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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy
The Book of Hiding offers a fluent and erudite analysis of the parallels between the Bible and contemporary discussions of gender, ethnicity and social ambiguity. Beal focuses particularly on the traditionally marginalised book of Esther, in order to examine closely the categories of self and other in relation to religion, sexism, nationalism, and the ever-looming legacies and future possibilities of annihilation. Beal applies the critical tools of contemporary theorists, such as Cixous, Irigaray and Levinas, challenging widely held assumptions about the moral and life-affirming message of Scripture and even about the presence of God in the book of Esther. The Book of Hiding draws together a variety of different perspectives and disciplines, creating a unique space for dialogue raising new questions and reconsidering old assumptions, which is profoundly interesting and well-articulated.
A balanced selection from Buddhist writings, including scriptures
used by the Zen School, with chapters on the Buddha, Tibetan
Buddhism, Concentration and Meditation, the Buddhist Order, and
Nirvana. With sources, glossary and index.
First Published in 1966. This is a study into the question of
whether religion in general, and the Christian religion in
particular, is to be regarded as an instrument of social
stimulation and disturbance, or as a means of social reconciliation
and stabilisation by focusing on religious literature of the
sixteenth century.
Few books have had a more profound impact on human history than the
Qur'an. It shapes the beliefs, lives and behaviour of over 1.5
billion Muslims, who regard it as the Word of God, revealed to the
Prophet Muhammad. Speaking directly to Muslims, it has been the
basic source of law, morality and politics for over 1,400 years.
Almost everything that happens in a Muslim society is a direct or
indirect product of what the Qur'an says. But what does the Qur'an
really say? How should it be read and interpreted? What is the
significance of its teachings, if any, for the 21st century? In
this enlightening and highly readable book, Ziauddin Sardar, one of
the foremost Muslim intellectuals of our time, offers a
refreshingly new interpretation of the Qur'an. Emphasising
plurality and inclusiveness, Sardar demonstrates the importance of
reading the verses of the Qur'an in the context in which they were
revealed, and highlights the relevance of its teachings for today.
Sardar reads the Qur'an from several perspectives.He begins with
the traditional, verse-by-verse interpretations and subsequently
shows how the multilayered verses and stories of the Sacred Text
are open to a number of different and more enlightening
interpretations. He also reads the Quran thematically, exploring
its basic concepts and themes, painting a dynamic picture of the
kind of society that the Qur'an aims to create. Also scrutinised is
what the Qur'an says about such contemporary topics as power and
politics, the rights of women, suicide, domestic violence, sex,
homosexuality, the veil, freedom of expression and evolution.
Throughout, Sardar uses several different methods, from traditional
exegesis to hermeneutics, critical theory and cultural analysis to
draw fresh and contemporary lessons from the Sacred Text. He shows
what the Qur'an means to individuals like himself, why its
interpretation has been so controversial throughout history, and
how translations can be used to promote misunderstanding as well as
enlightenment. Argumentative and lively, Reading the Qur'an is an
insightful guide to understanding the Sacred Text of Muslims in
these conflict-ridden and distressing times.Whatever one believes
or does not believe, the central importance of the Qur'an in
today's globalised world cannot be ignored.
Can Christians read biblical meaning into qur'anic texts? Does this
violate the intent of those passages? What about making positive
reference to the Qur'an in the context of an evangelistic
presentation or defence of biblical doctrines? Does this imply that
Christians accept the Muslim scripture as inspired? What about
Christians who reside in the world of Islam and write their
theology in the language of the Qur'an - Arabic? Is it legitimate
for them to use the Qur'an in their explorations of the Christian
faith? This book explores these questions and offers a biblically,
theologically, and historically informed response. For years
evangelical Christians seeking answers to questions like these have
turned to the history of Protestant Christian interaction with
Muslim peoples. Few are aware of the cultural, intellectual, and
theological achievements of Middle Eastern Christians who have
resided in the world of Islam for fourteen centuries. Their works
are a treasure-trove of riches for those investigating contemporary
theological and missiological questions.
