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This volume contains the papers read at the Leiden Conference on Canonization and Decanonization of 9-10 January 1997. The emphasis in this rich and wide-ranging contribution to the subject is on the processes of canonization and decanonization in several religions and on the phenomenon of religious canons as well. It has two sections: (De)canonization and the History of Religions, and (De)canonization and Modern Society. In the first section processes out of which canons eventually emerge are highlighted in contributions devoted to particular religions, viz. African religions, Judaism and Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism. The articles of the second section are of particular relevance to the contemporary situation in the western world, dealing with aspects such as forms of the survival of a canon in processes of modernization, canonization and the challenge of plurality, and canonization and hermeneutics. The reader may benefit even more from this volume as it contains also An Annotated Bibliography on the subject.

In this study, Vevian Zaki places the Arabic versions of the Pauline Epistles in their historical context, exploring when, where, and how they were produced, transmitted, understood, and adapted among Eastern Christian communities across the centuries. She also considers the transmission and use of these texts among Muslim polemicists, as well as European missionaries and scholars. Underpinning the study is a close investigation of the manuscripts and a critical examination of their variant readings. The work concludes with a case study: an edition and translation of the Epistle to the Philippians from manuscripts London, BL, Or. 8612 and Vatican, BAV, Ar. 13; a comparison of the translation strategies employed in these two versions; and an investigation of the possible relations between them.

Diese Festgabe für Friedrich Hermanni ist der Frage gewidmet, was das Denken mit Gott zu tun hat und Gott mit dem Denken. Der Band verbindet klassische mit zeitgenössischen Positionen, indem er das Verhältnis von Denken und Gott in Geschichte und Gegenwart analysiert und diskutiert. Gegliedert ist er in fünf Themenbereiche: I. Gott und Denken in Theologie und Philosophie - Prinzipientheoretische Überlegungen - II. Der Gottesgedanke und die Frage nach seiner Wahrheit - III. Der Gottesgedanke und die Frage nach seiner Bestimmtheit - IV. Das Verhältnis von Gott und Denken in Gott und im Menschen - V. Zur Frage nach der Transzendenz Gottes Die international renommierten Autoren stellen sich diesen Themen und treten in das systematisch-theologische und religionsphilosophische Gespräch mit den Argumenten Friedrich Hermannis ein. Für die gegenwärtige Theologie und Philosophie werden dabei entscheidende Einsichten für die Verhältnisbestimmung von Gott und Denken gewonnen.

Der Band versammelt Beiträge aus der evangelischen und katholischen Theologie, Judaistik, Islamwissenschaft und Arabistik, Religionswissenschaft, Philosophie und klassischen Philologie. Sie alle widmen sich der Frage, ob es in Religion und Theologie Entwicklung geben kann – eine Debatte, die sich von der Antike über das Mittelalter bis in die Neuzeit verfolgen lässt: Kann etwa im Verhältnis von griechisch-römischen Kulten, Judentum, Christentum und Islam von ›alten‹ und ›neuen‹ Religionen gesprochen werden? Wie werden in ihnen jeweils die Begriffe ›alt‹ und ›neu‹, ›Fortschritt‹ und ›Modernität‹ geltend gemacht? Diese lang tradierten Fragen gewinnen in der Gegenwart eine dringliche Aktualität, etwa bei der Suche nach Antworten auf die vieldiskutierte ›Glaubenskrise‹ der christlichen Kirchen oder bei der Forderung nach einem ›modernen‹ Islam. The volume brings together contributions that presents perspectives on the topic from different academic disciplines (protestant and catholic theology, Jewish studies, Islamic and Arabic studies, religious studies, philosophy, classical philology). The debate about whether there can be development in religion and theology can be traced from antiquity through the middle ages to modern times: Can we speak of'old'and'new'religions in relation to Greco-Roman cults, Judaism, Christianity and Islam? How are the terms'old'/'new','progress'and'modernity'asserted within one and the same religion and its theology? These old questions are becoming urgently topical in the present – often completely unreflected – for example when looking for answers to the much-discussed crisis of faith in the Christian churches or when calling for a'modern'Islam.

In 2009 the Seventh International Conference of Manichaean Studies was held at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. The 22 selected papers of this volume offer a deep insight into the faith of Manichaean communities ranging from the very beginning of the 3rd century up to the last traces of worship today. Among others the authors deal with sources from Augustin, John the Grammarian, Ephrem the Syrian and further sources written in Coptic, Sogdian, Middle Persian, Parthian and Chinese. Several studies about Manichaean art and iconography offer a visual impression, which gives a new opportunity for understanding the religion of Light.

Hindu traditions are diverse and complex. Simple summaries of Hindu beliefs and practices aren't adequate to explain their captivating allure for Hindus. This collection of papers from seasoned practitioners observes Hindu traditions and Hindu ministry from new angles, introducing new perspectives on ministry in Christ's name that are relevant far beyond the Hindu world. Broad conceptual pictures and detailed practical advice is presented. Also highlighted are some remarkable Hindus who surrendered to Christ - and wrestled with the meaning of following Him in their Hindu families. This is the first book to turn to for pointers on sharing Christ with Hindus.

