theology theodicy » theology theory (Expand Search), theology thematic (Expand Search)
theodicy history » theology history (Expand Search), theory history (Expand Search), theosophy history (Expand Search)
Ibn Taymiyya's theodicy of perpetual optimism /
:
The Muslim jurist Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328) is famous for polemic against Islamic philosophy, theology and rationalizing mysticism, but his positive theological contribution has not been well understood. This comprehensive study of Ibn Taymiyya's theodicy helps to rectify this lack. Exposition and analysis of Ibn Taymiyya's writings on God's justice and wise purpose, divine determination and human agency, the problem of evil, and juristic method in theological doctrine show that he articulates a theodicy of optimism in which God in His essence perpetually wills the best possible world from eternity. This sets Ibn Taymiyya's theodicy apart from Ashʿarī divine voluntarism, the free-will theodicy of the Muʿtazilīs, and the essentially timeless God of other optimists like Ibn Sīnā and Ibn ʿArabī.
:
Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.--University of Birmingham, 2002) under the title: An Islamic theodicy : Ibn Taymiyya on the wise purpose of God, human agency, and problems of evil and justice. :
1 online resource (xii, 270 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047420194 :
0169-8729 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Traditions of theology : studies in Hellenistic theology, its background and aftermath /
:
The nine articles in this volume were orginally presented at the VIII. Symposium Hellenisticum in Lille in August 1998. The authors discuss a set of theological questions that were central to the doctrines of the dominant schools in the Hellenistic age, such as the existence of the gods, their nature, and their concern for humankind. While the philosophers of the Classical age had kept their distance from conventional religion, the Stoics and Epicureans saw the need to come to terms with the religious tradition both in a critical and in a supportive sense. Especially the challenge by the Sceptics forced the followers of the dogmatic schools (Stoics, Epicureans) to clarify the basis of their theological tenets. Many of the texts that are accessible to us only in a fragmentary state were still highly influential in the early Christian era, so that the reconstruction of the theological views of the Hellenistic philosophers form an important part not only of the history of philosophy, but also of Christian theology and the history of religion in general. One distinctive feature of the volume is that it mirrors the changes of perspective that took place over the many centuries in this area, thus presenting the Hellenistic contribution within the larger framework of Greek philosophical theology.
:
Papers presented at the 8th Symposium Hellenisticum, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France, 1998. :
1 online resource (xiv, 343 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047401063 :
0079-1687 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Theologies in conflict in 4 Ezra : wisdom, debate, and apocalyptic solution /
:
Recent scholarship on 4 Ezra has taken two divergent approaches, the first reading the dialogues between Ezra and Uriel as a reflection of theological debates in the author's time, and the second focusing on the psychological development of the protagonist. Combining the two approaches, this book offers a new interpretation of the dialogues as a literary representation of a debate between covenantal and eschatological wisdom, two branches of Jewish wisdom that emerged in the late Second Temple period. The inconclusive quality of the dialogues indicates the author's dissatisfaction with Uriel's attempt at a rational theodicy. Ezra's subsequent transformation points to the symbolic visions as the locus of the author's apocalyptic solution to the intractable theological problems raised in the dialogues.
:
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [237]-252) and indexes. :
9789047441809 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Demonstrative Proof in Defence of God : A Study of Titus of Bostra's Contra Manichaeos - The Work's Sources, Aims and Relation to its Contemporary Theology /
:
This volume is the first extensive study of a Christian work from the 4th century, Titus of Bostra's Contra Manichaeos , which is the only text from the early Greek Church setting out a comprehensive theodicy. The study illuminates the text's relation to contemporary theology and philosophy and interprets it in the light of the ideological conflicts between pagans, Catholic Christians and Manichaeans in the 4th century. It includes an examination of the possible Manichaean sources used by Titus, and, furthermore, a critical text study and translation of central passages in Contra Manichaeos , based both on the Greek text and the Syriac version of it.
:
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047405450
9789004138834
Philosophy of religion and the African American experience : conversations with my Christian friends /
:
Most white philosophers of religion generally presume that philosophy of religion is based on what is a false universality; whereby the white/Western experience is paradigmatic of humanity at-large. The fact remains that Howard Thurman, James H. Cone and William R. Jones, among others, have produced a substantial amount of theological work quite worthy of consideration by philosophers of religion. Yet this corpus of thought is not reflected in the scholarly literature that constitutes the main body of philosophy of religion. Neglect and ignorance of African American Studies is widespread in the academy. By including chapters on Thurman, Cone and Jones, the present book functions as a corrective to this scholarly lacuna.
