History of religion Books
Oxford University Press Inc Krishnas Mahabharatas
Book SynopsisRecognized as the longest poem ever composed, the ancient Sanskrit Mahabharata epic tells the tale of the five Pandava princes and the cataclysmic battle they wage with their one hundred cousins, the Kauravas. This story is one of the most popular and widely-told narratives in South Asia, let alone the world. Between 800 and 1700 CE, a plethora of Mahabharatas were created in Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, Telugu, and several other regional South Asian languages. Krishna''s Mahabharatas: Devotional Retellings of an Epic Narrative is a comprehensive study of premodern regional Mahabharata retellings. This book argues that Vaishnavas (devotees of the Hindu god Vishnu and his various forms) throughout South Asia turned this epic about an apocalyptic, bloody war into works of ardent bhakti or devotion focused on the beloved Hindu deity Krishna. Examining over forty retellings in eleven different regional South Asian languages composed over a period of nine hundred years, it focuses on two particular Mahabharatas: Villiputturar''s fifteenth-century Tamil Paratam and Sabalsingh Chauhan''s seventeenth-century Bhasha (Old Hindi) Mahahbharat.Through close comparative readings, this book reveals the similar ways poets from opposite ends of the Indian sub-continent transform the story of the Sanskrit Mahabharata into devotional narratives centered on Krishna. At the same time, it also shows how these Mahabharatas are each unique pieces of religious literature that speak to different local audiences in premodern South Asia.
£999.99
Oxford University Press John Henry Newman
Book SynopsisThis accessible volume offers a selection from the 32 volumes of Newman's letters to present a more personal depiction of John Henry Newman.Trade ReviewNo one, to my mind, has ever written a biography of Newman which quite captures him. This book does so, however, in all his paradoxical greatness. Thank you, Mgr Strange. * A.N. Wilson, The Tablet *Highly recommended * Church of England Newspaper *A fascinating glimpse into this extraordinary mind * Catholic Herald *There is much pleasure in this book; and the letters could just as easily be read one or a few at a time as chapter by chapter. It will be a valuable tool for anyone wishing to get to know Newman's character better in the company of a sensitive guide. * Serenhedd James, Church Times *informative and fascinating * Steve Craggs, Northern Echo *Roderick Strange has performed a great service to all who would study theology in our own climate and culture. At times the letters are tantalising and one would like to see both sides of the correspondence. Nonetheless, Strange clarifies much in his ample notes, and it is of the nature of a 'life through letters' that it must be a semi-autobiographical journey. This is an excellent addition to Newman studies. * Stephen Platten, Crucible *Newman lives again in every pafe of this remarkable collection. * Paul Deal, The New Criterion *Reading this book leads one to discover (or rediscover) a rich and fascinating personality, and creates a desire to plunge further into certain exchanges of letters or the development of certain themes and ideas. It cannot fail to appeal to a non-specialist readership desirous of knowing Newman better, and as well as being a source of delight to specialists to inspire them to read further in the 32 volumes of the Letters and Diaries * Keith Beaumont, Etudes newmaniennes *Great writers are not always great letter-writers: Charles Dickens was, George Eliot wasn't. John Henry Newman, one of the great Victorian prose writers, was also one of our great letter-writers, whose extant letters fill thirty-two daunting volumes, which Roderick Strange has now made accessible with this carefully chosen and excellently introduced selection. * Ian Ker *This admirable anthology will enable many to discover Newman as a correspondent who is a brilliant stylist, a sharp--and sometimes humorous--observer of humanity, and an incisive theological teacher, who still has much to say not only to Anglicans and Catholics but to many more today. * Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell *Those who delve into the life and thought of John Henry Newman are inevitably daunted by the sheer wealth of material available, including Newman's own voluminous writings. By means of a judicious selection of Newman's letters, set clearly against the background out of which they emerged, Roderick Strange succeeds in providing his readers with a comprehensive and nuanced portrait of the complex genius who was John Henry Newman. This work confirms Newman's own claim that "a man's life lies in his letters". * Terrence Merrigan *These wonderful letters help us to understand how friendship was at the heart of Newman's life. We see here practical active charity and, of course, his wonderful, sensitive master of the English language. * Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. *This admirable anthology will enable many to discover Newman as a correspondent who is a brilliant stylist, a sharp--and sometimes humorous--observer of humanity, and an incisive theological teacher, who still has much to say not only to Anglicans and Catholics but to many more today. * The Rt Revd Dr Geoffrey Rowell, Emeritus Fellow, Keble College, Oxford, Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe 2001-2013 *the outstanding nature of the editor's achievement ... a volume which will long remain as an introduction, companion, and guide to Newman's writings. * Dermot Fenlon, The Furrow *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction A Chronology of John Henry Newman 1: Early Years (1801-33) 2: The Oxford Movement (1833-39) 3: Under Siege (1839-43) 4: From Oxford to Rome (1843-46) 5: Early Catholic Years (1846-51) 6: The Pressure of Crises (1852-58) 7: Dark Days (1859-63) 8: The Apologia and the Oxford Mission (1863-65) 9: Answering Pusey and Anticipating the Vatican Council (1865-69) 10: Vatican I and Answering Gladstone (1870-76) 11: Honorary Fellow of Trinity and Cardinal (1876-81) 12: Final Year (1881-90) Index of Correspondents
£22.49
Princeton University Press Through the Eye of a Needle
Book SynopsisJesus taught his followers that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. This title examines the rise of the church through the lens of money and the challenges it posed to an institution that espoused the virtue of poverty and called avarice the root of all evil.Trade ReviewWinner of the 2012 Gold Medal Book of the Year Award, History category, ForeWord Reviews Winner of the 2012 Award for Excellence in Humanities, Association of American Publishers Winner of the 2012 R. R. Hawkins Award, PROSE Awards, Association of American Publishers Winner of the 2013 Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History, American Philosophical Society Winner of the 2013 Philip Schaff Prize, American Society of Church History Winner of the 2012 PROSE Award in Classics & Ancient History, Association of American Publishers One of Bloomberg's Best Books of 2016 One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013 Honorable Mention for the 2013 Cundill Prize in Historical Literature, McGill University "To compare it with earlier surveys of this period is to move from the X-ray to the cinema... Every page is full of information and argument, and savoring one's way through the book is an education. It is a privilege to live in an age that could produce such a masterpiece of the historical literature."--Garry Wills, New York Review of Books "[O]utstanding... Brown lays before us a vast panorama of the entire culture and society of the late Roman west."--Peter Thornemann, Times Literary Supplement "[I]t's the gloriously ambitious panorama of Through the Eye of a Needle that most impresses. This is a book written in Cinemascope, and like the best intellectual and social history it features a polyphony of voices."--Christopher Kelly, London Review of Books "[M]agisterial... The formidably learned historian challenges commonly accepted notions about the role of wealth in the decline of the Roman empire and examines the roots of charity, two subjects relevant to contemporary economics."--Marcia Z. Nelson, Publishers Weekly "It is exciting to watch a historian who has already written so extensively on Late Antiquity absorb so much new scholarship, revise his old reviews, and re-imagine the world we thought we knew from him... Through the Eye of a Needle is a tremendous achievement, even for a scholar who has already achieved so much. Its range is as vast as its originality, and readers will find everywhere the kinds of memorable apercus and turns of phrase for which its author is deservedly famous... There can be no doubt that we are in the presence of a historian and teacher of genius."--G. W. Bowersock, New Republic "As Brown (Augustine of Hippo), the great dean of early church history, compellingly reminds us in his magisterial, lucid, and gracefully written study, the understanding of the role of wealth in the developing Christian communities of the late Roman Empire was much more complex. Combining brilliant close readings of the writings of Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Paulinus of Nola with detailed examinations of the lives of average wealthy Christians and their responses to questions regarding wealth, he demonstrates that many bishops offered such Christians the compromises of almsgiving, church building, and testamentary bequests as alternatives to the renunciation of wealth... Brown's immense, thorough, and powerful study offers rich rewards for readers."