Alternative belief systems and spiritual worldviews Books

Trade Review'...tire parti du lieu même de sa réunion pour offrir du mithraisme un panorama romain passionant autant qu'éclairant...un instrument de travail bien conçu...' Gilles Bounoure, Revue des Etudes Grecques, 1982. 'The astronomical and astrological papers appeared very imaginative and insightful...' G. Ronald Kastner, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 1982. '...einem Phänomen, dessen Erforschung noch manche wissenschaftliche Bemühungen erfordert, zu denen dieser Band einen ausgezeichneten Beitrag leistet.' Alois Kehl, Anthropos, 1981. 'Le procès-verbal détaillé des débats est une des richesses de ce copieux volume...Les résultats de la recherche interdisciplinaire consignée dans Mysteria Mithrae démontrent que tous les «séminaires» internationaux ne sont pas vains.' Robert Turcan, Revue des Études Anciennes, 1980. '...un exemple réussi de recherche interdisciplinaire.' Robert Turcan, Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, 1981.

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1978, The Nag Hammadi Library was widely acclaimed by critics and scholars alike. Containing many of the writings of the Gnostics since the time of Christ, this was the work that launched modern Gnostic studies and exposed a movement whose teachings are in may ways as relevant today as they were sixteen centuries ago. Although some of the texts had appeared in other translations, the 1978 edition was the first and only translation of these ancient and fascinating manuscripts to appear in one volume. This new edition is the result of ten years of additional research, and editorial and critical work. Every translation has been changed or added to; many have been thoroughly revised. Unearthed in 1945 near the town of Nag Hammadi in Upper Egypt, the texts literally begin where the Dead Sea Scrolls end. Their discovery is seen as equally significant, bringing to light a long-hidden well of new information, sources, and insights into early Judaism and the roots of Christianity. Each text is accompanied by a new and expanded introduction. Also included are a revised general introduction and an afterword discussing the modern relevance of Gnosticism, from Voltaire and Blake through Melville and Yeats to Jack Kerouac and science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The translations and introductions to the Nag Hammadi texts are by members of the Coptic Gnostic Library Project, which includes such scholars as Helmut Koester, George McRae, and Elaine Pagels.Trade Review'This definitive translation has become a standard since its first publication in 1977.' J.K. Elliott, Novum Testamentum, 1991. 'Dieses Buch ist ein Meilenstein.' Wolf-Peter Funk, Theologische Literaturzeitung, 1981.

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Book SynopsisThis volume deals with temple ritual texts from ancient Mesopotamia, in particular from the cities Uruk and Babylon. Key question is whether they are a reliable source of information on the cult practices in Uruk and Babylon during the Hellenistic period. In the book an extensive description is presented of the festivals, rituals, ceremonies and offerings in Hellenistic Mesopotamia. The appendix consists of a selection of the most important temple ritual texts, which are presented in transliteration, translation and with philological comments. Four plates with so far unpublished text fragments are also included. The evidence clearly shows how important the public cults were in Hellenistic times, at least until the first century B.C., and how active the Mesopotamians were in matters of religion and cult during this period.

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Book SynopsisIn 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.Trade Review"Many insightful contributions... in this volume [and] lavish colourplates [...] a wonderful supplement to the intellectually stimulating volume and result in discussions that enrich both the mind and the eye." - Paul Foster, University of Edinburgh, in: The Expository Times 127 (3) "Like all the previous collections of proceedings of the International Association of Manichaean Studies, this latest volume greatly advances many aspects of Manichaean studies: history, theology, codicology and iconography, to name but a few." - Samuel N.C. Lieu, in: Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum, 2016Table of ContentsCharles Horton, MANI - The Lost Religion of Light: The Interpretation of Manichaean Manuscripts for a General Audience Sara Antonietta Luisa Arnoldi, Der Kampf Augustins gegen die Manichäer: Das Beispiel der Schrift De Genesi contra Manichaeos Byard Bennett, The Physics of Light, Darkness and Matter in John the Grammarian’s First Homily against the Manichaeans: Early Byzantine Anti-Manichaean Literature as a Window on Controversies in later Neoplatonism Fernando Bermejo, Primal Man, Son of God: from Explicit to Implicit Christian Elements in Manichaeism Iris Colditz, The Abstract of a Religion or: What is Manichaeism? J. Kevin Coyle (†), Biblical Pseudepigrapha among North African Manichaeans Jean-Daniel Dubois, A Possible Liturgical Context for the First Hymn to Jesus in the Chinese Manichaean Hymnbook (col. 6–44) Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst, Abecedarian Hymns, a Survey of Published Middle Persian and Parthian Manichaean Hymns Jorinde Ebert, Individualisation of Redemption in a Manichaean Painting from Ningbo Majella Franzmann, Kephalaia 55 and the Great Free Woman: Concepts of Seclusion and Public Exhibition in Relation to Women and Female Figures in Manichaean Texts Zsuzsanna Gulácsi, Images of Jesus in Manichaean Art Gábor Kósa, Two Manichaean Judgment Scenes― MIK III 4959 V and the Yamato Bunkakan Sandōzu Painting Ma Xiaohe, Remains of the Religion of Light in Xiapu (霞浦) County, Fujian Province Gunner Mikkelsen, Recent Research on Chinese Manichaean Texts Wolf B. Oerter, Fragen an Kephalaia Kapitel 151 (ed. Funk) – Kephalaia Kapitel 154 (ed. Schmidt/Polotsky) Revisited Nils Arne Pedersen, Syriac Texts in Manichaean Script: New Evidence Christiane Reck, Sogdian Manichaean Confessional Fragments in Sogdian Script in the Berlin Turfan Collection: the Fragments of the Xwāstwānīft Flavia Ruani, The “Seal of the Mouth” in the Anti-Manichaean Polemic of Ephrem the Syrian Cristos Theodorou, The Concept of Body and the Body of Christ in the Manichaean Coptic Psalm-Book Agnès Le Tiec, La manifestation de l’image dans l’« Homélie sur la Grande Guerre » Wang Yuanyuan & Lin Wushu, The Last Remains of Manichaeism in Villages of Jinjiang County, China Yutaka Yoshida, Southern Chinese Version of Mani’s Picture Book Discovered?