Indian Religions: Renaissance and Renewal, the latest collection of Spalding papers, celebrates the work of Ninian Smart in bringing together papers by some of the most eminent scholars within this field. The papers are concerned with cultural, religious, political or textual exchange and encounter, and therefore in concepts of rupture, revival, restoration, reformation and reformulation. The title of this book comes directly from Professor Klaus Klostermaier's paper which argues that the real Hindu Renaissance is happening now. However, the title also embraces the contemporary problematic of the study of Indian religions. There cannot ever have been a time when the scholarly study of Indic religions has been under such scrutiny or more politically, culturally and religiously sensitive. The papers in section one urge a major rethinking of academic paradigms. The papers in the second section focus on texts, contexts and ways of understanding. Vastly different in style, period and approach, they nevertheless cumulatively develop sensitivity to textual continuities, to the purposes of commentators and the contemporary creative reinterpretation of texts and their application to real life. The third section is concerned with cultural and religious encounter and exchange, transformation, restoration, revival and reformation. The fourth section is concerned with the performative, experiential and expressive. There are papers on the Hindu imagination and imaginary Hinduisms; religion, the media and a multi-modal future; ritual performance and gender; art and the aesthetic imagination.

Religiöse Gemeinschaften konstruieren ihre Identität mit Hilfe verschiedener Faktoren. Ein zentraler Faktor ist in diesem Zusammenhang das Gesetz: Mit welchem Gesetz identifiziert sich eine religiöse Gemeinschaft? Inwiefern grenzt sie sich dadurch von anderen Gemeinschaften ab? Gesetz und Gesetze spielen eine wichtige Rolle in den Prozessen, die zur Trennung von Juden und Christen im Altertum führten. Juden und Christen waren aber auch den Gesetzen, den Gesetzgebern und den Gesetzesvorstellungen ihrer Umwelt unterworfen und mussten in ihrem sozialen Umfeld ihre eigene Identität definieren und verteidigen. Diese komplexen Fragestellungen suchen die fünf Beiträge des Buches aus verschiedener Perspektive zu erhellen: babylonische und römische Rechtsvorstellungen, Altes und Neues Testament, rabbinisches Judentum.

This collection of twenty papers originally contributed to the annual Denton Conferences in Implicit Religion bespeaks, through the range and quality of its contents, the achievement of its editor in gaining currency for the concept of'implicit religion'in a project spanning three decades. As Dr. Bailey immediatly concedes, the concept of implicit religion has been criticized for lacking analytical specificity, transgressing appropriate boundaries and promoting an empirically over-inclusive understanding of religion and spirituality. This volume of Denton Papers in Implicit Religio

The general papers in Volume 29 of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion cover a range of topics including psychological type, prayer, nature and well-being, psychobiography, coping with addiction, and the role of place in spirituality. The first special section on congregational studies draws on a range of large datasets from the National Church Life Surveys in Australia. Papers examine the factors that predict individual sense of belonging in Catholic parishes as well as congregational-level aspects of vitality, collective confidence, and innovativeness. The second special section examines the Ideological Surround Model and how it can help to better understand expressions of faith related to psychological constructs such as mindfulness, fundamentalism, and the ‘Dark Triad'of Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy. Contributors are: Tania ap Siôn, Amanda (Mandy) Aspland, Dharma Arunachalam, Joel Gruneau Brulin, Zhuo Job Chen, Victor Counted, Giuseppe Crea, Robert Dixon, Martin Dowson, Deepti B. Duggi, Leslie J. Francis, Nima Ghorbani, Pehr Granqvist, Gill Hall, Douglas Hall, Nicole Hancock, Magnhild Høie, Ralph W. Hood Jr., Shanmukh Vasant Kamble, Thomas Lindgren, Ronald J. Morris, Miriam Pepper, Ruth Powell, Brooke M. Ruf, Sam Sterland, Fazlollaha Tavakoli, John-Kåre Vederhus, David C. Wang, P. J. Watson, and John K. Williams.

The papers in this volume were delivered at the first international colloquium by the Jacob Taubes Minerva Center for Religious Anthropology at Bar Ilan University, held in February 1995.Concepts of Self, Soul and Body are so close to the physiological layers of life that we may imagine them to be biological as well; but in fact, they are social constructs, and a source of fundamental metaphors for the classification of experience. They thus help organize the world, at the same time as they express basic human identity. They vary from culture to culture and can productively be compared and contrasted from one setting to another. We intend these papers to be a test case of the benefit to be gained from attention to Religious Anthropology.

This volume of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion includes a wide range of papers from a social-science perspective. The special section gives a unique insight into the rapidly growing field of psychological studies of religion in China. It draws on experts from China and the USA who met for a conference at Fuller Theological Seminary and have together compiled a collection of original research and reviews that helps to locate the current state of the discipline from a specifically Chinese perspective. Other papers in the volume examine intergenerational religious transmission and religious problem-solving styles in the USA.

