Религиоведение
Различные книги в жанре РелигиоведениеLife and Practice in the Early Church
Life and Practice in the Early Church brings together a range of primary texts from the church's first five centuries to demonstrate how early Christians practiced their faith. Rather than focusing on theology, these original documents shed light on how early believers «did church,» addressing such practical questions as, how did the church administer baptism? How were sermons delivered? How did the early church carry out its missions endeavors? Early Christian writings reveal a great deal about the tradition, as well as the wider culture in which it developed. Far from being monolithic, the documents which present the voices of the early church fathers in their own words demonstrate variation and diversity regarding how faith was worked out during the patristic period. The texts illuminate who was eligible for baptism, what was expected of worshippers, how the Eucharist was celebrated, and how church offices and their functions were organized. Contextual introductions explain practices and their development for those with little prior knowledge of Christian history or tradition. The pieces included here, all in accessible English translation, represent such sources as Justin Martyr, Tertullian, the Cappadocians, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, and Augustine.
Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches
Covering an expanse of more than three thousand years, Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches charts, in one concise volume, the history of Greece’s religious cultures from antiquity all the way through to present, post-independence Greece.Focusing on the encounter and interaction between Hellenism and (Orthodox) Christianity, which is the most salient feature of Greece’s religious landscape—influencing not only Greek religious history, but Greek culture and history as a whole—Vasilios N. Makrides considers the religious cultures of Greece both historically, from the ancient Greek through the Byzantine and the Ottoman periods up to the present, and systematically, by locating common characteristics and trajectoriesacross time. Weaving other traditions including Judaism and Islam into his account, Makrides highlights the patterns of development, continuity, and change that have characterized the country’s long and unique religious history.Contrary to the arguments of those who posit a single, exclusive religious culture for Greece, Makrides demonstrates the diversity and plurality that has characterized Greece’s religious landscape across history. Beautifully written and easy to navigate, Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches offers an essential foundation for students, scholars, and the public on Greece’s long religious history, from ancient Greece and the origins of Christianity to the formation of «Helleno-Christianity» in modern Greece.
Hare Krishna Transformed
Most widely known for its adherents chanting “Hare Krishna” and distributing religious literature on the streets of American cities, the Hare Krishna movement was founded in New York City in 1965 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, it is based on the Hindu Vedic scriptures and is a Western outgrowth of a popular yoga tradition which began in the 16th century.In its first generation ISKCON actively deterred marriage and the nuclear family, denigrated women, and viewed the raising of children as a distraction from devotees' spiritual responsibilities. Yet since the death of its founder in 1977, there has been a growing women’s rights movement and also a highly publicized child abuse scandal. Most strikingly, this movement has transformed into one that now embraces the nuclear family and is more accepting of both women and children, steps taken out of necessity to sustain itself as a religious movement into the next generation. At the same time, it is now struggling to contend with the consequences of its recent outreach into the India-born American Hindu community.Based on three decades of in-depth research and participant observation, Hare Krishna Transformed explores dramatic changes in this new religious movement over the course of two generations from its founding.
Dreaming in the World's Religions
From Biblical stories of Joseph interpreting Pharoh’s dreams in Egypt to prayers against bad dreams in the Hindu Rg Veda, cultures all over the world have seen their dreams first and foremost as religiously meaningful experiences. In this widely shared view, dreams are a powerful medium of transpersonal guidance offering the opportunity to communicate with sacred beings, gain valuable wisdom and power, heal suffering, and explore new realms of existence. Conversely, the world’s religious and spiritual traditions provide the best source of historical information about the broad patterns of human dream life Dreaming in the World’s Religions provides an authoritative and engaging one-volume resource for the study of dreaming and religion. It tells the story of how dreaming has shaped the religious history of humankind, from the Upanishads of Hinduism to the Qur’an of Islam, from the conception dream of Buddhas mother to the sexually tempting nightmares of St. Augustine, from the Ojibwa vision quest to Australian Aboriginal journeys in the Dreamtime. Bringing his background in psychology to bear, Kelly Bulkeley incorporates an accessible consideration of cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology into this fascinating overview. Dreaming in the World’s Religions offers a carefully researched, accessibly written portrait of dreaming as a powerful, unpredictable, often iconoclastic force in human religious life.
