Studies in Theology and Religion - Böcker

What is the significance of monotheism in modern western culture, taking into account both its problematic and promising aspects? Biblical texts and the biblical faith traditions bear a continuous, polemical tension between exclusive and inclusive perceptions and interpretations of monotheism. Western monotheism proves itself to be multi-significant and heterogeneous, producing boundary-setting as well as boundary-crossing tendencies, is the common thesis of the authors of this book, who have been collectively debating this theme for two years in an interdisciplinary scholarly setting. Their contributions range from the fields of biblical and religious studies, history and philosophy of religion, systematic theology, to gender studies in theology and religion.The authors also explain the particular contribution of their own theological discipline to these debates.

An interdisciplinary gender-sensitive approach toward perspectives on the everyday and the sacred are the hallmark of this volume. Looking beyond the dualistic status-quo, the authors probe the categories, textures, powers, and practices that define how we experience, embody, and understand religion and the sacred, their interconnection, but also disassociation with the secular. Contributions by an international group of feminist theologians and religious studies scholars aim to re-configure the study of both religion and gender: Angela Berlis, Anne-Marie Korte, Kune Biezeveld , Helga Kuhlmann, Maaike de Haardt, Akke van der Kooi, Dorothea Erbele-Kuster, Willien van Wieringen, Magda Misset-van de Weg, Ge Speelman, Mathilde van Dijk, Jacqueline Borsje, Hedwig Meyer-Wilmes, Goedroen Juchtmans, Alma Lanser and Riet Bons-Storm.

Though the number of Christians in Western societies is declining, many areas of our daily life are still influenced by Christian thoughts, expressions and images, sometimes without people being aware of it. This volume is about Christ's descent into hell as it appears in The Apostles' Creed 'He descended into hell', the Apostles' Creed professes.But what are Christians who recite this Creed supposed to believe in when they profess their faith in the descent into hell? Or, to put the same question more poignantly, what is at stake if people deny the descent? Would it make any difference if we did not believe in the descent? How did the early Church interpret this belief? What influence has this article of faith had on contemporary theology and culture?Starting with a biblical view, the volume covers the history of theology by discussing the ideas of Augustine, the liturgy of the Early Church, the role of Christ's decent in Franciscan spirituality and in the theology of Thomas Aquinas. It also asks whether similar theological ideas are present in Judaism. In addition, it gauges the meaning of Christ's descent for today by reflecting on pastoral activities and on computer games. The volume concludes with a fundamental theological reflection which systematises and summarises all the material presented in this volume.These and other questions are discussed by theologians against the background of various disciplines: Biblical Studies, History of the Liturgy, Jewish Studies, History of Theology, History of Spirituality, Practical Theology, Cultural Theology and Systematic Theology.Contributors are: Frank Bosman, Toke Elshof, Paul van Geest, Harm Goris, Marcel Poorthuis, Gerard Rouwhorst, Marcel Sarot, William Marie Speelman, and Archibald van Wieringen.

Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in many societies, yet also highly contested. As a right, it can only be appreciated if its historical development is taken into account. Parrhesia offers case studies in freedom of speech, its understanding and exercise throughout history. They enable researchers and policymakers alike to gain an awareness of the complexities, challenges and benefits of freedom of speech. The cases that have been selected are from the field of religion and theology, yet exemplary in character and able to shed light on freedom of speech in other parts of society. Contributors are: Leon van den Broeke, Jan Krans, Silvia Castelli, Bert Jan Lietaert Peerbolte, Manfred Lang, Bastian Lemitz, Nils Neumann, Kyriakoula Papademetriou, Dirk Jan Schoon, and Peter-Ben Smit.

Rufus Jones’ promotion of mysticism and his novel formulation of the Inner Light, which saw God as an inherent part of human nature, were sweepingly influential within liberal Quakerism in the early 20th century and have had long-lasting effects on Quaker faith and practice. In spite of the importance of his ideas, however, they have received little critical attention. In Mysticism and the Inner Light, Helen Holt provides a systematic analysis of Jones’ thought in historical context, showing how he attempted to synthesize his own experience with aspects of the psychology of William James, the idealism of Josiah Royce, and liberal Christianity. She finds that because Jones presented his ideas informally, he is sometimes misinterpreted, especially regarding his views on Christ and humanism. The book draws on Jones’ extensive corpus and on unpublished archived letters.

This is a biography of Queen Berenice, the daughter of King Agrippa I, sister of King Agrippa II, wife of two kings and lover of the emperor designate Flavius Titus. A Jew of the 1st century, she witnessed some of the foundational events of her time like the emergence of Christianity and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, is. She met and socialized with the most important people of her day - Philo the Philosopher (who was at one time her brother-in-law), Paul the Apostle (whose trial she witnessed) and Josephus the Historian who told part of her story.