This volume includes a wide range of papers that explore individual and institutional aspects of religion from a social-science perspective. The special section has articles related to the practice of prayer, and includes studies from the USA, Europe, and the Middle East. The general papers include studies on coping strategies, God representations, spirituality versus religion, self-control in a Muslim context, and faith-based organizations in Cambodia. Together these papers form a valuable collection indicating the depth and vibrancy of research in these fields. Contributors are: Blanca Aranda, Mark Aveyard, Aaron W. Banister, Anderson Blanton, Zhuo Job Chen, Francine Dolins, John Frame, Leslie J. Francis, Shira Gabriel, Norma Geist, Gemma Penny, Nima Ghorbani, Zvonimir Knezović, Kevin L. Ladd, Jonathan D. Lane, Patrick J. Laycock, Kirsten A. Lesage, Mikael Lundmark, Patrick Pössel, Rebekah A. Richert, Anondah R. Saide, Nicholas J. Shaman, Fazlollah Tavakoli, Filip Užarević, Jennifer Valenti, Paul J. Watson.

This volume includes a wide range of papers that explore individual and institutional aspects of religion from a social-science perspective. The special section has articles from research groups in Europe, the USA and Australia on clergy work-related psychological health, stress, burnout and coping strategies. The general papers include studies on coping strategies among Buddhists, gender differences in response to church decline, teenage participation in religion, social capital among Friends of Cathedrals, psychological profiles of clergy, education effects on Roman Catholic deacons, and an analysis of prayer requests. Together these papers form a valuable collection indicating the depth and vibrancy of research in these fields. Contributors are: Tania Ap Sion, Rachel Blouin, Christine Brewster, the late Deborah Bruce, Cheng Clara Michelle, Giuseppe Crea, Benjamin Doolittle, Joseph Ferrari, Leslie J. Francis, Philip Hughes, Patrick Laycock, Steve McMullin, Judith Muskett, Gemma Penny, Russell Phillips, Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, Kelvin Randall, Mandy Robbins, Jenny Rolph, Paul Rolph, Greg Smith, Sam Sterland, Andrew Village, Kay William, Cynthia Woolever, and Keith Wulff.

Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion continues to offer a place for the publication of theoretical and empirical papers related to the broad area of how the social sciences understand religion. Two papers in the general section add important contributions to the fields of faith development and spirituality. The use of special sections has enabled particular topics to be dealt with in detail and shows how information that is gathered incrementally can help make great advances in a field. Spirituality, alongside religion, features as the key independent variable in many of the nine papers of the special section in this volume. Social scientific approaches have sought to show links between the experiences of health, well-being or disease, and individual differences in religiosity and/or spirituality.

In this reprinted edition of Biblical Revelation and African Beliefs, the contents of traditional African religions and their relevance to Christian ideas are explored. Through presenting the principal papers of a consultation of African theologians, Dickson and Ellingworth offer an extensive exploration of how these traditional religions and their ideas can enrich and enlighten Christianity in Africa. Rejecting a Eurocentric vision of Christianity in Africa, Biblical Revelation and African Beliefs explores ideas such as the knowledge of God, the notion of power, time, and man, as well as examining the ethical content of African traditional religion and when it can be reconciled to Christian ethics. This group of esteemed African theologians offers a framework for a synthesis between the Christian gospel and African theology, which is illuminating for historians and Christian theologians alike.

An incisive and original collection of the most engaging issues in contemporary comparative theology In The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Comparative Theology, a team of distinguished scholars delivers a one-of-a-kind collection of essays on comparative theology. Honoring the groundbreaking work of Francis X. Clooney, S.J.—whose contributions to theology and religion will endure for generations—the included works explore seven key subjects in comparative theology, including its theory, method, history, influential contemporary developments, and potentially fruitful avenues for future discussion. The editors provide essays that reflect on the critical, theoretical, and methodological aspects of comparative theology, as well as constructive and critical appraisals of Francis Clooney's scholarship. Over forty original contributions from internationally recognized scholars and insightful newcomers to the field are included within. Readers will also find: Insightful discussions of the larger implications of comparative theology beyond the discipline itself, especially as it relates to educational programs, institutions, and post-carceral life Robust promotion of the research methods and critical thinking present in Francis Clooney's work Practical discussions of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing theological researchers today Papers from leading contributors located around the globe, including emerging voices from the global southPerfect for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of theology and religious studies, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Comparative Theology will also benefit scholars with an interest in comparative religion, interreligious studies, and interreligious theology.

World religions are not merely abstract sets of doctrinal beliefs. They are embodied worldviews and practices lived out by real people around us. Encounters with these neighboring faiths often challenge our own beliefs and traditions, making us think more deeply about our faith commitments.For all who want to understand the religious faiths of their neighbors, Winfried Corduan offers an introduction to the religions of the world. This classic text covers major as well as lesser known religions, including Judaism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, African traditional religions, Native American religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Chinese popular religion, and Shinto and Japanese religions.Neighboring Faiths emphasizes not just formal religious teachings but also how each religion is practiced in daily life. Dozens of photographs, charts, and maps help illustrate how the faiths have developed and how they're lived out today. Corduan offers specific insights into what to expect from encounters with adherents of each religion and suggestions for how Christians can engage them in constructive dialogue. Each chapter offers lists of key points, ideas for term papers, and recommended resources to help students, instructors, and small groups go deeper.This third edition has been updated and revised throughout. The chapter on militant Islam is significantly revised to address more recent events and issues, and questions for reflection and discussion have been added to each chapter.Neighboring Faiths is an indispensable guide for Christians seeking an informed, empathetic perspective on different religions and the people who practice them.