Coming to Christ
"Come to Me" – Matt 11:28 Jesus told us, «Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.» His promise of rest begins with a gentle request – to come to Him. But where do we find him? How do we draw closer to Jesus? What does it mean for our lives? And what do we really find when we go to Him? Susan Conroy, author and well-known host of the popular EWTN television series Coming to Christ – the inspiration for this book – will show how you can find Jesus in your life every day. Coming to Christ is a lot like sitting down with a good friend who, in words and pictures, shares her practical, uncomplicated examples of ways we can turn and return to God. Through personal stories, writings of the saints, and sacred scripture, Susan shows each of us not only why, but HOW, step by step, to come to Christ. Let us each take to heart Christ's invitation to «come to Me» and experience the rest we so desire.
The Fathers of the Church, 3rd Edition
We hear the voices of the early Church Fathers even today. Their teachings, their guidance, their insights, and their sacrifice shaped the Catholic Church. They defined the canon of Scripture. They developed our creeds and forms of worship. They defined Christianity's distinctive moral sense.</p><p>But who were they? What can we learn from their ancient teachings? What can the Fathers teach the 21st century – about holiness, culture, faith, and the Gospel.</p><p>This is the definitive resource for anyone interested in learning about the Church Fathers and their legacy. Ideal for RCIA, catechists, clergy, as well as lay Catholics who want to learn more about the great teachers of early Christianity.</p><p>In this new and extensively updated Third Edition, you'll find:<ul><li>New! Twenty Church Fathers never before covered in this series<li>Nearly 75 more pages of information on the early Church!<li>New! Many poets of ancient Christianity, whose hymns we still sing today.<li>An extensively revised introduction<li>The Mothers of the Church and their impact<li>Research-friendly references and citations, topical index, timeline, and detailed bibliography</ul></p>
The Twelve
Who were the Apostles really? What happened to them after the end of the Gospel story? You'll be surprised by the wealth of detail Ruffin has dug up for each apostle – even Judas Iscariot.
Saints of Africa
Over 117 million Catholics live in Africa – almost twice as many as in the United States. Is it any surprise that the saints of Africa number in the thousands? They include three popes, three Doctors of the Church, eight Fathers of the Church, thousands of martyrs, hundreds of monks, plus countless religious and lay leaders. Yet, how many of us can name even a handful of these saints? Saints of Africa presents a cross section of these remarkable men and women. From the earliest defenders of the Faith to twentieth-century martyrs, they bear witness to the remarkable sanctity of the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent. Read the stories of these Christian heroes and heriones of African origin or African descent whose influence touches all of our lives.
Alternative Sociologies of Religion
Uncovers what the sociology of religion would look like had it emerged in a Confucian, Muslim, or Native American culture rather than in a Christian one Sociology has long used Western Christianity as a model for all religious life. As a result, the field has tended to highlight aspects of religion that Christians find important, such as religious beliefs and formal organizations, while paying less attention to other elements. Rather than simply criticizing such limitations, James V. Spickard imagines what the sociology of religion would look like had it arisen in three non-Western societies. What aspects of religion would scholars see more clearly if they had been raised in Confucian China? What could they learn about religion from Ibn Khaldun, the famed 14th century Arab scholar? What would they better understand, had they been born Navajo, whose traditional religion certainly does not revolve around beliefs and organizations? Through these thought experiments, Spickard shows how non-Western ideas understand some aspects of religions—even of Western religions—better than does standard sociology. The volume shows how non-Western frameworks can shed new light on several different dimensions of religious life, including the question of who maintains religious communities, the relationships between religion and ethnicity as sources of social ties, and the role of embodied experience in religious rituals. These approaches reveal central aspects of contemporary religions that the dominant way of doing sociology fails to notice. Each approach also provides investigators with new theoretical resources to guide them deeper into their subjects. The volume makes a compelling case for adopting a global perspective in the social sciences.
The Prophetic Tradition and Radical Rhetoric in America
This expansive volume traces the rhetoric of reform across American history, examining such pivotal periods as the American Revolution, slavery, McCarthyism, and today's gay liberation movement. At a time when social movements led by religious leaders, from Louis Farrakhan to Pat Buchanan, are playing a central role in American politics, James Darsey connects this radical tradition with its prophetic roots.Public discourse in the West is derived from the Greek principles of civility, diplomacy, compromise, and negotiation. On this model, radical speech is often taken to be a sympton of social disorder. Not so, contends Darsey, who argues that the rhetoric of reform in America represents the continuation of a tradition separate from the commonly accepted principles of the Greeks. Though the links have gone unrecognized, the American radical tradition stems not from Aristotle, he maintains, but from the prophets of the Hebrew Bible.