Download or read book Sacred Texts of the World written by Ninian Smart and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For a contemporary world in which religious belief exercises a more potent - some might say more dangerous - influence on global events than many would have thought possible a generation ago, the nature and interpretation of the core tenets of religious faith has become a matter of compelling and widespread interest, both within and outside practising religious communities.Each of the 14 chapters of Sacred Texts is devoted to one of the principal religious and other belief systems of humanity, both defunct and extant. The chapters follow a consistent pattern: a short and accessible introduction to the faith in question, followed by extracts that clearly illustrate its mythic narratives, its spiritual and theological doctrines, its central moral teachings, its rituals and modes of worship, and its mystical traditions. Accompanying notes make clear the meanings of all the quoted passages. Taken together, the extracts provide a rounded and coherent picture of each religious tradition.Sacred Texts covers not only Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism and Sikhism, but also small-scale traditional religions, new religions, and secular worldviews such as humanism. It is an essential reference for those who wish to understand the nature - and continuing appeal - of religious belief in a globalised, multi-faith world.

Download or read book Sensing Sacred Texts written by James Washington Watts and published by Equinox Publishing (UK). This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All the human senses become engaged in ritualizing sacred texts. These essays focus especially on ritualizing the iconic dimension of texts through the senses of sight, touch, kiss, and taste, both directly and in the imagination. Ritualized display of books engages the sense of sight very differently than does reading. Touching gets associated with reading scriptures, but touching also enables using the scripture as an amulet. Eating and consuming texts is a ubiquitous analogy for internalizing the contents of texts by reading and memorization. The idea of textual consumption reflects a widespread tendency to equate humans and written texts by their interiority and exteriority: books and people both have material bodies, yet both seem to contain immaterial ideas. Books thus physically incarnate cultural and religious values, doctrines, beliefs, and ideas. These essays bring theories of comparative scriptures and affect theory to bear on the topic as well as rich ethnographic descriptions of scriptural practices with Jewish, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and modern art and historical accounts of changing practices with sacred texts in ancient and medieval China and Korea, and in ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures.

Download or read book Praying with Jane Eyre written by Vanessa Zoltan and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-07-05 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “In these soaring, open-hearted essays, Vanessa Zoltan writes with fierce brilliance about suffering, survival, and the kind of meaning in life that can withstand real scrutiny.”—John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed A deeply felt exploration of the ways our favorite books can shape and heal us, from the host of Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Our favorite reads keep us company, give us hope, and help us find meaning in a chaotic world. In this fresh and relatable work, atheist chaplain Vanessa Zoltan blends memoir and personal growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel, Jane Eyre. Informed by her training at the Harvard Divinity School and filtered through the pages of Jane Eyre as well as Little Women, Harry Potter, and The Great Gatsby, Zoltan explores topics ranging from the trauma she has inherited as the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors to finding hope, meaning, and even magic in our deeply fractured times. Brimming with a love of classic literature and the tenderness of self-reflection, the book also reveals simple techniques for reading any work as a sacred text--from Virginia Woolf to Anne of Green Gables to baseball scorecards. Whether you're an avowed "Eyrehead" or a voracious reader and pop culture fan, this deeply felt and inspiring book will light the way to a more intimate appreciation for whatever books you love to read.

Download or read book On Repentance And Repair written by Danya Ruttenberg and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2022-09-13 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDS in Contemporary Jewish Life & Practice Myra H. Kraft Memorial Award A crucial new lens on repentance, atonement, forgiveness, and repair from harm—from personal transgressions to our culture’s most painful and unresolved issues American culture focuses on letting go of grudges and redemption narratives instead of the perpetrator’s obligations or recompense for harmed parties. As survivor communities have pointed out, these emphases have too often only caused more harm. But Danya Ruttenberg knew there was a better model, rooted in the work of the medieval philosopher Maimonides. For Maimonides, upon whose work Ruttenberg elaborates, forgiveness is much less important than the repair work to which the person who caused harm is obligated. The word traditionally translated as repentance really means something more like return, and in this book, returning is a restoration, as much as is possible, to the victim, and, for the perpetrator of harm, a coming back, in humility and intentionality, to behaving as the person we might like to believe we are. Maimonides laid out 5 steps: naming and owning harm; starting to change/transformation; restitution and accepting consequences; apology; and making different choices. Applying this lens to both our personal relationships and some of the most significant and painful issues of our day, including systemic racism and the legacy of enslavement, sexual violence and harassment in the wake of #MeToo, and Native American land rights, On Repentance and Repair helps us envision a way forward. Rooted in traditional Jewish concepts while doggedly accessible and available to people from any, or no, religious background, On Repentance and Repair is a book for anyone who cares about creating a country and culture that is more whole than the one in which we live, and for anyone who has been hurt or who is struggling to take responsibility for their mistakes.

