Paradise reconsidered in Gnostic mythmaking : rethinking Sethianism in light of the Ophite evidence /
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This book offers a new understanding of Sethianism and the origins of Gnosticism by examining the mythology in and social reality behind a group of texts to which certain leaders of the early church occasionally attached the label 'Ophite.' In the unique Ophite mythology, which rewrites the Genesis paradise story and is attested, for example, in Irenaeus' Adversus haereses 1.30, The Apocryphon of John and On the Origin of the World , the snake's advice to eat of the tree of knowledge is considered positive, the creator and his angels are turned into demonic beasts and the true Godhead is presented as an androgynous heavenly projection of Adam and Eve. It is argued that Hans-Martin Schenke's influential model of the 'Sethian system' only reveals part of a larger whole to which the Ophite material belongs as an important and organic component.
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Revision of the author's thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Helsinki and Université Laval, 2006. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [295]-312) and indexes. :
9789047426707 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel : Constructing the Context for Contact /
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"In Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel, Boyd addresses a long-standing critical issue in biblical scholarship: how does the production of the Bible relate to its larger historical, linguistic, and cultural settings in the ancient Near East? Using theoretical advances in the study of language contact, he examines in detail the sociolinguistic landscape during the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Achaemenid periods. Boyd then places the language and literature of Ezekiel and Isaiah in this sociolinguistic landscape. Language Contact, Colonial Administration, and the Construction of Identity in Ancient Israel offers the first book-length incorporation of language contact theory with data from the Bible. As a result, it allows for a reexamination of the nature of contact between biblical authors and a series of Mesopotamian empires beginning with Assyria."--
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004448766
9789004448759
Empirical theology in texts and tables : qualitative, quantitative and comparative perspectives /
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Empirical theology offers fresh and stimulating insights into the concerns of both the Church and the Academy. It does this by accessing relevant empirical evidence using the tools of the social sciences, and placing this evidence in the context of theological critique and contemporary debate. In this pioneering collection of focused essays, leading experts of empirical theology illustrate key perspectives within this rapidly expanding discipline. The first section of the book explores theoretical issues underpinning the main methods of obtaining empirical data, and the use of these data within theology. The other two sections display the role both of qualitative studies, and of the analysis of quantitative data, in exploring a range of theological beliefs and religious, social and educational concerns.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047442394 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Nag Hammadi Codex VIII /
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Codex VIII from Nag Hammadi contains two tractates, Zostrianos and The Letter of Peter to Philip . This volume presents a critical edition of those texts, and includes regarding each separate text a transcription with notes, an introduction, and a translation. In addition it includes an introduction to the Codex itself, and several sets of indices. The tractate Zostrianos recounts a heavenly journey of a gnostic mystic who gains and brings back with him the saving gnosis. That gnosis is most closely related to Middle Platonism and the document intends to be part of that tradition. As such it was refuted by Plotinus and his pupil Amelius. Much of the manuscript is poorly preserved. The Letter of Peter to Philip is a gnostic revelatory discourse in letter form with Peter as its hero. The Risen Christ reveals a gnostic view of the universe and of human existence.
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English translation with Coptic text, translated from a lost Greek original, of Zostrianos and the Letter of Peter to Philip. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004438965
9789004094772
Philip, Apostle and Evangelist : configurations of a tradition /
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This study investigates the history of the traditions that coalesced around the name Philip in the New Testament and other early Christian literature. It proposes that all of this material ultimately owes its genesis to one historical and literary figure, Philip the apostle. This proposition is explored through a wide-ranging examination of the evidence: Luke's redactional employment of traditional materials about Philip the apostle in Acts 8:4-25 and 8:26-40, the evidence of the canonical Gospels, the second-century perspective on Philip as an apostolic authority figure invoked to legitimate various Christian practices, Philip's apostolic authority in \'gnostic\' documents for the transmission of the revelatory teaching of Jesus, and the Acts of Philip as a witness to the formation of Christian culture in the earliest centuries. While historical issues are considered where possible, the focus is on the life of the traditions and their reception.
