History of religion Books
Oxford University Press, USA Activity and Participation in Late Antique and Early Christian Thought
Book SynopsisActivity and Participation in Late Antique and Early Christian Thought is an investigation into two basic concepts of ancient pagan and Christian thought. The study examines how activity in Christian thought is connected with the topic of participation: for the lower levels of being to participate in the higher means to receive the divine activity into their own ontological constitution. Torstein Theodor Tollefsen sets a detailed discussion of the work of church fathers Gregory of Nyssa, Dionysius the Areopagite, Maximus the Confessor, and Gregory Palamas in the context of earlier trends in Aristotelian and Neoplatonist philosophy. His concern is to highlight how the Church Fathers thought energeia (i.e. activity or energy) is manifested as divine activity in the eternal constitution of the Trinity, the creation of the cosmos, the Incarnation of Christ, and in salvation understood as deification.Trade ReviewTorstein Theodor Tollefsen's contribution is truly remarkable * Sotiris Mitralexis, Freiburger Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie *... T. is successful in showing that echoes of Palamas's distinction between the essence and energies of God can be dated to Late Antiquity... T.'s work will be helpful to anyone seeking to comprehend difficult and important philosophical concepts as adapted by Christian theologians. This book is a welcome step in our understanding of how philosophy has contributed to the explication of Christian theology. * Theological Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Activity and Participation in non-Christian Thought ; 2. St Basil and Anomoean Theology ; 3. The Internal Activity of the Godhead ; 4. The External Activity of the Godhead: Cosmology ; 5. The External Activity of the Godhead: Incarnation ; 6. The Road to Salvation ; 7. The Theology of St Gregory Palamas ; 8. Concluding Remarks
£130.62
Oxford University Press, USA Donnes Augustine Renaissance Cultures of Interpretation
Book SynopsisThe poet and preacher John Donne (1572-1631) was one of the most influential authors of early modern England. Donne''s Augustine examines his response to an iconic figure in the history of Western religious thought: Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Katrin Ettenhuber argues that Renaissance culture saw not only a revival of the classics, but was equally indebted to the intellectual and literary legacy of the Church Fathers. The study recovers an Augustinian tradition of interpretation which permeated the religious world of the period, but which has until now been largely overlooked. She presents a comprehensive re-evaluation of Donne''s writings, ranging from the poems to less familiar prose works, situates him carefully in the poetic, intellectual, and political contexts which frame his works, and engages with recent developments in both literary and historical studies. Donne''s Augustine is the first sustained study of Donne''s reading practices, and of the theological sources which shaped his thought. It discovers a range of medieval and early modern texts which transformed the imagination of literary writers in the period but which have been neglected so far: devotional manuals, Scripture commentaries, and religious commonplace books (often in Latin). The study pays close attention to the intellectual and political conditions which informed the reception of Augustine''s works, and offers detailed readings of Donne''s texts which illuminate the literary aspects of his patristic heritage. Donne''s Augustine makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the larger reading and writing culture of Renaissance England, and of the religious debates and controversies in the decades leading up to the Civil War.Trade ReviewEttenhuber's book is impressively thorough, very learned, and beautifylly written. * Sebastiaan Verwejj, Notes and Queries *in Ettenhuber displays an admirable knowledge of Donne's religious prose, of many of the works of St. Augustine, and of the relationship between the two authors. ... it is more worthwhile than many recent publication in Donne scholarship, because it is better written and organized and offers more real learning. * John Donne Journal *Katrin Ettenhuber not only demonstrates how an Augustinian tradition of interpretation strongly permeated the period of Donne's lifetime but also offers a range of interesting and innovative ways of reconsidering his writings within these theological and spiritual contexts ... [an] authoritative and elegantly written study * Michael G, Brennan, The Seventeenth Century *Donne's Augustine offers both a richly rewarding history of early modern patristic reception and a series of finely tuned close readings This fine study opens up to us the channels of mediation between Donne and Augustine, and enhances our own understanding of early modern reading experiences. * Mary Ann Lund, Review of English Studies *Simply put, Katrin Ettenhuber's Donne's Augustine is not only a magisterial examination of John Donne's reception and use of Augustine, but also a magisterial examination of his exegetical and hermeneutic practices ... One simply cannot say enough about what Ettenhuber has achieved in Donne's Augustine. It is a clearly organized narrative on Donne's growing relationship with one of the most important voices in the whole of to our understanding of Donne's methods of exegesis, the development of his philosophical hermeneutics, and his ability to negotiate the political follies of his time without losing sight of the religious and spiritual duties he was compelled, and called, to perform ... Donne's Augustine will play a central role in Donne scholarship for decades to come. * Mitchell M. Harris, Seventeenth-Century News *This excellent study is the first sustained effort "to read Donne's reading of Augustine"; it will prove illuminating for anyone - including critics and historians - concerned with 16th- and 17th-century intellectual culture ... this is a necessary resource for institutions where Donne's prose is taught ... Essential. * E. D. Hill, Choice *respectful, tactful, and assured scholarship * Russell M. Hillier, The Glass *Donne's Augustine is a triumph of careful and creative scholarship and an exemplary, desk-level account of how Donne and his contemporaries read, thought, and wrote. * Gregory Kneidel, Modern Philology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. How Donne Read Augustine ; 2. Augustinian Case Studies ; 3. 'Ascending Humility': Augustinian Hermeneutics in the Essayes in Divinity ; 4. The Bad Physician: Casuistry and Augustinian Charity in Biathanatos ; 5. 'Medicinall Concoctions': Equity and Charity in the Lincoln's Inn Sermons ; 6. 'Keeping the Peace': Donne, Augustine, and the Crisis of 1629 ; 7. 'The evidence of things not seen': Donne, Augustine, and the Beatific Vision ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Bibliography
£128.25
Oxford University Press, USA Apophasis and Pseudonymity in Dionysius the Areopagite No Longer I Oxford Early Christian Studies
Book SynopsisThis is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. This book examines the writings of an early sixth-century Christian mystical theologian who wrote under the name of a convert of the apostle Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite. This ''Pseudo''-Dionysius is famous for articulating a mystical theology in two parts: a sacramental and liturgical mysticism embedded in the context of celestial and ecclesiastical hierarchies, and an austere, contemplative regimen in which one progressively negates the divine names in hopes of soliciting union with the ''unknown God'' or ''God beyond being.''Charles M. Stang argues that the pseudonym and the influence of Paul together constitute the best interpretive lens for understanding the Corpus Dionysiacum [CD]. Stang demonstrates how Paul animates the entire corpus, and shows that the influence of Paul illuminates such central themes of the CD as hierarchy, theurgy, deification, Christology, affirmation (kataphasis) and negation (apophasis), dissimilar similarities, and unknowing. Most importantly, Paul serves as a fulcrum for the expression of a new theological anthropology, an ''apophatic anthropology.'' Dionysius figures Paul as the premier apostolic witness to this apophatic anthropology, as the ecstatic lover of the divine who confesses to the rupture of his self and the indwelling of the divine in Gal 2:20: ''it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.'' Building on this notion of apophatic anthropology, the book forwards an explanation for why this sixth-century author chose to write under an apostolic pseudonym. Stang argues that the very practice of pseudonymous writing itself serves as an ecstatic devotional exercise whereby the writer becomes split in two and thereby open to the indwelling of the divine. Pseudonymity is on this interpretation integral and internal to the aims of the wider mystical enterprise. Thus this book aims to question the distinction between ''theory'' and ''practice'' by demonstrating that negative theology-often figured as a speculative and rarefied theory regarding the transcendence of God-is in fact best understood as a kind of asceticism, a devotional practice aiming for the total transformation of the Christian subject.Trade ReviewLike the best books, once one follows Stang in his exploration of Dionysios, it all seems so obvious. * Andrew Louth, Theology *The great merit of Charles Stang is to have filled a gap in Dionysian studies. * Gioacchino Curiello, Ecclesiastical History. Vol. 64.2 *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Ancient and Modern Readers of the Corpus Dionysiacum: Pseudonymity and Paul ; 2. Pseudonymous Writing in the Late Antique Christian East ; 3. "I rejoice to see your order": Paul and the Dionysian Hierarchies ; 4. "To an unknown God": Paul and Mystical Union ; 5. "No longer I": The Apophatic Anthropology of Dionysius the Areopagite ; Conclusion: The Pseudonym, Revisited
£123.50
Oxford University Press, USA Memory in Augustines Theological Anthropology Oxford Early Christian Studies
Book SynopsisMemory is the least studied dimension of Augustine''s psychological trinity of memory-intellect-will. This book explores the theme of ''memory'' in Augustine''s works, tracing its philosophical and theological significance. The first part explores the philosophical history of memory in Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus. The second part shows how Augustine inherits this theme and treats it in his early writings. The third and final part seeks to show how Augustine''s theological understanding of Christ draws on and resolves tensions in the theme of memory.The place of memory in the theological anthropology of Augustine has its roots in the Platonic epistemological tradition. Augustine actively engages with this tradition in his early writings in a manner that is both philosophically sophisticated and doctrinally consistent with his later, more overtly theological writings. From the Cassiacum dialogues through De musica, Augustine points to the central importance of memory: he examines the power of the soul as something that mediates sense perception and understanding, while explicitly deferring a more profound treatment of it until Confessions and De trinitate. In these two texts, memory is the foundation for the location of the Imago Dei in the mind. It becomes the basis for the spiritual experience of the embodied creature, and a source of the profound anxiety that results from the sensed opposition of human time and divine time (aeterna ratio). This tension is contained and resolved, to a limited extent, in Augustine''s Christology, in the ability of a paradoxical incarnation to unify the temporal and the eternal (in Confessions 11 and 12), and the life of faith (scientia) with the promised contemplation of the divine (sapientia, in De trinitate 12-14).Table of ContentsPART I ; PART II ; PART III
£137.75
Oxford University Press REFORMATION OF THE LANDSCAPE P
Book SynopsisThe Reformation of the Landscape is a richly detailed and original study of the relationship between the landscape of Britain and Ireland and the tumultuous religious changes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It explores how the profound theological and liturgical transformations that marked the era between 1500 and 1750 both shaped, and were in turn shaped by, the places and spaces within the physical environment in which they occurred. Moving beyond churches, cathedrals, and monasteries, it investigates how the Protestant and Catholic Reformations affected perceptions and practices associated with trees, woods, springs, rocks, mountain peaks, prehistoric monuments, and other distinctive topographical features of the British Isles. Drawing on extensive research and embracing insights from a range of disciplines, Alexandra Walsham examines the origins, immediate consequences, and later repercussions of these movements of religious renewal, together with the complex but decisiTrade ReviewOne ends this impressive book wanting more and we can hope that a flotilla of new studies by other scholars will appear in its wake. * Kenneth Fincham, History Today *a fascinating account of the religious and cultural changes in Early Modern attitudes to shrines, stones, rocks, springs and much else besides ... a work of deep historical imagination. * Richard Sennett, Times Literary Supplement *... subtle and important. * Karl Miller, Times Literary Supplement *Recommended as a Book of the Year 2011 * Karl Miller, Times Literary Supplement *Walsham presents an admirably complex rendering of the British and Irish landscape * Elizabeth Yale, Social History of Medicine *This book represents the crowning glory of a new turn in Reformation historiography. Rather than the customary focus upon the origins, speed, direction and popularity of England's sixteenth-century Reformations, Walsham illuminates their impact upon the landscape with unparalleled breadth, variety and sophistication. * Andrew Hopper, Rural History *The Reformation of the Landscape is an astonishing accomplishment ... This is not just a book for historians of the landscape, or even Reformation historians. It is a book for anybody with at least a passing interest in the history of Britain or its constituent parts, in its religion, its culture, its social practices, its memory or its national identity/identities. Within its pages the landscape is lovingly revealed, not as a backdrop for human actors, or an occasional participant in events, but as an active agent in our history, and a rich, multifarious and constantly evolving record of the past as experienced by all who lived in it. * Jonathan Willis, English Historical Review *This is an important book: of encouragement and example, as well as stimulation and provocation. * Paul Everson, Landscape History *Walsham has superbly told the story of the "rich, eclectic, and contradictory legacy which the Reformation...left upon the landscape" of Britain and Ireland. * Rudolph P. Almasy, The Sixteenth Century Journal *This enormously learned, rich book is a fascinating archaeology, revealing much about how that mental world came into being. * Carl Watkins, Magdalene College, Cambridge *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Loca Sacra: Religion and the Landscape before the Reformation ; 2. Idols in the Landscape: The Impact of Protestant Reform ; 3. Britannia Sancta: Catholicism, Counter Reformation, and the Landscape ; 4. The Religious Regeneration of the Landscape: Ritual, Rehabilitation, and Renewal ; 5. God's Great Book in Folio: Providence, Science, and the Natural Environment ; 6. Therapeutic Waters: Religion, Medicine, and the Landscape ; 7. Invented Traditions: Legend, Custom, and Memory ; Conclusion ; Bibliography