The largely Arabo-centric approach to the academic study of tafsir
has resulted in a lack of literature exploring the diversity of
Qur'anic interpretation in other areas of the Muslim-majority
world. The essays in The Qur'an in the Malay-Indonesian World
resolve this, aiming to expand our knowledge of tafsir and its
history in the Malay-Indonesian world. Highlighting the scope of
Qur'anic interpretation in the Malay world in its various
vernaculars, it also contextualizes this work to reveal its place
as part of the wider Islamic world, especially through its
connections to the Arab world, and demonstrates the strength of
these connections. The volume is divided into three parts written
primarily by scholars from Malaysia and Indonesia. Beginning with a
historical overview, it then moves into chapters with a more
specifically regional focus to conclude with a thematic approach by
looking at topics of some controversy in the broader world.
Presenting new examinations of an under-researched topic, this book
will be of interest to students and scholars of Islamic studies and
Southeast Asian studies.
Using a commentary on the influential text, the
Manjusri-namasamgiti, 'The Chanting of the Names of Manjusri', this
book deals with Buddhist tantric meditation practice and its
doctrinal context in early-medieval India. The commentary was
written by the 8th-9th century Indian tantric scholar Vilasavajra,
and the book contains a translation of the first five chapters. The
translation is extensively annotated, and accompanied by
introductions as well as a critical edition of the Sanskrit text
based on eight Sanskrit manuscripts and two blockprint editions of
the commentary's Tibetan translation. The commentary interprets its
root text within an elaborate framework of tantric visualisation
and meditation that is based on an expanded form of the Buddhist
Yoga Tantra mandala, the Vajradhatu-mandala. At its heart is the
figure of Manjusri, no longer the familiar bodhisattva of wisdom,
but now the embodiment of the awakened non-dual gnosis that
underlies all Buddhas as well their activity in the cosmos. The
book contributes to our understanding of the history of Indian
tantric Buddhism in a period of significant change and innovation.
With its extensively annotated translation and lengthy
introductions the book is designed to appeal not only to
professional scholars and research students but also to
contemporary Buddhists.
This book is the first to present current scholarship on gender and
in regional and sectarian versions of the Ramayana. Contributors
explore in what ways the versions relate to other Ramayana texts as
they deal with the female persona and the cultural values implicit
in them. Using a wide variety of approaches, both analytical and
descriptive, the authors discover common ground between narrative
variants even as their diversity is recognized. It offers an
analysis in the shaping of the heterogeneous Rama tradition through
time as it can be viewed from the perspective of narrating women's
lives. Through the analysis of the representation and treatment of
female characters, narrative inventions, structural design, textual
variants, and the idiom of composition and technique in art and
sculpture are revealed and it is shown what and in which way these
alternative versions are unique. A sophisticated exploration of the
Ramayana, this book is of great interest to academics in the fields
of South Asian Studies, Asian Religion, Asian Gender and Cultural
Studies.
Qur'anic Studies Today brings together specialists in the field of
Islamic studies to provide a range of essays that reflect the depth
and breadth of scholarship on the Qur'an. Combining theoretical and
methodological clarity with close readings of qur'anic texts, these
contributions provide close analysis of specific passages, themes,
and issues within the Qur'an, even as they attend to the
disciplinary challenges within the field of qur'anic studies today.
Chapters are arranged into three parts, treating specific figures
appearing in the Qur'an, analysing particular suras, and finally
reflecting on the Qur'an and its "others." They explore the
internal dimensions and interior chronology of the Qur'an as text,
its possible conversations with biblical and non-biblical
traditions in Late Antiquity, and its role as scripture in modern
exegesis and recitation. Together, they are indispensable for
students and scholars who seek an understanding of the Qur'an
founded on the most recent scholarly achievements. Offering both a
reflection of and a reflection on the discipline of qur'anic
studies, the strong, scholarly examinations of the Qur'an in this
volume provide a valuable contribution to Islamic and qur'anic
studies.
