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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy > Sacred texts
These ancient stories whisper truth to your soul.
Great stories have the power to draw the heart. But certain
stories have the power to draw the heart to God and awaken the
better angels of our nature. Such are the tales of the rabbis of
the Talmud, colorful, quirky yarns that tug at our heartstrings and
test our values, ethics, morality and our imaginations.
In this collection for people of all faiths and backgrounds,
Rabbi Burton Visotzky draws on four decades of telling and teaching
these legends in order to unlock their wisdom for the contemporary
heart. He introduces you to the cast of characters, explains their
motivations, and provides the historical background needed to
penetrate the wise lessons often hidden within these unusual
narratives.
In learning how and why these oft-told tales were spun, you
discover how they continue to hold value for our lives."
Fitzroy Morrissey's brilliant guide to Islamic thought - from its
foundation in the seventh century to the present day. 'A
magisterial accomplishment' Professor Eugene Rogan 'The best guide
to Islamic thinking that I've read' James Barr 'I greatly enjoyed
[it]' Peter Frankopan, Spectator, Books of the Year Day after day
we read of the caliphate and the Qur'an, of Sunni and Shi'a,
Salafis and Sufis. Almost a quarter of the world's populate is
Muslim. Understanding the modern world requires knowing something
about Islam. Tracing fourteen centuries of Islamic history - from
the foundation of Islam in the seventh century and the life of
Muhammad, through the growth of great Islamic empires, to the often
fraught modern period - Fitzroy Morrissey considers questions of
interpretation and legacy, of God and His relationship with His
followers, of the lives of Muslims and how they relate to others.
He presents the key teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith, analyzes
the great works of Islamic theology, philosophy, and law, and
delves into the mystical writings of the Sufis. He considers the
impact of foreign cultures - Greek and Persian, Jewish and
Christian - on early Islam, accounts for the crystallization of the
Sunni and Shi'i forms of the faith, and explains the rise of
intellectual trends like Islamic modernism and Islamism in recent
times. In this way, Morrissey presents not a monolithic creed, but
a nuanced faith made up of several often competing - and always
fascinating - intellectual tendencies. This concise and engaging
volume will appeal to readers looking to better understand the
world's second largest religion and to those interested in the
intellectual history of the last millennium and a half.
Stories about gendered social relations permeate the Qur'an, and
nearly three hundred verses involve specific women or girls. The
Qur'an features these figures in accounts of human origins, in
stories of the founding and destruction of nations, in narratives
of conquest, in episodes of romantic attraction, and in incidents
of family devotion and strife. Overall, stories involving women and
girls weave together theology and ethics to reinforce central
Qur'anic ideas regarding submission to God and moral
accountability. Celene Ibrahim explores the complex cast of female
figures in the Qur'an, probing themes related to biological sex,
female sexuality, female speech, and women in sacred history.
Ibrahim considers major and minor figures referenced in the Qur'an,
including those who appear in narratives of sacred history, in
parables, in descriptions of the eternal abode, and in verses that
allude to events contemporaneous with the advent of the Qur'an in
Arabia. Ibrahim finds that the Qur'an regularly celebrates the
aptitudes of women in the realms of spirituality and piety, in
political maneuvering, and in safeguarding their own wellbeing;
yet, women figures also occasionally falter and use their agency
toward nefarious ends. Women and Gender in the Qur'an outlines how
women and girls - old, young, barren, fertile, chaste, profligate,
reproachable, and saintly - enter Qur'anic sacred history and
advance the Qur'an's overarching didactic aims.