£49.40
Oxford University Press Drama of the Divine Economy
Book SynopsisThe theology of creation interconnected with virtually every aspect of early Christian thought, from Trinitarian doctrine to salvation to ethics. Paul M. Blowers provides an advanced introduction to the multiplex relation between Creator and creation as an object both of theological construction and religious devotion in the early church. While revisiting the polemical dimension of Christian responses to Greco-Roman philosophical cosmology and heterodox Gnostic and Marcionite traditions on the origin, constitution, and destiny of the cosmos, Blowers focuses more substantially on the positive role of patristic theological interpretation of Genesis and other biblical creation texts in eliciting Christian perspectives on the multifaceted relation between Creator and creation. Greek, Syriac, and Latin patristic commentators, Blowers argues, were ultimately motivated less by purely cosmological concerns than by the urge to depict creation as the enduring creative and redemptive strategy of Trade ReviewBlower has responded to the need for an overarching and articulate treatment of early Christian doctrines of creation. The book he has produced shows us that a sound knowledge of these doctrines is crucial to thinking about theology more generally, both ancient and modern. * Thomas E. Hunt, Theology *An eloquent epilogue ... recapitulates the main theme rounding off a fine book. ... I do not think that it could be much better composed. * Lionel Wickham, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of Contents1. Introduction ; 2. Legacies of Greco-Roman Cosmological Wisdom ; 3. Legacies of Hellenistic Jewish Cosmological Wisdom ; 4. The Shaping of Normative Discourse about Creator and Creation in Pre-Nicene Christianity ; 5. Creation in the Mirror of Scripture I: Patristic Approaches to the Genesis Creation Story ; 6. Toward a Christian Theology of the Beginning (and End) of the World ; 7. Creation in the Mirror of Scripture II: Patristic Approaches to the Biblical Witnesses beyond Genesis ; 8. Christ the Creator and the Creator Spirit: The Drama of the Incarnation and the Remaking of Creation ; 9. Performing Faith in the Creator: The Drama of the Divine Economy as the Framework of Devotional and Ritual Practices in the Early Church ; Epilogue: Drama of the Divine Economy
£178.12
OUP Oxford The Oxford Handbook of the Reception History of the Bible
Book SynopsisIn recent decades, reception history has become an increasingly important and controversial topic of discussion in biblical studies. Rather than attempting to recover the original meaning of biblical texts, reception history focuses on exploring the history of interpretation. In doing so it locates the dominant historical-critical scholarly paradigm within the history of interpretation, rather than over and above it. At the same time, the breadth of material and hermeneutical issues that reception history engages with questions any narrow understanding of the history of the Bible and its effects on faith communities.The challenge that reception history faces is to explore tradition without either reducing its meaning to what faith communities think is important, or merely offering anthologies of interesting historical interpretations. This major new handbook addresses these matters by presenting reception history as an enterprise (not a method) that questions and understands tradition Trade Reviewan important, valuable contribution to its subject * Eric Ziolkowski, Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception *a rich collection of different and often very valuable materials on the reception history of the Bible. Among the articles some are real treasures * Ulrich Luz, Journal of Theological Studies *This volume is most certainly timely and highly pertinent to recent developments within biblical studies ... a welcome addition * R. I. Kueh, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of ContentsPART ONE; PART TWO; HERMENEUTICAL AND HISTORICAL ISSUES; HEBREW BIBLE; NEW TESTAMENT
£34.99
Oxford University Press Roman Christianity and Roman Stoicism
Book SynopsisChristianity is commonly held to have introduced an entirely new and better morality into the ancient world, a new morality that was decidedly universal, in contrast to the ethics of the philosophical schools which were only concerned with the intellectual few. Runar M. Thorsteinsson presents a challenge to this view by comparing Christian morality in first-century Rome with contemporary Stoic ethics in the city.Thorsteinsson introduces and discusses the moral teaching of Roman Stoicism; of Seneca, Musonius Rufus, and Epictetus. He then presents the moral teaching of Roman Christianity as it is represented in Paul''s Letter to the Romans, the First Letter of Peter, and the First Letter of Clement. Having established the bases for his comparison, he examines the similarities and differences between Roman Stoicism and Roman Christianity in terms of morality.Five broad themes are used for the comparison, questions of Christian and Stoic views about: a particular morality or way of life asTrade ReviewIn this excellent study, Runar M. Thorsteinsson adds significantly to our knowledge of the similarities and possible interactions between Roman Stoicism and what he defines as Roman Christianity in the realm of ethics and morality Its conclusions will be controversial to many, but as they clearly emerge from a process of careful and well conducted historical research, they must be taken into account by anyone seriously engaged with ancient philosophy and early Christian studies. * Stefan Nordgaard, Review of Biblical Literature *Table of ContentsI: MORAL TEACHING IN ROMAN STOCISM; II: MORAL TEACHING IN ROMAN CHRISTIANITY; III: ROMAN CHRISTAINITY AND ROMAN STOCISM: A COMPARISON
£35.59
OUP Oxford The Oxford Handbook of Maximus the Confessor
Book SynopsisMaximus the Confessor (c.580-662) has become one of the most discussed figures in contemporary patristic studies. This is partly due to the relatively recent discovery and critical edition of his works in various genres, including On the Ascetic Life, Four Centuries on Charity, Two Centuries on Theology and the Incarnation, On the ''Our Father'', two separate Books of Difficulties, addressed to John and to Thomas, Questions and Doubts, Questions to Thalassius, Mystagogy and the Short Theological and Polemical Works. The impact of these works reached far beyond the Greek East, with his involvement in the western resistance to imperial heresy, notably at the Lateran Synod in 649. Together with Pope Martin I (649-53 CE), Maximus the Confessor and his circle were the most vocal opponents of Constantinople''s introduction of the doctrine of monothelitism. This dispute over the number of wills in Christ became a contest between the imperial government and church of Constantinople on the one Trade Reviewthis Handbook is a monumental and much-needed publication, which will definitely mark the field of Maximian studies for the next generations of scholars. * Dr Sotiris Mitralexis, Vigiliae Christianae *Table of ContentsPART ONE. HISTORICAL SETTING; PART TWO. THEOLOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL INFLUENCES; PART THREE. WORKS AND THOUGHT; PART FOUR. RECEPTION
£142.50
Oxford University Press An Empire of Memory
Book SynopsisBeginning shortly after Charlemagne''s death in 814, the inhabitants of his historical empire looked back upon his reign and saw in it an exemplar of Christian universality - Christendom. They mapped contemporary Christendom onto the past and so, during the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, the borders of his empire grew with each retelling, almost always including the Christian East. Although the pull of Jerusalem on the West seems to have been strong during the eleventh century, it had a more limited effect on the Charlemagne legend. Instead, the legend grew during this period because of a peculiar fusion of ideas, carried forward from the ninth century but filtered through the social, cultural, and intellectual developments of the intervening years.Paradoxically, Charlemagne became less important to the Charlemagne legend. The legend became a story about the Frankish people, who believed they had held God''s favour under Charlemagne and held out hope that they could one day reclTrade ReviewMatthew Gabriele has made a powerful and convincing attempt to show that the evolution of Charlemagne myths can reveal a Frankish sense of manifest Christian destiny * Times Literary Supplement *the depth of analysis on offer here and its relevance to debates about memory makes this a hugely welcome addition to a growing body of research * Christian Harding, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *This efficiently argued and interesting book is an informed and thoughtful discussion of the ideas and associations that attached themselves to the memory of Charlemagne between the reign of his successor Louis the Pious and the First Crusade * Marcus Bull, Crusades *a bold and interesting argument * David Rollason, English Historical Review *Table of ContentsPART I: THE FRANKS REMEMBER EMPIRE; PART II: JERUSALEM; PART III: THE FRANKS RECREATE EMPIRE
£43.69
Oxford University Press, USA 2 Clement Introduction Text and Commentary Oxford Apostolic Fathers
Book SynopsisThe first major commentary on the text of 2 Clement since J.B. Lightfoot's magisterial work in the 19th century. Provides a new edition of the Greek text, together with an English translation; in addition there is a full Introduction and a detailed commentary on the Greek text.Table of ContentsI. INTRODUCTION ; 1. Manuscripts ; 2. Attestation ; 3. Authorship ; 4. Genre ; 5. Literary Unity ; 6. Citations ; 7. Opponents ; 8. Place and Date of Writing ; 9. Theology ; II. TEXT AND TRANSLATION ; III. COMMENTARY
£227.50
Oxford University Press Inc Healing in the History of Christianity
Book SynopsisAmanda Porterfield offers a survey of ideas, rituals, and experiences of healing in Christian history. Jesus himself performed many miracles of healing, and Christians down the ages have seen this as a prominent feature of their faith. Indeed, healing is one of the most constant themes in the long and sprawling history of Christianity. Changes in healing beliefs and practices offer a window into changes in religious authority, church structure, and ideas about sanctity, history, resurrection, and the kingdom of God. Porterfield chronicles these changes, at the same time shedding important new light on the universality of religious healing. Finally, she looks at recent scientific findings about religion''s biological effects, and considers the relation of these findings to ages-old traditions about belief and healing.Trade ReviewIn an era newly attentive to the relationship between religion and health, this striking analysis of Christianity as a religion of healing offers insights deeply informed by imaginative research, breadth of scope, and clarity of argument. Beginning with the texts of the New Testament and concluding with the healers and hospital builders of the late twentieth century, Amanda Porterfield provides a skillful description of the manifold ways that Christians have engaged in practices of healing for the past two thousand years. The book is an eye-opener. * E. Brooks Holifield, author of Theology in America: Christian Thought from the Age of the Puritans to the Civil War *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; NOTES; INDEX
£31.34
Oxford University Press Inc Chinese Religious Life
Book SynopsisWritten by a team of internationally renowned scholars, this volume provides an in-depth introduction to religion in contemporary China. Instead of adopting the traditional focus on pre-modern religious history and doctrinal traditions, Chinese Religious Life examines the social dimensions of religious life, with essays devoted to religion in urban, rural, and ethnic minority settings; to the religious dimensions of body, gender, environment, and civil society; and to the historical, sociological, economic, and political aspects of religion in contemporary Chinese society.Trade ReviewThe essays in this volume present data on an important contemporary development, one with implications for insight into the human condition... * Journal of Chinese Political Science *Table of ContentsIntroduction Philip Wickeri ; Part I: Ways of Being Religious in the Chinese World ; 1. Spirituality in a Modern Chinese Metropolis, Lizhu Fan and James Whitehead ; 2. Communal Worship and Festivals in Chinese Villages, Wai-lun Tam ; 3. The Religious Life of Ethnic Minority Communities, Philip Wickeri and Yik-Fai Tam ; 4. Modalities of Doing Religion, Adam Chau ; Part II. Religion, Culture, and Society ; 5. The Body: Health, Nation, and Transcendence, David A. Palmer ; 6. Gender and Sexuality, C. Julia Huang, Elena Valussi, and David A. Palmer ; 7. Chinese Cosmology and the Environment, Robert Weller ; 8. Religious Philanthropy and Chinese Civil Society, Andre Laliberte, David A. Palmer, and Keping Wu ; Part III. Religion, Politics, and the Economy ; 9. Religion in Chinese Social and Political History, David A. Palmer ; 10. The Social Organization of Religious Communities in the Twentieth Century, Vincent Goossaert ; 11. Contemporary Issues in State-Religion Relations, Andre Laliberte ; 12. Market Economy and the Revival of Religions, Fenggang Yang ; Part IV. Global Perspectives ; 13. The Globalization of Chinese Religions and Traditions, Richard Madsen and Elijah Siegler ; Conclusion, Glenn Shive ; Glossary ; Suggested Further Readings ; Index
