Showing 1 - 20 results of 106 for search 'a classical divination.', query time: 0.51s Refine Results
Published 2025
Divining Disaster. Signs of Catastrophe in Ancient Greek Culture /

: In a world riddled with earthquakes and plagued by epidemics, how did the ancient Greeks cope with, and make sense of, disaster? As our present-day environment is perceived to be increasingly perilous, this book includes the ancient Greek world in the longue durée of disaster discourse. Drawing on anthropological disaster studies, ecocriticism, and cognitive studies, this study considers disaster as a semiotic phenomenon marked by uncertainty. Divining disaster, then, functions as a hermeneutic form of disaster management that alleviates uncertainty and assigns agency, not only in religious practices such as oracle consultation but also in historical and mythological narratives.
: 1 online resource (408 pages) : illustrations. : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004739581

A Case of Divine Adultery Investigated /

: This paper investigates a corpus of ancient Egyptian documents vis-à-vis the so-called adultery that occurred between Osiris and Nephthys. So far the only account about this story is mentioned by the Greek classical writer Plutarch in his treatise De Iside et Osiride which constitutes part of his work the Moralia as called in Latin in addition to a magical spell found in P. Paris Bibliothèque Nationale Supplement Gr. 574. Moreover, other documents have been perceived as suggesting a relationship between both deities. The main aim of this study is to demonstrate that these documents were taken out of context in order to prove its compatibility with Plutarch’s account. Additionally, other cases that can be seen as divine adultery or reflecting misdeeds of the deities are presented.

Published 2007
Mediating the divine : prophecy and revelation in the Dead Sea scrolls and Second Temple Judaism /

: This book is a comprehensive treatment of prophecy and revelation in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It begins by analyzing the re-presentation of the classical prophets and their revelatory experience in an attempt to identify how prophecy and revelation was reconceptualized in the Dead Sea Scrolls in dialogue and in contrast with received biblical models. This work then examines the direct evidence in the Dead Sea Scrolls regarding ongoing prophetic activity at Qumran and in related segments of Second Temple Judaism. This study argues that the Dead Sea Scrolls bear witness to a transformed prophetic tradition active at Qumran and in Second Temple Judaism. Topics treated include the relationship of prophecy to scriptural interpretation, wisdom, and law, and eschatological prophecy.
: 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references (p. [389]-423) and index. : 9789047420613 : 0169-9962 ; : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 2025
South Asian Animal Divination : A Critical Anthology /

: This scholarly work examines the history and practice of animal omen divination in South Asia, comparing it to similar traditions in Mesopotamia and classical antiquity. It provides critical editions and translations of relevant texts, including chapters from the Gārgīyajyotiṣa , Śārdūlakarṇāvadāna , and the Bṛhatsaṃhitā , focusing on the interpretation of bird calls and behaviour. The study incorporates ornithological and natural historical information to enhance the understanding of the omens and their regional origins. Furthermore, it explores the evolution of omen literature and the transmission of knowledge across cultures and time periods, highlighting the enduring significance of sound and direction in divination practices.
: 1 online resource (300 pages) : illustrations. : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004731721

Published 2014
The divine father : religious and philosophical concepts of divine parenthood in antiquity /

: The present volume is devoted to the theme of \'Divine Father\' in Second Temple Jewish and early Christian tradition and in its ancient pagan contexts. It brings together proceedings of a conference under the same title, held in Göttingen in September 2011. Selected articles by well-known scholars focus on religious and philosophical concepts of divine parenthood in antiquity, from the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism (the Dead Sea Scrolls, Targums, Philo and Josephus) to the field of the New Testament. In addition, the volume deals with the designation of deity as \'father\' or \'mother\' from the broad spectrum of ancient Egypt and classical antiquity (Homer, Hesiod, Plato, and its reception) to late antiquity (Plotinus and Porphyry).
: 1 online resource. : 9789004264779