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Book SynopsisReflexive Religion: The New Age in Brazil and Beyond examines the rise of alternative spiritualities in contemporary Brazil. Masterfully combining late modern theory with multi-site ethnographies of the New Age, it explains how traditional religion is being transformed by processes of reflexivity, globalization and individualism. The book unveils how the New Age has entered Brazil, was adapted to local Catholic, Spiritist and psychology cultures, and more recently how the Brazilian Nova Era re-enters transnational circuits of spiritual practice. It closely examines Paulo Coelho (spiritualist novels), Projectiology (astral projection) and Santo Daime (neo-shamanism) to understand the broader “new agerization” of Christianity and Spiritualism. Reflexive Religion offers a compelling account of how the religious field is being updated under late modern conditions.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 1 Introduction to the Spirit of the New Age in Brazil  1 Subtle Patterns of New Age Conversion  2 Problematizing the Modern Self  3 Post-Traditional Religiosities: Individualism and Reflexivity  4 Methodological Challenges: Identifying New Agers  5 Book Structure: Native Expressions and a General Theory of the New Age 2 Post-Traditional Religiosities: Reflexivity and Individualism Transforming the Religious Field  1 Reflexivity in Contemporary Religions: From Totalization to Privatization  2 The Crisis of Modernity and the Rise of Post-Traditional Religiosities  3 Revisiting Self-Realization 3 Sociological Overview of the New Age  1 Introduction: Globalization of Reflexive Mysticism  2 Sociological Aspects of the New Age   2.1 Social Class and Distinction   2.2 Gender and Race   2.3 Generational Differences  3 Reflexive Xenophilia  4 Conclusion: The Reflexivity of Nomadic Spiritualities 4 The Perfect Self: Neo-Enlightenment and Romanticism in New Religious Forms  1 Enlightenment and Romanticism: From Reason to Self-Shaping  2 The Duality Today  3 Further Interconnections: Love and Power in Tension 5 Ethnology of the New Age in Brazil: Hybridism, Individualism and Reflexivity  1 Beliefs in Brazilian New Age  2 Genealogy of the Term  3 Major Theoretical Options  4 Ethnological Categories of the New Age   4.1 Hybridism   4.2 Individualism   4.3 Experimentalism   4.4 Reflexivity  5 New Age as the Popularization of an Elite Mysticism 6 The New Age in Brazil: Religious Individualism between Spiritism and Psychological Culture  1 Mapping the New Age in Brazil  2 Mapping the New Age in the Brazilian Religious Field 7 Psychological Culture: Management, Therapy and Art in the New Age  1 Therapy, Management and Reflexivity  2 Conclusion: Art as Emancipatory Spirituality 8 The New Age Christianity of Paulo Coelho  1 “Invisible Religion” in Rio de Janeiro  2 The New Age Christianity of Paulo Coelho  3 New Age References  4 Christian References  5 New Age and Catholicism in Perspective  6 The Cultural Meaning of Post-Traditional Christianity 9 New Age Spiritism: The Supernatural between “The Doctrine” and Reflexivity  1 The Common Sources of Spiritism and New Age in Brazil  2 The Fragmentation of Spiritism under New Age Pressures  3 Conclusion: The New Agerization of Brazilian Religions 10 Niche Globalization of a Brazilian Parascience: The Case of Projectiology/Conscientiology  1 Structure and Agency in Organizational Growth  2 Out-of-Body Experience, Parascience and Niche Globalization  3 Parasciences and Globalization: New Age Hybrids between Science and Religion  4 Secular Spirituality: Organization, Cosmology and Ethos of Projectiology  5 From Ipanema to China: Spaces, Channels and Barriers to Projectiology  6 Conclusion: National Cosmologies and Transnational Possibilities 11 New Age in Latin America: From Gregarious Syncretism to Reflexive Individualism  1 What’s New in the New Age?  2 Reflexivity and Individualism in Post-Traditional Religiosities  3 New Age Studies in Latin America  4 Gregariousness and Individualism in Latin American New Age  5 New Religious Studies as Pseudo-New Age  6 Conclusion: New Age as Post-Traditional Spiritualities of the Self 12 Final Thoughts: The New Age as a Religious Pragmatic of Late Modernity  1 The Logic of Post-Traditional Religiosities  2 The Rise of Reflexive Religiosities  3 Neither Secularization nor Re-Enchantment Bibliography Index

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