£33.72
Oxford University Press Astrology and Reformation
Book SynopsisDuring the sixteenth century, no part of the Christian West saw the development of a more powerful and pervasive astrological culture than the very home of the Reformation movement--the Protestant towns of the Holy Roman Empire. While most modern approaches to the religious and social reforms of that age give scant attention to cosmological preoccupations, this study argues that astrological concepts and imagery played a key role in preparing the ground for the evangelical movement sparked by Martin Luther in the 1520s, as well as in shaping the distinctive characteristics of German evangelical culture over the following century. Spreading above all through cheap printed almanacs and prognostications, popular astrology functioned in paradoxical ways. It contributed to an enlarged and abstracted sense of the divine that led away from clericalism, sacramentalism, and the cult of the saints; at the same time, it sought to ground people more squarely in practical matters of daily life. The art gained unprecedented sanction from Luther''s closest associate, Philipp Melanchthon, whose teachings influenced generations of preachers, physicians, schoolmasters, and literate layfolk. But the apocalyptic astrology that came to prevail among evangelicals involved a perpetuation, even a strengthening, of ties between faith and cosmology, which played out in beliefs about nature and natural signs that would later appear as rank superstitions. Not until the early seventeenth century did Luther''s heirs experience a crisis of piety that forced preachers and stargazers to part ways. Astrology and Reformation illuminates an early modern outlook that was both practical and prophetic; a world that was neither traditionally enchanted nor rationally disenchanted, but quite different from the medieval world of perception it had displaced.Trade ReviewFor most sixteenth-century Lutherans, the stars were a God-given text that complemented the Bible, a text that mirrored both the divine order of the world and its imminent disintegration. Robin Barnes has argued convincingly that we cannot properly understand the historical realities of the Reformation unless we open our eyes to this aspect of their faith. * William R. Shea, Fides et Historia *Astrology and Reformation will be an enjoyable and instructive resource for every scholar of the long 16th century. * Eugene D. Hill, Religion *Table of ContentsContents ; Acknowledgments ; A Note on Sources ; Introduction ; 1. From Athens to Augsburg ; 2. Mathematics and the Sacred ; 3. The Flood ; 4. The Campaign against Superstition ; 5. Confessional Constellations ; 6. Fate and Faith ; 7. Centrifugal Forces ; Postscript ; Literature ; Index
£87.40
Oxford University Press Calvin in Context
Trade ReviewIt us a happy fruit of the Calvin anniversary year to see David Steinmetz's fine collection of essays, Calvin in Context, republished...The great strength of this collection is the refreshing way Calvin is located in the theology and thought-world of his own day...This book, like all Steinmetz's work, is a lively and enjoyable read, and its republication is a very welcome and important addition to the fruits of the reformer's anniversary and the impressive catalogue of David Steinmetz's scholarship. * Sixteenth Century Journal *Table of ContentsPREFACE
£37.04
Oxford University Press Spirituality
Book SynopsisThe concept of spirituality permeates modern culture: from academic book series on ''''Classics of Western Spirituality'''' to self-help manuals, from the use of Buddhist mindfulness meditation (typically detached from Buddhist religious teachings) in medical treatment to nature spirituality, from spiritually oriented peace activists to spiritually oriented new age music. Spirituality has become a common part of our cultural vocabulary. It is not only an important concept in its own right but plays productive and significant roles in the realms of psychology, ecology, medicine, and even politics. Millions call themselves spiritual but not religious, academics describe much of contemporary religious life in the U.S. as focused on a spiritually oriented seeking, and a quick search on Amazon.com turns up hundreds of books whose titles take the general form of The Spirituality of X or Spirituality and Y. At the same time, the concept is used in widely conflicting, often confusing ways. MosTrade ReviewThe single best book giving an objective look at the burgeoning interest in spirituality that exists in the English language. * Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor-in-chief of Tikkun *We agree with Gottlieb when he affirms a piece of wisdom which traveled the world: 'Do your best and leave the rest to God'...Gottlieb puts his faith in grace and in the human capacity for transformation. * Spirituality & Practice *Roger Gottlieb has created a piece of art in surveying the literature on how meditation and Yoga might help reduce pain and suffering, then switching to a heart-felt narration of struggles within his own family. * Christopher Chapple, Loyola Marymount University *This book validates and provides grounding for the wide range of discussions and claims around 'spirituality.' It is much needed in a time when many claim to be 'spiritual' rather than 'religious,' eschewing organized religion for individualized experiences of the sacred. * Stephanie Kaza, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Vermont *Gottlieb is an outstanding scholar whose work in areas related to spirituality is well known and much appreciated. This book is timely, perhaps overdue, given the extensive interest in 'things spiritual' in the broader culture, the intense concern for a more eclectic approach to 'the spiritual' in the larger culture, and the need for a single volume text that offers a survey of opinions, options and practices. * Bill J. Leonard, James and Marilyn Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies and Professor of Church History, Wake Forest University *encourages the reader to reread this volume and to reflect upon his/her own way of life. * Geert Faseur, Journal for the Study of Marriage & Spirituality *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Part I: What it Is ; Chapter 1: Spirit in Motion ; Chapter 2: The Spiritual Path ; Chapter 3: Spirituality in Religious Tradition ; Chapter 4: How Spirituality Became Modern ; Chapter 5: Spiritual but Not Religious ; Chapter 6: Practice, Practice, Practice ; Chapter 7: Why Now? ; Part II: Why it Matters ; Chapter 8: Spirituality and Healing ; Chapter 9: Spirituality and Nature ; Chapter 10: Spirituality and Politics ; Part III: End/Beginning ; Chapter 11: Grace and Despair ; Acknowledgements ; Notes ; Index
£37.99
Oxford University Press Throne of Adulis Red Sea Wars on the Eve of Islam Emblems of Antiquity
Book SynopsisLeading historian G.W. Bowersock provides a narrative account of a fascinating but overlooked chapter in pre-Islamic Arabian history -- the holy war between Christian Ethiopians and Jewish Arabs in the sixth century AD.Trade ReviewClosely argued on scarce evidence, [The Throne of Adulis] draws attention to the enduring geopolitical significance of this poorly understood region. Recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; List of Maps and Illustrations ; Maps ; I. The Throne ; II. A Christian Traveller in the Red Sea ; III. Ptolemy's Elephants ; IV. The Kingdom of Axum ; V. Christianity Comes to Axum ; VI. Judaism Comes to Himyar ; VII. The Ethiopian Invasion of 525 ; VIII. Entry of the Great Powers ; IX. Reckoning ; Appendix: Nonnosus ; Bibliography ; Index
£35.86
Oxford University Press Empire of Souls Robert Bellarmine and the Christian Commonwealth Oxford Studies in Historical Theology
Book SynopsisRobert Bellarmine was one of the pillars of post-Reformation Catholicism: he was a celebrated theologian and a highly ranked member of the Congregations of the Inquisition and of the Index, the censor in charge of the Galileo affair. Bellarmine was also one of the most original political theorists of his time, and he participated directly in many of the political conflicts that agitated Europe between the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century. Stefania Tutino offers the first full-length study of the impact of Bellarmine''s theory of the potestas indirecta in early modern Europe. Following the reactions to Bellarmine''s theory across national and confessional boundaries, this book explores some of the most crucial political and theological knots in the history of post-Reformation Europe, from the controversy over the Oath of Allegiance to the battle over the Interdetto in Venice. The book sets those political and religious controversies against the background of the theological and institutional developments of the post-Tridentine Catholic Church. By examining the violent and at times surprising controversies originated by Bellarmine''s theory, this book challenges some of the traditional assumptions regarding the theological shape of post-Tridentine Catholicism; it offers a fresh perspective on the centrality of the links between confessional affiliation and political allegiance in the development of the modern nation-states; and it contributes to our understanding of the development of ''modern'' notions of power and authority.Trade Reviewan important contribution to and arguably necessary for studies of Bellarmine and of early modern Catholicism * Orlando O. Espín, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Stefania Tutino is emerging as one of the more influential younger scholars on Catholic political theory ca. 1600, and her most recent book is yet another valuable contribution to this area of research. * Marcus Friedrich, Sixteenth Century Journal *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; List of Abbreviations ; Introduction ; 1570s-1580s: the foundations of Bellarmine's potestas indirecta ; 1580s-1590s: the controversies over the Controversiae ; The controversy over the Interdetto and the attacks against Bellarmine's theory ; Bellarmine and the Oath of Allegiance ; Robert Bellarmine and the potestas indirecta: Continental repercussions ; The making of a scapegoat: the case of Martin Becanus ; Robert Bellarmine and the Catholic Church: questions of power and authority ; Bibliography ; Index
£104.50
Oxford University Press Formation of the Hebrew Bible
Book SynopsisIn The Formation of the Hebrew Bible David Carr rethinks both the methods and historical orientation points for research into the growth of the Hebrew Bible into its present form. Building on his prior work, Writing on the Tablet of the Heart (Oxford, 2005), he explores both the possibilities and limits of reconstruction of pre-stages of the Bible. The method he advocates is a ''''methodologically modest'''' investigation of those pre-stages, utilizing criteria and models derived from his survey of documented examples of textual revision in the Ancient Near East. The result is a new picture of the formation of the Hebrew Bible, with insights on the initial emergence of Hebrew literary textuality, the development of the first Hexateuch, and the final formation of the Hebrew Bible. Where some have advocated dating the bulk of the Hebrew Bible in a single period, whether relatively early (Neo-Assyrian) or late (Persian or Hellenistic), Carr uncovers specific evidence that the Hebrew BibleTrade ReviewCarrs bold attempt to challenge one of the most practiced methodologies in biblical studies is very welcome. It functions as a starting point for discussions about refining a methodology that has been criticized almost throughout its history. * Juha Pakkala, Marginalia, *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Oral-Written Model and the Formation of the Hebrew Bible ; Part One: Methodological Prologue: Textual Transmission in the Ancient World and How to Reconstruct It ; Chapter One: Memory Variants and Evidence of Oral-Written Transmission of Israelite Literature ; Chapter Two: Documented Cases of Transmission History, Part 1: Two Cases ; Chapter Three: Documented Cases of Transmission History, Part 2: Broader Trends ; Chapter Four: From Documented Growth to Method in Reconstruction of Growth ; Part Two: Excavating the History of the Formation of the Hebrew Bible ; Chapter Five: The Hasmonean Period: Finalization of Scripture in an Increasingly Greek World ; Chapter Six: The Hellenistic Period up to the Hasmonean Monarchy: Priestly and Diaspora Textuality ; Chapter Seven: The Persian Period: Textuality of Persian-Sponsored Returnees ; Chapter Eight: The Babylonian Period: Trauma, Exile and the Transition to Post-Monarchal Textuality ; Chapter Nine: Bible for Exiles: The Reshaping of Stories about Israel's Earliest History ; Chapter Ten: Textuality Under Empire: Reflexes of Neo-Assyrian Domination ; Chapter Eleven: From the Neo-Assyrian to Hasmonean Periods: Preliminary Conclusions and Outlook ; Part Three: The Shape of Literary Textuality in the Early Pre-Exilic Period ; Chapter Twelve: Early States in the Highlands of Judah-Israel and Evidence for Literary Textuality in Them ; Chapter Thirteen: Royal Psalms: Locating Judah and Israel's Early Pro-Royal Literature ; Chapter Fourteen: Proverbs and Israel's Early Oral-Written Curriculum ; Chapter Fifteen: Other Supposedly Solomonic Books: Song of Songs and Qohelet ; Chapter Sixteen: Other Biblical Texts Potentially from the Early Monarchal Period ; Chapter Seventeen: Toward a New Picture of Early Monarchal Texts in the Hebrew Bible ; Afterword ; Select Bibliography ; Select Index of Primary Text Citations ; Index of Subjects
£104.50
Oxford University Press Medical Saints