Published 2015
The divine courtroom in comparative perspective /

: Contributors to The Divine Courtroom in Comparative Perspective treat one of the most pervasive religious metaphors, that of the divine courtroom, in both its historical and thematic senses. In order to shed light on the various manifestations of the divine courtroom, this volume consists of essays by scholars of the ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, early Christianity, Talmud, Islam, medieval Judaism, and classical Greek literature. Contributions to the volume primarily center upon three related facets of the divine courtroom: the role of the divine courtroom in the earthly legal system; the divine courtroom as the site of historical justice; and the divine courtroom as the venue in which God is called to answer for his own unjust acts.
: Includes papers presented at a conference held "on February 5-6, 2012, the Leonard and Bea Diener Institute of Jewish Law and the Yeshiva University Center for Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization, 'The Divine Courtroom,' at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law." : 1 online resource (vi, 308 pages) : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004281646 : 0928-0731 ; : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 2003
Early Christianity and classical culture : comparative studies in honor of Abraham J. Malherbe /

: This volume contains 28 essays in honor of Abraham J. Malherbe, whose work has been especially influential in exploring modes of cultural interaction between early Jews and Christians and their Graeco-Roman neighbours. Following an introductory essay on the problems inherent to such comparative studies in the history of New Testament scholarship, the essays are grouped into five topic areas: Graphos - semantics and writing, Ethos - ethics and moral characterization, Logos - rhetoric and literary expression, Ethnos - self-definition and acculturation, and Nomos - law and normative values. Some key examples are studies dealing with The Greek Idea of "Divine Nature" and its relation to the "Divine Man" tradition; Compilation of Letters in Cicero's collection; Radical Altruism in Paul; Greek Ideas of Concord and Cosmic Harmony in 1 Clement; The Rhetorical Use of Friendship Motifs in Galatians in comparison with Second Sophistic Orators; Wills and Testaments in Graeco-Roman perspective.
: 1 online resource (xx, 740 pages) : illustrations. : Includes bibliographical references and indexes. : 9789047402190 : 0167-9732 ; : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 2008
Divine epithets in the Ugaritic alphabetic texts /

: This volume comprises an analysis of 112 divine epithets occurring in the alphabetic cuneiform texts from Ras Shamra and Ras Ibn Hani. It is intended to encompass all the epithets of the individual Ugaritic deities, semi-divine, and demonic beings, both good and evil, attested in the published texts. The epithets are profound expressions of the religious views of the ancient Ugaritians and their comprehension is essential for understanding the role, character, and status of the various deities in the Ugaritic pantheon. Particular attention has been paid to parallel divine epithets in Akkadian, biblical Hebrew, and classical Arabic.
: Rev. and edited translation of the author's dissertation. : 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references (p. [393]-422) and indexes. : 9789047423003 : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 2008
Divine epithets in the Ugaritic alphabetic texts /

: This volume comprises an analysis of 112 divine epithets occurring in the alphabetic cuneiform texts from Ras Shamra and Ras Ibn Hani. It is intended to encompass all the epithets of the individual Ugaritic deities, semi-divine, and demonic beings, both good and evil, attested in the published texts. The epithets are profound expressions of the religious views of the ancient Ugaritians and their comprehension is essential for understanding the role, character, and status of the various deities in the Ugaritic pantheon. Particular attention has been paid to parallel divine epithets in Akkadian, biblical Hebrew, and classical Arabic.
: Rev. and edited translation of the author's dissertation. : 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references (p. [393]-422) and indexes. : 9789047423003 : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 1993
The System of Classical Malay Literature /