Download or read book A Modern Translation of the Kebra Nagast written by Miguel F. Brooks and published by The Red Sea Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lost for centuries, the Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings) is a truly majestic unveiling of ancient secrets. These pages were excised by royal decree from the authorized 1611 King James version of the Bible. Originally recorded in the ancient Ethiopian language (Ge'ez) by anonymous scribes, The Red Sea Press, Inc. and Kingston Publishers now bring you a complete, accurate modern English translation of this long suppressed account. Here is the most startling and fascinating revelation of hidden truths; not only revealing the present location of the Ark of the Covenant, but also explaining fully many of the puzzling questions on Biblical topics which have remained unanswered up to today.

Download or read book Holy Writings Sacred Text written by John Barton and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An internationally respected biblical scholar investigates the origins of the Christian canon. John Barton explores the reasons behind the development of the New Testament and pursues the historical factors involved in combining these books with the Hebrew Scriptures.

Download or read book World Scripture written by Andrew Wilson and published by Paragon House. This book was released on 1998-09-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Demonstrating the commonality of the world's religions and our common humanity, this rich and varied anthology of scripture offers a highly useful collection of religious quotations, passages, and excerpts from the holy texts, representing a new, holistic approach to the world's religions.

Download or read book Holding Faith written by Cynthia L. Rigby and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2018-04-17 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Martin Luther wrote: “Faith takes hold of Christ and has Him present, enclosing Him as a ring encloses a gem.” We hold faith as we seek to know Christ better, exploring Christian doctrines and deepening our understanding of their relevance to our day-to-day lives. Faith holds us as we respond to Christ’s calling, negotiate life’s challenges, and join in the work of bringing in God’s kingdom. This introduction to Christian theology shows how various understandings of particular doctrines play out in relation to the way we live our lives. It explores the content of core Christian doctrines and celebrates the “so what?” of each. Using theological literature and Scripture, but also current events, sociology, fiction, and movies, Rigby shows that theology is key to how we come to understand and negotiate our world. Holding Faith contends that some approaches to Christian doctrine are preferable to others, making persuasive arguments for creative ways of believing that can enliven our lives, and the life of the world. Theology has relevance because it can stymie or transform. How will we hold our faith? “Cynthia Rigby has written an accessible and lucid book of theological reflection for today’s believers, seekers, and doubters. This is no small feat. The book succeeds in the daunting challenges of presenting Christian theology with clarity and completeness, with commitment and generosity. It is an admirable text for theology students, pastors, and all those interested in understanding more deeply their faith and life.” Leanne Van Dyk, President and Professor of Theology, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA "This is an extraordinary book. Cynthia Rigby is a Reformed theologian, a minister, and a teacher. All of these gifts are evident in Holding Faith, as Rigby offers an eloquent introduction to Christian theology that is academically rich, pastorally sensitive, and profoundly accessible. She does not make theology accessible by watering it down, but rather by explaining it with compelling clarity. Holding Faith is perfect for seminarians, pastors, church groups, and curious souls; for those who are new to Christianity and those who have been studying and living Christian faith their entire lives. It will be an enormous blessing to those who teach theology and those who preach the gospel." Shannon Craigo-Snell, Professor of Theology, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY "Cindy Rigby's is a timely, necessary, and accessible voice in theological discourse, not only for those who together comprise Christendom but also for those who are curious enough about what Christian doctrines offer by way of challenge, critique, and comfort in our increasingly distracted, fractious world. Holding Faith is a prophetic, priestly, and pastoral defense of a faith tradition that historically contributed to this oppressive state of affairs - yet undoubtedly remains rife with redemptive possibility - for individuals, communities, nations, the cosmos. In its pages, Rigby provides church folks, people of other faiths, seminarians, and inquisitive "nones" with a "thoughtful place" to search out our private and corporate relationships to the God whom the doctrines signify, however imperfectly." JoAnne Marie Terrell, Associate Professor of Theology, Ethics, and the Arts, Chicago Theological Seminary "For those of us who teach theology, it’s rare to find a text that is accessible to those with no previous exposure to theology while also introducing readers in deep and expansive ways to major doctrinal teachings. But Rigby has managed to accomplish both here. This is a profoundly personal and invitational approach to thinking theologically in ways that demonstrate the relevance of ancient teachings for our world today. And it is also a serious engagement with the biblical text, a vast array of historical and contemporary theological voices, poetry, literature, film, and more—this introduction to theology will empower readers to hold onto faith in new and exciting ways." Deanna A. Thompson, Professor of Religion at Hamline University, St. Paul, MN

Download or read book Slavery and Sacred Texts written by Jordan T. Watkins and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-07 with total page 399 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An analysis of the development of historical consciousness in antebellum America, using the debate over slavery as a case study.