--Publishers Weekly "Brown's goal in this book is patiently to reconstruct the debates on wealth among late Roman Christians: in other words, to set out the context for the tendentious claims of ascetic minorities, which have misled so many later interpreters."--Conrad Leyser, Times Literary Supplement "His sparkling prose, laced with humour and humanity, brings his subjects to life with an uncommon sympathy and feeling for their situation."--Tim Whitmarsh, Guardian "This book should be daunting but it is not; for while the book is heavy to lift, it is even harder to put down. It makes utterly compelling reading."--Eric Ormsby, Standpoint "Brown may be an emeritus professor of history at Princeton, but his research is resolutely up-to-date... A hefty yet lucid contribution to the history of early Christianity."--Kirkus Reviews "[A]n unprecedented resource... Brown creates broad, deep landscapes in which the reader can watch the ancients moving. You can, in places, just crawl in and have a true dream about the ancient world. Moreover, the topic holds fascinating implications about the formation of modern Western culture... It's a significant and suggestive story."--Sarah Ruden, American Scholar "The sheer scope of this history is daunting, but scholars, theologians, and anyone interested in late Roman history or early Christianity will find this a fascinating view not only of the Church's development, but also of the changing concepts of wealth and poverty in the last centuries of the Roman empire."--Kathleen McCallister, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia, Library Journal "This is a masterpiece that more than justifies its length. Peter Brown is the greatest living historian of late antiquity, a periodization which he virtually invented, and Through the Eye of a Needle an achievement which stands to his earlier career as a great cathedral does to a pilgrimage route."--Tom Holland, History Today "[N]o other scholar could have produced Brown's characteristically intricate, spectacular and joyous synthesis... One of the captivating qualities of Brown's new book is the sheer energy and intellectual excitement that sparkle through it. He might, in recent years, have rested of his laurels--perhaps, like his beloved Augustine, written his memoirs. Instead, he celebrates the continuing expansion of the field and demonstrates his continued mastery of it in a groundbreaking study of wealth in the late antique Church... Towards the end of the book, Brown describes how a basilica might have looked around the year 600: glowing with candles, glittering with mosaics, gleaming with gold and silver vessels. 'The church itself', he says, 'had become a little heaven, filled with treasures.' It is a description irresistibly applicable to Peter Brown's own book: as rich a monument to the life of the mind as was any late Roman basilica to the life everlasting."--Teresa Morgan, Tablet "[A] predictably brilliant re-appraisal of the Roman world during the fourth to sixth centuries... Through the Eye of a Needle is a vast book, but is remarkably readable. Brown's intimate knowledge of Augustine and his times is presented with human empathy and a sense of the relevance of these long-ago events... [T]he latter chapters of Through the Eye of a Needle contain much essential information about the establishment of Christian influence throughout Europe following Rome's fall... [A] wonderful book."--Ed Voves, California Literary Review "Peter Brown, professor emeritus at Princeton University and the leading historian of late antiquity, has written a masterful study... His book is characterized by lively prose, mastery of the primary sources and original languages, comprehensive use of changes in the study of antiquities (especially the 'material culture' of archaeology), gorgeous plates, nearly 300 pages of bibliographic end material, and a number of important revisions to the standard historiography."--Dan Clendenin, JourneywithJesus.net "Through the Eye of a Needle (Princeton University Press) is the crowning masterpiece of Peter Brown, the great historian who virtually invented late antiquity as a periodisation. The book's theme might seem specialised: the evolution of attitudes towards wealth in the last century and a half of the Roman empire in the west, and the century that followed its collapse. In reality, like so many of Brown's books, it gives us a world vivid with colour and alive with a symphony of voices. It is not only the most compassionate study of late antiquity in the west ever written, but also a profoundly subtle meditation on our own tempestuous relationship with money."--Tom Holland, History Magazine "Brown, in this masterful history, makes the writings of Augustine, Ambrose and Jerome more accessible to the average reader, and scholars will welcome the voluminous notes and index."--Ray Saadi, Gumbo "[D]eliriously complicated... As usual, Brown leaves no stone unturned in his search for insight and evidence... He paints a colorful social setting for early church debates about theology and ethics without becoming reductively sociological, and often overturns accepted mytho-history in the process. He quietly draws on contemporary theory but typically lets ancients speak for themselves because his aim is to introduce us to an exotic world. Through it all, he focuses on the masses of details by treating attitudes, beliefs, and practices about wealth as a 'stethoscope' to hear the heartbeat of late Roman and early Christian civilization... Brown has captured the rough texture of real history. It is testimony to the success of Brown's subtle, provocative, and beautifully written book."--Peter Leithart, Christianity Today "A fascinating book by the great historian of late antiquity, Peter Brown, on the development of Christianity in Rome... Through the Eye of a Needle is a serious work of scholarship and an important study about how Rome became Christian."--John Roskam, Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs "Thoroughly researched, making use of the new materials that have emerged in the recent years, The Eye of the Needle is a scholarly work not just on early Christianity but relates its growth to the later developments and offers a new reading of the old sayings. It definitely is a source book for readers on religion and society."--R. Balashankar, Organiser "Its achievement is plain. It explores, with Brown's characteristically profound empathy, the great paradox of how a church with a world- and wealth-denying ideology came to acquire temporal riches and respectability... [H]is approach is to offer the reader extraordinarily vivid portraits of individual Christian thinkers faced with the moral contradictions of worldly riches... This much anticipated book, described by Brown as 'the most difficult book to write that I have ever undertaken,' fulfils expectations. Its success is grounded in its unerring moral balance. Perhaps for the first time, the problem of wealth in early Christianity is treated in full, with no righteous fury at blatant hypocrisy nor any apology for a church that rationalized its enrichment by feeding the poor... It is the virtue of Through the Eye of a Needle that it prompts and enables one to think about the largest questions. It is a gift to have such a beautiful, authoritative, and humane study that cuts to the heart of all that is most challenging in the relationship between the spiritual and the material in late antiquity."--Kyle Harper, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "Brown ... offers a masterful study on how converting to Christianity transformed the ways that economic elites in Europe and North Africa viewed their own wealth's source and purpose. A vivid storyteller, Brown transforms evidence from written, archaeological, and material sources into compelling portraits of early Christian leaders like Ambrose and Augustine... [Through the Eye of a Needle] will quickly become required reading for students of early Christianity and late ancient history, but others interested in history and theological studies also will find it engaging."--Choice "Compelling... One can see in Brown's narrative that the disputes of the fourth century stand between the old civic generosity and a new concern for otherworldliness. Perhaps that transitory radicality could not be sustained. But it has bequeathed to the church a 'conglomerate of notions' that link the wealth of the church, the care of the poor and the fate of the soul."--Walter Brueggemann, Christian Century "Peter Brown's achievement is not least in having placed us all in his debt with so rich a work... [D]o not be put off by thinking that this is a book only for academics; all of us can enjoy what is, simply, accessible and well-written reading matter that does not require the possession of academic qualifications. It deserves to be enjoyed on the beach, as well as in the Bodleian!"--John Scott, Fairacres Chronicle "[B]oth masterful and friendly... Through the Eye of a Needle, an important revisionary account for scholars of the ancient world, should also be read by a general public and by beginning undergraduates as an example of the humanity, the generosity, and the clarity of scholarship at its best."--Caroline Walker Bynum, Common Knowledge "Through the Eye of a Needle demonstrates Brown's mastery of an enormous range both of source material and of secondary work. It is crammed with stimulating ideas, and striking, very Brownian observations and metaphors... Brown has taken us on a long and highly informative journey with numerous fascinating detours through late antiquity. We can only be grateful."