: Scholarly works considering traditional Malay letters from a literary point of view are scarce. In this book, classical Malay literature of the 16th through the 19th centuries is viewed in the context of more than a millennium of medieval Malay letters. In the first part, based on a reconstruction of the literary self-awareness of the Malays, a model is offered of classical Malay literature as an integral, hierarchically arranged a 'anthropomorphic' system, the impetus for its formation being the Islamization of the Malay world. A study of the origin and evolution of all genres of Malay literature, as well as an analysis of some exemplary works with special reference to their poetics, provide the factual basis for the suggested model. The second part of the book treats of the aesthetics of classical Malay literature, first and foremost the central notion of the sphere of beauty, 'the beautiful' (indah). Its divine origin, internal properties-such as the diversity of manifestations, perfection, orderliness-capable of arousing love and thus producing a harmonizing effect on the human psyche, are considered, as well as the synthesis of Hindu-Javanese and Muslim components in Malay literature aesthetics. This is the first study that aims to present a coherent view of the entire body of classical Malay literature. In a novel and stimulating approach, the organizing principles of Malay literature are seen as a system in which the various genres are allotted their proper place.
: Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004643284

Published 2004
Catullus' Poem on Attis : Text and Contexts /

: Catullus 63, the poem on Attis' self-castration, regret, and final subjection to the goddess Cybele, has been called 'the most remarkable poetical creation in the Latin language'. Scholarly debate has focused on the poem's relationship to the myths and cults of Attis and Cybele, its dependence on Hellenistic models, its meanings for a Roman audience, and its unusual language and metre. In the present volume these questions are being addressed by a team of specialists in religious history, Hellenistic poetry, Roman poetry and culture, and Latin linguistics. The volume not only sheds much new light on a fascinating poem, it also demonstrates how the various disciplines of Classics may cooperate towards a better understanding of ancient culture. The contents of this volume also appear in Mnemosyne , 57,5. (2004), as a special issue on Catullus.
: 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789047414469
9789004141322

Published 2019
Sortilege and its Practitioners in Late Antiquity: My Lots are in Thy Hands.

: Sortilege-the making of decisions by casting lots-was widely practiced in the Mediterranean world during the period known as late antiquity, between the third and eighth centuries CE. In My Lots are in Thy Hands: Sortilege and its Practitioners in Late Antiquity , AnneMarie Luijendijk and William Klingshirn have collected fourteen essays that examine late antique lot divination, especially but not exclusively through texts preserved in Greek, Latin, Coptic, and Syriac. Employing the overlapping perspectives of religious studies, classics, anthropology, economics, and history, contributors study a variety of topics, including the hermeneutics and operations of divinatory texts, the importance of diviners and their instruments, and the place of faith and doubt in the search for hidden order in a seemingly random world.
: 1 online resource. : 9789004385030

Published 2003
Andreia : studies in manliness and courage in classical antiquity /

: This volume examines the use of a central concept in the self-definition of any Greek speaking male: Andreia , the notion of courage and manliness. The nature and use of value terms quickly leads the researcher to core issues of cultural identity: through a combination of lexical or semantic and conceptual studies the discourse of manliness and its role in the construction of social order is studied, in a variety of authors, genres, and communicative situations. This book is of interest to students of the classical world, the history of values, gender studies, and cultural historians.
: 1 online resource (359 pages) : illustrations. : Includes bibliographical references and indexes. : 9789047400738 : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 2016
Revolt and resistance in the ancient Classical world and the Near East : in the crucible of empire /

: This collection of essays contains a state of the field discussion about the nature of revolt and resistance in the ancient world. While it does not cover the entire ancient world, it does focus in on the key revolts of the pre-Roman imperial world. Regardless of the exact sequence, it was an undeniable fact that the area we now call the Middle East witnessed a sequence of extensive empires in the second half of the last millennium BCE. At first, these spread from East to West (Assyria, Babylon, Persia). Then after the campaigns of Alexander, the direction of conquest was reversed. Despite the sense of inevitability, or of divinely ordained destiny, that one might get from the passages that speak of a sequence of world-empires, imperial rule was always contested. The essays in this volume consider some of the ways in which imperial rule was resisted and challenged, in the Assyrian, Persian, and Hellenistic (Seleucid and Ptolemaic) empires. Not every uprising considered in this volume would qualify as a revolution by this definition. Revolution indeed was on the far end of a spectrum of social responses to empire building, from resistance to unrest, to grain riots and peasant rebellions. The editors offer the volume as a means of furthering discussions on the nature and the drivers of resistance and revolution, the motivations for them as well as a summary of the events that have left their mark on our historical sources long after the dust had settled.
: 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004330184 : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 2022
Philosophy at the Festival: The Festal Orations of Gregory of Nazianzus and the Classical Tradition /

