medieval Gandhi preaching peace, love, and
understanding. Al-Kamil, on the other hand, is variously presented
as an enlightened pagan monarch hungry for evangelical teaching, a
cruel oriental despot, or a worldly libertine.
Saint Francis and the Sultan takes a detailed look at these richly
varied artistic responses to this brief but highly symbolic
meeting. Throwing into relief the changing fears and hopes that
Muslim-Christian encounters have inspired in European artists and
writers in the centuries since, it gives a uniquely broad but
precise vision of the evolution of Western attitudes towards Islam
and the Arab world over the last eight hundred years."
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Catholic New Hampshire
(Paperback)
Barbara D Miles; Introduction by Monsignor Anthony R Frontiero
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R530
Discovery Miles 5 300
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The central act of Christian worship is the Mass or Eucharist.
This, however, is a formal public act, and generally a
once-in-a-week event, which does not entirely answer the spiritual
aspirations of the vast majority of Christians who express these
through prayer and "devotional practices". The cult of relics and
of saints in general; banding together into confraternities to
foster a special devotion; going on pilgrimages, wearing medals,
badges and scapulars - all these are forms of devotion. Where did
they all come from? They have left their mark on the Church, in the
history of books and in manuals of prayers, but relatively little
is known about them. The idea for this book arose when, in the
senior common room of a university theological faculty, it became
clear that none of those present knew why there was an "Infant of
Prague". The book is in a dictionary format. Mainly historical in
its approach, it explains how a particular devotion arose, sets it
in its context and explains the purpose it served in the life of
the Church. It is critical without being judgemental on subjects
such as the "truth" behind apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Some 600
entries range over topics such as relics, pilgrimages and the cult
of the saints, as well as more specialized and local devotions. The
work is designed to be of use to historians and those engaged in
religious studies, as well as being of interest to the general
public. The topics are confined to the Christian religion and, in
effect, almost entirely to the Roman Catholic tradition. Tables
provide a comparison of the Liturgical Calendar (fixed and moveable
feasts) before and after the Reform of 1969. A comprehensive index
enables readers to follow virtually any subject through its
different aspects, as well as providing a quick guide to the
contents of the dictionary. Michael Walsh is the editor of Bishop
Butler's "Lives of the Saints" in one concise volume, and the
author of a companion volume, "Patron Saints".
The role of religion in the founding of America has long been a
hotly debated question. Some historians have regarded the faith of
a few famous founders, such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
James Madison, and Thomas Paine, as evidence that the founders were
deists who advocated the strict separation of church and state.
Popular Christian polemicists, on the other hand, have attempted to
show that virtually all of the founders were orthodox Christians in
favor of state support for religion. As the essays in this volume
demonstrate, a diverse array of religious traditions informed the
political culture of the American founding. Faith and the Founders
of the American Republic includes studies both of minority faiths,
such as Islam and Judaism, and of major traditions, such as
Calvinism. It also includes nuanced analysis of specific
founders-Quaker John Dickinson, prominent Baptists Isaac Backus and
John Leland, and Federalist Gouverneur Morris, among many
others-with attention to their personal histories, faiths,
constitutional philosophies, and views on the relationship between
religion and the state. This volume will be a crucial resource for
anyone interested in the place of faith in the founding of the
American constitutional republic, from political, religious,
historical, and legal perspectives.
Barrett's book consists of a complete revision of the four
chapters, of the Didsbury Lectures, given at the British Isles
Nazarene College, Manchester. The chapter titles indicate the
content: From Jesus to the Church; Ministry; Sacraments; and The
Developing Community. Barrett properly points out that "the church
is at the same time central and peripheral." Likewise, the church
is provisional, temporary, penultimate-an interim solution for the
time between the resurrection/ ascension of Jesus and the heaven of
the church. He also correctly notes the possibility and danger of
an ecclesiological as well as christological Apollinarianism.
Consequently, he emphasizes the human nature of Christ and human
dimensions of the church.
This is a beautifully crafted and clearly written introduction to
Christianity over its 2000 year history, concentrating on the
interaction between the sacred and the secular. This book is a
practical response to the experience of teaching in a variety of
different settings from university undergraduates, through WEA, to
parish groups. This book will thus adopt an approach radically
different to that of many general Church histories in terms of
length, structure and presentation. The broad underlying theme of
the book will be the interaction between Christianity and the
secular world, exploring how one has shaped and been shaped by the
other, reflecting the title of the book. In order to achieve this,
the book will not attempt to cover the whole of Christian history
(this has been done frequently by others), but rather it will focus
on a number of specific themes and chronological periods. The four
themes will be Belief, Practice, Organisation and Propagation.
There will be four chronological divisions, chosen as pivotal in
the development of Christianity, and reflecting the conventional
divisions of history into ancient, medieval, early and later
modern. This will enable the book to be used as either a general
introduction to Christian history or as a starting point for
further investigation of one or more periods. The periods are: The
Imperial Church (300-500) The Medieval Church (1050-1250), The
Reformation Church (1450-1650) The Modern Church (1800-2000). There
will be included maps, timelines, quotations from primary source
material, a glossary and a further reading section.
Ranging from the medieval period to the present day, this is a
brief history of church music as it has developed through the
English tradition. Described as "a quick journey", it provides a
broad historical survey rather than an in-depth study of the
subject, and also predicts likely future trends.
In the years since 1945, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints has grown rapidly in terms of both numbers and public
prominence. Mormonism is no longer merely a home-grown American
religion, confined to the Intermountain West; instead, it has
captured the attention of political pundits, Broadway audiences,
and prospective converts around the world. While most scholarship
on Mormonism concerns its colorful but now well-known early
history, the essays in this collection assess recent developments,
such as the LDS Church's international growth and acculturation;
its intersection with conservative politics in recent decades; its
stances on same-sex marriage and the role of women; and its ongoing
struggle to interpret its own tumultuous history. The scholars draw
on a wide variety of Mormon voices as well as those of outsiders,
from Latter-day Saints in Hyderabad, India, to "Mormon Mommy
blogs," to evangelical "countercult" ministries. Out of Obscurity
brings the story of Mormonism since the Second World War into sharp
relief, explaining the ways in which a church very much rooted in
its nineteenth-century prophetic and pioneering past achieved
unprecedented influence in the realms of American politics and
international business.
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