History of religion Books

Book SynopsisThe Jesus Discovery shows how a recent major archeological discovery in Jerusalem is revolutionizing our understanding of Jesus and the earliest years of Christianity.The Jesus Discovery is the story of a stunning new discovery that provides the first physical evidence of Christians in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus and his apostles. In 2010, using a specialized robotic camera, authors Tabor and Jacobovici explored a previously unexcavated tomb in Jerusalem from around the time of Jesus. They made a remarkable discovery—two ossuaries, or bone boxes, one carved with the earliest known image of Jonah; the other displaying a reference to resurrection. Since the newly discovered ossuaries can be reliably dated to before 70 AD, it is possible that whoever was buried in this tomb knew Jesus and heard him preach. In addition, the newly examined tomb is in close proximity to the so-called Jesus Family Tomb, and its discovery increases the l

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Book SynopsisDuring the 6th century AD, Isho?yahb I, Patriarch of the Church of the East, produced a code of law dealing with questions raised by Bishop Jacob of Darai in the Gulf. Perennial Church issues include priestly conducts, ecclesiastical rankings, and ordinations. Legal matters for the faithful concern wills, marriages, vows, lending at interest, and swearing. Most interesting are names of church architecture that the Code gives, including bema, diaconicon, and qestroma, terms that are still used today.

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Book SynopsisIn his Commentary on Daniel, the earliest extant Christian commentary, Hippolytus interprets the deeds and visions of Daniel against the backdrop of contemporary Roman persecution and eschatological expectation, thus providing much information about Christian affairs in the early third century. Throughout the commentary Hippolytus further discusses his distinctive Logos theology and also makes mention of various liturgical practices evolving baptism, anointing, the celebration of Easter and perhaps the date of Christmas.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[The Big Ideas Simply Explained books] are beautifully illustrated with shadow-like cartoons that break down even the most difficult concepts so they are easier to grasp. These step-by-step diagrams are an incredibly clever learning device to include, especially for visual learners." – Examiner.com "[The Religions Book is] at once egalitarian and open-minded, ideal for a visually oriented student of religion or anyone interested in scrambling up the mountainside of human spirituality and taking in the panoramic views." – BookPage

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This book provides a fascinating overview of the history of magic, with some emphasis on witchcraft and the occult, presented in an easily browsed, highly visual format.” —Booklist

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Book SynopsisRichard Bohannon teaches at the College of St. Benedict & St. John's University, in central Minnesota, USA.Trade ReviewThe author's examination of the religious images and narratives at work through out and after the disaster of the river flooding in Grand Forks reveals astonishing experiences of the both separate and interwoven views of the natural and the urban, the human and the divine. Inspiringly, the book explores in depth the role and significance of Christian narratives and images as normative tools in disaster management and urban ecological restoration. -- Sigurd Bergmann, Professor of Religious Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim and former chair of the European Forum on the Study of Religion and the Environment.As we face increasing climate instability, this stunning study of the pressured relation between urban and nonhuman nature offers a non-apocalyptic prescience to ecological studies across the disciplines.Raising fresh questions about the role of religion in the interpretation of disaster,reconstruction, and human control, Bohannon's gripping narrative flows with the power of the river it follows. -- Catherine Keller, Professor of Constructive Theology, Graduate Division of Religion, Drew University, USA, and author of On the Mystery.Bohannonskillfully brings together the interdisciplinary conversations regardingreligion and cities, cities and nature, and religion and ecology as he tracesthe often mixed religious imagery regarding both cities and nature. Indeed, foranyone interested in these fields, as well as the cultural response to naturaldisasters, this book raises important questions as it explores expanding thesediscourses in a more complex direction. A well-written and fascinating study ofthe cultural perceptions that shape our sense of "acts of God" and "naturaldisasters", and what they reveal about our larger understanding of cities andnature and the desire to control nature. -- Laurel Kearns, Associate Professor of Sociology and Religion and Environmental Studies, Drew University, USA.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements \ 1. Urban Nature, Disasterand Religion \ 2. Religious Meaning-Makingand the Urban Environment \ 3. Urban Development in theRed River Valley \ 4. A Hard Land: The Cityagainst the River \ 5. Living in a River Town:The Control and Celebration of Nature \ 6. Religion, Cities and theControl of Nature \ Bibliography \ Index