Book SynopsisThis book is an exploration of illness and healing experiences in contemporary society through the veneration of saints: primarily the twin doctors Saints Cosmas and Damian. It also follows the author''s personal journey from her role as a hematologist who inadvertently served as an expert witness in a miracle to her research as a historian on the origins, meaning and functions of saints. Sources include interviews with devotees in both North America and Europe. Cosmas and Damian were martyred around the year 300 A.D. in what is now Syria. Called the Anargyroi (without silver) because they charged no fees, they became patrons of medicine, surgery, and pharmacy as their cult spread widely across Europe. The near eastern origin explains their popularity in Byzantine and Orthodox traditions and the concentration of their shrines in Eastern Europe, Southern Italy, and Sicily. The Medici family of Florence also viewed the santi medici as patrons, and their deeds were depicted by great RenaiTrade ReviewJacalyn Duffin approaches the subject of Catholic miracle claims from the unique vantage of a medical doctor with a specialty in hematology as well as a historian of medicine. Medical Saints builds upon DUffin's earlier book, Medical Miracles: Doctors, Saints, and Healing, 1588-1999, Oxford University Press, 2009. Both books are fascinating, engagingly written accounts. Although not the first scholar to broach the subject of miracles through the lens of medical science, Duffin brings a refreshingly new perspective and style... Overall, this is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book that should prove valuable to a range of readers, including historians and sociologists of medicine and religion, as well as believers and skeptics of the miraculous. * Journal of the History of Medicine *Medical Saints is a thoroughly interesting and dynamic study * Christopher D. L. Johnson, Religion *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ; List of Tables ; Prologue ; Acknowledgements ; Chapter One: Medical Miracle ; Chapter Two: Doctor Twins: from Cyrrhus to Toronto ; Chapter Three: Talking to Pilgrims in the New World ; Chapter Four: Chasing Saints in the Old World ; Chapter Five: Miracles, Medicine, and MEDLINE ; Chapter Six: Conclusion: Home to the Clinic ; Epilogue ; Tables ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
£40.84
Oxford University Press The God Strategy
Book SynopsisThis volume offers a timely and dynamic study of the rise of religion in American politics, examining the public messages of political leaders over the past seventy-five years. The authors show that U.S. politics today is defined by a calculated, deliberate, and partisan use of faith that is unprecedented in modern politics. Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, America has seen a no-holds-barred religious politics that seeks to attract voters, identify and attack enemies, and solidify power. Domke and Coe identify a set of religious signals sent by both Republicans and Democrats in speeches, party platforms, proclamations, visits to audiences of faith, and even celebrations of Christmas. The updated edition of this ground-breaking book includes a new preface, an updated analysis of the last Bush administration, as well as a new final chapter on the Jeremiah Wright controversy, the candidacies of Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama''s victory.Trade ReviewThe God Strategy is a sobering look at just how deeply imbedded religion has become in the contemporary American political psyche. Both the person of faith and the non-believer should fear what is revealed in this carefully crafted review of modern campaign strategies to 'get the God vote'. Domke and Coe demonstrate, with stunningly clear examples, just how the union of government and religion tends to degrade the integrity of both. * Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State *Religion has become central to American politics. The God Strategy is a superb overview of what happened and how it has impacted our democracy. David Domke and Kevin Coe have done the nation a service. * George Lakoff, author of Don't Think of an Elephant! *Domke and Coe have done a masterful job of giving us insight into the mix of religion and politics. The God Strategy taught me much about a field I thought I knew. Anyone who wants to understand how the deeply religious character of America could be used to effect coming elections needs to read this book. * Joel Hunter, Pastor and Member, Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals *The God Strategy offers an intriguing look at what has become one of the most powerful shaping forces in American political life. Like it or not, religion has for years been establishing the parameters of public debate. As Domke and Coe make clear, this is unlikely to change anytime soon. * Ron Reagan *Table of ContentsIntroduction A New Religious Politics ; Chapter One One Nation Under God, Divisible ; Chapter Two Political Priests ; Chapter Three God and Country ; Chapter Four Acts of Communion ; Chapter Five Morality Politics ; Chapter Six Religious Politics and Democratic Vitality ; Chapter Seven Act II ; Appendixes A to E
£28.49
Oxford University Press Massacre at Mountain Meadows
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMassacre at Mountain Meadows tells of the grim outcome without flinching and without excuse. * Richard Bushman , Journal of Ecclesiastical History *
£15.19
Oxford University Press Inc Heaven on Earth
Book SynopsisMillennialists through the ages have looked forward to the apocalyptic moment that will radically transform society into heaven on earth. They have delivered withering critiques of their own civilizations and promised both the impending annihilation to the forces of evil and the advent of a perfect society. And all their promises have invariably failed. We tend, therefore, to dismiss these prophets of doom and salvation as crackpots and madmen, and not surprisingly historians of our secular era have tended to underestimate their impact on our modern world. Now, Richard Landes offers a lucid and ground-breaking analysis of this widely misunderstood phenomenon. This long-awaited study shows that many events typically regarded as secular--including the French Revolution, Marxism, Bolshevism, Nazism--not only contain key millennialist elements, but follow the apocalyptic curve of enthusiastic launch, disappointment and re-entry into normal time. Indeed, as Landes examines the explicit millTrade Review[A] fascinating survey of millennialism and apocalyptic beliefs. * Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper *an immense and wide-ranging book ... My imagination urges me to approve Landes's ambition and taste for experiment, for breadth, for a well-turned phrase, a striking image, and for challenging existing orthodoxies * Andrew Gow, American Historical Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; Part I: Introduction: Roosters, Owls, Bats ; 1. The Varieties of the Millennial Experience ; 2. Roosters and Owls: On the Dynamics of the Apocalyptic Curve ; 3. Bats and Turkeys: Historians and Recovering of the Millennial Past ; Part II: Tribal Millennialism ; 4. Suicidal Millennialism: Xhosa Cattle Slaying (1856-7) ; 5. Commodity Millennialism: Papuan Cargo Cults (20th century) ; Part III: Agrarian Millennialism ; 6. Imperial Millennialism: Akhenaten (1360-47 BCE) ; 7. Murderous Millennialism: Taiping (1850-64 CE) ; Part IV: Modern (Secular) Millennialism ; 8. Civil Polities and the Dismantling of the Prime Divider ; 9. Democratic Millennialism: French Revolution (1789-1815) ; 10. Egalitarian Millennialism: Marxism (19th century) ; 11. Totalitarian Millennialism: Soviet Revolution (1917-35) ; 12. Genocidal Millennialism: Nazis (1933-45) ; Part V: Post-Modern Millennialism ; 13. Narcissistic Millennialism: UFOs (1946-) ; 14. Enraged Millennialism: Global Jihad (1979-) ; Conclusion: The Suicide of Reason at the Dawn of the Third Millennium?
£48.45
Oxford University Press Dogen
Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking collection of essays edited by Steven Heine, leading scholars of Buddhism from both sides of the Pacific explore the life and thought of Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253), the founder of the Japanese Soto sect. Through both textual and historical analysis, the volume shows Dogen in context of the Chinese Chan tradition that influenced him and demonstrates the tremendous, lasting impact he had on Buddhist thought and culture in Japan. The essays provide critical new insight into Dogen''s writings. Special attention is given to the Shobogenzo and several of its fascicles, which express Dogen''s views on such practices and rituals as using supranormal powers (jinzu), reading the sutras (kankin), diligent training in zazen meditation (shikan taza), and the koan realized in everyday life (genjokoan). Dogen: Textual and Historical Studies also analyzes the historical significance of this seminal figure: for instance, Dogen''s methods of appropriating Chan sources and his roTrade ReviewSteven Heine has for decades been one of the West's leading scholars in Dogen studies, publishing translations of Dogen's poetry, reflecting on Dogen's philosophy and setting straight the historical record on Dogen. In recent years, many new translations of Dogen's writings have appeared and scholarly publication in the field of Dogen studies has grown dramatically. To bring order to this new scholarship, Heine has brought together in this volume an impressive collection of state-of-the-art essays from leading Dogen scholars. They represent the leading edge in new textual and historical research in Dogen studies. * Victor Sogen Hori, author of Zen Sand *This well-conceived volume includes numerous essays that will serve the study of Dogen far into the future. * Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Dogen Studies on Both Sides of the Pacific ; Part I. Textual Studies ; 1. William M. Bodiford - Textual Genealogies of Dogen ; 2. Steven Heine - What's On the Other Side? Delusion and Reality in Dogen's 'Genjokoan' ; 3. T. Griffith Foulk - Just Sitting? Dogen's Take on Zazen, Sutra Reading, and Other Conventional Buddhist Practices ; 4. Steven Heine - A Day in the Life: Dogen's View of Chan Lineages and Practices in 'Gyoji ; 5. Taigen Dan Leighton - Dogen's Approach to Training in Eihei koroku ; Part II. Historical Studies ; 6. Ishii Sh?do - An Evaluation of Dogen Zen from the Perspective of Song Chan ; 7. Albert Welter - Zen Syncretism: An Examination of Dogen's Zen Thought in Light of Yongming Yanshou's Chan Teaching in the Zongjing lu ; 8. Carl Bielefeldt - Disarming the Superpowers: The abhijna in Eisai and Dogen ; 9. William M. Bodiford - Remembering Dogen: Eiheiji and Dogen Hagiography ; 10. Ishii Seijun - New Trends in Dogen Studies in Japan ; Notes ; Glossary ; Index
£42.74
Oxford University Press Teaching the I Ching Book of Changes
Book SynopsisChinese traditional culture cannot be understood without some familiarity with the I Ching, yet it is one of the most difficult of the worlds ancient classics. Assembled from fragments with many obscure allusions, it was the subject of ingenious, but often conflicting, interpretations over nearly three thousand years. Teaching the II Ching (Book of Changes) offers a comprehensive study at a time when interest in Asian philosophy and the culture of China is on the rise. Still widely read in China, it has become a countercultural classic in the West. Recent scholarship has radically altered our understanding of this foundational work. Geoffrey Redmond and Tze-Ki Hon present an up-to-date survey of recent studies including reconstruction of the early meanings, excavated manuscripts, the New Culture Movement, and the Cultural Revolution. To facilitate introducing the classic to students, the necessary background is provided for university teachers and students, even non-China specialists. Trade ReviewThis balance between the critical and the nonjudgmental is one of the more distinctive features of this book. The stance continues in the sections "How Does the Yijing Work?" and sections on how the text has been compared with science, mathematics, and computers... It covers the major English translations, describes more fully the various layers of text, and provides very complete instructions on consulting the Yi and interpreting the results. * Joseph A. Adler, Dao *Teaching the I-Ching (Book of Changes) is a reliable road-map for students to navigate the intriguing intellectual terrain of the ancient Chinese Classic, detailing the historical background and the texts structure and content. Redmond and Hons narratives are readable, and their scholarship underpins the accessible translation. This book should serve as an important reference book for undergraduates, graduates, and general readers, who want to explore the multifarious and mysterious world of Changes'. * Dennis K. H. Cheng, Chair Professor of Cultural History, Hong Kong Institute of Education; European Chair of Chinese Studies, Leiden University; Professor of Chinese Literature, National Taiwan University *A magnificent achievement, offering a well-written and judicious synthesis of existing scholarship on the origins, development, and transnational travels of the I Ching. In addition, Redmond and Hon offer their readers insightful suggestions about how to understand and productively use this fascinating document-not only in the classroom but also beyond. * Richard J. Smith, author of The I ching: 6IA Biography *The uniqueness of this book is its combination of scholarly rigor with a willingness to explore the phenomenology of divination practice. It is an excellent history of the I Ching as a book, including the ways it has been interpreted both in China and the West up to the present day. The two chapters (1 and 11) that cross the great water into divination practice do so without going overboard into the trendy realm of popular I Ching enthusiasm. * Joseph A. Adler, Author of Reconstructing the Confucian Dao: Zhu Xi's Appropriation of Zhou Dunyi *The authors are well-informed regarding the traditional Chinese context and modern issues alike...This volume belongs in all collections. * Russell Kirkland, Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; Acknowledgements ; Chronology of Chinese Dynasties ; Structure of the Yijing ; List of Illustrations ; Introduction: Studying an Ancient Classic ; Chapter 1 Divination: Fortune-Telling and Philosophy ; Chapter 2 Bronze Age Origins ; Chapter 3 Women in the Book of Changes ; Chapter 4 Excavated Manuscripts ; Chapter 5 Ancient Meanings Reconstructed ; Chapter 6 The Ten Wings ; Chapter 7 Cosmology ; Chapter 8 Moral Cultivation ; Chapter 9 The Yijing in Modern China ; Chapter 10 The Yijing's Journey to the West ; Chapter 11 Reading the Book of Changes ; Chapter 12 The Future of the Yijing ; Bibliography ; Index
£97.38
Oxford University Press World Upside Down Reading Acts in the GraecoRoman Age Reading Acts in the GraecoRoman Age