In Indian mythological texts like the Mahabharata and Ramayana,
there are recurrent tales about gleaners. The practice of
"gleaning" in India had more to do with the house-less forest life
than with residential village or urban life or with gathering
residual post-harvest grains from cultivated fields. Gleaning can
be seen a metaphor for the Mahabharata poets' art: an art that
could have included their manner of gleaning what they made the
leftovers (what they found useful) from many preexistent texts into
Vyasa's "entire thought"-including oral texts and possibly written
ones, such as philosophical debates and stories. This book explores
the notion of non-violence in the epic Mahabharata. In examining
gleaning as an ecological and spiritual philosophy nurtured as much
by hospitality codes as by eating practices, the author analyses
the merits and limitations of the 9th century Kashmiri aesthetician
Anandavardhana that the dominant aesthetic sentiment or rasa of the
Mahabharata is shanta (peace). Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent reading
of the Mahabharata via the Bhagavad Gita are also studied. This
book by one of the leaders in Mahabharata studies is of interest to
scholars of South Asian Literary Studies, Religious Studies as well
as Peace Studies, South Asian Anthropology and History.
'Letters of Light' is a translation of over ninety passages from a
well-known Hasidic text, 'Ma'or va-shemesh', consisting of homilies
of Kalonymus Kalman Epstein of Krakow, together with a running
commentary and analysis by Aryeh Wineman. With remarkable
creativity, the Krakow preacher recast biblical episodes and texts
through the prism both of the pietistic values of Hasidism, with
its accent on the inner life and the Divine innerness of all
existence, and of his ongoing wrestling with questions of the
primacy of the individual vis-a-vis of the community. The
commentary traces the route leading from the Torah text itself
through various later sources to the Krakow preacher's own reading
of the biblical text, one that often transforms the very tenor of
the text he was expounding. Though composed almost two centuries
ago, 'Ma'or va-shemesh' comprises an impressive spiritual
statement, many aspects of which can speak to our own time and its
spiritual strivings.
Studying the many ideas about how giving charity atones for sin and
other rewards in late antique rabbinic literature, this volume
contains many, varied, and even conflicting ideas, as the
multiplicity must be recognized and allowed expression. Topics
include the significance of the rabbis' use of the biblical word
"tzedaqah" as charity, the coexistence of the idea that God is the
ultimate recipient of tzedaqah along with rabbinic ambivalence
about that idea, redemptive almsgiving, and the reward for charity
of retention or increase in wealth. Rabbinic literature's
preference for "teshuvah" (repentance) over tzedeqah to atone for
sin is also closely examined. Throughout, close attention is paid
to chronological differences in these ideas, and to differences
between the rabbinic compilations of the land of Israel and the
Babylonian Talmud. The book extensively analyzes the various ways
the Babylonian Talmud especially tends to put limits on the divine
element in charity while privileging its human, this-worldly
dimensions. This tendency also characterizes the Babylonian
Talmud's treatment of other topics. The book briefly surveys some
post-Talmudic developments. As the study fills a gap in existing
scholarship on charity and the rabbis, it is an invaluable resource
for scholars and clergy interested in charity within comparative
religion, history, and religion.
This volume explores the relationship between the Qur'an and the
Jewish and Christian traditions, considering aspects of continuity
and reform. The chapters examine the Qur'an's retelling of biblical
narratives, as well as its reaction to a wide array of topics that
mark Late Antique religious discourse, including eschatology and
ritual purity, prophetology and paganism, and heresiology and
Christology. Twelve emerging and established scholars explore the
many ways in which the Qur'an updates, transforms, and challenges
religious practice, beliefs, and narratives that Late Antique Jews
and Christians had developed in dialogue with the Bible. The volume
establishes the Qur'an's often unique perspective alongside its
surprising continuity with Judaism and Christianity. Chapters focus
on individual suras and on intra-Qur'anic parallels, on the
Qur'an's relationship to pre-Islamic Arabian culture, on its
intertextuality and its literary intricacy, and on its legal and
moral framework. It illustrates a move away from the problematic
paradigm of cultural influence and instead emphasizes the Qur'an's
attempt to reform the religious landscape of its time. The Qur'an's
Reformation of Judaism and Christianity offers new insight into the
Islamic Scripture as a whole and into recent methodological
developments, providing a compelling snapshot of the burgeoning
field of Qur'anic studies. It is a key resource for students and
scholars interested in religion, Islam, and Middle Eastern Studies.
