Owning Disaster

Owning Disaster
Author: Aaron M. Hagler
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2023-12-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1003812074

Delving into the intertwined tapestry of Jewish, Christian and Muslim sacred texts, exegesis, philosophy, theology, and historiography, this book explores the similar coping mechanisms across Abrahamic communities in reconciling the implications of disasters without abandoning their faith. Belief in a single, omnipotent God carries with it the challenge of explaining and contextualizing disasters that seem to contravene God’s supposed will. Through explorations of Jewish responses to the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, Christian responses to the Arab Muslim conquests, Muslim responses to the Crusades, and a variety of responses to the Mongol conquests, Aaron M. Hagler unveils the shared patterns and responses that emerge within these communities when confronted by calamity. Initial responses come in the forms of horrified lamentations, but as the initial shock dissipates, a complex dance of self-blame and collective introspection unfolds, as writers and theologians seek to contextualize the tragedy and guide their communities towards hope, resilience, and renewal. Of interest to scholars, theologians, and individuals seeking to explore interconnected notions of resilience within Abrahamic communities, Owning Disaster will resonate with readers eager to contemplate the intricate relationship between religious dogma, human resilience, and the profound questions that emerge when confronted with calamity.

Ham's Sin and Noah's Curse and BLESSING UTTERANCES

Ham's Sin and Noah's Curse and BLESSING UTTERANCES
Author: Nicholas Oyugi Odhiambo
Publisher: Author House
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2014-09-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1496932730

The thesis of this book is threefold. First, contrary to the increasingly popular understanding that the nature of Ham's offense was sexual, we argue that this offense was nonsexual, despite the presence of the phrase ("to see the nakedness of") in Genesis 9:22. More specifically, Ham's offense had less to do with seeing his father naked--the seeing was accidental. Rather, his fault lay with his choice to disclose to his brothers what he had seen as opposed to covering the nakedness of his father. Second, the most probable fulfillment of the Noah's curse is (1) the servitude of the Gibeonites; (2) the enslavement of the Canaanites following the conquest; or (3) the dominance of Rome and Greece over Tyre and Carthage, respectively. the events or phenomena least associated with the curse, in our view, are the following: (1) the service of the four kings in Genesis 14 under Chedorlaomer and the king of Tidal; (2) the subjection of the Egyptians and Babylonians by the Persians; (3) the forced corvée service of the Egyptians by Pharaoh; (4) the triumph of Israel over Egypt during the Exodus; (5) the enslavement of the Africans; and (6) the African's dark skin color. Third, whereas none of the proposals offered in regards to the phrase ("let him dwell in the tents of Shem") correlate well with the exegesis of the blessing utterance, we did find a viable candidate among the proposals related to the enlargement of Japheth, viz "geographical expansion."

Images of Torah: From the Second-Temple Period to the Middle Ages

Images of Torah: From the Second-Temple Period to the Middle Ages
Author: Jeong Mun. Heo
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 462
Release: 2023-06-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004543228

This book explores the way that the Torah was appreciated and interpreted as a text and symbol in Christian and Jewish sources from the Second Temple period through the Middle Ages. It tracks the development and complex interactions of three images of Torah— “God-like,” “Angelic,” and “Messianic”— which are found in late-antique Jewish and Christian materials as well as in medieval kabbalistic and Jewish philosophic sources. It provides a unique template for tracing the development of theological ideas related to the images of Torah and offers a sophisticated and innovative analysis of the relationship between mystical experience, theology, and phenomenology.

T&T Clark Handbook of Ecclesiology

T&T Clark Handbook of Ecclesiology
Author: Kimlyn J. Bender
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 592
Release: 2020-10-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567678121

Divided into 3 parts, this handbook provides a wide-ranging survey and analysis of the Christian Church. The first section addresses the scriptural foundations of ecclesiology; the second section outlines the historical and confessional aspects of the topic; and the final part discusses a variety of contemporary and topical themes in ecclesiology. Compiled and written by leading scholars in the field, the T&T Clark Handbook of Ecclesiology covers a range of key topics in the context of their development and importance in each stream of historic Christianity and the confessional traditions. The contributors cover traditional matters such as creedal notes, but also tackle questions of ordination, orders of ministry, and sacraments. This handbook is extensive enough to provide a true overview of the field, but the essays are also concise enough to be read as reference selections.