--J. H. W. G. Liebeschuetz, American Historical Review "Through the Eye of a Needle, an important revisionary account for scholars of the ancient world, should be read by a general public and by beginning undergraduates as an example of the humanity, the generosity, and the clarity of scholarship at its best... It is both masterful and friendly."--Caroline Walker Bynum, Common Knowledge "[T]his book, like Brown's many others, has done [much] to illuminate the late-ancient world, and he has opened many avenues for others to continue exploring."--Michael Kulikowski, Catholic Historical Review "Through the Eye of a Needle challenges the widely held notion that Christianity's growing wealth sapped Rome of its ability to resist the barbarian invasions, and offers a fresh perspective on the social history of the church in late antiquity."--World Book Industry "In typical fashion, Peter Brown has delivered a text that is masterly in scale, broad in scope, ... and admirable in readability for a large audience."--M.A. Gaumer, Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses "In addition to vast erudition formed by a range of reading in well over a dozen languages, Brown has something of the cinematographer's ability to compose a narrative by moving between panoramas and individual close-ups. The results are often dazzling."--Patrick Cook, Cambrdige Humanities Review "[T]his is an impressive and monumental piece of scholarship that casts western late antiquity into clearer relief than it has received. It will long be required reading for anyone wanting to understand the social realities of Christianity in the late antique West."--Geoffrey D. Dunn, Journal of Early Christian Studies "Through the Eye of a Needle is Peter Brown at his best, his very best: a thoughtful and thought-provoking travel-guide whose beautiful prose opens up previously unseen horizons of real people living in a variety of landscapes around the Mediterranean at different moments in a period of epochal change that was fundamental for the making of Western European civilization. Using a fine brush and a light touch, Brown paints his pictures with a palette of an astonishingly broad and erudite up-to-date scholarship."--John Behr, Marginalia "[C]learly a magisterial achievement. Through the Eye of a Needle should be read by anyone interested in the late Roman Empire, ancient Christianity, or the complex origins of attitudes towards wealth and poverty in the modern world."--Benjamin H. Dunning, European Legacy "Through the Eye of the Needle will remain ... as massive and reassuringly immovable landmarks in the horizon of our understanding."--Kate Cooper, Journal of Roman Studies "Elegantly written and amply sign-posted, this long book is a pleasure to read."--Alexander Skinner, Journal for Late Antique Religion and Culture "Those readers interested in the evolution of the Western church or in a good social approach or both will find this book a splendid treatment... This thorough work will become the standard go-to study of the early Christian church in the West."--Lee L. Brice, The Historian "Magisterial... Brown's newest monograph belongs on the bookcase of every late ancient and medieval historian... A stunning accomplishment."--Elizabeth DePalma Digesner, H-Net ReviewsTable of ContentsList of Maps xv List of Illustrations xvii Preface xix Part I Wealth, Christianity, and Giving at the End of an Ancient World 1 *Chapter 1 Aurea aetas - Wealth in an Age of Gold 3 *Chapter 2 Mediocritas - The Social Profile of the Latin Church, 312-ca. 370 31 *Chapter 3 Amor civicus - Love of the city - Wealth and Its Uses in an Ancient World 53 *Chapter 4 "Treasure in Heaven" - Wealth in the Christian Church 72 Part II An Age of Affluence 91 *Chapter 5 Symmachus - Being Noble in Fourth-Century Rome 93 *Chapter 6 Avidus civicae gratiae - Greedy for the good favor of the city - Symmachus and the People of Rome 110 *Chapter 7 Ambrose and His People 120 *Chapter 8 "Avarice, the Root of All Evil" - Ambrose and Northern Italy 135 *Chapter 9 Augustine - Spes saeculi - Careerism, Patronage and Religious Bonding, 354-384 148 *Chapter 10 From Milan to Hippo - Augustine and the Making of a Religious Community, 384-396 161 *Chapter 11 "The Life in Common of a kind of Divine and Heavenly Republic" - Augustine on Public and Private in a Monastic Community 173 *Chapter 12 Ista vero saecularia - Those things, indeed, of the world - Ausonius, Villas, and the Language of Wealth 185 *Chapter 13 Ex opulentissimo divite - From being rich as rich can be Paulinus of Nola and the Renunciation of Wealth, 389-395 208 *Chapter 14 Commercium spiritale The spiritual Exchange - Paulinus of Nola and the Poetry of Wealth, 395-408 224 *Chapter 15 Propter magnificentiam urbis Romae - By reason of the magnificence of the city of Rome - The Roman Rich and their Clergy, from Constantine to Damasus, 312-384 241 *Chapter 16 "To Sing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land" - Jerome in Rome, 382-385 259 *Chapter 17 Between Rome and Jerusalem - Women, Patronage, and Learning, 385-412 273 Part III An Age of Crisis 289 *Chapter 18 "The Eye of a Needle" and "The Treasure of the Soul" - Renunciation, Nobility, and the Sack of Rome, 405-413 291 *Chapter 19 Tolle divitem - Take away the rich - The Pelagian Criticism of Wealth 308 *Chapter 20 Augustine's Africa - People and Church 322 *Chapter 21 "Dialogues with the Crowd" - The Rich, the People, and the City in the Sermons of Augustine 339 *Chapter 22 Dimitte nobis debita nostra - Forgive us our sins - Augustine, Wealth, and Pelagianism, 411-417 359 *Chapter 23 "Out of Africa" - Wealth, Power and the Churches, 415-430 369 *Chapter 24 "Still at that Time a More Affluent Empire" - The Crisis of the West in the Fifth Century 385 Part IV Aftermaths 409 *Chapter 25 Among the Saints - Marseilles, Arles and Lerins, 400-440 411 *Chapter 26 Romana respublica vel iam mortua - With the empire now dead and gone - Salvian and His Gaul, 420-450 433 *Chapter 27 Ob Italiae securitatem - For the security of Italy - Rome and Italy, ca. 430-ca. 530 454 Part V Toward Another World 479 *Chapter 28 Patrimonia pauperum - Patrimonies of the poor - Wealth and Conflict in the Churches of the Sixth Century 481 *Chapter 29 Servator fidei, patriaeque semper amator - Guardian of the Faith, and always lover of [his] homeland - Wealth and Piety in the Sixth Century 503 Conclusion 527 Abbreviations 531 Notes 533 Works Cited * Primary Sources 641 * Secondary Sources 654 Index 719
£31.50
Thomas Nelson Publishers NKJV Personal Size Reference Bible Sovereign
Book SynopsisThis elegant Bible edition honors the beauty and richness of the New King James Version in a convenient portable size with essential study tools and traditional red-letter text for the Words of Christ.The New King James Version in the Sovereign Collection reflects the legacy and majesty of the King James Version Bible produced more than 400 years ago, but in language updated for today. This beautiful Bible, which contains design flourishes that pay tribute to the Bible produced in 1611, comes in a convenient portable size with essential study tools and traditional red-letter text for the Words of Christ.The Sovereign Collection continues Thomas Nelson''s long history and stewardship publishing Bibles, featuring elegant letter illustrations leading into each chapter combined with clear and readable Comfort Print®, connects you to the legacy of faith, and inspires your time in the Word to be enjoyable and fruitful.Features i
£60.00
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company A Global History of SeventhDay Adventists
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£22.09
William B Eerdmans Publishing Co Romans
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Mary Magdalene
Book SynopsisMary Magdalene is a key figure in the history of Christianity. After Mary, the mother of Jesus, she remains the most important female saint in her guise both as primary witness to the resurrection and ''apostle of the apostles''. This volume, the first major work on the Magdalene in more than thirty years, focuses on her ''lives'' as these have been imagined and reimagined within Christian tradition. Philip Almond expertly disentangles the numerous narratives that have shaped the story of Mary over the past two millennia. Exploring the ''idea'' of the Magdalene her cult, her relics, her legacy the author deftly peels back complex layers of history and myth to reveal many different Maries, including penitent prostitute; demoniac; miracle worker; wife and lover of Jesus; symbol of the erotic; and New Age goddess. By challenging uniform or homogenised readings of the Magdalene, this absorbing new book brings fascinating insights to its subject.Trade Review'Almond's research is meticulously detailed, yet entertainingly delivered … Learned and incisive, this is a top-notch work of Christian cultural analysis.' Publishers Weekly (starred review)'Mary Magdalene: A Cultural History establishes a narrative thread through centuries of cultural reception of the biblical figure, and covers an impressive range of material … Almont provides the most accessible summary to date of the scholarly story so far …' Siobhán Jolley, The Art Newspaper'… an enthralling examination of a pivotal figure in Christian tradition and a thought-provoking study of the countless stories and interpretations she inspired.' Kristen Rabe, Foreword ReviewsTable of Contents1. Who was Mary Magdalene?; 2. The 'lives' of Mary Magdalene; 3. The 'afterlives' of Mary Magdalene; 4. Mary divided: sacred and profane; 5. Many Magdalenes – redeemed and redeeming; 6. Mary Magdalene – lover and wife; Epilogue: on myth and history.