The poetry emanating from the bhakti tradition of devotional love
in India has been both a religious expression and a form of
resistance to hierarchies of caste, gender, and colonialism. Some
scholars have read this art form through the lens of resistance and
reform, but others have responded that imposing an interpretive
framework on these poems fails to appreciate their authentic
expressions of devotion. This book argues that these declarations
of love and piety can simultaneously represent efforts towards
emancipation at the spiritual, political, and social level. This
book, through a close study of Nalini (1911), a Malayalam lyric
poem, as well as other poems, authored by Mahakavi Kumaran Asan
(1873-1924), a low-caste Kerala poet, demonstrates how Asan
employed a theme of love among humans during the modern period in
Kerala that was grounded in the native South Indian bhakti
understanding of love of the deity. Asan believed that personal
religious freedom comes from devotion to the deity, and that love
for humans must emanate from love of the deity. In showing how
devotional religious expression also served as a resistance
movement, this study provides new perspective on an understudied
area of the colonial period. Bringing to light an under-explored
medium, in both religious and artistic terms, this book will be of
great interest to scholars of religious studies, Hindu studies, and
religion and literature, as well as academics with an interest in
Indian culture.
One of the cornerstones of the religious Jewish experience in all
its variations is Torah study, and this learning is considered a
central criterion for leadership. Jewish Women's Torah Study
addresses the question of women's integration in the
halachic-religious system at this pivotal intersection. The
contemporary debate regarding women's Torah study first emerged in
the second half of the 19th century. As women's status in general
society changed, offering increased legal rights and opportunities
for education, a debate on the need to change women's participation
in Torah study emerged. Orthodoxy was faced with the question:
which parts, if any, of modernity should be integrated into
Halacha? Exemplifying the entire array of Orthodox responses to
modernity, this book is a valuable addition to the scholarship of
Judaism in the modern era and will be of interest to students and
scholars of Religion, Gender Studies and Jewish Studies.
Scripturalizing the Human is a transdisciplinary collection of
essays that reconceptualizes and models "scriptural studies" as a
critical, comparative set of practices with broad ramifications for
scholars of religion and biblical studies. This critical historical
and ethnographic project is focused on
scriptures/scripturalization/scripturalizing as shorthand for the
(psycho-cultural and socio-political) "work" we make language do
for and to us. Each essay focuses on an instance of or situation
involving such work, engaging with the Bible, Book of Mormon,
Bhagavata Purana, and other sacred texts, artifacts, and practices
in order to explore historical and ongoing constructions of the
human. Contributors use the category of "scriptures"-understood not
simply as texts, but as freighted shorthand for the dynamics and
ultimate politics of language-as tools for self-illumination and
self-analysis. The significance of the collection lies in the
window it opens to the rich and complex view of the highs and lows
of human-(un-)making as it establishes the connections between a
seemingly basic and apolitical religious category and a set of
larger social-cultural phenomena and dynamics.
Addressing the question of the origins of the Zoroastrian religion,
this book argues that the intransigent opposition to the cult of
the daevas, the ancient Indo-Iranian gods, is the root of the
development of the two central doctrines of Zoroastrianism: cosmic
dualism and eschatology (fate of the soul after death and its
passage to the other world). The daeva cult as it appears in the
Gathas, the oldest part of the Zoroastrian sacred text, the Avesta,
had eschatological pretentions. The poet of the Gathas condemns
these as deception. The book critically examines various theories
put forward since the 19th century to account for the condemnation
of the daevas. It then turns to the relevant Gathic passages and
analyzes them in detail in order to give a picture of the cult and
the reasons for its repudiation. Finally, it examines materials
from other sources, especially the Greek accounts of Iranian ritual
lore (mainly) in the context of the mystery cults. Classical Greek
writers consistently associate the nocturnal ceremony of the magi
with the mysteries as belonging to the same religious-cultural
category. This shows that Iranian religious lore included a
nocturnal rite that aimed at ensuring the soul's journey to the
beyond and a desirable afterlife. Challenging the prevalent
scholarship of the Greek interpretation of Iranian religious lore
and proposing a new analysis of the formation of the Hellenistic
concept of 'magic,' this book is an important resource for students
and scholars of History, Religion and Iranian Studies.