:
1 online resource (viii, 403 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 377-400) and index. :
9789004332218 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Scholasticism reformed : essays in honour of Willem J. van Asselt /
:
This Festschrift celebrates Professor Willem J. van Asselt's many contributions to the study of Reformed scholasticism on the occasion of his retirement from Utrecht University. The authors argue that the resurgence of interest in scholasticism, especially in Reformed scholasticism, has in turn reformed our views of scholasticism. While most of the volume's essays contribute to the reassessment of scholasticism through relevant historical case studies or new systematic analyses of the value and validity of scholasticism for contemporary theology, some authors endeavour a critical confrontation with various aspects of this reassessment. Thus, this volume not only mirrors Van Asselt's interest in the sound historical evaluation of Reformed scholasticism and its application to contemporary philosophical theology, but also provides cutting-edge scholarship on a major development in historical theology.
:
1 online resource. :
"Bibliography of Willem J. van Asselt": pages [378]-383.
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004193772 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Religion in times of crisis /
:
Religion is alive and well all over the world, especially in times of personal, political, and social crisis. Even in Europe, long regarded the most "secular" continent, religion has taken centre stage in how people respond to the crises associated with modernity, or how they interact with the nation-state. In this book, scholars working in and on Europe offer fresh perspectives on how religion provides answers to existential crisis, how crisis increases the salience of religious identities and cultural polarization, and how religion is contributing to changes in the modern world in Europe and beyond. Cases from Poland to Pakistan and from Ireland to Zimbabwe, among others, demonstrate the complexity and ambivalence of religion's role in the contemporary world.
:
Includes index. :
1 online resource (pages) :
9789004277793 :
1061-5210 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Crossing Boundaries in Early Judaism and Christianity : Essays in Honor of Alan F. Segal.
:
This volume celebrates the scholarship of Alan Segal. During his prolific career, Alan published ground-breaking studies that shifted scholarly conversations about Christianity, rabbinic Judaism, Hellenism and Gnosticism. Like the subjects of his research, Alan crossed many boundaries. He understood that religions do not operate in academically defined silos, but in complex societies populated by complicated human beings. Alan's work engaged with a variety of social-scientific theories that illuminated ancient sources and enabled him to reveal new angles on familiar material. This interdisciplinary approach enabled Alan to propose often controversial theories about Jewish and Christian origins. A new generation of scholars has been nurtured on this approach and the fields of early Judaism and Christianity emerge radically redefined as a result.
:
Description based upon print version of record. :
1 online resource (433 pages) :
9789004334496 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The life of reason in an age of terrorism /
:
With The Life of Reason in an Age of Terrorism , Charles Padrón and Kris Skowroński (editors) gather together a broad assortment of contributions that address the germaneness of George Santayana's (1863-1952) social and political thought to the world of the early twenty-first century in general, and specifically to the phenomenon of terrorism. The essays treat a broad range of philosophical and historical concerns: the life of reason, the philosophy of the everyday, fanaticism, liberalism, barbarism, egoism, and relativism. The essays reflect a wide range of viewpoints and perspectives, but all coalesce around discussions of how Santayana's thought fits in with and enhances an understanding of both our challenging times, and our uncertain future. Contributors are: Cayetano Estébanez, Matthew Caleb Flamm, Nóra Horváth, Jacquelyn Ann Kegley, Till Kinzel, Katarzyna Kremplewska, John Lachs, José Beltrán Llavador, Eduardo Mendieta, Daniel Moreno Moreno, Luka Nikolic, Charles Padrón, Giuseppe Patella, Daniel Pinkas, Herman Saatkamp, Jr., Matteo Santarelli, Krzysztof Piotr Skowroński and Andrés Tutor.
:
1 online resource (xx, 266 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004363311 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Sociology of Shi'ite Islam : collected essays /
:
Sociology of Shiʿite Islam is a comprehensive study of the development of Shiʿism. Its bearers first emerged as a sectarian elite, then a hierocracy and finally a theocracy. Imamate, Occultation and the theodicy of martyrdom are identified as the main components of the Shiʻism as a world religion. In these collected essays Arjomand has persistenly developed a Weberian theoretical framework for the analysis of Shiʿism, from its sectarian formation in the eighth century through the establishment of the Safavid empire in the sixteenth century, to the Islamic revolution in Iran in the twentieth century. These studies highlight revolutionary impulses embedded in the belief in the advent of the hidden Imam, and the impact of Shiʻite political ethics on the authority structure of pre-modern Iran and the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
:
1 online resource (xi, 486 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 455-476) and index. :
9789004326279 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.