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The Fantastic in Religious Narrative from Exodus to Elisha argues
that perspectives drawn from literary-critical theories of the
fantastic and fantasy are apt to explore Hebrew Bible religious
narratives. The book focuses on the narratives' marvels, monsters,
and magic, rather than whether or not the stories depict historical
events. The Exodus narrative (Ex 1-18) and a selection of
additional Hebrew Bible narratives (Num 11-14, Judg 6-8, 1 Kings
17-19, 2 Kings 4-7) are analysed from a fantasy-theoretical
perspective. The 'fantasy perspective' helps to make sense of
elements of these narratives that - although prominently featured
in the stories - have previously often been explained by being
explained away. These case studies can illuminate Hebrew Bible
religion and offer wider perspectives on religious narrative
generally. In light of the fantasy-theoretical approach, these
Hebrew Bible stories - with the Exodus narrative at the centre -
read not as foundational stories, affirming triumphantly and
unambiguously the bond between the deity, his people, and their
territory, but rather as texts that harbour and even actively
encourage ambiguity and uncertainty, not necessarily prompting
belief, orientation, and a sense of meaningfulness, but also
open-ended reflection and doubt. The case studies suggest that
other religious narratives, both in and beyond the Judaic
tradition, may also be amenable to interpretation in these terms,
thus questioning a dominant trend in myth studies. The results of
the analyses lead to a discussion of the role of ambiguity,
uncertainty, and transformation in religious narrative in broader
perspective, and to a questioning of the emphasis in the study of
religion on the capacity of religious narrative for founding and
maintaining institutions, orienting identity, and defending order
over disorder. The book suggests the wider importance of
incorporating destabilisation, disorientation, and ambiguity more
strongly into theories of what religious narrative is and does.
The Fantastic in Religious Narrative from Exodus to Elisha argues
that perspectives drawn from literary-critical theories of the
fantastic and fantasy are apt to explore Hebrew Bible religious
narratives. The book focuses on the narratives marvels, monsters,
and magic, rather than whether or not the stories depict historical
events. The Exodus narrative (Ex 1-18) and a selection of
additional Hebrew Bible narratives (Num 11-14, Judg 6-8, 1 Kings
17-19, 2 Kings 4-7) are analysed from a fantasy-theoretical
perspective. The fantasy-theoretical perspective helps to make
sense of elements of these narratives that although prominently
featured in the stories - have previously often been explained by
being explained away. The case studies treated in the book
illuminate Hebrew Bible religion and offer wider perspectives on
religious narrative generally. In light of the fantasy-theoretical
approach, these Hebrew Bible stories with the Exodus narrative at
the centre - read not as foundational stories, affirming
triumphantly and unambiguously the bond between the deity, his
people, and their territory, but rather as texts that harbour and
even actively encourage ambiguity and uncertainty, not necessarily
prompting belief, orientation, and a sense of meaningfulness, but
also open-ended reflection and doubt. The case studies suggest that
other religious narratives, both in and beyond the Judaic
tradition, may also be amenable to interpretation in these terms,
thus questioning a dominant trend in myth studies. The results of
the analyses lead to a discussion of the role of ambiguity,
uncertainty, and transformation in religious narrative in broader
perspective, and to a questioning of the emphasis in the study of
religion on the capacity of religious narrative for founding and
maintaining institutions, orienting identity, and defending order
over disorder. The book suggests the wider importance of
incorporating destabilisation, disorientation, and ambiguity more
strongly into theories of what religious narrative is and does.
Wilderness is one of the most abiding creations in the history of
religions. It has a long and seminal history and is of contemporary
relevance in wildlife preservation and climate discourses. Yet it
has not previously been subject to scrutiny or theorising from a
cross-cultural study of religions perspective. What are the
specific relations between the world's religions and imagined and
real wilderness areas? The wilderness is often understood as a
domain void of humans, opposed to civilization, but the analyses in
this book complicate and question the dualism of previous
theoretical grids and offer new perspectives on the interesting
multiplicity of the wilderness and religion nexus. This book thus
addresses the need for cross-cultural anthropological and history
of religions analyses by offering in-depth case studies of the use
and functions of wilderness spaces in a diverse range of contexts
including, but not limited to, ancient Greece, early Christian
asceticism, Old Norse religion, the shamanism-Buddhism encounter in
Mongolia, contemporary paganism, and wilderness spirituality in the
US. It advances research on religious spatialities, cosmologies,
and ideas of wild nature and brings new understanding of the role
of religion in human interaction with 'the world'.
Questions of authority are perennial. Authority has been and still
is a key topic in many studies of history, society, literature, and
religion, just as it is a key issue in contemporary societies. In
spite of the scholarly attention, authority continues to have an
elusive quality. Reframing Authority provides new perspectives by
focusing on the role of materiality and media for questions of
authority, as well as on the changing roles of authority
historically and cross-culturally. The volume argues that forms of
mediation and materiality are crucial in any constitution,
contestation, or transformation of authority. New understanding of
authority can be gained by focusing on materiality and media in
situations where authority is created, contested, or transformed in
different historical eras and cultures. As the in-depth historical
case studies show, authority is dependent upon a range of media and
materiality forms - objects, paraphernalia, spaces and spatial
practices, visual culture, literary forms, technologies, and
bodies. Thus, authority is vulnerable and in need of continual
maintenance, as struggles against, negotiations of, and
transformations within authority constellations demonstrate.
Reframing Authority demonstrates the fundamental relational nature
of authority, makes a contribution to broader debates in the human
sciences and offers a long historical perspective, ranging from
ancient Rome and Christianity, to medieval literature, the early
modern, modern, and contemporary eras in Asia, the Middle East,
Western Europe, Mexico and the US.
Questions of authority are perennial. Authority has been and still
is a key topic in many studies of history, society, literature, and
religion, just as it is a key issue in contemporary societies. In
spite of the scholarly attention, authority continues to have an
elusive quality. Reframing Authority provides new perspectives by
focusing on the role of materiality and media for questions of
authority, as well as on the changing roles of authority
historically and cross-culturally. The volume argues that forms of
mediation and materiality are crucial in any constitution,
contestation, or transformation of authority. New understanding of
authority can be gained by focusing on materiality and media in
situations where authority is created, contested, or transformed in
different historical eras and cultures. As the in-depth historical
case studies show, authority is dependent upon a range of media and
materiality forms - objects, paraphernalia, spaces and spatial
practices, visual culture, literary forms, technologies, and
bodies. Thus, authority is vulnerable and in need of continual
maintenance, as struggles against, negotiations of, and
transformations within authority constellations demonstrate.
Reframing Authority demonstrates the fundamental relational nature
of authority, makes a contribution to broader debates in the human
sciences and offers a long historical perspective, ranging from
ancient Rome and Christianity, to medieval literature, the early
modern, modern, and contemporary eras in Asia, the Middle East,
Western Europe, Mexico and the US.
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