: Before serving as Bishop of Constantinople and becoming known to posterity as "the Theologian", Gregory of Nazianzus was an Athens-trained professional teacher of Greek literature. Steeped in the rhetorical culture of the Second Sophistic, his orations for Christian feasts such as Christmas and Pentecost belong to a Classical tradition that privileged the performance of philosophy at festivals. Widely copied and translated, they were instrumental in Gregory becoming one of the most popular and influential authors in Byzantium. This book shows how his orations represent a crucial point in the Late Antique reception of Platonism, rhetorical theory, and ancient festival culture.
: 1 online resource : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004521391
9789004521407

Published 2015
Brill's companion to Leo Strauss' writings on classical political thought /

: Brill's Companion to Leo Strauss' Writings on Classical Political Thought offers clear, accessible essays to assist a new generation of readers in their introduction to Strauss' writings on the ancients, and to deepen the understanding of those who have already benefitted from his work. Strauss rediscovered esoteric writing. His careful explications of works by classical thinkers- of Socratic political philosophy, pre-Socratic philosophers, and of poets tragic and comic-have therefore opened those works up in a way that had been lost for centuries. Yet Strauss' writings, especially his later works, make considerable demands on any reader. These essays are written by scholars who bring to bear on their reading of Strauss many years of study.
: 1 online resource (xiii, 480 pages) : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004299832 : 2213-1426 ; : Available to subscribing member institutions only.

Published 2025
Pathos kai Nomos - Le traitement des affections dans les Lois de Platon /

: Les articles de ce recueil étudient différentes questions relatives à la relation entre les affections, les lois et la rationalité dans les Lois de Platon, notamment la fonction et le contenu des préludes, l'ignorance et la colère dans la pénologie, la religion et l'impiété, l'éducation et le plaisir. The chapters of this collection address various topics concerning the relationship between affects, laws and rationality in Plato's Laws , including the function and content of the preludes, ignorance and anger in penology, religion and impiety, education and pleasure.
: 1 online resource (246 pages) : illustrations. : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004727045

Published 2023
Cyprus in Texts from Graeco-Roman Antiquity /

: How was the unique character of the island of Cyprus perceived in antiquity? This volume aims to engage with this question by examining references to Cyprus in ancient texts and by exploring authors connected to the island. The readers can thus find literary interpretations on a wide range of Greek and Latin texts focusing on Cyprus by world-leading Classical scholars, which will cast further light on the literary and cultural tradition of the island. The book promises to motivate further exploration of these topics and of the influence of a place in ancient literature and beyond.
: 1 online resource : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004529489
9789004529496

Published 2006
Nefer : the aesthetic ideal in classical Egypt /

: x, 116 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. : Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-111) and index. : 0415979943

Published 2016
Al-Radd al-jamil : a fitting refutation of the divinity of Jesus /

: al-Radd al-jamīl attributed to al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) is the most extensive and detailed refutation of the divinity of Jesus by a Muslim author in the classical period of Islam. Since the discovery of the manuscript in the 1930's scholars have debated whether the great Muslim theologian al-Ghazālī was really the author. This is a new critical edition of the Arabic text and the first complete English translation. The introduction situates this work in the history of Muslim anti-Christian polemical writing. Mark Beaumont and Maha El Kaisy-Friemuth argue that this refutation comes from an admirer of al-Ghazālī who sought to advance some of his key ideas for an Egyptian audience.
: 1 online resource. : Includes bibliographical references and index. : 9789004322806 : Available to subscribing member institutions only.