Allah is the most common and contested name in the Islamic
tradition - but who is he? Engaging with the age old question of
who is the God of Islam, Bruce B. Lawrence stakes out the
historical nuance of Allah throughout the past 1500 years, from the
earliest mention of his name to his appropriation by cyberspace. It
introduces a broad range of perspectives, practices and problems
linked to Allah, including debates that are intra religious as well
as inter religious, concerning differences among Muslims as well as
between Muslims and non Muslim others. Chapters cover the range of
Muslim perspectives on Allah and tackle such topics as war in the
name of Allah and controversies about the use of the name Allah/
God. Throughout the author highlights the need to look at Islam
with fresh eyes and to understand Allah/ God with dispassionate
insight. It mixes historical overview with contemporary analysis.
It includes a guide to further reading and a glossary of technical
terms. It considers the future of Allah in cyberspace. It also
includes sidebars to illustrate key terms and a glossary of Arabic/
Islamic words, persons and practices.
American evangelicalism is at a crisis point. The naked grasping at
political power at the expense of moral credibility has revealed a
movement in disarray. Evangelicals are now faced with a quandary:
will they double-down and continue along this perilous path, or
will they stop, reflect, and change course? And while support of
Donald Trump has produced the tipping point of the evangelical
crisis, it is not by any means its only problem. Evangelicals claim
the Bible as the supreme authority in matters of faith. But in
reality, it is particular readings of the Bible that govern
evangelical faith. Some evangelical readings of the Bible can be
highly selective. They distort the Bible's teaching in crucial ways
and often lead evangelicals to misguided attempts to relate to the
world around them. Many Christians who once self-professed as
"evangelicals" can no longer use the term of themselves because of
what it has come to represent--power-mongering, divisiveness,
judgementalism, hypocrisy, pride, greed. Some leave not just
evangelicalism but Christianity for good. Jesus v. Evangelicals is
an insider's critique of the evangelical movement according to its
own rules. Since evangelicals regard themselves governed by the
Bible, biblical scholar Constantine Campbell engages the Bible to
critique evangelicals and to call out the problems within the
contemporary evangelical movement. By revealing evangelical
distortions of the Bible, this book seeks to restore the dignity of
the Christian faith and to renew public interest in Jesus, while
calling evangelicals back to his teaching. Constantine Campbell
appeals to evangelicals to break free from the grid that has
distorted their understanding of the Bible and to restore public
respect for Christianity in spite of its misrepresentations by the
evangelical church.
The White Tower. A terrible vision. Her home invaded and precious
documents stolen. Lady Isabelle must flee her pursuers, posing as a
young male scholar in the New College of St Mary in Oxford. But
when she learns she is with child it won't be long until she is
discovered amongst their ranks. Can she bring herself to love an
infant conceived in evil? And will she ever be reunited with her
beloved Richard, or will Sir Henry Lormont's dagger find him first?
This deftly plotted 15th century novel traverses the well-trodden
pilgrimage routes from Oxford to Rome encountering lepers,
assassins, sea rovers and historical figures Lady Margaret Beaufort
and Edmund Tudor along the way. Superbly researched by a scholar of
the period, Clover blends history with the riveting story of a
woman who overcomes the restrictions placed on her sex to create a
page-turning novel.
By providing an annotated translation of, and applying the methods
of literary criticism to, a first-century account of the life of
the saint Purna, this study introduces the reader to the richness
and complexity of an essential Buddhist genre.
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