£30.00
Cambridge University Press The Humility of the Eternal Son
Book SynopsisThis book is the first thoroughly Reformed version of kenotic Christology. It has the virtue of overcoming from within the logical aporia created by the Chalcedonian Definition without abandoning that Definition.Trade Review'Based on a lucidly presented history of Chalcedonian Christology and firmly grounded in biblical exegesis, Bruce McCormack advances a novel thesis: The shortcomings of Chalcedonian Christology can be repaired, if one maintains a precise understanding of kenosis as the 'ontological receptivity' of the eternal Son to the fate of the human Jesus. McCormack's view that divine passibility can be squared with divine immutability makes his readers hungry for the second volume of the promised trilogy.' Christoph Schwöbel, University of St Andrews'McCormack's The Humility of the Eternal Son is constructive theology at its very best. He aims not only to solve theological periphera but those at the very heart of millennia old Christological debates. What is more, he realises this ambition informed by a breathtakingly mature knowledge of the Tradition and its aporias. As anyone familiar with McCormack's previous works would expect, his solutions emerge from a gospel-animated account of that which is central, namely God's lived relation to the world in Christ. And to this is added a sharply Protestant - in the best sense of that term - sensibility: to sift all things in light of the witness of Scripture to that centre. Hence, he simply refuses to allow biblical scholarship and theological reflection to run on alternative tracks but brings them both into dynamic, fruitful and sophisticated conversation. Here is constructive theology that takes seriously the advances and insights of New Testament scholarship to heart. McCormack's proposals relating to 'ontological receptivity' - and more besides - are also disarmingly beautiful. Reading his work led me to ponder again the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ. What an astonishing start to the planned trilogy of books from the premier theologian of our age.' Chris Tilling, St. Mellitus College'It is safe to say that no one today knows Karl Barth's theology better than Bruce McCormack, and even more certain that no one has thought more about its striking implications. We have accustomed ourselves to thinking that Barth is a fairly mainstream Reformed theologian. But, of course, he is not, and never really was. He was too original (e.g., his novel application of the doctrine of justification to theological epistemology), and even something of a rebel (e.g., his overturning of the Reformed doctrine of election). But, as McCormack shows in this book, the first of three projected volumes, we have still not grasped just how original Barth was. We can be sure that McCormack's conclusions will provoke much discussion, and we can be grateful for this, especially if it helps us to see something that has been revealed but not yet seen: the eternal – and not merely accidental – humility of the Son of God.' John Betz, University of Notre Dame... this book will be epoch-making in the field of Christology. It is a masterful work of constructive theology.' SDMorrison.org'This book is the ripe fruit of decades of high-level theological thought … McCormack's argumentative style is insightful and clear. He honestly admits in which respects he has changed his mind over recent years.' A. Huijgen, Theologia Reformata (from Dutch)'Refreshingly … Bruce McCormack only publishes his work when he has something significant to say. His latest book, The Humility of the Eternal Son, the first of a promised three- volume trilogy, gives every indication that he has a lot left to say in his retirement.' Zack Kahler, The Heythrop JournalTable of ContentsI. A Critical History of Kenotic Christologies and their Antecedents: An Overview: 1. Chalcedon and its legacy; 2. Self-emptying: as either depotentiation or divestment: the failure of nineteenth centure Kenoticism to repair Chalcedon; 3. Divine Kenosis as proper to the Eternal Son: Barth, Bulgakov and von Balthasar; 4. The Post-Barthian temptation: collapse of the Eternal Son into Jesus and surrender of an immanent trinity in protology; II. Returning to Holy Scripture: 5. The self-humiliating God in Paul's theology (and in Hebrews); 6. The Christological subject in the synoptics and in John; III. Repairing Chalcedon: 7. Towards a reformed version of Kenotic Christology; 8. Looking forward.
£22.99
Cambridge University Press A History of Kabbalah
Book SynopsisA narrative history of modern Kabbalah, from the sixteenth century till today, in the general context of modernization. A History of Kabbalah will be interest students, scholars, and laypeople in Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, and intellectual and cultural history.Trade Review'While the study of Kabbalah in both scholarly and popular circles remains vibrant, until now there has not been a history of Modern Kabbalah stretching from the sixteenth century. With his usual deep learning, conceptual rigor, and lucidity, Jonathan Garb offers a broad and creative rendering of how Jewish Kabbalah developed from the Lurianic circle to New Age Religion and the late modern commodification of mysticism. Garb deftly navigates through the early period to draw out the threads that will become emblematic in modernity. A major contribution to the study of Kabbalah and the History of Religions more generally.' Shaul Magid, Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College'Jonathan Garb, a leading scholar of Jewish mysticism, offers a lucid, broad, multifaceted, benchmark account of the narrative and cultural history of modern Kabbalah from the spiritual revolution that ignited in the Galilean town of Safed in the 16th century to postmodern new-age religion … Recommended.' D. B. Levy, Choice ConnectTable of Contents1. Pre-Modern and Modern Kabbalah: Breaks and Continuities; 2. The Safedian Revolution of the Sixteenth Century ; 3. The Kabbalistic Crisis of the Seventeenth Century; 4. Canonization: The Eighteenth Century; 5. Beginnings of Globalization: The Nineteenth Century; 6. Destruction and Triumph: The Twentieth Century; 7. Recurrent Themes: Gender, Messianism and Experience?; Appendix; Glossary; Bibliography; Index
£21.84
Thomas Nelson Publishers KJV Holy Bible Compact with 43000 Cross
Book SynopsisA beautiful King James Bible with book introductions, end-of-page cross references, and a concordance, yet it's designed to easily fit in your backpack or purse. This Bible also features Thomas Nelson’s clear and readable KJV Comfort Print.
£32.00
Christian Focus Publications Ltd From the Marrow Men to the Moderates: Scottish
Book SynopsisOne of Scotland’s most popular theologians traces the theological debates and disagreements of the eighteenth century The eighteenth century saw many changes within the Scottish church. The Kirk was divided by the Patronage Act of 1712 into Moderates (men favoured by the landed gentry) and Evangelicals (men favoured by the people). The Marrow Controversy highlighted theological strife within the Church. Ebenezer Erskine’s Protest against patronage led to the first major rift in the Church of Scotland with the Secession of 1733. Through all these, Donald Macleod is our reliable guide. Drawing attention to the major characters of the period and gives a faithful account of the theological discussions, including the social, economic, ethnic, and personal factors involved. He also subjects these discussions to theological evaluation. A fascinating look at a crucial period for anyone with an interest in theological history.Trade ReviewWhat you are thus holding is not only the mature assessment of a crucial era in Scottish church history and theology by one of Scotland’s most important contemporary theologians but his last word. -- Ligon Duncan (Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary)Anyone interested in the rich and consequential history of the Scottish church will benefit immensely from this well–written, deeply learned, carefully judicious, and engrossing work. It is superb from start to finish. Surely, this series of volumes is destined to become a standard work in the field of Scottish ecclesiastical history and theology. -- Kevin DeYoung (Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina)This is Scottish Church history and theology as only the late Donald Macleod could tell it. In these to–be–treasured pages his unmatched knowledge of Scotland’s pastor–theologians combines with an obvious love for both them and their theology. -- Sinclair B. Ferguson (Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi)Professor Macleod … has a practical purpose, to expound the teaching of the eighteenth century about the experience of grace so as to give insight into the same experience in the twenty–first century. -- David Bebbington (Professor of History, University of Stirling, Stirling)
£21.24
Cambridge Scholars Publishing The Philosophy of Early Christianity in the Era
Book SynopsisThe benefits of the digital age are huge. Our lives have been transformed, both in the developed and the undeveloped world. However, this transformation has its dark side. The same powerful technologies have enabled cultural or religious grooming to flourish, unmoderated social ‘influencing’ to have free reign, fake information to spread, and sophisticated hackers to create destabilizing international mayhem.What place does the Church have in all this? How does it respond? What about the master philosophers of the neo-Platonic age, whose wisdom, borne of the great philosopher himself, was formed through the emerging doctrines of the early Christian church? The excellent and thought-provoking essays gathered here provide answers to these questions and more.
£999.99
SteinerBooks, Inc Beyond Religion: The Cultural Evolution of the
Book SynopsisIn this unique little book, cultural historian William Irwin Thompson argues that we are approaching the end of the age of religion, and entering into a new era of post-religious spirituality. Addressing the explosion of religious fundamentalist violence around the world, he sees such events as the death throes of medieval religions, rather than their rebirth. Tracing the history of religion from the thirteenth century to the present day, this book provides important context to the way we interpret global events and news stories, and will be of value to anyone who wants to engage with the cultural transformation at work in our world.