Book SynopsisFor almost 300 years, the dominant trend in New Testament interpretation has been to read the Acts of the Apostles as a document that argues for the political possibility of harmonious co-existence between ''Rome'' and the early Christian movement. Kavin Rowe argues that the time is long overdue for a sophisticated, critically constructive reappraisal. A brilliant piece of work by a young scholar of considerable promise.--First ThingsThis well-written, well-argued book is a must read for New Testament scholars. -- Review of Biblical Literature This sophisticated argument offers a comprehensive vision of Acts and deserves a wide readership. -- Religious Studies ReviewThere is so much happening in these pages that a slow and careful read will provoke sustained thoughts on a variety of subjects of ecclesial interest ranging from Christianity and culture to issues of tolerance and political theology. -- ThemeliosTrade Reviewa remarkable blend of biblical and historical scholarship, theological erudition and ethical reflection. * Grant Macaskill, Journal for the Study of the New Testament *Table of ContentsContents ; Acknowledgements ; Chapter 1 Reading Acts ; Chapter 2 Collision: Explicating Divine Identity ; Chapter 3 Dikaios: Rejecting Statecraft ; Chapter 5 The Apocalypse of Acts and the Life of Truth ; Index of Scripture Citations ; Index of Ancient Authors ; Index of Modern Authors ; Bibliography
£36.09
Oxford University Press Taking the Long View
Book SynopsisTaking the Long View argues in a series of engagingly written essays that remembering the past is essential for men and women who want to function effectively in the present. Without some knowledge of their own past neither individuals nor institutions know where they have been or where they are going. The book illustrates its thesis with tough-minded examples from the Church''s life and thought, ranging from more abstract problems like the theoretical role of historical criticism to such painfully concrete issues as the commandment of Jesus to forgive unforgivable wrongs.Trade ReviewDavid Steinmetz is one of our most distinguished Reformation historians, with an enviable track record of explaining the complexities of the period with elegant clarity. ... This colelction of essays, mostly light-footnoted, is directed to an American Protestant churchgoing audience, but will much profit many beyond that constituency, including undergraduates beginning to study the period. * Diarmaid MacCulloch, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of Contents01 - The Superiority of Pre-critical Exegesis 02 - Miss Marple Reads the Bible 03 - Inclusive Language and the Trinity 04 - Creator God 05 - Mary Reconsidered 06 - The Catholic Luther 07 - Starting Over: Reformation and Conversion 08 - Forgiving the Unforgivable Wrong 09 - The Domestication of Prophecy 10 - The Learned Ministry Revisited 11 - Marriage, Celibacy, and Ordination 12 - Christ and the Eucharist 13 - World Christianity under New Management 14 - Religion in the Public Square 15 - The Necessity of the Past 16 - Taking the Long View 17 - Concluding Notes for a Pilgrim People 18 - Appendix - Footnotes to an Old Complaint
£31.82
Oxford University Press The Devils Party
Book SynopsisRecent years have seen a significant shift in the study of new religious movements. In Satanism studies, interest has moved to anthropological and historical work on groups and inviduals. Self-declared Satanism, especially as a religion with cultural production and consumption, history, and organization, has largely been neglected by academia. This volume, focused on modern Satanism as a practiced religion of life-style, attempts to reverse that trend with 12 cutting-edge essays from the emerging field of Satanism studies. Topics covered range from early literary Satanists like Blake and Shelley, to the Californian Church of Satan of the 1960s, to the radical developments that have taken place in the Satanic milieu in recent decades. The contributors analyze such phenomena as conversion to Satanism, connections between Satanism and political violence, 19th-century decadent Satanism, transgression, conspiracy theory, and the construction of Satanic scripture. A wide array of methods areTrade ReviewThe contributors to The Devils Party have established a significant foundation from which other researchers can draw inspiration. * Susan Raine, Religion *Table of ContentsContents ; Introduction: At the Devil's Crossroads ; Per Faxneld and Jesper Aa. Petersen ; The Question of History: Precursors and Currents ; 1. "It is better to believe in the Devil": Conceptions of Satanists and Sympathies for the Devil in Early Modern Sweden ; Mikael Hall ; 2. Sex, Science and Liberty: The Resurrection of Satan in 19th Century (Counter) Culture ; Ruben van Luijk ; 3. Witches, Anarchism and Evolutionism: Stanislaw Przybyszewski's fin-de-siecle Satanism and the Demonic Feminine ; Per Faxneld ; The Black Pope and the Church of Satan ; 4. Categorizing Modern Satanism: An Analysis of Anton LaVey's Early Writings ; Amina O. Lap ; 5. Sources, Sects, and Scripture: The Book of Satan in The Satanic Bible ; Eugene V. Gallagher ; 6. Hidden Persuaders and Invisible Wars: Anton LaVey and Conspiracy Culture ; Asbjorn Dyrendal ; The Legacy of Dr. LaVey: The Satanic Milieu Today ; 7. Conversion to Satanism: Constructing Diabolical Identities ; James R. Lewis ; 8. The Carnival of Dr. LaVey: Articulations of Transgression in Modern Satanism ; Jesper Aa. Petersen ; 9. The Making of Satanic Collective Identities in Poland: From Mechanic to Organic Solidarity ; Rafal Smoczynski ; Post-Satanism, Left-Hand Paths and Beyond: Visiting the Margins ; 10. The Left-Hand Path and Post-Satanism: The Temple of Set and the Evolution of Satanism ; Kennet Granholm ; 11. Luciferian Witchcraft: At the Crossroads between Paganism and Satanism ; Fredrik Gregorius ; 12. Secret Identities in The Sinister Tradition: Political Esotericism and the Convergence of Radical Islam, Satanism and National Socialism in the Order of Nine Angles ; Jacob C. Senholt
£49.40
Oxford University Press, USA Theology of Jonathan Edwards
Book SynopsisThe Theology of Jonathan Edwards is the first survey of the religious thought of America''s theologian--Jonathan Edwards--that draws on all of his writings, now available in a 73-volume online Yale critical edition. In 48 chapters, McClymond and McDermott, two of the world''s leading Edwards scholars, treat topics in Edwards''s thought that have rarely been analyzed in depth, and never in coordination with a close analysis of the rest of his theology. Such topics include the implications of his doctrine of the Trinity for the divide between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy, his enduring appeal among both conservative and liberal Protestants, his ecclesial and sacramental theologies, his conflicted relationship with the history of Calvinism, the cultural-historical and comparative-religious turn he made toward the end of his career (as the leading colonial thinker on the topic of world religions), the appeals to his ideas in nineteenth- and twentieth-century debates over Methodist, HolinTrade ReviewThis whopping book is without doubt the Big Mac of Jonathan Edwards studies. ... Writing clearly and accessibly, but also authoritatively and yet modestly, they compare their product to the sections of a symphony orchestra, or to a series of viewing stations of both the explored and yet to-be-explored interior of Edwards's writings. * Paul Helm, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *very impressive book on the theology of one of the greatest minds ever given to God's church. Those with an interest in Edwards certainly must get a copy. Ministers or serious-minded Christians would also be well served by having this excellent volume. * William M. Schweitzer, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology *Table of ContentsPart One: Introduction: Historical, Cultural, and Social Contexts ; Chapter One: Overture to a Symphony ; Chapter Two: Jonathan Edwards: A Theological Life ; Chapter Three: Edwards's Intellectual Context ; Chapter Four: Edwards's Spirituality ; Chapter Five: The Question of Development: Did Edwards Change? ; Part Two: Topics in Edwards's Theology ; Section One: Methods and Strategies ; Chapter Six: Beauty and Aesthetics ; Chapter Seven: Metaphysics ; Chapter Eight: Typology: Scripture, Nature, and All of Reality ; Chapter Nine: Revelation: Scripture, Tradition, and Reason ; Chapter Ten: Apologetics ; Chapter Eleven: Biblical Exegesis ; Chapter Twelve: The Concept of a History of Redemption ; Section Two: The Triune God, the Angels, and Heaven ; Chapter Thirteen: God as Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit ; Chapter Fourteen: The End of God in Creation ; Chapter Fifteen: Providence and History ; Chapter Sixteen: The Person and Work of Jesus Christ ; Chapter Seventeen: The Role of the Holy Spirit ; Chapter Eighteen: The Angels in the Plan of Salvation ; Chapter Nineteen: Heaven is a World of Love ; Section Three: Theological Anthropology and Divine Grace ; Chapter Twenty: The Affections and the Human Person ; Chapter Twenty-one: Edward's Calvinism and Theology of the Covenants ; Chapter Twenty-two: Free Will and Original Sin ; Chapter Twenty-three: Salvation, Grace, and Faith: An Overview ; Chapter Twenty-four: Conversion: A Divine and Supernatural Light ; Chapter Twenty-five: Justification and Sanctification ; Chapter Twenty-six: The Theme of Divinization ; Chapter Twenty-seven: The Theology of Revivals ; Section Four: Church, Ethics, Eschatology, and Society ; Chapter Twenty-eight: The Church ; Chapter Twenty-nine: Edwards On (and In) the Ministry ; Chapter Thirty: The Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper ; Chapter Thirty-one: The Voice of the Great God: A Theology of Preaching ; Chapter Thirty-two: Public Theology, Society, and America ; Chapter Thirty-three: True Virtue, Christian Love, and Ethical Theory ; Chapter Thirty-four: Edwards On (and In) Missions ; Chapter Thirty-five: Eschatology ; Chapter Thirty-six: Christianity and Other Religions ; Part Three: Legacies and Affinities: Edwards's Disciples and Interpreters ; Chapter Thirty-seven: Selective Readings: Edwards and the New Divinity ; Chapter Thirty-eight: Mixed Reactions: Princeton and Andover Seminaries, and Nineteenth-Century American Culture ; Chapter Thirty-nine: New Beginnings: The Twentieth Century Recovery of Edwards's Theology ; Chapter Forty: Interpretations, I: Edwards and Modern Philosophy ; Chapter Forty-one: Interpretations, II: Edwards and the Reformed Tradition ; Chapter Forty-two: Interpretations, III: Edwards and the Revival Tradition ; Chapter Forty-three: Interpretations, IV: Edwards and the Catholic and Orthodox Traditions ; Chapter Forty-four: Interpretations, V: Edwards and Contemporary Theology ; Chapter Forty-five: Conclusion: Edwards as a Theological Bridge ; Index
£107.57
Oxford University Press, USA Christian Rejection of Animal Sacrifice
Book SynopsisSacrifice dominated the religious landscape of the ancient Mediterranean world for millennia, but its role and meaning changed dramatically in the fourth and fifth centuries with the rise of Christianity. Daniel Ullucci offers a new explanation of this remarkable transformation, in the process demonstrating the complexity of the concept of sacrifice in Roman, Greek, and Jewish religion. The Christian Rejection of Animal Sacrifice challenges the predominant scholarly model, which posits a connection between so-called critiques of sacrifice in non-Christian Greek, Latin, and Hebrew texts and the Christian rejection of animal sacrifice. According to this model, pre-Christian authors attacked the propriety of animal sacrifice as a religious practice, and Christians responded by replacing animal sacrifice with a pure, ''''spiritual'''' ''worship. This historical construction influences prevailing views of animal sacrifice even today, casting it as barbaric, backward, and primitive despite tTrade ReviewMuch in this book is to be applauded. * Frances Young, Theology Vol. 116 *it must be concluded that Ullucciâs work is a valuable contribution, not only to the study of early Christianity, but also for historians and religious studies scholars more generally. His critique of a giant narrative and his careful approach to the evidence have created a nuanced and diverse picture, and he has met the problems and challenges of teleological reasoning, historicizing evidence, and identifying critical nuances in argumentation in ways that may be inspiring to scholars of various disciplines[...]Ullucciâs study is built around a convincing argument which is lucidly argued and contextualized within a long historiographical tradition, and contributes much to the study of early Christianity. * Martin Pjecha, International Political Anthtropology2014 *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; 1 The Problem of Animal Sacrifice ; 2 Animal Sacrifice: Theory and Practice ; 3 Ideal Sacrifice vs. the Ideal of No Sacrifice ; 4 Christian Positions on Animal Sacrifice ; 5 A Redescription of Early Christian Positions on Animal Sacrifice ; 6 Epilogue: Julian and the Rejection of Sacrifice ; Appendix: Summary of Early Christian Positions on Sacrifice not Covered in Chapter 4 ; Bibliography
£99.75
Oxford University Press Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism
Book SynopsisPharaoh Akhenaten, who reigned for seventeen years in the fourteenth century B.C.E, is one of the most intriguing rulers of ancient Egypt. His odd appearance and his preoccupation with worshiping the sun disc Aten have stimulated academic discussion and controversy for more than a century. Despite the numerous books and articles about this enigmatic figure, many questions about Akhenaten and the Atenism religion remain unanswered.In Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism, James K. Hoffmeier argues that Akhenaten was not, as is often said, a radical advocating a new religion but rather a primitivist: that is, one who reaches back to a golden age and emulates it. Akhenaten''s inspiration was the Old Kingdom (2650-2400 B.C.E.), when the sun-god Re/Atum ruled as the unrivaled head of the Egyptian pantheon. Hoffmeier finds that Akhenaten was a genuine convert to the worship of Aten, the sole creator God, based on the Pharoah''s own testimony of a theophany, a divine encounter that launchedTrade ReviewIn the history of ideas one early figure stands out as an initiator of change, Akhenaten, king of Egypt. His attempt to simplify understanding of divine power represents a bold exercise in critical thinking. Hoffmeier's book lays out clearly and authoritatively the historical context and the nature of the prevailing concepts against which Akhenaten reacted. * Barry Kemp, Director, the Amarna Project *Hoffmeier offers a stimulating and judicious re-evaluation of the many controversial historical issues related to the Amarna Period. Particularly thought-provoking is a new interpretation of the origins of Akhenaten's religious ideas based on a phenomenology of religion approach. Akhenaten's experience is identified as a theophany and is examined against other encounters with the divine found in ancient Near Eastern sources. Exploring the questions of whether Atenism was monotheistic and whether it could have influenced Hebrew monotheism, the book will also be of great interest to Biblical scholars. * Boyo Ockinga, Associate Professor of Ancient History, Macquarie University, Sydney *James Hoffmeier draws upon the latest scholarly research to inform this new study of Atenism. Well-versed in the religious traditions of Egypt, Israel, and the Near East, Hoffmeier utilizes phenomenological, linguistic, and archaeological approaches to argue that Akhenaten's 'heretical' religion was a potent combination of revelation and revivalism. His own excavations of Atenist remains at the border fortress of Tell el-Borg also bring fresh evidence to bear on ever-intriguing issues. * Ellen Morris, Department of Classics and Ancient Studies, Barnard College *Hoffmeier does an excellent job placing Akhenaten and his religion in the broader context of the history and religions of the entire ancient Near East. Drawing upon texts, archaeological data (including new evidence from his excavations in the Sinai), architecture, and art, he provides innovative insight on a subject that has been extensively studied by so many others. * Emily Teeter, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago *it is an excellent and stimulating contribution and provides a truly in-depth introduction to the religion of Akhenaten's period and its origins. * Peter C. Nadig, Bryn Mawr Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; Map ; 1. When the Sun Ruled Egypt ; 2. Sky and Sun Together ; 3. The Dawn of the Amarna Period ; 4. The Domain of Aten: the Temples of Aten at Karnak ; 5. Finding Aten and Founding Akhet-Aten ; 6. Aten Alone ; 7. Is Atenism Monotheism? ; 8. The Hymns to Aten: A Monotheistic Manifesto ; 9. The Influence of Atenism in Egypt and the Bible? ; Index
£83.34
Oxford University Press In Heaven as It Is on Earth
Book SynopsisA compelling new interpretation of early Mormonism, Samuel Brown''s In Heaven as It Is On Earth views this religion through the lens of founder Joseph Smith''s profound preoccupation with the specter of death. Revisiting historical documents and scripture from this novel perspective, Brown offers new insight into the origin and meaning of some of Mormonism''s earliest beliefs and practices. The world of early Mormonism was besieged by death--infant mortality, violence, and disease were rampant. A prolonged battle with typhoid fever, punctuated by painful surgeries including a threatened leg amputation, and the sudden loss of his beloved brother Alvin cast a long shadow over Smith''s own life. Smith embraced and was deeply influenced by the culture of holy dying--with its emphasis on deathbed salvation, melodramatic bereavement, and belief in the Providential nature of untimely death--that sought to cope with the widespread mortality of the period. Seen in this light, Smith''s treasure Trade ReviewOne of this work's many virtues is that it provides the best explanation of Mormon temple worship ever published. Moreover, as Brown makes his case that this religion's 'end goal is the conquest of death,' he clarifies much about Mormon belief that is mysterious to outsiders (p. 170). * Journal of American History *For the emphasis on the centrality of death if for nothing else, this book deserves a place on the Mormon bookshelf. It does so much more than this, however, in helping the reader thoroughly contextualise the Restoration of the Gospel and the development of the various revelations that Joseph received. * James Holt, International Journal of Mormon Studies *Table of ContentsPart I: Death, Dying, and the Dead ; Chapter 1. "Melancholly Reflections": Joseph Smith and Holy Dying ; Chapter 2. The Corpse and its Rest ; Chapter 3. Relics, Graves, and the Treasure Quest ; Chapter 4. Hallowed Ground: Tombs, Indians, and Eden ; Chapter 5. Seerhood, Pure Language, and the Silence of the Grave ; Part II: Everlasting Communities ; Chapter 6. The New and Everlasting Covenant ; Chapter 7. Negotiating Death and Afterlife in Nauvoo ; Chapter 8. The "Lineage of my Preast Hood" and the Chain of Belonging ; Chapter 9. Divine Anthropology: Translating the Suprahuman Chain ; Chapter 10. "Death Cannot Conquer the Hero Again": The Death and Afterlife of a Martyr
£47.49
Oxford University Press Jains in the World
Book SynopsisThere is no doubt that the wealth of new data and ideas offered in this exquisite book provides the deepest insights yet into the contemporary religious world of Jain laity. It will serve for some time as a paradigmatic monograph for future empirical studies of Jain religious life. --Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies Jains in the World is a significant and welcome ethnography of contemporary Jains in western India by the most prominent scholar of Jainism in North America. This book is a must for scholars of South Asian religions and will provide scholars of Hindu traditions fine grounding both in a central dialectic of Jain thought and in contemporary Jain praxis. --International Journal of Hindu Studies A valuable addition to the literature on Jainism as a living faith. Since it has the additional merits of being clearly written, attractively illustrated, and free of unnecessary theoretical baggage, it should serve as a good introduction to this tradition for collTrade Reviewa welcome and vitally important contribution to the burgeoning literature in the field of Jain studies. * Jeffery D. Long, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *As a clear, detailed, rich, and accessible account of the life of a community, Jains in the World is unsurpassed in the field of Jain studies, and stands as a fine example of ethnographic writing in the broader fields of anthropology and the study of religion. * Jeffery D. Long, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Table of ContentsNote on Language, Transliteration, and Names ; Hymn to Pancasar Parsvanath ; Introduction: On the Occasion of the Blessed Installation of the Lord ; 1. The Ideology of the Path to Liberation ; 2. Jains and Jainism in Patan ; 3. Going to the Temple: How to Worship God ; 4. Gifting and Grace: Patterns of Lay-Mendicant Interaction ; 5. Holy Asceticism ; 6. Remembrance and Celebration: The Jain Religious Year ; 7. Ideologies and Realms of Value ; Hymn to Pancasar Parsvanath ; Glossary ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
£37.04
Oxford University Press Islam and the Fate of Others
Book SynopsisCan non-Muslims be saved? And can those who are damned to hell ever be redeemed? Mohammad Hassan Khalil examines the writings of influential medieval and modern Muslim scholars on the controversial question of non-Muslim salvation. Islam and the Fate of Others is an illuminating study of four of the most prominent figures in the history of Islam: al-Ghazali, Ibn ''Arabi, Ibn Taymiyya, and Rashid Rida, as well as a wide variety of other writers, including Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Mulla Sadra, Shah Wali Allah of Delhi, Muhammad ''Ali of Lahore, Sayyid Qutb, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Farid Esack. Khalil demonstrates that though these theologians tended to shun a purely pluralistic concept of salvation, most envisioned a Paradise populated with Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and many believed in a just and merciful God. Khalil reveals that these writers'' interpretations of the Qur''an and hadith corpus-from optimistic depictions of Judgment Day to notions of a temporal Hell and salvation for all-challenge widespread assumptions about Islamic scripture and thought.Trade ReviewKhalil's fine work is perhaps best understood as primarily a work which studies historical theology rather than a work of contemporary theology. Indeed, through sober and meticulous analysis and copious annotation, Khalil does a good job of hiding his own theological tendencies and views on Islamic soteriology. * Amir Dastmalchian, Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies. *Khalil's volumes encourage us to perceive inter-religious dialogue on a deeper level than that of superficial do-gooders unable to understand the real difficulties of religious confrontation. * Marginalia *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Conventions ; Introduction: Rethinking Our Assumptions ; Chapter 1: Damnation as the Exception-The Case of Ghazali ; Chapter 2: All Paths Lead to God-The Case of Ibn 'Arabi ; Chapter 3: The Redemption of Humanity-The Case of Ibn Taymiyya ; Chapter 4: The Modern Scene-Rashid Rida and Beyond ; Glossary ; Notes ; Bibliography
£79.00
Oxford University Press Rethinking Secularism
Book SynopsisThis collection of essays presents groundbreaking work from an interdisciplinary group of leading theorists and scholars representing the fields of history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and anthropology. The volume will introduce readers to some of the most compelling new conceptual and theoretical understandings of secularism and the secular, while also examining socio-political trends involving the relationship between the religious and the secular from a variety of locations across the globe.In recent decades, the public has become increasingly aware of the important role religious commitments play in the cultural, social, and political dynamics of domestic and world affairs. This so called ''''resurgence'''' of religion in the public sphere has elicited a wide array of responses, including vehement opposition to the very idea that religious reasons should ever have a right to expression in public political debate. The current global landscape forces scholars to reconsiTrade Reviewan up-to-date report about the contemporary state of discussion concerning the categories of secular, secularization, and secularism and the problems grouped around this words. The well-tested and validated theses, with a lot of empirical, detailed examples and models, are founded on solid erudition, deep knowledge, and skills of the competent authors. * Andrzej Bronk, Anthropos *Table of ContentsContributors ; Introduction: Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, Jonathan VanAntwerpen ; 1. Western Secularity: Charles Taylor ; 2. The Secular, Secularizations, Secularisms: Jose Casanova ; 3. Secularism, Citizenship, and the Public Sphere: Craig Calhoun ; 4. Rehabilitating Secularism: Rajeev Bhargava ; 5. The Multiple Secularisms of Modern Democracies and Autocracies: Alfred C. Stepan ; 6. Civilizational States, Secularisms, Religions: Peter Katzenstein ; 7. A Suspension of (Dis)Belief: The Secular-Religious Binary and the Study of International Relations: Elizabeth Shakman Hurd ; 8. Rethinking the Secular and Religious Aspects of Violence: Mark Juergensmeyer ; 9. Religious Humanitarianism and the Global Politics of Secularism: Cecelia Lynch ; 10. Rethinking Fundamentalism in a Secular Age: R. Scott Appleby ; 11. Secularism, Religious Change, and Social Conflict in Asia: Richard Madsen ; 12. Smash temples, Burn Books: Comparing Secularist Projects in India and China: Peter van der Veer ; 13. Freedom of Speech and Religious Limitations: Talal Asad
£32.77
Oxford University Press John Owen and English Puritanism
Book SynopsisJohn Owen was a leading theologian in 17th-century England. As vice-chancellor of Oxford University, he was a man of immense intellectual and cultural significance. Through his association with Oliver Cromwell in particular, he exercised considerable influence on central government, and became the premier religious statesman of the Interregnum. The restoration of the monarchy pushed Owen into dissent, criminalizing his religious practice and inspiring his writings in defense of high Calvinism and religious toleration. But Owen transcended his many experiences of defeat, and his claims to quietism were frequently undermined by rumors of his involvement in anti-government conspiracies.Crawford Gribben''s biography documents Owen''s interactions with the intellectual and print cultures of his social, political and religious environments; its narrative is structured around Owen''s own publications. In contrast to the current scholarly consensus, this book emphasizes Owen''s importance as a controversial theologian deeply involved with his social and political environment. Far from personifying the Reformed tradition, he helped to undermine it, offering an individualist account of Christian faith which downplayed the significance of the Church''s means of grace. His work contributed to the formation of the new religious movement known as evangelicalism, where his influence still can be seen today.Trade ReviewGribben pays careful attention to the research, writing, publication, dissemination, reception, and defence of many of Owen's key works. * Matthew Rowley, Churchman *Gribben has done a remarkable job in weaving together evidence from Owen's life and writings to present a vibrant portrait of his personal and intellectual character. * Mark Burden, The Seventeenth Century *This is the most thorough treatment of Owen's life yet, drawing on a variety of sources. * Glenn Moots, Anglican and Episcopal History *Engaging, quotable, scholarly, exemplary -- these four words summarise Gribben's fine biography of John Owen. This book belongs in the libraries of universities and theological coleges as well as in the hands of any serious student of Owen or the Puritans. * T. J. Marinello, European Journal of Theology *a detailed, careful analysis * English Churchman *Crawford Gribben has produced a fluent biography of a difficult historical figure. John Owen and English Puritanism provides an accessible and thorough starting point for any study of John Owen and his milieu * Dr Elliot Vernon, Reviews in History *Gribbens work makes a gripping and interesting narrative. * Ryan M. McGraw, Westminster Theological Journal *For most contemporary English-speaking Calvinists, John Owen is an unending source of wisdom and inspiration... Gribben gives even better reasons for esteeming Owen than those that prevail in Calvinist circles. Such theological insight forged in a context of political intrigue and personal adversity make Owen truly exceptional. * Darryl G. Hart, Ordained Servant *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1) Apprentice puritan 2) Emerging theologian 3) Frustrated pastor 4) Army preacher 5) Oxford reformer 6) Cromwellian courtier 7) Defeated revolutionary 8) Restoration politique 9) Nonconformist divine Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index
£107.57
Oxford University Press Inc Soul of Doubt