Download or read book The Sacred Texts written by Kharlo and published by Kharlo. This book was released on 2013-02 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Sacred Texts, a set of books created by the archangels of Heaven, have been kept locked away by the Creator since the early times of human history: the Book of Water crafted by Gabriel/Gabrielle, the Book of Fire forged by Michael, the Book of Earth made by Uriel, and the Book of Language created by Azrael. It is said that the last of those books, the one created by the very hands of Death Himself, is one of two keys to deciphering the language of the angels and with it the ability to control God and all in known existence. For the past two hundred years, the Fallen Angel Lucifer has waited for the proper moment to strike, the proper moment to invade Avalon and take control of the Book of Azrael in hopes of defeating the Creator once and for all. Aware of the imminent danger, Azrael tasks a single magic wielding mortal with entering Hell itself and destroying his Sacred Text. After becoming weakened in his determination to complete the task given to him by the Archangel of Death, Raven the Archmage finds that he must pass on the responsibilities of destroying The Book of Azrael to his insecure and often difficult apprentice, Jaguar. Follow Jaguar's arduous journey alongside his best friend Lion, and a mysterious earth wielding mage and his werewolf sister, as they travel through the halls of Perdition in hopes of keeping evil from gaining victory and throwing off the balance of all of Creation.The Sacred Text Series is a coming of age story that seamlessly weaves many ancient archetypes into a cohesive whole. Enter a world where vampires, angels, demons, werewolves, magic, and human myths from a myriad of cultures collide.

Download or read book An Anthology of Sacred Texts by and about Women written by Serinity Young and published by Crossroad Publishing. This book was released on 1993 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In 1895 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her "Revising Committee" produced The Woman's Bible, a commentary on passages in the Bible that "do not exalt or dignify women" and "those also in which women are prominent by exclusion." The women's movement has come a long way in the last hundred years, but so too have our knowledge and appreciation of religions other than Judaism and Christianity." "Serinity Young's Anthology of Sacred Texts by and about Women is the first comprehensive comparative sourcebook on women and religion. It makes available readings by and about women from the primary texts of the world's religions. The religions treated include not only the "big seven," Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, but the religions of northern Europe, the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome, shamanism and tribal religions, as well as more recent alternative religious movements. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the religion in question, providing a historical overview with particular regard to women. Then follow representative texts about women (each with its own introduction) from works that are central to their respective traditions. These texts include creation stories, biographies of founders (in which women often play a prominent role), law codes, folklore and fairy tales, the "texts" of tribal peoples, and works explicitly by women. Folklore and fairy tales have particular importance in this book because they generally reveal the beliefs of the "little tradition," which are often in the hands of women, while the "great tradition" is represented by the male-dominated forms of orthodoxy. The works by women here take many forms from theological treatises to mystical poems to poems mourning the loss of a child or husband to the matter-of-fact statements by tribal women, such as Nisa, expressing the uncertainties of any religious knowing." "Many of the texts included in this anthology are not only "representative texts about women" but formative texts of the various traditions, texts that have seeped into the language and consciousness of their culture and shaped its view of women. In her introduction the author sketches certain themes that are of central importance for the cross-cultural or comparative study of women in world religion: representations of women as evil, women as role models, wisdom as feminine, women religiosi, dualities, goddesses, sex changes and sex disguises, myths and stories of gender conflict. These themes can help guide the reader as she makes her way through virtual libraries of the world's sacred texts. Reading sacred texts in this way, from the perspective of women, can be a radical activity, an activity that, at its best, subverts male dominance of the text."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Download or read book Qur an and Woman written by Amina Wadud and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1999-06-10 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fourteen centuries of Islamic thought have produced a legacy of interpretive readings of the Qu'ran written almost entirely by men. Now, with Qu'ran and Woman, Amina Wadud provides a first interpretive reading by a woman, a reading which validates the female voice in the Qu'ran and brings it out of the shadows. Muslim progressives have long argued that it is not the religion but patriarchal interpretation and implementation of the Qu'ran that have kept women oppressed. For many, the way to reform is the reexamination and reinterpretation of religious texts. Qu'ran and Woman contributes a gender inclusive reading to one of the most fundamental disciplines in Islamic thought, Qu'ranic exegesis. Wadud breaks down specific texts and key words which have been used to limit women's public and private role, even to justify violence toward Muslim women, revealing that their original meaning and context defy such interpretations. What her analysis clarifies is the lack of gender bias, precedence, or prejudice in the essential language of the Qur'an. Despite much Qu'ranic evidence about the significance of women, gender reform in Muslim society has been stubbornly resisted. Wadud's reading of the Qu'ran confirms women's equality and constitutes legitimate grounds for contesting the unequal treatment that women have experienced historically and continue to experience legally in Muslim communities. The Qu'ran does not prescribe one timeless and unchanging social structure for men and women, Wadud argues lucidly, affirming that the Qu'ran holds greater possibilities for guiding human society to a more fulfilling and productive mutual collaboration between men and women than as yet attained by Muslims or non-Muslims.

