Demons, Angels, and Writing in Ancient Judaism

Demons, Angels, and Writing in Ancient Judaism
Author: Annette Yoshiko Reed
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2020-01-16
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 052111943X

A new explanation of the beginnings of Jewish angelology and demonology, drawing on non-canonical writings and Aramaic Dead Sea Scrolls.

From Adapa to Enoch

From Adapa to Enoch
Author: Seth L. Sanders
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2017-06-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9783161544569

"This book asks what drove the religious visions of ancient scribes. During the first millennium BCE both Babylonian and Judean scribes wrote about and emulated their heroes Adapa and Enoch, who went to heaven to meet their god."--Preface, p. [v].

Ancient Judaism

Ancient Judaism
Author: Michael E. Stone
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2011-03-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802866360

"In Ancient Judaism: New Visions and Views Michael Stone examines a broad range of basic issues in the study of Second Temple Judaism and calls for a radical rethinking of approaches to Jewish history. Stone challenges scholars and students to question theologically conditioned histories of ancient Judaism devised by later orthodoxies, whether Jewish or Christian, and to acknowledge religious experience as a major factor in the composition and transmission of ancient religious documents. He urges readers to look above and beyond the spectacles of tradition and cultural memory that too often distort their understanding of the ancient past. Addressing an assortment of topics regarding the authorship, transmission, and interpretation of the canonical Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, apocryphal and pseudepigraphic literature, and more, Stone's Ancient Judaism underscores the stunning complexity of both the raw data and the resulting picture of Judaism in antiquity."--Publisher description.

Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period

Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period
Author: Larry R. Helyer
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 532
Release: 2002-07-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780830826780

Larry R. Helyer provides an introduction and historical context for the wealth of Jewish literature outside the Hebrew Bible, and he explores the pressures, realities, questions and dreams that nurtured and provoked these written works.

Divine Mysteries in the Enochic Tradition

Divine Mysteries in the Enochic Tradition
Author: Andrei A. Orlov
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2023-07-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3111201929

The book represents an in-depth investigation of acquisition, cultivation, and transmission of divine mysteries in Jewish apocalyptic and mystical accounts by focusing on the developments found in early Enochic writings. These accounts deal both with revelations unveiled by God and angels to the patriarch Enoch and with illicit transmission of divine knowledge by the rogue group of the fallen angels, known as the Watchers. Orlov argues that the map of otherworldly knowledge revealed to Enoch inversely mirrors the map of illicit revelations given by the fallen Watchers to humankind. The study suggests that one of the possible objectives for the parallelism is that, by revealing to Enoch the same divine mysteries that were earlier transmitted by the Watchers, God attempts to mitigate the corruption caused by the fallen angels’ illicit instructions. This book will be of interest not only for scholars specializing in historical and religious areas, but also for experts in the fields of anthropology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and gender theory; it discusses several aspects of early and late Jewish religious epistemologies that elucidate the ideological context for the construction and affirmation of social roles and identities in various Jewish milieus.

Divine Revelation and the Sciences

Divine Revelation and the Sciences
Author: Balázs M Mezei
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2024-10-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1040155618

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the sciences and the concept of divine revelation. It includes a historical overview of the notion of revelation, its role in scientific debates over the centuries, and current challenges in light of non-religious and especially non-revelational proposals. The volume emphasizes that discussions of divine revelation cannot be limited to theology alone but must also involve scientific and philosophical approaches. The contributions examine methodological, ethical, and theoretical questions related to the sciences. The main argument is that divine revelation not only played a historical role in shaping our understanding of knowledge but is also present in contemporary scientific endeavours and will continue to be important in the future. Divine revelation is considered to be a critical element of human existence that cannot be avoided in any scientific context. The book will be relevant to scholars of theology and philosophy, particularly those interested in religion and science.

Ancient Jewish Prayers and Emotions

Ancient Jewish Prayers and Emotions
Author: Stefan C. Reif
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 479
Release: 2015-11-13
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3110386089

Given the recent interest in the emotions presupposed in early religious literature, it has been thought useful to examine in this volume how the Jews and early Christians expressed their feelings within the prayers recorded in some of their literature. Specialists in their fields from academic institutions around the world have analysed important texts relating to this overall theme and to what is revealed with regard to such diverse topics as relations with God, exegesis, education, prophecy, linguistic expression, feminism, happiness, grief, cult, suicide, non-Jews, Hellenism, Qumran and Jerusalem. The texts discussed are in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic and are important for a scientific understanding of how Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity developed their approaches to worship, to the construction of their theology and to the feelings that lay behind their religious ideas and practices. The articles contribute significantly to an historical understanding of how Jews maintained their earlier traditions but also came to terms with the ideology of the dominant Hellenistic culture that surrounded them.

Secret Groups in Ancient Judaism

Secret Groups in Ancient Judaism
Author: Michael E. Stone
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2018
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0190842385

Secret societies in ancient Judaism -- "Esoteric", mysteries, and secrecy -- Esoteric as a social category -- The social organization of secrecy -- Initiation and graded revelation -- Other secret Jewish groups and traditions -- The social setting of esoteric tradition

Finding, Inheriting or Borrowing?

Finding, Inheriting or Borrowing?
Author: Jochen Althoff
Publisher: transcript Verlag
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2019-03-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 3839442362

Since the dawn of humanity, people have developed concepts about themselves and the natural world in which they live. This volume aims at investigating the construction and transfer of such concepts between and within various ancient and medieval cultures. The single contributions try to answer questions concerning the sources of knowledge, the strategies of transfer and legitimation as well as the conceptual changes over time and space. After a comprehensive introduction, the volume is divided into three parts: The contributions of the first section treat various theoretical and methodological aspects. Two additional thematic sections deal with a special field of knowledge, i.e. concepts of the moon and of the end of the world in fire.