£999.99
Faithlife Corporation Discontinuity to Continuity
Book SynopsisWhat is the best framework for reading the Bible? The question of how to relate the Old and New Testaments is as old as the Bible itself. While most Protestants are unified on the foundations, there are major disagreements on particular issues. Who should be baptized? Is the Christian obligated to obey the Law of Moses? Does the church supplant Israel? Who are the proper recipients of God's promises to Israel? In Discontinuity to Continuity, Benjamin Merkle brings light to the debates between dispensational and covenantal theological systems. Merkle identifies how Christians have attempted to relate the Testaments, placing viewpoints along a spectrum of discontinuity to continuity. Each system's concerns are sympathetically summarized and critically evaluated. Through his careful exposition of these frameworks, Merkle helps the reader understand the key issues in the debate. Providing more light than heat, Merkle's book will help all readers better appreciate other perspectives and articulate their own.
£18.69
Colourpoint Creative Ltd The Celtic Church: Origins, Development and
Book SynopsisThis popular book has been comprehensively revised to cover Units AS 5 and A2 5, of the current CCEA Religious Studies specification. It has been through a meticulous quality assurance process. The text explores the origins, development and nature of the Celtic Church in Ireland in the fifth, sixth and seventh centuries, and considers themes in the Celtic Church, Reformation and Post-Reformation Church. Included are tasks, practice essay titles of exam standard, and activities highlighting other aspects of human experience. Areas explored include: • The Arrival of Christianity in Ireland • Celtic Monasticism • Celtic Penitentials • Celtic Hagiography • Controversy and Authority • Missionary Outreach • Developments and Outreach in Christianity • Synoptic Assessment Theme: Faith, Morality and the State A detailed glossary and index are also provided.Table of ContentsContents: Preface Chapter 1 - The Arrival of Christianity in Ireland Chapter 2 - Celtic Monasticism Chapter 3 - Celtic Penitentials Chapter 4 - Celtic Hagiography Chapter 5 - Controversy and Authority Chapter 6 - Missionary Outreach Chapter 7 - Developments and Outreach in Christianity Chapter 8 - Synoptic Assessment Theme: Faith, Morality and the State Bibliography Glossary Index
£26.20
Equinox Publishing Ltd The Life of Allan Bennett Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya Volume 1
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£25.60
The Good Book Company Why bother with church?: And other questions
Book Synopsis
£999.99
Alpha Edition The Sacred Books of the East (Volume XLIX):
Book Synopsis
£22.19
Alpha Edition Animal And Vegetable Physiology, Considered With
Book Synopsis
£24.96
Alpha Edition Bell'S Cathedrals; The Cathedral Church Of
Book Synopsis
£15.59
Oxford University Press, USA CREATING A NATIONALITY OIP
Book SynopsisThis book narrates how Ayodhya's inhabitants experienced the events that led up to and followed the destruction of the Babri Masjid, the end-product of a century's effort to convert Hindus into a 'proper' modern nation. Woven into the narrative is an analysis of the culture of communal conflict, the nature of organized mass violence, and the political psychology of Hindu nationalism.Trade ReviewThe book remains...a very useful and insightful study of Hindu nationalism. * American Historical Review *
£14.86
Taylor & Francis Ltd Bede and the Cosmos
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£37.99
Cambridge University Press The African Methodist Episcopal Church
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£99.75
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature
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£166.25
Cambridge University Press The Reformation of the English Parish Church
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£80.99
Cambridge University Press Reforming the North
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£78.30
Cambridge University Press Christian Responses to Roman Art and Architecture
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£999.99
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Jesuits
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Jesuits | 9780521769051
£187.15
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge History of Christianity Volume 6 Reform and Expansion 15001660
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£177.65
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge History of Christianity Volume 2 Constantine to c.600
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£177.65
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge History of Christianity Volume 3 Early Medieval Christianities c.600c.1100
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£160.55
HarperOne Prayer
Book Synopsis
£21.56
Harvard University Press God in Gotham The Miracle of Religion in Modern
Book SynopsisPerhaps nothing has ever been so frightening to people of faith as “the modern.” Pluralistic and rationalizing, modernity would seem the antithesis of traditional religious practice. But as historian Jon Butler shows, even Manhattan, the supposed capital of American secularism, has consistently proven a place steeped in devotion.Trade ReviewAre you there, God? It’s me, Manhattan…Butler…argues that far from being a Sodom on the Hudson, New York was a center of religious dynamism throughout the 20th century…[He] reminds us that New York was a center for Catholic religious orders too, their numbers rivaling any city’s except Rome. -- Katrina Gulliver * Wall Street Journal *In his enthralling God in Gotham, Butler takes us through the mighty city’s neighborhoods, traditions old and new, and bustling heterogeneous populations to illuminate the ways diverse Manhattanites have organized themselves in pursuit of community and faith. I learned something rich and surprising on every single page of this compelling book, as fascinating as Gotham itself. -- Elizabeth Alexander, President, Andrew W. Mellon FoundationWhat a pleasure it is to take a tour of Manhattan’s sacred past led by one of the nation’s preeminent religious historians…Butler offers yet one more reason why contemporary Americans might want to ask hard questions the next time they hear someone declaiming against urban places. The worlds of the city, the suburbs, and beyond are more interdependent than we sometimes think. And an unrelenting pursuit of the divine is common to them all. -- Heath W. Carter * Christianity Today *Elegantly written and persuasively argued…You cannot put this book down without feeling that Sin City has gotten a bad rap from the media. The metropolis has long been characterized by deep religious feeling and expression…This is a major book on a major topic in American history. It will complicate our judgements about the nation’s biggest city. -- Kenneth T. Jackson * Gotham *Serves as a reminder of how vital religiosity was to the old New York of 1900–1960…Butler gives readers a deeper sense of how ‘New York values’ were once a modus vivendi for religious pluralism that provided a broadly religious foundation for American culture. He believes that it could be so again. -- James M. Patterson * Law & Liberty *If I were still teaching Introduction to Religion in American History, I would assign Jon Butler’s God in Gotham, with its excellent cameos of Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, Abraham Heschel, Dorothy Day, the Reverends Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Sr., and other great or notorious divines who shaped Manhattan’s religious landscape from the Gilded Age to the Sixties. -- Bob Carey * The Metropole *Proves that ‘tools of modernity’ were also the tools of religion. Scholars of urban history, American religion, urban religion and modernity and secularism will find much to think with in God in Gotham’s compelling history of how congregations responded to the technologies, pace, and cityscape of Manhattan to engage with ‘the enchanted,’ not turn away from it. -- Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada * Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Butler paints a landscape of religious vitality in arguably the heart of burgeoning modernity—Manhattan…[He] shows that religion adapted to modernity rather than being trampled on the concrete. -- Justin McGeary * Modern Reformation *A splendid read, the most instructive feature of the work is the author’s ability to capture the resourcefulness of the city’s faith communities. With material drawn from the area’s rich collections, the work will remain a textbook model for courses on urban religion for a long time to come. -- A.J. Scopino, Jr. * Religious Studies Review *Spans the 1880s to the 1960s, arguing that contrary to the expectations of many, modern Manhattan did not suffocate organized religion…Will certainly resituate the place and significance of Manhattan for American religious life more broadly. -- Justin McGeary * Reading Religion *A lively account of religion…[and] a sharp poke in the eye to traditional theories of religion and modernity that should make scholars ask some tough questions. -- Matthew Bowman * S-USIH: Society for U.S. Intellectual History *God in Gotham portrays a city where people of faith eagerly engaged modernity, where immigrants were welcomed, not shunned. Butler argues that modern Manhattan actually gave rise to a new urban religious landscape of unparalleled breadth and popularity, rather than a crippled, old-fashioned religion of exclusion…Splendid. -- R. William Franklin * Living Church *Enlightening and engaging, God in Gotham chronicles the collision of religion and modernity in Manhattan with incredible skill. Butler not only reveals traditional religious forms challenged and changed by their confrontation with a secular city, but also a major metropolis sacralized by the work of the faithful. A must-read for anyone in search of the soul of America. -- Kevin M. Kruse, author of One Nation Under GodA masterwork by a master historian. Butler’s lively multidisciplinary, multidenominational book will serve as a model for all future work on the subject. God in Gotham should be an instant classic. -- Jonathan D. Sarna, author of American JudaismAn expansive work on a sweeping subject. Butler persuasively argues that religion flourished rather than foundered in Manhattan—not in spite of modernity but precisely because of the ways diverse communities of faith engaged with modern structures, sensibilities, challenges, and opportunities. He shows religious traditions as fluid, dynamic, and resilient. -- Heather D. Curtis, author of Holy HumanitariansWith lively prose, fascinating accounts, and riveting analysis, Butler transforms our understanding of urban religion and the very meanings of modernity as he convincingly portrays a city at once notably secular and a religious ‘hothouse.’ Whether considering the uses of urban space, the impact of racial segregation, or the significance of technologies such as electricity, radio, and sound recordings, he has produced nothing less than a distinctive urban history as well. God in Gotham is history at its finest. -- Michele Mitchell, author of Righteous PropagationButler’s marvelous contrarian intelligence is on full display, as is his silky smooth prose. Could any other author help us better understand James Baldwin, Abraham Heschel, Norman Vincent Peale, and Dorothy Day? Read God in Gotham as a primer on almost the whole of modern U.S. religious history and beyond. -- John T. McGreevy, author of Catholicism and American FreedomGod in Gotham shows how religion in Manhattan thrived as the borough barreled along the leading edge of American modernity—defying the prophets of secularization who looked for piety to wither away. In elegant prose, Butler tours Manhattan’s evolving religious landscape, showing how the city’s crowded pluralism nurtured both ugly prejudices and brilliant theological breakthroughs that left a lasting imprint on American culture well beyond New York. -- Molly Worthen, author of Apostles of Reason[An] illuminating history [of] why religious practice flourished in Manhattan during a period when urbanization and its associated ‘spiritual exhaustion’ were destroying it elsewhere…This eye-opening history is sure to enlighten anyone interested in cultural histories of New York City. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
£999.99
McGill-Queen's University Press The Catholicisms of Coutances Varieties of
Book SynopsisHow religious belief and practice shaped daily life in early modern France.Trade Review"The Catholicisms of Coutances is the best in-depth study I have seen of Catholicism as it was practiced at the local level in the early modern period - in its breadth and detail no work matches it." Frederic J. Baumgartner, Department of History, Virginia Polytechnic and State University "The work is clearly written, elegantly expressed and conceptually challenging. It will be essential reading for all historians of Counter/Reformation France and indeed of Catholic Europe more widely." H-France Reviews
£68.25
Duke University Press Catholic Lives Contemporary America
Book SynopsisA collection of essays that focuses on Catholic lay practices not commonly recognised or, at times, officially sanctioned. It includes essays by novelist Mary Gordon on the sexual appeal of Bing Crosby's Father Chuck O'Malley character, and Robert A Orsi on the "sanctified cripple," Andrew Sullivan on homosexuality and piety.Trade Review"This collection informs, entertains, and challenges - with no apparent ideological axe to grind. Catholic Lives, Contemporary America is lively reading for those looking for a deeper take on the recent Catholic past and present." - James W. Arnold, St. Anthony MessengerTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Not-Just-Cultural Catholics / Thomas J. Ferraro 1 "Mildred, is it fun to be a cripple?": The Culture of Suffering in Mid-Twentieth-Century American Catholicism / Robert A. Orsi 19 Father Chuck: A Reading of Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's, or Why Priests Made Us Crazy / Mary Gordon 65 Clearing the Streets of the Catholic Lost Generation / James T. Fisher 76 Making It to Mepkin Abbey / Frank Lentricchia 104 The Intertextual Politics of Cultural Catholicism: Tiepolo, Madonna, Scorsese / Paul Giles 120 The Bitter Victory: Catholic Conservative Intellectuals in America, 1988–1993 / Patrick Allitt 141 Virtually Normal / Andrew Sullivan 171 Feminists and Patriarchs at the Catholic Church: Orthodoxy and Its Discontents / Mary Jo Weaver 187 The Double-Effect/Proportionalist Debate / Kathy Rudy 205 My Parents, My Religion, and My Writing / David Plante 222 A Homage to Mart and to the University Called Notre Dame / Stanley Hauerwas 227 A Pornographic Nun: An Interview with Camille Paglia / Thomas J. Ferraro 238 An Ancient Catholic: An Interview with Richard Rodriguez / Paul Crowley, S.J. 259 Contributors 267 Index 271
£20.99
Hackett Publishing Co, Inc On the Freedom of a Christian
Book SynopsisTrade Review"The translations are accurate and clear, and the introductory essay does a wonderful job of distilling complicated theological controversies into terms that are comprehensible by an undergraduate audience. The edition's greatest asset, though, is the range of texts that it includes. By including works by Luther's Catholic opponents and his erstwhile allies, this edition demonstrates that On the Freedom of a Christian represented not only a high point in Luther's thought, but also a starting point in a debate that spanned Christendom and had massive social and political implications." —Philip Haberkern, Boston University"An excellent introduction to both Luther's thought and the theological controversies that tore apart sixteenth century Europe. Like all good historical introductions should aspire to do, Helfferich's collection concisely displays the contingency and complexity of this epoch. [T]he selected texts . . . all contribute to the understanding of the period by serving as representations of crucial positions. The cumulative effect is an invitation to the reader to delve deeper into the primary material and to gain a better view of this strange and strangely familiar world." —Kye Barker, UCLA, in ComitatusTable of ContentsIntroduction; Martin Luther, On the Freedom of a Christian; Johann Eck, Selection from Enchiridion of Common-Places Against Luther & Other Enemies of the Church; Bishop John Fisher, Sermon Against Luther; The Twelve Articles (1525) of the German Peasants; Luther, Against the Thieving, Murdering Horde of Peasants.
£29.69
Cambridge University Press The Church in Sickness and in Health Volume 58
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£999.99
Cambridge University Press Sanctity and Pilgrimage in Medieval Southern Italy 10001200
Book SynopsisSouthern Italy's strategic location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean gave it a unique position as a frontier for the major religious faiths of the medieval world, where Latin Christian, Greek Christian and Muslim communities coexisted. In this study, the first to offer a comprehensive analysis of sanctity and pilgrimage in southern Italy between 1000 and 1200, Paul Oldfield presents a fascinating picture of a politically and culturally fragmented land which, as well as hosting its own important relics as important pilgrimage centres, was a transit point for pilgrims and commercial traffic. Drawing on a diverse range of sources from hagiographical material to calendars, martyrologies, charters and pilgrim travel guides, the book examines how sanctity functioned at this key cultural crossroads and, by integrating the analysis of sanctity with that of pilgrimage, offers important new insights into society, cross-cultural interaction and faith in the region and across the medieval woTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Sanctity: 1. Sanctity in early medieval southern Italy; 2. The Latin mainland: south Italian saints, Normans, Church reform and urbanization; 3. Greek saints in southern Italy: at Christendom's faultline; 4. Sicilian saints and Christian renewal; Part II. Pilgrimage: 5. Bridge to salvation and entrance to the underworld: southern Italy and international pilgrimage; 6. Pilgrims at south Italian and foreign shrines: origins, identities and destinations; Conclusion; Bibliography.
£85.50
Cambridge University Press Religion and the Making of Modern East Asia 08 New Approaches to Asian History Series Number 8
Book SynopsisReligious ideas and actors have shaped Asian cultural practices for millennia and have played a decisive role in charting the course of its history. In this engaging and informative book, Thomas David DuBois sets out to explain how religion has influenced the political, social, and economic transformation of Asia from the fourteenth century to the present. Crossing a broad terrain from Tokyo to Tibet, the book highlights long-term trends and key moments, such as the expulsion of Catholic missionaries from Japan, or the Taiping Rebellion in China, when religion dramatically transformed the political fate of a nation. Contemporary chapters reflect on the wartime deification of the Japanese emperor, Marxism as religion, the persecution of the Dalai Lama, and the fate of Asian religion in a globalized world.Trade Review'DuBois provides a fresh look at East Asian history that establishes religion's rightful place therein for a broader audience. His study is highly informative and provides intriguing and insightful details for both specialists and non-specialists.' Thoralf Klein, Journal of Chinese ReligionsTable of Contents1. In the beginning: religion and history; 2. Ming China: the fourteenth-century's new world order; 3. The Buddha and the shogun in sixteenth-century Japan; 4. Opportunities lost: the failure of Christianity, 1550–1750; 5. Buddhism: incarnations and reincarnations; 6. Apocalypse now; 7. Out of the twilight: religion and the late nineteenth century; 8. Into the abyss: religion and the road to disaster during the early twentieth century; 9. Brave new world: religion in the reinvention of postwar Asia; 10. The globalization of Asian religion.