The term desire in the Hebrew Bible covers a wide range of human
longings, emotions, and cravings. The direct and explicit term of
desire is nevertheless limited to only two roots found in the
Decalogue-the verb forms of the lexical roots and , which reflect
not only the dynamics of desire occurring in human beings, but also
in God. With an comprehensive semantic analysis and an overview of
the synonyms and antonyms, the author shows that the verb form of
the lexical root denotes a variety of needs related to human
existence including aspiration for God while the verb form of the
lexical root denotes the desire to acquire material wealth and
possessions beyond basic needs. All the findings are compared on
two levels-in relation to human beings (objects and people) and in
relation to God-and ultimately serve for the interpretation of the
roots in both versions of the Decalogue (Exod 20:17 and Deut 5:21)
to resolve questions concerning the meaning of the desire in Tenth
Commandment and substantiate whether the answers to life's
questions provided by the Bible correspond to modern society.
A Glossary of the Quran is a ready reckoner for those who are
interested to know the spirit of the Quran but are discouraged by
the lack of knowledge of the Arabic language. The author has
compiled the most common words used in the Quran so that one is
able to grasp the gist of the Quran without learning the
intricacies of the Arabic language. The book will be an ideal tool
for those who are interested in reading and understanding the Holy
Qur'an.
Unexplainable coincidences abound in the Bible and in biblical
Hebrew. For example, the Hebrew words for ear and balance are
derived from the same philological root. But it was only toward the
end of the nineteenth century that scientists discovered that the
human body s balancing mechanism resides in the ear. Coincidences
in the Bible and in biblical Hebrew details scores of such
incidents, including:
Words in Hebrew that show intent to convey a message
Coincidences in the Hebrew language that show intent to convey
hidden information, and occasionally information that could not be
expected to be known in biblical times
Passages in the Bible that convey or assume information or
knowledge unlikely to have been known in biblical times
Other coincidences from Jewish tradition or Jewish history
In this second edition, author Haim Shore discusses two types of
coincidences-those that can be considered just that, and others
that are subject to rigorous statistical analysis. Altogether,
nineteen analyses have been conducted with highly significant
results. Simple plots that accompany the analyses clarify their
meanings and implications so that no prior statistical know-how is
required. Genesis creation story is statistically analyzed.
"Speaking of Gods in Figure and Narrative" analyzes the
figurative-narrative creation of gods, their heavenly abodes, and
behaviors, reaching back to the beginning of history in Sumer,
Babylon, Egypt, Persia, and Greece, and continuing through a
biblical tradition that includes the Hebrew Bible, the New
Testament, and the Qur'an. Each culture leaves its linguistic
residue for the next to incorporate into its sacred texts,
resulting in the perpetuation and validation of ancient imagining,
attitudes, and ideas.
The Records of Mazu and the Making of Classical Chan Literature
explores the growth, makeup, and transformation of Chan (Zen)
Buddhist literature in late medieval China. The volume analyzes the
earliest extant records about the life, teachings, and legacy of
Mazu Daoyi (709-788), the famous leader of the Hongzhou School and
one of the principal figures in Chan history. While some of the
texts covered are well-known and form a central part of classical
Chan (or more broadly Buddhist) literature in China, others have
been largely ignored, forgotten, or glossed over until recently.
Poceski presents a range of primary materials important for the
historical study of Chan Buddhism, some translated for the first
time into English or other Western language. He surveys the
distinctive features and contents of particular types of texts, and
analyzes the forces, milieus, and concerns that shaped key
processes of textual production during this period. Although his
main focus is on written sources associated with a celebrated Chan
tradition that developed and rose to prominence during the Tang era
(618-907), Poceski also explores the Five Dynasties (907-960) and
Song (960-1279) periods, when many of the best-known Chan
collections were compiled. Exploring the Chan School's creative
adaptation of classical literary forms and experimentation with
novel narrative styles, The Records of Mazu and the Making of
Classical Chan Literature traces the creation of several
distinctive Chan genres that exerted notable influence on the
subsequent development of Buddhism in China and the rest of East
Asia.