The tale of a collective evil force known as Gog and Magog has occupied the imagination of Jews, Christians, and Muslims for millennia, finding expression in literary and scholarly works and other cultural artifacts. This book gathers the papers from two conferences at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg by scholars ranging from history, to religious studies, to art history, and is the most thorough work on the subject to date.

Professorial Dissertation from the year 2023 in the subject Philosophy - Theoretical (Realisation, Science, Logic, Language), grade: 1,0, Selçuk University (Faculty of Islamic Studies), course: philosophy and religious studies, language: English, abstract: This paper analyzes the two concepts of'spandrel'and'fitrah'in the context of the Cognitive Science of Religion and, opposed to that, evolutionary thinking. Despite that the two concepts in this study's title seem to have the same meaning, they are understood differently due to differences in perspective. Both concepts acknowledge that human beings have certain innate faculties and claim that these faculties predispose them to believe and be moral. Spandrel argues that these innate faculties are a result of adaptations that enable us to survive in the evolutionary process, while'fitrah'asserts that these faculties are given by God. In the study, first, the experimental studies proposed by the proponents of the idea of spandrel and the general ideas of the Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) are given. Then, it has been established, through experimental tests, that these faculties, proposed by this theory, have similar aspects with the'Commonsense Principles'put forward by Thomas Reid, and his epistemological views have been conveyed. According to him, we should rely on the information provided by these faculties and accept that they are essential for reasoning. After these determinations were made, the study argued that the concept of'fitrah'aligns with the idea of the Cognitive Science of Religion (CSR) and Thomas Reid's views.

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject Theology - Comparative Religion Studies, grade: 65,, course: Religious Studies, language: English, abstract: The thrust and concern of this paper is to examine the potential and the hope African indigenous religion have amidst Christianity and Islam mostly on the Nigerians. Prior to the advent and spread of external forces of change engendered by colonialism, commerce and foreign religions, Africans have their religion; in other words, the indigenous African way of worship and life. The study employed phenomenological method. The word phenomenological is an adjective derived from the noun ‘phenomenology'. The primary objectives of the phenomenological method of research is the direct investigation and explanation of phenomena as consciously experienced without theories about their causal explanation and as free as possible from preconceptions and presuppositions. The study found out among other things the continuous influence of African indigenous religion on the people despite the growth of Christianity and Islam in African nations on a daily basis. This study therefore investigates the hindrance of foreign religious on the religio-cultural life of African (Nigerian) people specifically; on the African religion. The study examines how Christians ideas have influenced the religion, culture, conception of life and worldview of African peoples hence affecting its continuity.

This volume provides a comparative philosophical investigation into a particular concept from a variety of angles—in this case, the concept of “miracle.” The text covers deeply philosophical questions around the miracle, with a multiplicity of answers. Each chapter brings its own focus to this multifaceted effort. The volume rejects the primarily western focus that typically dominates philosophy of religion and is filled with particular examples of miracle narratives, community responses, and polemical scenarios across widely varying religious contexts and historical periods. Some of these examples defy religious categorization, and some papers challenge the applicability of the concept “miracle,” which is of western and monotheistic origin. By examining miracles thru a wide comparative context, this text presents a range of descriptive content and analysis, with attention to the audience, to the subjective experiences being communicated, and to the flavor of the narratives that come to surround miracles. This book appeals to students and researchers working in philosophy of religion and science, as well those in comparative religion. It represents, in written form, some of the perspectives and dialogue achieved in The Comparison Project's 2017–2019 lecture series on miracles. The Comparison Project is an enterprise in comparing a variety of religious voices, allowing them to stand in dialogue.

Jerusalem and Other Holy Places as Foci of Multireligious and Ideological Confrontation brings together the papers that were read at an international conference at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem in May 2018. The contributions to this volume develop a multi-disciplinary perspective on holy places and their development, rhetorical force, and oft-contested nature. Through a particular focus on Jerusalem, this volume demonstrates the variety in the study of holy places, as well as the flexibility of geographic and historical aspects of holiness.

This sourcebook explores the most extensive tradition of Buddhist dhāraṇī literature and provides access to the earliest available materials for the first time: a unique palm-leaf bundle from the 12th–13th centuries and a paper manuscript of 1719 CE. The Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha collections have been present in South Asia, and especially in Nepal, for more than eight hundred years and served to supply protection, merit and auspiciousness for those who commissioned their compilation. For modern scholarship, these diverse compendiums are valuable sources of incantations and related texts, many of which survive in Sanskrit only in such manuscripts.

This book presents revised papers delivered at the 1998 and 1999 Taubes Minerva Center for Religious Anthropology conferences. The papers from the 1998 conference discuss the role of sacrifice in religious experience from a comparative perspective. Those from the second conference examine alternatives to sacrifice. The first theme has been much elaborated in recent scholarship, and the essays here participate in that on-going inquiry. The second theme has been less explored, and the goal of this volume is to stimulate examination of the topic by offering a set of test cases. In both sections of the volume a wide variety of religious traditions are considered.The essays show that in spite of the inclination we may sometimes have to consider sacrifice part of the idolatrous past, long overcome, it remains a persistent and meaningful part of religious experience.