Book SynopsisIt is widely assumed that science is the enemy of religious faith. The idea is so pervasive that entire industries of religious apologetics converge around the challenge of Darwin, evolution, and the secular worldview. This book challenges such assumptions by proposing a different cause of unbelief in the West: the Christian conscience. Tracing a history of doubt and unbelief from the Reformation to the age of Darwin and Karl Marx, Dominic Erdozain argues that the most powerful solvents of religious orthodoxy have been concepts of moral equity and personal freedom generated by Christianity itself.Revealing links between the radical Reformation and early modern philosophers such as Baruch Spinoza and Pierre Bayle, Erdozain demonstrates that the dynamism of the Enlightenment, including the very concept of natural reason espoused by philosophers such as Voltaire, was rooted in Christian ethics and spirituality. The final chapters explore similar themes in the era of Darwin and Marx, showiTrade Reviewa clear and lively counternarrative addressed to those who still believe religion can only restrain rather than liberate and that Christianity necessarily opposes what modernity values. For this audience, including many students as well as committed secularists with their own entrenched interpretations of the canonical figures Erdozain studies, this should be a valuable and important study. * Constance M. Fury, Journal of Religion *Erdozain's book is a valuable revision of the history of unbelief, an implicit call for Christians to admit that our superiority complexes can fuel doubt, and an invitation for historians to examine not just the minds of their subjects but also their souls. Moreover, Erdozain is a brilliant stylist--each page contains turns of phrase that make this both convincing and enjoyable reading ... [A] must read. * Daniel J. King, Fides et Historia *It is rare to find an academic book which is such an active pleasure to read...provocative and thoughtful. * Alec Ryrie, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *The Soul of Doubt is a lively genealogy of the deconfessionalizing and secularizing of a religious conscience that never fully escapes its origins. Erdozain applies his brilliant prose to a wealth of primary sources to argue that the anti-religious fury of a figure such as Marx is an extension of the critical restoring and reforming impulse that can be traced back (at least) to Luther...In this book, Erdozain has powerfully challenged the assumptions of both schools of thought by revealing the religiously rooted motivations of some of the most notoriously (supposedly) anti-Christian authors and the blurred lines between secular and religious thought between the 16th and 19th centuries. Needless to say, this argument has profound implications for contemporary narratives that either lament or celebrate a purported conflict between faith and reason and steady march of secularization. * Christopher D.L. Johnson, Religion *It is a great merit of Dominic Erdozain's book that it provides an approachable and well-wrought account of the development of such pluralism over the past 500 years ... Writing with great verve and passion, Erdozain is tireless in assembling texts and citations to support his various interpretations. * Albert Weale, Times Literary Supplement *This is an elegantly written, well-argued book. * V. M. Ehret, CHOICE *This is the most important book on religious doubt in the modern West since Charles Taylor's A Secular Age. * Timothy Larsen, author of Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-Century England *The Problem of Pleasure established Erdozain as one of the most original and provocative new voices in modern Christian history, and specifically in the history of secularisation. This tour de force of incisive argument and wide-ranging erudition confirms his reputation. Others have suggested that the most powerful critiques of Christian orthodoxy have been primarily moral, indeed religious, but no-one has pursued this argument so consistently and across three centuries. * Hugh McLeod, author of The Religious Crisis of the 1960s *This wide-ranging book offers a compelling account of the Christian roots of secularism. It skillfully blends intellectual history with the 'raw fuel' of human, historically-located lived experience, a force that Erdozain terms 'conscience.' The text sparkles with thought-provoking analogies and metaphors, and it establishes Erdozain's reputation as one of the most accomplished scholars of religion writing about the post-Reformation world. * Frances Knight, University of Nottingham *Erdozain has made a fascinating contribution to understanding the religious and theological context of the rise of secularism * Charlotte Methuen, Reviews in History *Erdozain's study thus succeeds not as a nuanced account of theology's unpredictable significance (for that, readers should look to works like Schreiner's) but as a clear and lively counternarrative addressed to those who still believe religion can only restrain rather than liberate and that Christianity necessarily opposes what modernity values. For this audience, including many students as well as committed secularists with their own entrenched interpretations of the canonical figures Erdozain studies, this should be a valuable and important study. * Constance M. Furey, Journal of Religion *Table of ContentsAbbreviations ; Introduction: Desecularizing Doubt ; 1. The Prophets Armed: Luther and the making and breaking of conscience ; 2. "To kill a man is not to defend a doctrine. It is to kill a man": the wars of religion and the virtues of doubt ; 3. The Metaphysics of Mercy: Calvin and Spinoza ; 4. In Search of a Father: Voltaire's Christian Enlightenment ; 5. "A damnable doctrine": Darwin and the soul of Victorian doubt ; 6. The God that Failed: Feuerbach, Marx, and the politics of salvation ; Conclusion: in Augustine's shadow
£42.74
Oxford University Press White Mens Magic
Trade ReviewClearly, White Mens Magic is an ingenious, sophisticated piece of work. * Anthony G. Reddie, Theology *Table of ContentsPrologue ; Chapter One: "...unbounded influence over the credulity and superstition of the people...": Magic as Slavery, Slavery as Magic ; Chapter Two: "...the white men had some spell or magic...": A Black Stranger's First Contact with White Men's Magic ; Chapter Three: "...every person there read the Bible...": Scripturalization as Matrix of White Men's Magic ; Chapter Four: "...to the Britons first...the Gospel is preached...": Scripturalization in the Nationalization of White Men's Magic ; Chapter Five: "...in the Bible, I saw things new...": Scripturalization and the Mimetics of White Men's Magic ; Chapter Six: "...take the book...and tell God to make them dead...": Scripturalization as White Men's Hegemony ; Chapter Seven: "I could read it for myself": Scripturalization, Slavery, and Agency ; Epilogue ; Bibliography ; Index
£40.84
Oxford University Press Sufism for NonSufis
Book SynopsisFew forms of classical Islam are more controversial among modern Muslims than the spiritual discipline known as Sufism. Yet, in the face of the modern Muslim tendency to limit Islam''s deployment to the emphatically political, few expressions of the religion could be more central to its spiritual vitality in the modern world. In his translation and analysis of Ibn ''Ata'' Allah al-Sakandari''s Taj al-''Arus, Sherman A. Jackson demonstrates that violent, lax, or rigid readings of the texts of Islam are just as much a result of the state of spiritual health, awareness, and fortitude of those who read and deploy them as they are of the substance of the Qur''an, Sunna, and the teachings of Islam''s sages.Sufism for Non-Sufis?: Ibn ''Ata'' Allah al-Sakandari''s Taj al-''Arus shows the effort of a renowned Sufi master (d. 1309 CE) to circumvent the controversies and misunderstandings concerning Sufism to explain Islam''s tradition of devotional rectitude, spiritual refinement, and purificatiTrade Review[P]rovides both the liveliest and most meticulous introduction to Sufism for the non-Sufi. * Eric Ormsby, The TLS *Jackson's introduction to his translation is a model of its kind, at once scholarly and engaging. * Eric Ormsby, The TLS *Sherman Jackson has provided a work that will serve as an oft-cited primary tool for researchers engaged in Islamic Studies, Sufism and the history of mysticism. It is therefore as welcome an addition to the upper-division Islamic studies classroom, as it is to graduate seminars that focus on the history of Sufism. * Kenneth L. Honerkamp, Journal of Islamic Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; The Bride-Groom's Crown: Containing Instructions on Refining the Self ; Ibn 'Asta' Allah al-Sakandari ; Index
£76.42
Oxford University Press The Other Christs
Trade Reviewa thorough and wide-ranging book. * Benjamin H. Dunning, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Table of ContentsAbbreviations ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: Suffering Like Christ ; Chapter 2: The Martyr as Alter Christus ; Chapter 3: The Savior Martyr ; Chapter 4: The Martyr's Heaven ; Chapter 5: The Martyr as Divine Heir ; Conclusion ; Appendix ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
£37.04
Oxford University Press Women Living Zen
Book SynopsisA long overdue corrective to the androcentric scholarship that has ignored Zen nuns'' importance.... This very readable book is ideal for classroom use.-Religious Studies ReviewArai''s sensitive first-hand account is at times emotional, but the reflexive recollections that derive from her personal experiences and interactions with the nuns are insightful and well documented....the book is valuable in providing us with a different mode of appreciation in order to understand the position of women living in [an]other religious and cultural context.--Japanese Journal of Religious StudiesThis is an anthropological study, carried out with love, care, and attention to detail...By the end of the journey, readers will find themselves moved, their humanity reassured and refreshed.--Journal of Asian StudiesIn this study, based on both historical evidence and ethnographic data, Paula Arai shows that nuns were central agents in the foundation of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century. They were actTrade Review...a long overdue corrective to the androcentric scholarship that has ignored Zen nuns' importance.... This very readable book is ideal for classroom use. * Religious Studies Review *...a long overdue corrective to the androcentric scholarship that has ignored Zen nuns' importance.... This very readable book is ideal for classroom use. * Religious Studies Review *A long overdue corrective to the androcentric scholarship that has ignored Zen nuns' importance . . . This very readable book is ideal for classroom use. * Religious Studies Review *Arai's sensitive first-hand account is at times emotional, but the reflexive recollections that derive from her personal experiences and interactions with the nuns are insightful and well documented....the book is valuable in providing us with a different mode of appreciation in order to understand the position of women living in another religious and cultural context. * Japanese Journal of Religious Studies *This is an anthropological study, carried out with love, care, and attention to detail...By the end of the journey, readers will find themselves moved, their humanity reassured and refreshed. * Journal of Asian Studies *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Transliteration Guide ; Prologue ; One: Introduction ; Scholarly Contexts ; Theoretical Considerations ; Methodological Considerations ; Two: Historical Background ; Pioneering Monastics ; Dogen and Women ; Tokugawa Encroachments ; Meiji Reclamations ; Three: Twentieth-Century Leadership ; First Generation: Rapid Ascent Through Education ; Second Generation: Stategists of Egalitarianism ; Third Generation: Zen Master of a New Tradition ; Four: The Monastic Practices of Zen Nuns ; Nuns' Vision of Monastic Life ; Daily Life in a Monastery of Zen Nuns ; Divisions within the Monastery ; Ceremonial Rituals and Activities ; Educational Curriculum and Degrees ; The Aesthetics of Discipline ; Five: Motivations, Commitments, and Self-Perceptions ; Changing Life Patterns of Twentieth-Century Zen ; Buddhist Practice: Meaning and Action ; Nuns' Views on Monastic Life ; Six: Conclusion: Innovators for the Sake of Tradition ; Preservers and Creators of Buddhist Tradition ; Bearers and Transmitters of Traditional Japanese Culture ; Notes ; Appendix A: Questionnaire ; Appendix B: Glossary of Japanese Terms ; Bibliography ; Index
£37.99
Oxford University Press Viper on the Hearth
Book SynopsisIn 1997, Terryl Givens''s The Viper on the Hearth was praised as a new classic in Mormon studies. In the wake of Mormon-inspired and -created artistic, literary, and political activity - today''s Mormon moment - Givens presents a revised and updated edition of his book to address the continuing presence and reception of the Mormon image in contemporary culture.The Viper on the Hearth by Terryl L. Givens is a remarkably lucid and useful study of the patterns of American prejudices against the Mormon people. It provides also a valuable paradigm for the study of all religious ''heresy''.- Harold BloomA well-researched and insightful book...He illuminates the phenomena of religious heresy and persecution generally. The book is thoroughly documented, and Givens writes with a graceful style. This is an excellent example of both historical and literary scholarship.- American Historical ReviewContains provocative insights into American culture, LDS identity, nineteenth-century literature, rhetTrade ReviewA wonderfully thought-through look at the interrelationships between fiction, religion, and the culture of humor/hostility.... It represents a significant contribution to our understanding of literary relations. * Larry H. Peer, Brigham Young University *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Part I: Mormonism, Politics, and History ; 1. "Out of the Sphere of Religion": The Sacred, the Profane, and the Mormons ; 2. "This Upstart Sect": The Mormon Problem in American History ; 3. "Manners, Habits, Customs, and Even Dialect": Sources of the Mormon Conflict ; 4. "An Age of Humbugs": The Contemporary Scene ; 5. "This Great Modern Abomination": Orthodoxy and Heresy in American Religion ; Part II: Mormonism and Fiction ; 6. "Ground in the Presbyterian Smut Machine": The Popular Press, Fiction, and Moral Crusading ; 7. "The Ain't Whites...They're Mormons": Fictive Responses to the Anxiety of Seduction ; 8. "Murder and Mystery - Mormon Style": The Mormon Image in the Twentieth Century ; Notes ; Index
