In this thought-provoking volume, Robert A. Oden Jr. advocates stripping away the theological and historiographic biases that underlie modern biblical scholarship in order to arrive at a nontheological historical reading of the Bible. Oden calls into question a scholarly tradition that accepts biblical writers' views of themselves and their ......
A reference that seeks to explain the powerful confluence of religion and politics. It features over 240 articles exploring how religion and politics interact in different cultures; coverage of individuals, institutions, countries, events and themes; and a focus on the last 200 years.
''A splendid contribution to the continuing debates about the relation of theology to politics in the controversies of the fourth Christian century.''--Rowan Williams, Theology It is often assumed that early Christian asceticism drew its followers completely away from worldly concerns into the realm of pure spirituality. But the life and thought ......
Ana Domenge, who later founded the Dominican convent in Perpignán, composed a written account of her spiritual intimacies with God while being held in terrible conditions in a secret prison in Barcelona. Inés of Herrera del Duque, a leather tanner's twelve-year-old daughter whose messianic prophesies captivated both children and adults, was burned ......
Taking a radical departure from the usual comparative study of religion, Pietro Archiati shows that the various religions represent stages in each individuals path of development. In this sense the Great Religions create an absolute unity--not in what they say or teach, but in their contribution to each of us becoming ever more human.
Is there poetry in the Bible? Does it have rhyme or meter? How did ancient Hebrew writers compose their works? James Kugel's provocative study provides surprising new answers to these age-old questions. Biblical ''poetry'' is not a concept native to the Bible itself, he proposes, and the idea that the Bible is divided into prose and verse is ......
The development and preservation of folk customs is extremely important in sustaining a community and promoting the welfare of the individual within it. These customs fulfil many social and personal needs, strengthening the family, educating and celebrating. In this descriptive study Mercia McDermott provides a wealth of information previously ......
The definition of humanism has been a subject of diverse interpretation almost since the movement began. Some people have been called or call themselves humanists without any clear understanding of what it means. Different factions have arisen such as religious humanists and secular humanists, groups that have often disagreed over matters of ......
The Old and the New in Religion from Alexander the Great to Augustine of Hippo
Originally published in 1933, Conversion is a seminal study of the psychology and circumstances of conversion from about 500 B.C. E. to about 400 A.D. A.D. Nock not only discusses early Christianity and its converts, but also examines non-Christian religions and philosophy, the means by which they attracted adherents, and the factors influencing ......