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1 online resource (xv, 257 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [219]-238) and indexes. :
9789047400837 :
0167-9732 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Quintessence of Dust: The Science of Matter and the Philosophy of Mind /
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Quintessence of Dust by Harry Redner argues for a science of matter and a philosophy of mind based on emergence. Mind emerges from matter through five essential stages - "quintessence" ( Hamlet ). Human mind is differentiated from animal mind primarily by reference to art ( Homo ludens ). This approach draws support from Donald, Edelman and other palaeoanthropologists, psychologists and neurologists. The emergent relation between two entities is defined as an indissoluble non-identity. The "mind as machine" thesis, artificial intelligence and cognitivism are criticised. The alternative emergentist approach comes close to Spinoza. The book attempts a synthesis of the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities based on philosophic premises.
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1 online resource. :
9789004426863
9789004426023
Wissen, Freiheit, Geschichte. Die Philosophie Fichtes im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert. Band III : Sektionen 7-9 /
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From the table of contents: Jean-François Goubet: Paul Natorps Fichte-Rezeption in der 'Praktischen Philosophie' von 1925 / Geert Edel: Zum Fichte-Bild im Marburger Neukantianismus / Frank Witzleben: Fichtes Subjektbegriff im Neukantianismus / Sebastian Ullrich: Interpersonalität und Objektivität. Fichtes Spuren in Ernst Cassirers Grundlegung seiner "Philosophie der symbolischen Formen" / Rainer Adolphi: Eine nicht eingestandene Auseinandersetzung. Über das implizite Verhältnis von späterem Fichte und Schelling / Jürgen Stahl: Junghegelianische atphilosophie in ihrem Verhältnis zu Fichte / Virginia López-Domínguez: Fichte und der anthropologische Materialismus Ludwig Feuerbachs / Manuel Jiménez-Redondo: Husserls Begriff der transzendentalen Reduktion aus der Sicht der Philosophie des späten Fichte / Jakub Kloc-Konkolowicz: Das Ich und der Andere. Intersubjektivität in der Philosophie Johann Gottlieb Fichtes und in der Phänomenologie Edmund Husserls.
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1 online resource (354 pages) :
9789401209663 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Present-day spiritualities : contrasts and overlaps /
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Many forms of present-day Western spirituality contribute to people's well-being, whereas others have raised criticism. The study of these different forms is, however, complicated by their continuously diverging practices and ideas. By bringing to bear a multidisciplinary approach, the ten specialists of this volume are able to analyze diverse new instances of spirituality, e.g. in religious contexts (Buddhism, Christianity), popular use, organizations and enterprises, (alternative) health service, and works of art. Most contributions also discuss methods and theories. In their editorial chapters, Elisabeth Hense, Frans Jespers and Peter Nissen show the remarkable overlaps in the approaches, definitions and evaluations of the contributions in this volume and provide a theoretical framework. Both the fresh analyses and the theoretical reflections in this volume point the way to new approaches in this field of study. Contributors include: Jerry Biberman, Mark Elliott, Miguel Farias, Johan Goud, Paul Heelas, Elisabeth Hense, Frans Jespers, Hubert Knoblauch, Peter Nissen, Paul van der Velde
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004260061 :
1566-208X ;
Living water : images, symbols, and settings of early Christian baptism /
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This general survey of early Christian baptismal iconography and architecture integrates visual depictions and physical settings of baptism with textual evidence for its practice and purpose. An opening overview of pictorial art (paintings, relief sculpture, mosaics, and ivories) prompts questions about components of the actual ritual which are treated in the literary sources. The study's second half considers selected baptismal structures, examining the symbolism, purpose, and possible meaning of their spatial design and decorative programs. In most instances the synthesis of documentary and material evidence is enriching and complementary. However, even when physical and textual data diverge, their discontinuity demonstrates the variability of ritual performance and the perennial distinction between ideal and actual practice..
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1 online resource (xxiv, 305 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 283-297) and index. :
9789004189089 :
0920-623X ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Yearbook of International Religious Demography 2014.