£23.74
Oxford University Press The Hidden History of Womens Ordination
Book SynopsisThe Roman Catholic leadership still refuses to ordain women officially or even to recognize that women are capable of ordination. But is the widely held assumption that women have always been excluded from such roles historically accurate?In the early centuries of Christianity, ordination was the process and the ceremony by which one moved to any new ministry (ordo) in the community. By this definition, women were in fact ordained into several ministries. A radical change in the definition of ordination during the eleventh and twelfth centuries not only removed women from the ordained ministry, but also attempted to eradicate any memory of women''s ordination in the past. The debate that accompanied this change has left its mark in the literature of the time. However, the triumph of a new definition of ordination as the bestowal of power, particularly the power to confect the Eucharist, so thoroughly dominated western thought and practice by the thirteenth century that the earlier concept of ordination was almost completely erased. The ordination of women, either in the present or in the past, became unthinkable.References to the ordination of women exist in papal, episcopal and theological documents of the time, and the rites for these ordinations have survived. Yet, many scholars still hold that women, particularly in the western church, were never really ordained. A survey of the literature reveals that most scholars use a definition of ordination that would have been unknown in the early middle ages. Thus, the modern determination that women were never ordained, Macy argues, is a premise based on false terms.Not a work of advocacy, this important book applies indispensable historical background for the ongoing debate about women''s ordination.Trade ReviewHere is a truly groundbreaking book, essential reading for anyone interested in the complex story of how the ministry of women has been valued (and devalued) within the Christian church. Gary Macy convincingly demonstrates that in the early church women were ordained into various roles, but in the eleventh and twelfth centuries a new definition of ordination was rigorously applied, which served to exclude them. This study is of crucial importance not only for an understanding of the development of medieval Christianity but also for the material it brings to contemporary debate on the ordination of women. * Alistair Minnis, Yale University *Table of ContentsAbbreviations ; 1. The State of the Question ; 2. What Did Ordination Mean? ; 3. The Ministry of Ordained Women ; 4. Defining Women Out of Ordination ; 5. Conclusion ; Historical and Theological Postscript ; Appendix 1: Prayers and Rites for the Ordination of a Deaconess ; Appendix 2: Ordination Rites for Abbesses from the Early Middle Ages ; Notes ; Bibliography
£30.87
Oxford University Press Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism
Book SynopsisAn Archaeological History of Indian Buddhism is a comprehensive survey of Indian Buddhism from its origins in the 6th century BCE, through its ascendance in the 1st millennium CE, and its eventual decline in mainland South Asia by the mid-2nd millennium CE. Weaving together studies of archaeological remains, architecture, iconography, inscriptions, and Buddhist historical sources, this book uncovers the quotidian concerns and practices of Buddhist monks and nuns (the sangha), and their lay adherents--concerns and practices often obscured in studies of Buddhism premised largely, if not exclusively, on Buddhist texts. At the heart of Indian Buddhism lies a persistent social contradiction between the desire for individual asceticism versus the need to maintain a coherent community of Buddhists. Before the early 1st millennium CE, the sangha relied heavily on the patronage of kings, guilds, and ordinary Buddhists to support themselves. During this period, the sangha emphasized the communalTrade Reviewprovide[s] a fascinating complement to prior understandings of the development, ascendance, and eventual decline of this major world religion in India. Lars Fogelin's clear and informative book will appeal to scholars and enthusiasts alike, and it is a prime exemplar for archaeological studies of long-term religious change. * Current World Archaeology *this book provides a useful overview of the development of Indian Buddhism from an archaeological perspective * Robin Coningham, Antiquity *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Chapter 1 - Introduction ; Chapter 2 - The Material of Religion ; Chapter 3 - From the Buddha to Ashoka: c. 600 - 200 BCE ; Chapter 4 - The Sangha and the Laity: c. 200 BCE - 200 CE ; Chapter 5 - The Beginnings of Mahayana Buddhism, Buddha Images, and Monastic Isolation: c. 100 - 600 CE ; Chapter 6 - Lay Buddhism and Religious Syncretism in the First Millennium CE ; Chapter 7 - The Consolidation and Collapse of Monastic Buddhism: c. 600 - 1400 CE ; Conclusion ; Bibliography
£44.64
Oxford University Press Families and Faith
Book SynopsisFew things are more likely to cause heartache to devout parents than seeing their child leave the faith. And it seems, from media portrayals, that this is happening more and more frequently. But is religious change between generations common? How does religion get passed down from one generation to the next? Why do some families maintain one faith while others do not? What factors are likely to push people away from their childhood faith? What role does the particular faith play? The family? The wider society? Does atheism get passed down as well? In Families and Faith, Vern Bengtson seeks to answer these questions and more by drawing on an extraordinary study, conducted over more than four decades, of more than 350 families composed of more than 2400 people whose lives span more than a century: the oldest was born in 1881, the youngest in 1988. Bengtson argues that a child is actually more likely to remain within the fold than to leave it, and, more surprisingly, that parents'' influence has remained relatively stable since the early 1970s. Even the nonreligious, in fact, are much more likely to be following their parents than rebelling against them. And while outside social forces play a role, the most important factor in whether a child keeps the faith is the presence of a strong fatherly bond. Armed with this unprecedented data, Bengtson offers remarkable insight into American religion over the course of several decades.Trade ReviewShould be included in libraries for general readership at least to the undergraduate level. Recommended. * M. G. Meacham, Choice, *solid research findings with much to ponder ... It deserves thoughtful consideration. * James J. Ponzetti, INTAMS *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Part 1: The Emerging Religious Landscape ; 1. Families and the Transmission of Religion ; 2. Trends in Spirituality and Religion Across Seven Generations ; 3. Intergenerational Transmission of Religion, 1970 and 2005 ; Part 2: Family Ties and Religious Transmission ; 4. The Quality of Parent-Child Relationships ; 5. Grandparents and Great-Grandparents ; 6. Marriage and Divorce ; Part 3: Factors in Leaving and Staying ; 7. Religious Rebels, Zealots, and Prodigals ; 8. The "Nones": Intergenerational Transmission of Nonreligion ; 9. Tight-Knit Religious Communities: Mormons, Jews, and Evangelicals ; 10. Summing it Up: Families and Faith across Generations ; Appendix ; References ; Notes ; Index
£40.84
Oxford University Press Are You Alone Wise
Book SynopsisThe topic of certitude is much debated today. On one side, commentators such as Charles Krauthammer urge us to achieve moral clarity. On the other, those like George Will contend that the greatest present threat to civilization is an excess of certitude. To address this uncomfortable debate, Susan Schreiner turns to the intellectuals of early modern Europe, a period when thought was still fluid and had not yet been reified into the form of rationality demanded by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.Schreiner argues that Europe in the sixteenth century was preoccupied with concerns similar to ours; both the desire for certainty -- especially religious certainty -- and warnings against certainty permeated the earlier era. Digging beneath overt theological and philosophical problems, she tackles the underlying fears of the period as she addresses questions of salvation, authority, the rise of skepticism, the outbreak of religious violence, the discernment of spirits, and the ambiguousTrade ReviewWith characteristic breadth of mind and vision, Schreiner combines deep knowledge and understanding of the overlapping fields of theology, philosophy, spirituality, culture and literature in order to project a history of the erratic human mind. Such an adventurous, interdisciplinary approach is often vulnerable to exposure of superficiality and pretentiousness, but happily not in her case. Every sentence she writes is formed in a way that conveys illumination to the reader. * Ian Hazlett, Professor of Ecclesiastical History, University of Glasgow. *This immensely interesting and thoughtful book places the quest for 'certainty' at the center of that era historians have recently come to call 'early modern.' A sensitive reader of texts, whether theological or literary, Schreiner places Protestant and Catholic reformers, Renaissance humanists and dramatists, and philosophical and literary skeptics on the same stage, all probing the same unsettling questions about human ends and how we can come to know them with any certitude. This is a book all students of early modern European history will have to come to terms with. * John Van Engen, author of Sisters and Brothers of the Common Life: The Devotio Moderna and the World of the Later Middle Ages *Susan Schreiner's study of the search for certainty offers a masterful perspective on a central and many-faceted problem of the early modern era. The book is characterized by a mastery of sources primary and secondary and by profound insight into the intellectual and cultural transitions from the Middle Ages into modernity, ranging from philosophical problems of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, to Luther and Tyndale in the early Reformation, to Montaigne and Shakespeare at the end of the sixteenth century. This is a rich, rewarding, and highly significant study. * Richard A. Muller, P. J. Zondervan Professor of Historical Theology, Calvin Theological Seminary *Table of ContentsI: Beginnings: Questions and debates in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries ; II: "Abba! Father!": The Certainty of Salvation ; III: "The spiritual man judges all things": The Certainty of Exegetical Authority ; IV: Are You Alone Wise?: The Catholic Response ; V: Experientia: The Great Age of the Spirit ; VI: Unmasking the Angel of Light: The Discernment of the Spirits ; VII: "Men should be what they seem": Appearances and Reality ; Conclusion
£57.00
Oxford University Press The Filioque
Book SynopsisThe Filioque: History of a Doctrinal Controversy is the first complete English language history of the filioque written in over a century. Beginning with the biblical texts and ending with recent agreements on the place and meaning of the filioque, this book traces the history of the doctrine and the controversy that has surrounded it. From the Greek and Latin fathers, the ninth-century debates, and the Councils of Lyons and Ferrara-Florence, to the twentieth- and twenty-first century-theologians and dialogues that have come closer than ever to resolving this contentious issue, A. Edward Siecienski explores the strange and fascinating history behind one of the greatest ecumenical rifts in Christendom.Trade ReviewSiecienski has made a significant contribution to a key issue in both historical theology and present day ecumenical relationships ... This is a well-formatted, readable volume with a solid argument, ample endnotes, and clear conclusions ... an excellent volume which I shall be recommending to all my students. * Scott Harrower, Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Procession of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament ; 2. The Greek Fathers ; 3. The Latin West ; 4. Maximus the Confessor ; 5. The Filioque from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century ; 6. The Filioque from the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Century ; 7. The Council of Lyons to the Eve of Ferrara-Florence ; 8. The Council of Ferrara-Florence (1438-39) ; 9. From Florence to the Modern Era ; 10. The Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries ; Epilogue ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
£42.74
Oxford University Press Johannes Reuchlin and the Campaign to Destroy Jewish Books
Book SynopsisThe early sixteenth century saw a major crisis in Christian-Jewish relations: the attempt to confiscate and destroy every Jewish book in Germany. This unprecedented effort to end the practice of Judaism throughout the empire was challenged by Jewish communities, and, unexpectedly, by Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522), the founder of Christian Hebrew studies. In 1510, Reuchlin wrote an extensive, impassioned, and ultimately successful defense of Jewish writings and legal rights, a stunning intervention later acknowledged by a Jewish leader as a ''''miracle within a miracle.''''The fury that greeted Reuchlin''s defense of Judaism resulted in a protracted heresy trial that polarized Europe. The decade-long controversy promoted acceptance of humanist culture in northern Europe and, in several key settings, created an environment that was receptive to the nascent Reformation movement. The legal and theological battles over charges that Reuchlin''s positions were impermissibly favorable to Jews,Trade ReviewRichly detailed yet lucid and eminently readable...Price's study is refreshingly balanced in its judgements. He has painstakingly researched original sources and the voluminous previous scholarship in several languages, and has compressed a thorough analysis of the complexities of the topic into a mere 230 pages...Price's penetrating study is an outstanding book with much to offer historians of humanism and the Reformation. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1. "Impermissibly Favorable to Jews?" ; 2. Humanist Origins ; 3. Humanism at Court ; 4. Discovery of Hebrew ; 5. Johannes Pfefferkorn and the Campaign against Jews ; 6. Who Saved the Jewish Books? ; 7. Inquisition ; 8. Trial at Rome and the Christian Debates ; 9. The Luther Affair ; 10. "As If the First Martyr of Hebrew Letters" ; Bibliography
£42.74