From meditation and fasting to celibacy and anchoritism, the ascetic impulse has been an enduring and complex phenomenon throughout history. Offering a sweeping view of this elusive and controversial aspect of religious life and culture, Asceticism looks at the ascetic impulse from a unique vantage point. Cross-cultural, cross-religious, and multidisciplinary in nature, these essays provide a broad historical and comparative perspective on asceticism--a subject rarely studied outside the context of individual religious traditions. The work represents the input of more than forty preeminent scholars in a wide range of fields and disciplines, and analyzes asceticism from antiquity to the present in European, Near Eastern, African, Asian, and North American settings. Asceticism is organized around four major themes that cut across religious traditions: origins and meanings of asceticism, which explores the motivations and impulses behind ascetic behaviors; hermeneutics of asceticism, which looks at texts and rhetorics and their presuppositions; aesthetics of asceticism, which documents responses evoked by ascetic impulses and practices, as well as the arts of ascetic practices themselves; and politics of asceticism, which analyzes the power dynamics of asceticism, especially as regards gender, cultural, and ethnic differences. Critical responses to the major papers ensure the focus upon the themes and unify the discussion. Two general addresses on broad philosophical and historical-interpretive issues suggest the importance of the subject of asceticism for wide-ranging but serious cultural-critical discussions. An Appendix, Ascetica Miscellanea, includes six short papers on provocative topics not related to the four major themes, and a panel discussion on the practices and meanings of asceticism in contemporary religious life and culture. A selected bibliography and an index are also included. The only comprehensive reference work on asceticism with a multicultural, multireligious, and multidisciplinary perspective, Asceticism offers a model not only for an understanding of a most important dimension of religious life, but also for future interdisciplinary study in general.

For over 2500 years, Buddhism was implicated in processes of cultural interaction that in turn shaped Buddhist doctrines, practices and institutions. While the cultural plurality of Buddhism has often been remarked upon, the transcultural processes that constitute this plurality, and their long-term effects, have scarcely been studied as a topic in their own right. The contributions to this volume present detailed case studies ranging across different time periods, regions and disciplines, and they address methodological challenges as well as theoretical problems. In addition to casting a spotlight on topics as diverse as the role of trade contacts in the early spread of Buddhism, the hybrid nature of religious practices in Japan or Indo-Tibetan relations in Tibetan polemical literature, the individual papers jointly raise the question as to whether there might be something distinct about how Buddhism steers and influences forms of cultural exchange, and is in turn shaped by modalities of cultural interaction throughout Asian, as well as global, history. The volume is intended to demonstrate the need for investigating transcultural dynamics more closely in the study of Buddhism, and to suggest new avenues for Buddhist Studies.

This collection of essays challenges the traditional patriarchal approach to sacred literature by highlighting gender parity in sacred texts and envisioning the rise of the matriarchy in the future. The authors redefine Biblical Greek words like malakoi and arsenokoitai used in condemnation of homosexuality, and Qur'anic words like darajah and qawwamun, used for establishing patriarchy. One author reexamines the role of the Nepalese Teej festival of fasting and worship of the god Shiva in promoting male hegemony in Hinduism. Other papers examine passages like Proverbs 31:1-31, the stories of Sarah and Rahab in the Bible, the role of Mary in the Qur'an, and the Dharmic conversion in chapter 27 of the Lotus Sutra. This book makes it clear that sacred literature is subject to human understanding as it evolves through space and time. Today, as more women are educated and actively engaged in political, economic, and social life, religions are challenged to redefine gender roles and norms.

The present volume is focused on the interactions and syncretistic tensions between religion and philosophy in Late Antiquity. A variety of papers examine issues of personal religious attitudes, initiation to the mysteries, Orphism, notions of theurgy, magic, the philosopher's quest for intimacy or union with the divine, magic and Christianity, the role of prayer in philosophical texts, and oracles, dream-visions and divination. The contributions include a wide range of specialisations, such as Neoplatonism, Chaldaean Oracles, Theurgy, Patristic literature, Christian religious texts and Manichaeism.

This collection of twelve articles presents a selection of papers delivered in the course of a seminar 1994-95 and its concluding international symposium at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. The common theme is the interrelation between magic and religion, focussing particularly on the Mediterranean world in Antiquity - Egyptian, Graeco-Roman and Jewish beliefs and customs - but also treating the early modern period in Northern Europe (the Netherlands and Germany) as well as offering more general reflections on elements of magic in language and Jewish mysticism. The volume is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach and the use of varied methodologies, emphasizing the dynamic nature of the often contradictory forces shaping religious beliefs and practices, while dismissing the idea of a linear development from magic to religion or vice versa. The contributors are outstanding scholars in their fields: Ancient, Medieval and Modern History, Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, Classical Studies, Early Christianity, Islamic Studies, Anthropology, Egyptology and Comparative Literature. Without a doubt this re-evaluation of a fascinating age-old subject will stimulate scholarly discussion and appeal to educated non-specialist readers as well.