Download or read book Sacred Languages and Sacred Texts written by John Sawyer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-10-02 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sacred Languages and Sacred Texts is the first comprehensive study of the role of languages and texts in the religions of the Greco-Roman world, including Judaism and Christianity. It explores bilingualism, language learning, literacy, book production and translation, as well as some of the more explicitly religious factors, including beliefs about language, missionary zeal, ritual, conservatism and the power of a priestly establishment. Sacred Languages and Sacred Texts sheds new light on the role of the power of words, spoken and written, in religion.

Download or read book The Death of Sacred Texts written by Kristina Myrvold and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Death of Sacred Texts draws attention to a much neglected topic in the study of sacred texts: the religious and ritual attitudes towards texts which have become old and damaged and can no longer be used for reading practices or in religious worship. This book approaches religious texts and scriptures by focusing on their physical properties and the dynamic interactions of devices and habits that lie beneath and within a given text. In the last decades a growing body of research studies has directed attention to the multiple uses and ways people encounter written texts and how they make them alive, even as social actors, in different times and cultures. Considering religious people seem to have all the motives for giving their sacred texts a respectful symbolic treatment, scholars have paid surprisingly little attention to the ritual procedures of disposing and renovating old texts. This book fills this gap, providing empirical data and theoretical analyses of historical and contemporary religious attitudes towards, and practices of text disposals within, seven world religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Exploring the cultural and historical variations of rituals for religious scriptures and texts (such as burials, cremations and immersion into rivers) and the underlying beliefs within the religious traditions, this book investigates how these religious practices and stances respond to modernization and globalization processes when new technologies have made it possible to mass-produce and publish religious texts on the Internet.

Download or read book The World s Wisdom written by Philip Novak and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2011-10-11 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A world Bible for our time from Buddhist, Hindu, Confucian, Taoist, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and primal religion sources! In this perfect companion to Huston Smith's bestselling The World's Wisdom, Philip Novak distills the most powerful and elegant expressions of the wisdom of humankind. Authentic, poetic translations of key texts are coupled with insightful introductions and "grace notes."

Download or read book Reading the Sacred Text written by V. George Shillington and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2002-12-01 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive manual for anyone wishing to become competent in reading and understanding the Scriptures of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The chapters of this book introduce the reader to all aspects of biblical studies. They guide the reader through the maze, from 'Venturing In' to 'Negotiated Reading'. There are sections on, for example, considering the self-consciousness of the reader/interpreter, the interaction of the tradition with the text of Scripture through the ages, the various literary genres together with the principal forms within the larger biblical documents, ways of reading the text in the modern and post-modern periods, how the academic reading of Scripture and the church reading interact, the relation between competent reading of the sacred text and the preparation and delivery of the sermon, the place of dialogue in the interpretive process. The conclusion sums up the discussion throughout the book and focuses the issues for a competent reading of the Bible and related writings. Student-friendly features include, at the end of each chapter: --An Objective, summarizing the content and objective of the chapter 12-14 lead questions with act as in-depth study exercises--Full bibliography and suggestions for further reading

Download or read book Clothing Sacred Scriptures written by David Ganz and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2018-12-03 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to a longstanding interpretation, book religions are agents of textuality and logocentrism. This volume inverts the traditional perspective: its focus is on the strong dependency between scripture and aesthetics, holy books and material artworks, sacred texts and ritual performances. The contributions, written by a group of international specialists in Western, Byzantine, Islamic and Jewish Art, are committed to a comparative and transcultural approach. The authors reflect upon the different strategies of »clothing« sacred texts with precious materials and elaborate forms. They show how the pretypographic cultures of the Middle Ages used book ornaments as media for building a close relation between the divine words and their human audience. By exploring how art shapes the religious practice of books, and how the religious use of books shapes the evolution of artistic practices this book contributes to a new understanding of the deep nexus between sacred scripture and art.