£71.25
Cambridge University Press The Power of Oratory in the Medieval Muslim World
Book SynopsisOratory and sermons had a fixed place in the religious and civic rituals of pre-modern Muslim societies and were indispensable for transmitting religious knowledge, legitimising rulers and inculcating moral values. While there has been abundant scholarship on medieval Christian and Jewish preaching, this book is the first to consider the tradition of pulpit oratory in the medieval Islamic world.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Laying the foundations; 2. The khutba: the 'central jewel' of medieval Arab-Islamic prose; 3. The khutba: rhetorical and discursive strategies of persuasion; 4. Putting it all together: the khutba, texts, and contexts; Part I. Canonical Questions: 5. Putting it all together: the khutba, texts, and contexts; Part II. Thematic and Occasional Orations: 6. Homiletic exhortation and storytelling: challenging the 'popular'; 7. 'The good eloquent speaker': profiles of pre-modern Muslim preachers; 8. The audience responds: participation, reception, contestation; Conclusion.
£81.00
Cambridge University Press Reading and Writing during the Dissolution
Book SynopsisThis book presents detailed biographical case studies of English religious men and women, and their reading and writing during the turbulent period around the Dissolution of the monasteries, often revealing a surprising interest in reform. It features the remarkable writings of Margaret Vernon, head of four nunneries and personal friend of Thomas Cromwell.Trade Review'Mary C. Erler's elegant examination of monastic reading and writing during the Dissolution revolves around six case studies representing different facets of religious life in early Tudor England. By drawing attention to their reading and especially their writing in the midst and aftermath of the Dissolution, Erler offers a more rounded picture of the regular clergy - as active participants in the English Reformation.' Martin Heale, The American Historical ReviewTable of Contents1. Looking backward?: London's last anchorite, Simon Appulby (†1537); 2. The Greyfriars Chronicle and the fate of London's Franciscan community; 3. Cromwell's nuns: Katherine Bulkeley, Morpheta Kingsmill, Joan Fane; 4. Cromwell's abbess and friend, Margaret Vernon; 5. 'Refugee Reformation': the effects of exile; 6. Richard Whitford's last work, 1541; Appendices; Bibliography.
£81.00
Cambridge University Press Reason Revelation and Devotion Inference and Argument in Religion Cambridge Studies in Religion Philosophy and Society
Book SynopsisReason, Revelation, and Devotion argues that immersion in religious reading traditions and their associated spiritual practices significantly shapes our emotions, desires, intuitions, and volitional commitments; these in turn affect our construction and assessments of arguments for religious conclusions. But far from distorting the reasoning process, these emotions and volitional and cognitive dispositions can be essential for sound reasoning on religious and other value-laden subject matters. And so western philosophy must rethink its traditional antagonism toward rhetoric. The book concludes with discussions of the implications of the earlier chapters for the relation between reason and revelation, and for the role that the concept of mystery should play in philosophy in general, and in the philosophy of religion and philosophical theology in particular.Trade Review'William J. Wainwright has always been a person who philosophizes with his whole self. Little wonder, then if … he tries to show us how reasoning about what matters most is and ought to be existentially embedded. No surprise, when he makes his cross-cultural case that rational conviction depends not only on logical acumen but on disciplined passions and habits of the heart.' Marilyn McCord Adams, University of Oxford'William J. Wainwright's thought and writing, like [those] of all good philosophers, [are] careful, precise, and elegant. This collection … shows the importance of attending to the passional aspects of reasoning, and [the] difference that context makes to the success of argument. It's an important and beautiful book; it should be widely read.' Paul Griffiths, Duke Divinity School'Wainwright seeks to explain why argument and inference in matters religious typically fail to be universally persuasive … Written in lucid, accessible prose and drawing on prodigious scholarship, including a deep knowledge of Hindu and Buddhist as well as Christian and Jewish sources, this is a major contribution to the self-understanding of both philosophy and theology.' Merold Westphal, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Fordham University'Wainwright's book is a game-changer … No longer should analytic philosophers be able to ignore, to the degree they do, Eastern religions. [This is] required reading for philosophers of religion.' Jerome Gellman, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev'By probing the importance of religious practice (scriptural ingestion, mystical insight, the apprehension of mystery) and of the structural significance of passion and rhetoric in religious argumentation, Wainwright reveals once more his own distinctive depths of spiritual insight as well as his accustomed philosophical clarity. This is an important, timely, and elegant monograph [that] deserve[s] wide discussion.' Sarah Coakley, Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge'… this is an important and valuable book for those working at the intersection of philosophy, religious studies, and theology.' Robert MacSwain, Reading ReligionTable of Contents1. Four examples of religious reasoning; 2. The purposes of argument and person-relativity of proofs; 3. Religious reading and theological argument; 4. Passional reasoning; 5. The role of rhetoric in religious argumentation; 6. Reason, revelation, and religious argumentation; 7. Theology and mystery.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Augustine in Context
Book SynopsisAugustine in Context assesses the various contexts - historical, literary, cultural, spiritual - in whichAugustine lived and worked. The essays, written by an international team of scholars especially for this volume, provide the background against which Augustine''s treatises should be read and interpreted. They are organized according to a rationale which moves from an introduction to the person (the so-called ''personal context'') to the contexts of Augustine''s works and ideas, starting from the intellectual setting and extending to the socio-political realm. Collectively the essays highlight the embeddedness of Augustine in the world of late antiquity and the interdependence of his discourse with contemporary forms of social life. They shed new light on one of the most important figures of the western canon and facilitate a more enlightened reading of his writings.Trade Review'… the book will be a valuable resource for those seeking knowledge of Augustine's background.' J. P. Blosser, ChoiceTable of Contents1. Chronological chart; 2. 'Augustine in Context and Augustine on context' Tarmo Toom; Part I. Life: 3. Biography in late antiquity Arthur P. Urbano; 4. Augustine on himself Annemareì Kotzeì; 5. Possidius on Augustine Erika T. Hermanowicz; 6. Augustine in Roman North Africa (Thagaste, Carthage) Gareth Sears; 7. Augustine in higher society (Rome and Milan) David Gwynn; 8. Augustine as a Bishop (Hippo) Andrea Sterk; Part II. Literary and intellectual contexts: 9. Language James Clackson; 10. Classical literary culture in North Africa Martin Bloomer; 11. Education, grammar, and rhetoric Yun Lee Too; 12. Scripture and biblical commentaries Stephen A. Cooper; 13. Latin Christian literature I (polemical and theological writings) Josef Lössl; 14. Latin Christian literature II (moral and spiritual writings) David Hunter; 15. Letter-writing and preaching Jaclyn Maxwell; 16. Philosophical trends in Augustine's time Giovanni Catapano; Part III. Religious Contexts: 17. Roman religion Jeffrey Brodd; 18. Manicheism Nicholas Baker-Brian; 19. Ecclesiological controversies Alden Bass; 20. Soteriological controversies Dominic Keech; 21. Trinitarian controversies Mark Weedman; 22. Monasticism/asceticism Marilyn Dunn; Part IV. Political, Social, and Cultural Contexts: 23. Imperial politics and legislation in Roman Africa Dean Hammer; 24. War Alexander Sarantis; 25. Religious violence Despina Iosif; 26. Relationships in Augustine's life Geoffrey Nathan; 27. Popular culture and entertainment Jerry Toner; Part V. Reception: 28. Augustine's reception of himself Johannes Brachtendorf; 29. Reception of Augustine during his lifetime Mathijs Lamberigts; 30. Reception of Augustine in Hadrumetum and Southern Gaul Alexander Y. Hwang.
£88.34
Cambridge University Press Excommunication for Debt in Late Medieval France
Book SynopsisUsing quantitative and qualitative methods to re-evaluate the role of late medieval church courts, Tyler Lange examines the relatively common occurrence of excommunicated debtors. This reveals how day-to-day credit functioned in the late Middle Ages, what debt meant to contemporaries, and how believers understood the Church.Trade Review'Thanks to an impressive data base derived from sampling three church courts (Chartres, Paris and Montvilliers) including more than 11,000 sentences, Tyler Lange provides us with a useful empirical presentation of the issue, depicting the rise and the fall of excommunication for debt from 1300 to 1600.' Jerome Loiseau, European History QuarterlyTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Church courts and credit; 2. The supply of ecclesiastical justice; 3. Case studies: demand for ecclesiastical justice; 4. A crisis of credit? The Reformation and the early modern world; Conclusion: from church to market; Bibliography; Index.