This collection of 16 articles represents a selection of the papers delivered in the course of a seminar (1995-1996) at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and its concluding joint symposium held at the Institute and Princeton University.Wide-ranging in scope, the volume covers messianic expectations from biblical times up to modern and contemporaneous adaptations, whereby the focus lies on the messianic concept within Judaism: diversity and variety of messianic expectations in antiquity; messianic movements at the time of the Crusades and around the fifth millennium (1240); the'Pseudo'-Messiah Sabbatai Avi in the early modern period; the philosophers Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig and Walter Benjamin with respect to their thinking about messianism as well as the Lubavitch movement.Also included are investigations on pagan Graeco-Roman writings and messianic strands in the medieval and baroque Christian context. The section on the modern period contains contributions dealing with the Ahmaddiyya movement in India, messianic currents in the socio-political culture of the Weimar Republic as well as certain messianic aspects in the very recent so-called Branch Davidian community in Waco, Texas. The broad spectrum of stimulating analyses provides a fresh re-evaluation of an apparently timeless phenomenon.

This collection of papers from two workshops - held in Heidelberg, Germany, in July 1996 and Jerusalem, Israel, in October 1997 - is concerned with anthropological rather than theological aspects of the Near Eastern and Mediterranean religions, ranging from the'primary'religions of the archaic period and their complex developments in Egypt and Mesopotamia to the'soteriological'movements and'secondary'religions that emerged in Late Antiquity.The first part of the book focuses on'Confession and Conversion', while the second part is devoted to the topic of'Guilt, Sin and Rituals of Purification'.The primary purpose of this volume is to convey a sense of the dynamics and dialectical relationships between the various Near Eastern and Mediterranean religions from the archaic period to Late Antiquity.

The last of the continental collections gathered from Shoghi Effendi's ministry (1921-1957), Afire with the Vision: Messages from Shoghi Effendi to Latin America is a long-anticipated and significant publication. The volume covers Shoghi Effendi's direction given to the Latin American community throughout the course of the initial stages in the execution of'Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan for the worldwide propagation of the Bahá'í Faith. Its contents have been carefully gathered over the course of several decades from official Bahá'í archives and the papers of individual believers throughout the hemisphere. Not only does this volume stand as a tribute to the tireless efforts of the many pioneers and first Latin American believers, it constitutes a further record of the inestimable role of Shoghi Effendi in advancing the vital interests of the Cause of God throughout the world.AUTHOR BIOShoghi Effendi (1897­-1957), great-grandson of Bahá'u'lláh (the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith), was educated at the American University of Beirut and Balliol College, Oxford. Among the many achievements of his ministry as the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith are the development of the world spiritual and administrative center of the Faith in Haifa, Israel; the establishment of the administrative order of the Faith; the elaboration of many aspects of the Faith's history and teachings through his writings; the translation of many passages from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh into English; and the planning for the growth of the Faith on a world-encompassing scale.

At an international symposium in Norway, the 100 years'anniversary of the academic study of religion was celebrated. This volume contains the papers that were presented at this conference.A major part of the papers deals with the situation of this discipline around the turn of the last century, focussing especially on the work of the Dutch-Norwegian scholar W. Brede Kristensen (1867-1953) and on other founding fathers in the Scandinavian countries. Other contributors discuss methodological questions relating to the idea of a phenomenology of religion. Furthermore, an attempt is made to compare the study of religion at the end of the twentieth century with the situation a hundred years earlier, and to trace some of the lines of development. The book includes a bibliography of publications by W. Brede Kristensen.

The present volume contains the proceedings of an international colloquium held in February 2015 at the Arts Faculty of the KU Leuven that brought together specialists in (late) ancient philosophy and early Christian studies. Contributors were asked to reflect on the reception of two foundational texts dealing with the origin of the world - the third book of Plato's Timaeus and the Genesis account of the creation. The organizers had a double aim: They wished to offer a forum for furthering the dialogue between colleagues working in these respective fields and to do this by studying in a comparative perspective both a crucial topic shared by these traditions and the literary genres through which this topic was developed and transmitted. The two reference texts have been studied in antiquity in a selective way, through citations and essays dealing with specific issues, and in a more systematic way through commentaries. The book is divided into three parts. The first one deals with the so-called Middle- and Neoplatonic tradition. The second part is dedicated to the Christian tradition and contains papers on several of the more important Christian authors who dealt with the Hexaemeron. The third part is entitled'Some Other Voices'and deals with authors and movements that combine elements from various traditions. Special attention is given to the nature and dynamics of the often close relationship between the various traditions as envisaged by Jewish-Christian authors and to the remarkable lack of interest from the Neoplatonists for'the other side'.

This collective volume, originating from an interdisciplinary conference at Heidelberg University, deals with the expansion of the so-called oriental cults in the Roman Empire. The concept of'oriental cults'itself has come under discussion in recent years because it has been questioned whether the cults in question really formed a coherent group and to what degree they might be called'oriental'at all. This discussion is reflected throughout the papers of the volume which focus on the three cults of Isis (and Osiris), Mithras and Jupiter Dolichenus. Of special interest are the (alleged) origins of these cults in Egypt, Persia and Northern Syria, their expansion and adaptation within the Roman Empire (through some sort of'religious flows'), their linguistic and visual expressions as well as the architecture and decoration of sanctuaries and the rituals connected with them.