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Book SynopsisThe Roman Mithras Cult: A Cognitive Approach is the first full cognitive history of an ancient religion. In this groundbreaking book on one of the most intriguing and mysterious ancient religions, Roger Beck and Olympia Panagiotidou show how cognitive historiography can supplement our historical knowledge and deepen our understanding of past cultural phenomenon. The cult of the sun god Mithras, which spread widely across the Greco-Roman world at the same time as other ''mystery cults'' and Christianity, offered to its devotees certain images and assumptions about reality. Initiation into the mysteries of Mithras and participation in the life of the cult significantly affected and transformed the ways in which the initiated perceived themselves, the world, and their position within it. The cult''s major ideas were conveyed mainly through its major symbolic complexes. The ancient written testimonies and other records are not adequate to establish a definitive reconstruction of MitTable of ContentsIntroduction Part 1: The World View of Mithraism 1.The World View of the Mithras Cult 2.The Self in the Cult of Mithras 3.Perception of Space and Time in the Cult of Mithras Part 2: Symbolic Thought, Iconography, and Mithraic Religiosity 4.The Scene of the Tauroctony as Symbol System 5.Mithraic Religiosity Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCallum G. Brown is Professor of Late Modern European History at the University of Glasgow, UK. He is author of The Death of Christian Britain: Understanding Secularisation 1800-2000 (2nd edition 2009) and Religion and the Demographic Revolution: Women and Secularisation in Canada, UK, Ireland and USA since the 1960s (2012).Trade ReviewThis will be a useful resource for those interested in secularism and humanism. * CHOICE *An ambitious book. Lively and well-written ... Brown's imaginative treatment certainly provides rich material for lively debates. * Times Higher Education *Brown’s research has an important role to play, and I commend his latest book for study and discussion. * Reviews in History *[A] readable little book. * Sofia *As the number of men and women rejecting religious faith continues to grow by leaps and bounds, so too grows the need for scholarship that illuminates this historical trend, and Callum Brown's latest work is among the best out there: astute, insightful, unbiased, and informative. So thorough, so thoughtful -- this work is highly recommended. Essential reading for those interested in religion's modern decline. * Phil Zuckerman, Pitzer College, USA and author of Living the Secular Life (Penguin, 2014) *Any book by Callum Brown is sure to be lively, provocative and full of new ideas. He is already internationally renowned as one of the leading historians of secularisation. This oral history of modern atheism and humanism from Vancouver to Tallinn, with long stops on the way in the USA and Britain, is further enriched by vivid detail and a warm sympathy with those whose stories he tells. * Hugh McLeod, University of Birmingham, UK *Callum Brown provides a convincing new interpretation of secularization in the West since 1945, using fascinating oral history narratives to identify key paths to atheism and humanism. He challenges a range of academic orthodoxies with compelling and original arguments. Brown demonstrates the significance of childhood rejection of religion for many lifelong atheists and the crucial intersection of feminism and family issues with the abandonment of religion for women, who have been central to secularizing trends since the 1960s. Other original arguments featured in this groundbreaking and very readable book further transform our understanding of the growing secularization of the modern West. * Lynne Marks, University of Victoria, Canada *One of the biggest cultural shifts in the west - especially the English speaking west - in modern history has been the movement away from religion and towards humanist beliefs and values. This is a people's history as much as it is a tale of cultural and intellectual elites but until now it has been under-studied and under-told. Callum Brown's masterly narrative puts that right and his great skill as an oral historian suits him for the task better than any other. * Andrew Copson, British Humanist Association, UK *A social and cultural historian, Brown (a specialist in late modern European history, Univ. of Glasgow, UK) has written extensively on secularism, humanism, and atheism. Part of a project that includes Religion and the Demographic Revolution: Women and Secularisation in Canada, Ireland, UK and USA since the 1960s (CH, Jun'13, 50-5537), the present book analyzes individual narratives of loss of religion and identifies patterns based on the narratives. Those studied reflect a wide range of positions about religion, from those who are anti-religion to those who are simply not concerned with religion. Brown provides a framework for understanding the positive impact of secularism in human development based on interviews with people from the US, Canada, and the UK and born between the 1920s and 1960s. The larger patterns diverge secondary to gender and ethnicity, but the whole is considered in Western Christian context. This will be a useful resource for those interested in secularism and humanism. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. * V. M. Ehret, Mercyhurst University *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Narratives of Belief and Unbelief 3. The Atheist Child 4. The Silent and Indifferent Atheist 5. Women, Feminism and Becoming Faithless 6. Men, Reason and Radicalism 7. Atheism and Ethnicity 8. The Humanist Condition Sources Index

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