The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs is a passionate yet analytical
critique of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptural
fundamentalists. Schimmel examines the ways in which otherwise
intelligent and bright Jews, Christians, and Muslims defend their
belief in the divine authorship of the Bible or of the Koran, and
other religious beliefs derived from those claims, against
overwhelming evidence and argument to the contrary from science,
scholarship, common sense, and rational analysis. He also examines
the motives, fears, and anxieties of scriptural fundamentalists
that induce them to cling so tenaciously to their unreasonable
beliefs.
Schimmel begins with reflections on his own journey from
commitment to Orthodox Judaism, through doubts about its
theological dogmas and doctrines, to eventual denial of their
truth. He follows this with an examination of theological and
philosophical debates about the proper relationships between faith,
reason, and revelation. Schimmel then devotes separate chapters to
Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptural fundamentalism, noting
their similarities and differences. He analyzes in depth the
psychological and social reasons why people acquire, maintain, and
protect unreasonable religious beliefs, and how they do so.
Schimmel also discusses unethical and immoral consequences of
scriptural fundamentalism, such as gender inequality, homophobia,
lack of intellectual honesty, self-righteousness, intolerance,
propagation of falsehood, and in some instances, the advocacy of
violence and terrorism. He concludes with a discussion of why,
when, and where it is appropriate to critique, challenge, and
combat scriptural fundamentalists. The Tenacity ofUnreasonable
Beliefs is thoughtful and provocative, written to encourage
self-reflection and self-criticism, and to stimulate and to
enlighten all who are interested in the psychology of religion and
in religious fundamentalism.
Though he has no formal rabbinical training, Ephraim Sobol began
teaching a weekly parsha class in his community. In two years time,
the class grew as his students shared their excitement. He began
writing "Two Minutes of Torah," a weekly Dvar Torah email based on
his class. These emails took on lives of their own, and soon they
were a much sought after read. Appealing to audiences with a broad
spectrum of knowledge, Two Minutes of Torah offers original and
concise insights into the parsha. To help students connect with the
lessons, he has woven many of his real-world experiences into his
essays.In the third volume of his popular series of books on the
parsha, Sobol completes that which he set out to do: provide a
constant companion for those seeking insights on the parsha every
week. Now spanning the entire Torah, these works have become an
essential component of many Shabbos tables.Using a folksy and
inviting manner Sobol provides fresh, deep insights into an ancient
text.
The series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die alttestamentliche
Wissenschaft (BZAW) covers all areas of research into the Old
Testament, focusing on the Hebrew Bible, its early and later forms
in Ancient Judaism, as well as its branching into many neighboring
cultures of the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman world.
The Ramayana tells the tale of Rama and his beloved Sita, but its
narratives and intent, as with all great literature, point to the
grand themes of life, death and righteousness. Originally written
in ancient Sanskrit, the elegant, epic work is a key part of the
canon of both Hinduism and Buddhism. It continues to inspire art,
theatre, poetry and temple architecture, dominating the spiritual
landscape of the vast Indian sub-continent and the diaspora
throughout the rest of the world. This deluxe new edition revives
Ralph T. H. Griffith's evocative verse translation and abridges it
for the modern reader - bringing the gripping narrative to the
forefront. The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic
Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore
and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense,
supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in
Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as
a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.
What are the legal rights to ancient documents of editors,
archaeologists, curators, or modern states? In the light of recent
controversies, this collection emphasizes the status of the Dead
Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in Palestine,
recovered in Jordan, and largely edited by an international
Christian team who prevented public access to unpublished
manuscripts. Subsquently, the state of Israel, which had already
purchased many of the Scrolls, has assumed responsibility for all
of them. Most recently, one scroll editor has claimed copyright on
his reconstruction, instigating a lawsuit and introducing serious
implications for future Scrolls scholarship. This volume looks at
international copyright and property rights as they affect
archaeologists, editors and curators, but focuses on the issue of
'authorship' of the Scrolls, both published and unpublished, and
the contributors include legal experts as well as many of the major
figures in recent controversies, such as Hershel Shanks, John
Strugnell, Geza Vermes and Emanuel Tov.
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