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The Yearbook of International Religious Demography presents an annual snapshot of the state of religious statistics around the world. Every year large amounts of data are collected through censuses, surveys, polls, religious communities, scholars, and a host of other sources. These data are collated and analyzed by research centers and scholars around the world. Large amounts of data appear in analyzed form in the World Religion Database (Brill), aiming at a researcher's audience. The Yearbook presents data in sets of tables and scholarly articles spanning social science, demography, history, and geography. Each issue offers findings, sources, methods, and implications surrounding international religious demography. Each year an assessment is made of new data made available since the previous issue of the yearbook.
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1 online resource (270 pages) :
9789004275065 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Scholasticism reformed : essays in honour of Willem J. van Asselt /
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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.
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1 online resource. :
"Bibliography of Willem J. van Asselt": pages [378]-383.
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004193772 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Paul and the Jewish law : halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles /
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While interest in Paul's relationship to Judaism has been growing recently, this study adds an important aspect by comparing Paul's practical instruction with the ancient halakha or Jewish traditional law. First Corinthians is found to be a source of prime importance, and surprisingly, halakha appears to be basic to Paul's instruction for non-Jewish Christians. The book includes thorough discussion of hermeneutic and methodological implications, always viewed in relation to the history of Pauline and Judaic study. Attention is also being paid to the setting within Hellenistic culture. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the texture of Paul's thought and these are applied to two 'theological' passages decisive for his place in Judaism. Historical and theological implications are vast, both regarding Paul's relationship to Judaism, his attitude towards Jesus and his Apostles, and the meaning of his teaching concerning justification and the Law.
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1 online resource (xix, 327 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 287-298) and index. :
9789004275140 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Valentinian ethics and paraenetic discourse : determining the social function of moral exhortation in Valentinian Christianity /
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Offering a fresh assessment of the presence and function of paraenesis within Valentinianism, this book places Valentinian moral exhortation within the context of early Christian moral discourse. Like other early Christians, Valentinians were not only interested in ethics, but used moral exhortation to discursively shape social identity. Building on the increasing recognition of ethical and communal concerns reflected in the Nag Hammadi sources, this book advances the discussion by elucidating the social rhetoric within, especially, the Gospel of Truth and the Interpretation of Knowledge . The social function of paraenesis is to persuade an audience through social re-presentation. The authors of these texts discursively position their readers, and themselves, within engaging moments of narrativity. It is hoped that this study will encourage greater integration of research between those working on the Nag Hammadi material and those studying early Christian paraenetic discourse.
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Revision of author's thesis (Ph. D.)--McGill University, 2005. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047428527 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Jerome and the monastic clergy : a commentary on letter 52 to Nepotian, with introduction, text, and translation /
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In Jerome and the Monastic Clergy , Andrew Cain provides the first full-scale commentary on the famous Letter to Nepotian, in which Jerome articulates his radical plan for imposing a strict ascetic code of conduct on the contemporary clergy. Cain comprehensively addresses stylistic, literary, historical, text-critical and other issues of interpretive interest. Accompanying the commentary is an introduction which situates the Letter in the broader context of its author's life and work and exposes its fundamental propagandistic dimensions. The revised critical Latin text and the new facing-page translation will make the Letter more accessible than ever before and will provide a reliable textual apparatus for future scholarship on this key writing by one of the most prolific authors in Latin antiquity.
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1 online resource (xiii, 324 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 25-30 and 275-289) and indexes. :
9789004244382 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Newness in Old Testament prophecy : an intertextual study /
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In Newness in Old Testament Prophecy: An Intertextual Study Henk Leene examines the relations between the new song raised in the Psalms, the new things concealed in Deutero-Isaiah, the new heaven and the new earth announced in Trito-Isaiah, Ezekiel's new heart and the new spirit, and the envisioned new creation and new covenant in Jeremiah. Where these promises were mainly linked form-critically, Henk Leene assumes their direct literary relations. In what direction does the one promise allude to the other, and how do such allusions draw us into a continuing intertextual dialogue on Israel's expectations about the future? Most challenging is Leene's conclusion that Jeremiah's promise of the new covenant presumes the newness passages from both Ezekiel and Isaiah.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004263093 :
0169-7226 ;
Probing the depths of evil and good : multireligious views and case studies /
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In the few years since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, evil has become a central theme in the media and human consciousness: the evil of terrorism, the evil of secular culture, concern for poverty, and climate change... Yet different cultures and religious traditions have different ideas of what evil is and what its root causes are. Although there is no massive clash of cultures, many disagreements and also conflicts in the world arise from the deep differences in views of evil. This volume explores religious views of evil. Scholars from different religions and from various parts of the world describe how people probe the depths of evil-and by necessity that of good-from their own background in various worldviews. In their explorations, almost all address the need to go beyond morality, and beyond legalistic definitions of evil and of good. They point to the radical depths of evil in the world and in human society and reinforce our intuition that there is no easy solution. But if we can gain a better understanding of what people from other worldview traditions and cultures consider evil, we are that much closer to a more peaceful world.