Aristotle accurately characterized humans as political animals. Whether through birth or from choice, people naturally cluster into groups for protection, advancement, and the pursuit of well-being. But Aristotle's description does not hint at the powerful binary tension within this human tendency. Leaders enhance a social group's sense of identity by appealing to the members'commitments and shared traditions, to their hopes, strengths, sacrifices, and fears. Often, however, they cultivate not only an awareness of difference but even a sense of superiority, since for every social group there are those outsider, the “them”. Maintaining a group's solidarity can too easily lead to the righteousness of intolerance towards those who are excluded. The reinforcement of group-identity in this way runs so deep in human nature that holding up a mirror to ourselves inevitably reveals a split image: the people we want to see and the people we're glad we're not. Intolerance: Political Animals and Their Prey presents stark examples of how the “us” have treated the “them”. The papers in this volume hold up various unflattering mirrors of intolerance from the areas of History, Law, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religion. The authors of these scholarly studies do not condemn. Rather, their research compels us to look at ourselves as the political animals we are. Intolerance: Political Animals and Their Prey is the product of a year-long multi-disciplinary collaboration between faculty members of Bard College and the United States Military Academy at West Point. The project involved parallel seminar courses at both institutions along with Joint Sessions, all focused on the central theme of intolerance, and culminated in a three-day academic Conference at Bard in the Spring of 2015. This volume inaugurates a new series being published by Hamilton Books under the general title, Dialogues on Social Issues: Bard College and West Point.

In April 2008 a conference was convened at Rice University that brought together experts in the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The papers discussed at the conference are presented here, revised and updated. The thirteen contributions comprise the keynote address by John Miles Foley; three essays on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible; three on the New Testament; three on the Qur'an; and two summarizing pieces, by the Africanist Ruth Finnegan and the Islamicist William Graham respectively. The central thesis of the book states that sacred Scripture was experienced by the three faiths less as a text contained between two covers and a literary genre, and far more as an oral phenomenon. In developing the performative, recitative aspects of the three religions, the authors directly or by implication challenge their distinctly textual identities. Instead of viewing the three faiths as quintessential religions of the book, these writers argue that the religions have been and continue to be appropriated not only as written but also very much as oral authorities, with the two media interpenetrating and mutually influencing each other in myriad ways.

During the summer of 2010 Ghana played host to the first ever conference held within Africa to focus solely on the relationship of the African Christian and Islam. The event was led by John Azumah in partnership with the Center of Early African Theology. The conference, chaired by Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja welcomed over 50 participants from across 27 African countries and several denominations. This book is a collection of the papers presented by 22 of the delegates forming a historical survey and thematic assessment of the African Christian and Islam. In addition, key information on the introduction, spread and engagement of Islam and Christianity within 9 African countries is presented. The book closes with Biblical reflections that opened each day of the conference, providing useful examples of Christians reading the Bible in reference to Islam.

The field of law and religion studies has undergone a profound transformation over the last thirty years, looking beyond traditional relationships between State and religious communities to include rights of religious liberty and the role of religion in the public space.This handbook features new, specially commissioned papers by a range of eminent scholars that offer a comprehensive overview of the field of law and religion. The book takes on an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from anthropology, sociology, theology and political science in order to explore how laws and court decisions concerning religion contribute to the shape of the public space.Key themes within the book include: Religions symbols in the public space; Religion and security; Freedom of religion and cultural rights; Defamation and hate speech; Gender, religion and law; This advanced level reference work is essential reading for students, researchers and scholars of law and religion, as well as policy makers in the field.

This book tackles the core problem of how painful historical memories between diverse religious communities continue to impact, even poison, present day relations. Its operative notion is that of healing of memory, a notion developed by John Paul II. The different papers explore how the painful memories of yesteryear can be healed in the framework of contemporary efforts. In so doing, they seek to address some of the root causes that continue to impact present day relations, but which rarely if ever get addressed in other contexts. Strategies from six different faith traditions are brought together in what is, in some ways, a cross-religious brainstorming session that seeks to identify the kinds of tools that would allow us to improve present day relations.At the end of the conceptual pole of this project is the notion of hope. If memory informs our past, hope sets the horizons for our future. How does the healing of memory open new horizons for the future? And what is the notion of hope in each of our traditions, so that it might be receptive to opening up to a common vision of good for all? Between memory and hope, the project seeks to offer a vision of healing and hope that can serve as a resource in contemporary interfaith relations.

Much of the Jesus scholarship has concentrated on the so-called self-identity of Jesus. However, due to the recent emphasis on the subjective perception and memory processes in the methodology of Jesus research, it is meaningful to re-conceptualize the question. The authors of this volume approach the question of the identity of Jesus from different angles. Viewpoints vary from that of comparative religion to the analysis of the narratives Jesus told, some key events of his life and existing identities of the first century Judaism. The overall aim in this collection of articles is to provide informative and updated perspectives on one of the most central questions of the research field. The papers given in the first Nordic Symposium of the Historical Jesus in Åbo 2010 have been modified and collected to cover important aspects in the historical Jesus research. While contributions come from a rather heterogeneous group of scholars, the geographical and linguistic proximity have enabled keen and fruitful interaction, thus making Nordic voices worth hearing.