Use of the Third Person for Self-Reference by Jesus and Yahweh

Use of the Third Person for Self-Reference by Jesus and Yahweh
Author: Rod Elledge
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2017-06-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567671445

While an individual referring to themselves in the third person may sound unusual, this phenomenon (known as illeism) is consistently and extensively reflected in the direct speech of both Jesus and Yahweh. This in turn raises various questions: why are Jesus and Yahweh presented as speaking in such a manner? Who else employs illeism in the Bible? Does it occur in the Ancient Near Eastern texts, and, if so, who utilises it? And lastly, is there a relationship between the illeism as used by Yahweh, and the illeism as used by Jesus? Elledge addresses an issue in Biblical texts often neglects by scholarship: conducting an extensive survey of the use of illeism in the Bible and the Ancient Near Eastern Texts, and presenting evidence that this phenomenon, as used by Jesus, reflects both royal and divine themes that are apparent across several different religions and cultures. Through Elledge's examinations of illeism in Classical Antiquity, Ancient Near Eastern texts and the Old and New testament, this book provides a fresh perspective on the divine use of the third person, contributing substantial analysis to the on-going discussion of Jesus' divinity and self-understanding.

Why Mary?

Why Mary?
Author: Sharon F. Lawlor
Publisher: WestBow Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2017-08-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1512788473

Throughout the world one can find evidence of the love people have for Mary, the mother of Jesus, whom many know as the Savior of the world. From magnificent cathedrals to small roadside shrines where the faithful followers of Mary leave flowers and prayers, the devotion to Mary is evident. Rosaries can be seen in the hands of her followers in nearly every continent, and the number of people who seek her intercession on their behalf continues to grow. Where did this love for the mother of Jesus Christ begin? The Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, records Marys visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth addresses Mary as blessed among women. Mary states, All generations will count me blessed, because she was chosen by God to bear the long-awaited, prophesied Messiah, the Savior of the world. These two statements point to recognition of the singular blessing God gave to this one woman among all the women who ever lived: she would bear the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who would be born to a virgin, Mary, and would not have an earthly fatherjust as God had prophesied in Genesis 3:15. Yet, the recognition of Gods blessing on Marythat He chose her to bear His only begotten Songoes beyond mere acknowledgment in the hearts and actions of those who adore her.

Biblical and Theological Foundation of the Family

Biblical and Theological Foundation of the Family
Author: Joseph C. Atkinson
Publisher: CUA Press
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2014
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0813221706

This ground-breaking work establishes a solid biblical and theological foundation on which a theology of the family can be constructed. It thus fills a critical lack in the current literature on the family. The wide range of sources, including Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, give this work a genuine ecumenical dimension. Biblical and Theological Foundations of the Family will become indispensable for anyone wanting to engage in serious study of the structure and meaning of the family and its place in the salvific will of God.

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter
Author: Peter C. Phan
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 379
Release: 2024-05-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666959995

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter underscores the urgency of interreligious dialogue for contemporary society, aiming to foster interfaith understanding, justice, and peace. The initial section focuses on novel approaches to engaging with the religious Other through non-Christian sacred texts. Contributors explore the Jewish-Christian relationship, offer Christian interpretations of Hindu, Buddhist, and Confucian scriptures, and discuss the Qurʾān's potential to refine Christian theology. The dangers of comparative theology are warned against, and alternative perspectives, such as Asian liberation theology, are proposed for situating religion critically, as well as share the insights on Christian engagement with Zen practice. The second part explores the transformation of key Christian doctrines through interreligious encounters. Contributors delve into topics such as the conditions for faith and divine revelation, formulating a Christology in dialogue with Asian traditions, and understanding the Spirit as a source of questioning. They investigate the communitarian dimension of religious faith, discuss the Catholic Church's stance on interreligious dialogue, examine the role of biblical hermeneutics in decolonizing theology, and reflect on the existential threat of ecological destruction. The third part pays tribute to Leo Lefebure, emphasizing his impact on Catholic theology and comparative theology, and concludes with Lefebure's epilogue, providing him with the last word.

Christ-believers in Ephesus

Christ-believers in Ephesus
Author: Mikael Tellbe
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2009
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9783161500480

This book deals with issues relating to the formation of early Christian identity in the city of Ephesus, one of the major centres of the early Christian movement towards the end of the first century and the beginning of the second century CE. How diverse was the early Christian movement in Ephesus? What were its main characteristics? What held this movement together? Taking these questions as a starting point, Mikael Tellbe focuses on the social and theological diversity of this early Christian movement, the process of the parting of the ways - i.e. issues of ethnicity -, the influence of deviating groups and the quest for authority and legitimacy, as well as issues of commonality and theological unity. The author argues for a textual approach and the impact of various textual prototypes in the task of analyzing the process of early Christian identity formation in Ephesus.