£81.00
Cambridge University Press An Early History of Compassion
Book SynopsisIn this book, Françoise Mirguet traces the appropriation and reinterpretation of pity by Greek-speaking Jewish communities of Late Antiquity. Pity and compassion, in this corpus, comprised a hybrid of Hebrew, Greek, and Roman constructions; depending on the texts, they were a spontaneous feeling, a practice, a virtue, or a precept of the Mosaic law. The requirement to feel for those who suffer sustained the identity of the Jewish minority, both creating continuity with its traditions and emulating dominant discourses. Mirguet''s book will be of interest to scholars of early Judaism and Christianity for its sensitivity to the role of feelings and imagination in the shaping of identity. An important contribution tothe history of emotions, it explores the role of the emotional imagination within the context of Roman imperialism. It also contributes to understanding how compassion has come to be so highly valued in Western cultures.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Between power and vulnerability; 2. Found in translation; 3. Within the fabric of society; 4. Bonds in flux; 5. In dialogue with the Empire; Conclusion. A discourse of the other.
£999.99
Cambridge University Press Ritual Sites and Religious Rivalries in Late Roman North Africa
Book SynopsisIn Ritual Sites and Religious Rivalries in Late Roman North Africa, Lander examines the rhetorical and physical battles for sacred space between practitioners of traditional Roman religion, Christians, and Jews of late Roman North Africa. By analyzing literary along with archaeological evidence, Lander provides a new understanding of ancient notions of ritual space. This regard for ritual sites above other locations rendered the act or mere suggestion of seizing and destroying them powerful weapons in inter-group religious conflicts. Lander demonstrates that the quantity and harshness of discursive and physical attacks on ritual spaces directly correlates to their symbolic value. This heightened valuation reached such a level that rivals were willing to violate conventional Roman norms of property rights to display spatial control. Moreover, Roman Imperial policy eventually appropriated spatial triumphalism as a strategy for negotiating religious conflicts, giving rise to a new form of spatial colonialism that was explicitly religious.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Scaffolding; 1. Foundational assumptions; 2. Christian perceptions of communal places; 3. Internecine Christian contestation; 4. Christian supersession of traditional Roman temples; 5. Christian supersession of synagogues; Conclusion. Ritual spatial control, authority, and identification.
£85.50
Cambridge University Press Martin Luther in Context
Book SynopsisMartin Luther remains a popular, oft-quoted, referenced, lauded historical figure. He is often seen as the fulcrum upon which the medieval turned into the modern, the last great medieval or the first great modern; or, he is the Protestant hero, the virulent anti-Semite; the destroyer of Catholic decadence, or the betrayer of the peasant cause. An important but contested figure, he was all of these things. Understanding Luther''s context helps us to comprehend how a single man could be so many seemingly contradictory things simultaneously. Martin Luther in Context explores the world around Luther in order to make the man and the Reformation movement more understandable. Written by an international team of leading scholars, it includes over forty short, accessible essays, all specially commissioned for this volume, which reconstruct the life and world of Martin Luther. The volume also contextualizes the scholarship and reception of Luther in the popular mind.Trade Review'Whitford … brought together a sterling team of Reformation specialists to produce this volume, which offers a comprehensive topical introduction to Martin Luther and his world … This book will be a fine reference resource as well as a readable introduction to Luther and the world that shaped him.' M. A. Granquist, ChoiceTable of ContentsPart I. Life and Education: 1. Luther: a life of successful struggle Adam L. Wirrig; 2. Luther's family and home life Sabine Hiebsch; 3. Education in early sixteenth-century Europe Christopher Carlsmith; 4. Monastic life and monastic theology in early modern Germany Tarald Rasmussen; 5. The University of Wittenberg Jonathan Mumme; Part II. Religious and Intellectual Context: 6. Western Christianity in 1500 Kenneth J. Woo; 7. Late medieval piety: St Anne, Martin Luther, and the Salvific journey Beth Allison Barr; 8. Late medieval theology Gordon Jensen; 9. Calls for reform before Martin Luther Euan Cameron; 10. Penance and indulgences Ronald K. Rittgers; 11. Luther and the papacy Ralph Keen; 12. Northern humanism and its impact David H. Price; 13. Martin Luther and the printing press Allyson F. Creasman; Part III. Social and Cultural Context: 14. The Holy Roman Empire David Luebke; 15. The Imperial Diet in the 1520s Christopher W. Close; 16. The German Peasants' War Michael G. Baylor; 17. Origins of the Schmalkaldic League W. Bradford Smith; 18. The Turks Gregory J. Miller; 19. Women and gender Amy E. Leonard; 20. Apocalypticism in the sixteenth century Lawrence P. Buck; 21. Jews and Judaism Stephen G. Burnett; 22. Luther's artists Larry Silver; 23. Persecution, martyrdom, and flight in Luther's Europe Timothy J. Orr; Part IV. People: 24. Martin Luther's magisterial defenders David M. Whitford; 25. Luther's Catholic opponents Michael Tavuzzi; 26. Charles V Violet Soen; 27. Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt Martin Kessler; 28. The Wittenberg circle Michael J. Lohrmann; 29. Huldrych Zwingli Rebecca A. Giselbrecht; Part V. Themes in Luther's Thoughts: 30. The 'Solas' of the Reformation Anna Vind; 31. Law and gospel Kirsi Stjerna; 32. Luther's theology of the cross Steven D. Paulson; 33. Erasmus: humanist and theologian Greta Grace Kroeker; 34. Two kingdoms/political theology Jarrett A. Carty; 35. Implementing reform Volker Leppin; Part VI. Works: 36. Luther's treatises and polemics Hans Wiersma; 37. Martin Luther's university lectures and biblical commentaries Mickey L. Mattox; 38. Luther's sermons, catechisms, and worship aids Timothy H. Maschke; 39. Luther´s table talk Ingo Klitzsch; 40. The Luther Bible Arnoud Visser; 41. German and Latin editions of Luther's works Vincent Evener; 42. English editions of Martin Luther's works Alyssa Lehr Evans; Part VII. Reception: 43. The Anabaptists Brian C. Brewer; 44. John Calvin and Calvinism R. Ward Holder; 45. The English Reformation Susan Wabuda; 46. Discord and concord: from the Wittenberg Reformation to Lutheranism Matthias Pohlig; 47. Luther as a German hero John A. Maxfield.
£94.04
Cambridge University Press A History of Kabbalah
Book SynopsisJonathan Garb''s A History of Kabbalah: From the Early Modern Period to the Present Day is a lucid and sophisticated account of the multifaceted nature of Jewish mysticism, focusing on its development from the spiritual revolution that took place in Safed in the sixteenth century until the present. Opening the secrets of the kabbalah to a wider audience, Garb judiciously argued that how important the mystical and esoteric tradition has been in Jewish history and in the cultural and intellectual life of Europe more generally. One of the more methodologically innovative aspects of Garb''s book is his contention that kabbalah became a major factor in the religious life of Jews in the modern age due to print and others forms of rapid communication, a process that has magnified significantly in recent years due to the digital revolution. Informative and provocative, A History of Kabbalah will surely be of interest to a wide readership.Trade Review'While the study of Kabbalah in both scholarly and popular circles remains vibrant, until now there has not been a history of Modern Kabbalah stretching from the sixteenth century. With his usual deep learning, conceptual rigor, and lucidity, Jonathan Garb offers a broad and creative rendering of how Jewish Kabbalah developed from the Lurianic circle to New Age Religion and the late modern commodification of mysticism. Garb deftly navigates through the early period to draw out the threads that will become emblematic in modernity. A major contribution to the study of Kabbalah and the History of Religions more generally.' Shaul Magid, Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College'Jonathan Garb, a leading scholar of Jewish mysticism, offers a lucid, broad, multifaceted, benchmark account of the narrative and cultural history of modern Kabbalah from the spiritual revolution that ignited in the Galilean town of Safed in the 16th century to postmodern new-age religion … Recommended.' D. B. Levy, Choice ConnectTable of Contents1. Pre-Modern and Modern Kabbalah: Breaks and Continuities; 2. The Safedian Revolution of the Sixteenth Century ; 3. The Kabbalistic Crisis of the Seventeenth Century; 4. Canonization: The Eighteenth Century; 5. Beginnings of Globalization: The Nineteenth Century; 6. Destruction and Triumph: The Twentieth Century; 7. Recurrent Themes: Gender, Messianism and Experience?; Appendix; Glossary; Bibliography; Index
£94.99