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1 online resource (377 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789401204620 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Themes from Brentano /
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Franz Brentano's impact on the philosophy of his time and on 20th-century philosophy is considerable. The "sharp dialectician" (Freud) and "genial master" (Husserl) influenced philosophers of various allegiances, being acknowledged not only as the "grandfather of phenomenology" (Ryle) but also as an analytic philosopher "in the best sense of this term" (Chisholm). The fourteen new essays gathered together in this volume give an insight in three core issues of Brentano's philosophy: consciousness (sect.1), intentionality (sect. 2) and ontology and metaphysics (sect. 3). Two further sections of the volume deal with the posterity of his philosophy: in section 4, the legacy of his account of sense perception and feeling is discussed, while the history of Brentano's unpublished manuscripts is discussed in section 5. This section also presents an edition of a manuscript from 1899 on relations, along with the letters from Brentano to Marty which discuss this manuscript. The last part of section 5 contains the tekst of a public lecture given by Brentano on the laws of inference.
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1 online resource (530 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789401209939 :
0167-4102 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The texts and versions of the Book of Ben Sira : transmission and interpretation /
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The Book of Ben Sira comes to us in a bewildering variety of ancient textual forms. Each version shows how the book was received and interpreted in a new situation and by another community of readers. The present volume contains studies by some of the best specialists in this field of research. Each of the ancient text forms of Ben Sira-Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, and Latin-is studied in its proper context and analysed in regard to what explains the typical changes it contains.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004207189 :
1384-2161 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A companion to Anglican eucharistic theology.
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Anglican eucharistic theology varies between the different philosophical assumptions of realism and nominalism. Whereas realism links the signs of the Eucharist with what they signify in a real way, nominalism sees these signs as reminders only of past and completed transaction. This book begins by discussing the multifomity of the philosophical assumptions underlying Anglican eucharistic theology and goes on to present extensive case study material which exemplify these different assumptions from the Reformation to the Nineteenth century. By examining the multiformity of philosophical assumptions this book avoids the hermeneutic idealism of particular church parties and looks instead at the Anglican eucharistic tradition in a more critical manner.
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1 online resource (1 volumes) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004221321 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Christianity and the roots of morality : philosophical, early Christian and empirical perspectives /
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What is the role of religion, especially Christianity, in morality, pro-social behavior and altruism? Are there innate human moral capacities in the human mind? When and how did they appear in the history of evolution? What is the real significance of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount - does it set up unique moral standards or only crystallize humans' innate moral intuitions? What is the role of religious teachings and religious communities in pro-social behavior? Christianity and the Roots of Morality: Philosophical, Early Christian, and Empirical Perspectives casts light on these questions through interdisciplinary articles by scholars from social sciences, cognitive science, social psychology, sociology of religion, philosophy, systematic theology, comparative religion and biblical studies. Contributors include: Nancy T. Ammerman, István Czachesz, Grace Davie, Jutta Jokiranta, Simo Knuuttila, Kristen Monroe, Mika Ojakangas, Sami Pihlström, Antti Raunio, Heikki Räisänen (✝), Risto Saarinen, Kari Syreeni, Lauri Thurén, Petri Ylikoski.
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Includes index. :
1 online resource. :
9789004343535 :
1877-8542 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.