“Unheil,” curse, disaster: according to German scholar Gerhard Kittel, this is the Jewish destiny attested to in scripture. Such interpretations of biblical texts provided Adolf Hitler with the theological legitimatization necessary to realizing his “final solution.” But theological antisemitism did not begin with the Third Reich. Ferdinand Baur’s nineteenth-century Judaism-Hellenism dichotomy empowered National Socialist scholars to construct an Aryan Jesus cleansed of his Jewish identity, building on Baur’s Enlightenment prejudices. Anders Gerdmar takes a fresh look at the dangers of the politicization of biblical scholarship and the ways our unrecognized interpretive filters may generate someone else’s apocalypse.

Jacob Boehme (1574-1624) was a wildly creative mystical writer whose extraordinary revelations have often been consigned to obscurity. In this original book, professor and therapist Glenn McCullough shows that Boehme is the source of one of modernity’s most influential movements: psychotherapy.Bringing clarity to Boehme’s revelations, and providing insights for scholars, therapists, and spiritual seekers, McCullough shows that Boehme furnishes the wider spiritual context for the pioneering therapeutic concepts of both Sigmund Freud and C.G. Jung, including their respective understandings of the unconscious mind and its remarkable potentials. For Boehme, the unconscious is defined by the figure of Sophia—divine Wisdom—and Sophia’s seven drives illuminate the nocturnal world of dreams, guiding the soul on a journey of expanded awareness and spiritual rebirth.While Boehme has often been dismissed as an esoteric outsider, this book locates him within the mainstream Western theological tradition of Augustine, while highlighting Boehme’s unique approach to the ecstatic dream world of Wisdom, and his importance for therapists today.

Through a geographic spread that surveys theological education in Central and East Europe, this volume provides a local glimpse into the state of theological education but also global reflection on the state and scope of theological education as a type of Christian mission and witness in light of secularization and globalization under the conditions of late modernity.

What does it mean when Christians confess that Jesus was ‘born of the Virgin Mary’? This volume of essays, written by an international group of scholars, approaches this question from various perspectives. From examining the Old Testament backgrounds to exploring the Virgin Birth in various traditions and cultures, each chapter offers fresh perspectives. The contributors explore topics ranging from the Pre-Nicene tradition to modern cinematic interpretations, and from the perspectives of renowned theologians to interfaith dialogue with Islam and Hinduism. Engaging and thought-provoking, this volume promises to illuminate the significance of the Virgin Birth across diverse religious and cultural contexts.

The authors explore theological anthropology through the different phases of human life. Beginning with birth and continuing through childhood to adulthood, to growing old and facing the closeness of death, the book looks into the roles of family, education, friendships, the religious community and its rituals. It considers challenges in living with a disability or illness, disruptions presented by social exclusion, experiencing violence, sexual abuse or having done wrong. It explores the possibilities and the difficulty of forgiveness and rehabilitation. It ends by inverting the perspective, looking at human becoming from the perspective of faith in the resurrection. Contributors are: Pavol Bargár, John Behr, Viorel Coman, Pavel Hošek, Petr Jandejsek, Václav Ježek, Michael Kirwan, Kateřina Kočandrle Bauer, Olga Lossky-Laham, Petre Maican, Ivana Noble, Tim Noble, Aristotle Papanikolaou, Athanasios N. Papathanasiou, Ian Randall, Zdenko Širka, Aleš Weiss, Pieter De Witte, Mujadad Zaman.

Is being human a given, or is it something one grows into throughout one’s life? Is possible to be and to become human without freedom, other people, nature, God? Offering interdisciplinary insights into such questions, this volume draws on the Bible and the classics of Christian traditions, as well as contemporary debates on individualism, social responsibility, gender, and ecology. It explores narratives about human identity, how being and becoming human features in rituals and symbols, and theological models used by Christian anthropology over the centuries It looks at the human in the landscape, culture, and society, at the church, and considers the nature of discernment, formulating and reformulating moral values, and wrestling with new challenges.Contributors are: Pavol Bargár, Kateřina Kočandrle Bauer, Viorel Coman, Denisa Červenková, Ondřej Fischer, Pavel Hošek, Petr Jandejsek, Ondřej Kolář, Tabita Landová, Ivana Noble, Tim Noble, Libor Ovečka, Aristotle Papanikolaou, Mireia Ryšková, Zdenko Širka, František Štěch, Martin Vaňáč, and Michaela Vlčková.First published in Czech as Kdo je člověk? Teologická antropologie ekumenicky by Karolinum, Prague, 2021.