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Given the degree of popular fascination with Gnostic religions, it
is surprising how few pay attention to the one such religion that
has survived from antiquity until the present day: Mandaism.
Mandaeans, who esteem John the Baptist as the most famous adherent
to their religion, have in our time found themselves driven from
their historic homelands by war and oppression. Today, they are a
community in crisis, but they provide us with unparalleled access
to a library of ancient Gnostic scriptures, as part of the living
tradition that has sustained them across the centuries. Gnostic
texts such as these have caught popular interest in recent times,
as traditional assumptions about the original forms and cultural
contexts of related religious traditions, such as Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam, have been called into question. However,
we can learn only so much from texts in isolation from their own
contexts. Mandaean literature uniquely allows us not only to
increase our knowledge about Gnosticism, and by extension all these
other religions, but also to observe the relationship between
Gnostic texts, rituals, beliefs, and living practices, both
historically and in the present day.
James McGrath offers a convincing explanation of how and why John arrived at a christological portrait of Jesus that is so different from that of other New Testament authors, and yet at the same time clearly has its roots in earlier tradition. McGrath suggests that as the author of the Fourth Gospel sought to defend his beliefs about Jesus against the objections brought by opponents, he developed and drew out further implications from the beliefs he inherited. The book studies this process using insights from the field of sociology.
This multidisciplinary book focuses on the intersection between
religion and science fiction. Several perspectives are addressed by
scholars from different disciplines: theology, literature, history,
music, and anthropology. From Frankenstein, by way of Christian
apocalyptic, to Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and
much more, and from the United States to China and back again, the
authors who contribute to this volume serve as guides in the
exploration of religion and science fiction as a multifaceted,
multidisciplinary, and multicultural phenomenon.
The Gospel according to John presents Jesus in a unique way as
compared with other New Testament writings. Scholars have long
puzzled and pondered over why this should be. In this book, James
McGrath offers a convincing explanation of how and why the author
of the Fourth Gospel arrived at a christological portrait of Jesus
that is so different from that of other New Testament authors, and
yet at the same time clearly has its roots in earlier tradition.
McGrath suggests that as the author of this Gospel sought to defend
his beliefs about Jesus against the objections brought by
opponents, he developed and drew out further implications from the
beliefs he inherited. The book studies this process using insights
from the field of sociology which helps to bring methodological
clarity to the important issue of the development of Johannine
Christology.
Description: Religious themes, concepts, imagery, and terminology
have featured prominently in much recent science fiction. In the
book you hold in your hands, scholars working in a range of
disciplines (such as theology, literature, history, music, and
anthropology) offer their perspectives on a variety of points at
which religion and science fiction intersect. From Frankenstein, by
way of Christian apocalyptic, to Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar
Galactica, and much more, and from the United States to China and
back again, the authors who contribute to this volume serve as
guides in the exploration of religion and science fiction as a
multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and multicultural phenomenon.
Endorsements: "In Religion and Science Fiction, James McGrath has
gathered an impressive array of voices and approaches to the issue
of science fiction's treatment of religion. This richly
interdisciplinary book shows there's more to the study of religion
in SF than just theology or literary criticism alone have to
offer." -Gabriel Mckee author of The Gospel According to Science
Fiction "Religion and Science Fiction is a blessing to scholars and
science fiction fans alike. The ideas engaged by each author-from
postmodern post-apocalypticism to dime store heroes and
space-faring robots-challenge our assumptions about culture,
intellectual life, and even the very essence of what it means to be
human. The authors use science fiction to explore religion and
religion to elucidate science fiction; this combination gives us a
richer understanding of both." -Robert M Geraci author of
Apocalyptic AI: Visions of Heaven in Robotics, Artificial
Intelligence, and Virtual Reality. "This collection invites the
reader into thoughtful reflection on the religion and theology
(broadly understood) of a range of science fiction works (broadly
understood). Kudos to McGrath and his contributors for this
interdisciplinary exploration " -Marti J.
Steussy_MacAllister-Petticrew author of Forest of the Night and
Dreams of Dawn About the Contributor(s): James F. McGrath is
Associate Professor of Religion and the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair
in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in
Indianapolis. He is the author of John's Apologetic Christology
(2001) and The Only True God (2009).
Monotheism, the idea that there is only one true God, is a powerful
religious concept that was shaped by competing ideas and the
problems they raised. Surveying New Testament writings and Jewish
sources from before and after the rise of Christianity, James F.
McGrath argues that even the most developed Christologies in the
New Testament fit within the context of first century Jewish
"monotheism." In doing so, he pinpoints more precisely when the
parting of ways took place over the issue of God's oneness, and he
explores philosophical ideas such as "creation out of nothing,"
which caused Jews and Christians to develop differing concepts and
definitions about God.
Monotheism, the idea that there is only one true God, is a powerful
religious concept that was shaped by competing ideas and the
problems they raised. Surveying New Testament writings and Jewish
sources from before and after the rise of Christianity, James F.
McGrath argues that even the most developed Christologies in the
New Testament fit within the context of first century Jewish
"monotheism." In doing so, he pinpoints more precisely when the
parting of ways took place over the issue of God's oneness, and he
explores philosophical ideas such as "creation out of nothing,"
which caused Jews and Christians to develop differing concepts and
definitions about God.
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