The only book on the market combining the two most popular AQA B GCSE Religious Studies units; Religion and Life (Unit 2) and Religion and Morality (Unit 3), ensuring that students have everything they need in one place.- Helps students engage with the content by providing an informed view of issues which affect the lives of young people today- Guides students through exam preparation and develops their exam skills with revision outlines, Top Tips and techniques sections- Helps students understand the structure and types of questions in exams with a practice paper at the end of each unit- Provides a trusted resource informed by the expert authors'many years of experience providing AQA Religious Studies content

Diverging Paths? investigates an important question, to which the answers must be very complex: “why did certain sorts of institutionalisation and institutional continuity characterise government and society in Christendom by the later Middle Ages, but not the Islamic world, whereas the reverse end-point might have been predicted from the early medieval situation?” This core question lies within classic historiographical debates, to which the essays in the volume, written by leading medievalists, make significant contributions. The papers, drawing on a wide range of evidence and methodologies, span the middle ages, chronologically and geographically. At the same time, the core question relates to matters of strong contemporary interest, notably the perceived characteristics of power exercised within Islamic Middle Eastern regimes.Contributors are Stuart Airlie, Gadi Algazi, Sandro Carocci, Simone Collavini, Emanuele Conte, Nadia El Cheikh, Maribel Fierro, John Hudson, Caroline Humfress, Michel Kaplan, Hugh Kennedy, Simon MacLean, Eduardo Manzano, Susana Naroztky, Annliese Nef, Vivien Prigent, Ana Rodríguez, Magnus Ryan and Bernard Stolte.

Re-imagining South Asian Religions is a collection of essays offering new ways of understanding aspects of Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Theosophical, and Indian Christian experiences. Moving away from canonical texts, established authorities, and received historiography, the essays in this volume draw from a range of methodological perspectives including philosophy, history, hermeneutics, migration and diaspora studies, ethnography, performance studies, lived religion approaches, and aesthetics. Reflecting a balance of theory and substantive content, the papers in this volume call into question key critical terms, challenge established frames of reference, and offer innovative and alternative interpretations of South Asian ways of knowing and being.

Representing work by some of the leading scholars in the field, the chapters of this handbook survey the transformation and innovation of religious traditions and practices in contemporary Japan. Readers will find lively scholarly studies about changes in the traditional institutions of Buddhism and Shinto, vivid examples of social activism as well as the so-called “new religions,” examination of the relationship between religion and the state, and analysis of the religiosity of individuals encompassed by “spirituality,” pilgrimage and tourism, and the marketing of religions. This groundbreaking collection of scholarly papers helps to map out the fascinating complexity and dynamism of religion in contemporary Japanese society and culture.

Young people have to make their own way in the world; they have to give meaning to and find meaning in their lives. This is the field of religious education, which is provided by parents, religious leaders, or teachers of religion and worldviews. One of the most important challenges is to educate children in their own religion, emphasizing that religion's tolerant and peaceful side and to teach children about the beliefs of other traditions. An even more important challenge is to teach them to live together in peace and justice. This volume deals with religious education in Christianity and Islam in specific countries. Scholars in religious education need to know more about the ways in which Muslims and Christians perceive and practice their respective forms of religious education and explore methods that help young people develop their religious identity in accordance with their tradition—and also meet with comrades from other traditions, as the two young Gambian and Dutch women shown on the cover do.This volume explores the field of Christian and Islamic education. Muslim and Christian scholars from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Indonesia, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands describe various aspects of religious education at school, at home, in the mosque and church, via the media and in peer groups. The papers were presented and discussed at an authors'conference at VU University Amsterdam, organized in close collaboration between the staff of its Centre of Islamic Theology and other scholars in religious education, and the Islamic Universities League in Cairo. The authors describe actual processes of education, reflect on religious identity formation and respect for other people and the influences from home, school, mosque, and church, the media and “the street.”

The revival of religious belief and practice in China over the past thirty years, after decades of severe repression, has attracted much attention by scholars. Social scientific studies of religion by mainland Chinese scholars has also increased in recent years, using theories and methods developed mainly outside China. Increasingly, mainland scholars are also debating whether theories and concepts developed in western societies are fully appropriate for the study of religion in Chinese societies. This volume presents a selection of papers by sociologists, anthropologists, and historians of religion on these themes. The chapters include rich field studies of particular religions and religious activities, along with theoretical and historical reflections by scholars inside and outside China on problems and opportunities in the revival of the social scientific study of religion in Chinese societies.

This volume consists of 12 essays published by the author between the years 1997-2007, a thirteenth paper read at a conference in 2006, and a long introduction prepared specifically for the collection. All of the essays deal with epistemological issues attendant on conceptualizing and defining religion, understanding what is likely to be involved in studying and discussing beliefs, and attempting to explain religion and religions by drawing on the contemporary cognitive and evolutionary sciences. The problem of how best to understand and represent the cultural sensitivities of others is addressed by considering the works of three predecessors, Edward Burnett Tylor, Lucien Lévy-Bruhl, and A. Irving Hallowell.