Constructions of Gender in Late Antique Manichaean Cosmological Narrative

Constructions of Gender in Late Antique Manichaean Cosmological Narrative PDF

Author: Susanna Towers

Publisher:

Published: 2019-12-12

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9782503586663

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Manichaeism emerged from Sasanian Persia in the third century CE and flourished in Persia, the Roman Empire, Central Asia and beyond until succumbing to persecution from rival faiths in the eighth to ninth century. Its founder, Mani, claimed to be the final embodiment of a series of prophets sent over time to expound divine wisdom. This monograph explores the constructions of gender embedded in Mani's colourful dualist cosmological narrative, in which a series of gendered divinities are in conflict with the demonic beings of the Kingdom of Darkness. The Jewish and Gnostic roots of Mani's literary constructions of gender are examined in parallel with Sasanian societal expectations. Reconstructions of gender in subsequent Manichaean literature reflect the changing circumstances of the Manichaean community. As the first major study of gender in Manichaean literature, this monograph draws upon established approaches to the study of gender in late antique religious literature, to present a portrait of a historically maligned and persecuted religious community.

T&T Clark Handbook of the Early Church

T&T Clark Handbook of the Early Church PDF

Author: Ilaria L.E. Ramelli

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-12-16

Total Pages: 745

ISBN-13: 0567680398

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Exploring the key documents, authors and themes of Early Christian traditions, this volume traces the vital trajectories of emerging distinctive Christian identity in the Graeco-Roman world. Special attention is given to the coherent growth of Christian faith in connection with worship, alongside the crucial transformation of Christian life and doctrine under the Christian Emperors. As well as offering a chronological development of the Early Church, the book examines the interaction between Christian worship and faith. In addition, readers interested in systematic theology can refer to chapters on the roots of some significant theological notions in Christian Antiquity, also with reference to ancient philosophy. Issues addressed include: · Distinctiveness of the Christian identity during the first centuries · Diversity of communities and their theologies · Connection between faith and worship · Transition from the persecuted minority to triumphant Church with Creeds · History of early Christian thought and modern systematic theology

Constructions of Gender in Religious Traditions of Late Antiquity

Constructions of Gender in Religious Traditions of Late Antiquity PDF

Author: Shayna Sheinfeld

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2024-03-26

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 1978714564

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This volume examines questions concerning the construction of gender and identity in the earliest days of what is now Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Methodologically explicit, the contributions analyze textual and material sources related to these religious traditions in their cultural contexts. The sources examined are predominantly products of patriarchal elite discourses requiring innovative approaches to unveil aspects of gender otherwise hidden. This volume extends the discussion represented in the volume Gender and Second-Temple Judaism (2020) and highlights the fruitfulness of interdisciplinary research beyond anachronistic discipline distinctions.

Ephrem, a 'Jewish' Sage

Ephrem, a 'Jewish' Sage PDF

Author: Elena Narinskaya

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9782503534329

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This book seeks to reconsider the commonly held view that some of Ephrem's writings are anti-Semitic, and that his relationship with Judaism is polemical and controversial. The outcome of the research highlights several key issues. First, it indicates that the whole emphasis of Ephrem's critical remarks about Jews and Judaism is directed towards Christian conduct, and not towards Jews; and second, it considers Ephrem's negative remarks towards Jews strictly within the context of his awareness of the need for a more clearly defined identity for the Syriac Church. Furthermore, this book examines discernible parallels between Ephrem's commentaries on Scripture and Jewish sources. Such an exercise contributes to a general portrait of Ephrem within the context of his Semitic background. And in addition, the book offers an alternative reading of Ephrem's exegetical writings, suggesting that Ephrem was aiming to include Jews together with Christians among his target audience. Further analysis of Ephrem's biblical commentaries suggests that his exegetical style resembles in many respects approaches to Scripture familiar to us from the writings of Jewish scholars. A comparison of Ephrem's writings with Jewish sources represents a legitimate exercise, considering ideas that Ephrem emphasises, exegetical techniques that he uses, and his great appreciation of 'the People' - the Jews as a chosen nation and the people of God - an appreciation which becomes apparent from Ephrem's presentation of them. The process of reading Ephrem's exegetical writings in parallel with Jewish sources strongly identifies him as an heir of Jewish exegetical tradition who is comfortably and thoroughly grounded in it. This reading identifies Ephrem on a theological, exegetical and methodological level as a Christian writer demonstrating the qualities and features of a Jewish sage. The author has been awarded a PhD at Durham University (Department of Theology and Religion). In her research she works with a variety of methodologies including historical and literary criticism, and philosophical techniques.

Passion of the Western Mind

Passion of the Western Mind PDF

Author: Richard Tarnas

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published: 2011-10-19

Total Pages: 560

ISBN-13: 0307804526

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"[This] magnificent critical survey, with its inherent respect for both the 'Westt's mainstream high culture' and the 'radically changing world' of the 1990s, offers a new breakthrough for lay and scholarly readers alike....Allows readers to grasp the big picture of Western culture for the first time." SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Here are the great minds of Western civilization and their pivotal ideas, from Plato to Hegel, from Augustine to Nietzsche, from Copernicus to Freud. Richard Tarnas performs the near-miracle of describing profound philosophical concepts simply but without simplifying them. Ten years in the making and already hailed as a classic, THE PASSION OF THE WESERN MIND is truly a complete liberal education in a single volume.

Meditations of the Heart

Meditations of the Heart PDF

Author: Andreas Andreopoulos

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9782503534336

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The Psalms are one of the most important biblical texts in Patristic exegesis, commentary, preaching, liturgical practice and theological reflection. Their language and imageryis all-pervasive; they were not only interpreted by the fathers but a good deal of Patristic exegetical practice actually evolved from engagement with them; they directly informed Christological and Ecclesiological reflection; were central to early monasticism; inspired early Christian poetry and provided material for liturgical chant, prayers, hymns and penitential or doxological expression. This volume of essays on the Psalms in Early Christian Thought and Practice is offered with profound gratitude, admiration and respect by colleagues and friends of Professor Andrew Louth FBA, to honour his long and immensely distinguished career as priest, teacher and prolific author in almost every aspect of Greek and Latin Patristics.

A State of Mixture

A State of Mixture PDF

Author: Richard E. Payne

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2015-09-01

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0520286197

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Christian communities flourished during late antiquity in a Zoroastrian political system, known as the Iranian Empire, that integrated culturally and geographically disparate territories from Arabia to Afghanistan into its institutions and networks. Whereas previous studies have regarded Christians as marginal, insular, and often persecuted participants in this empire, Richard Payne demonstrates their integration into elite networks, adoption of Iranian political practices and imaginaries, and participation in imperial institutions. ÊThe rise of Christianity in Iran depended on the Zoroastrian theory and practice of hierarchical, differentiated inclusion, according to which Christians, Jews, and others occupied legitimate places in Iranian political culture in positions subordinate to the imperial religion. Christians, for their part, positioned themselves in a political culture not of their own making, with recourse to their own ideological and institutional resources, ranging from the writing of saintsÕ lives to the judicial arbitration of bishops. In placing the social history of East Syrian Christians at the center of the Iranian imperial story, A State of Mixture helps explain the endurance of a culturally diverse empire across four centuries. Ê

City of Demons

City of Demons PDF

Author: Dayna S. Kalleres

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2015-10-13

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 0520276477

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Although it would appear in studies of late antique ecclesiastical authority and power that scholars have covered everything, an important aspect of the urban bishop has long been neglected: his role as demonologist and exorcist. When the emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the realm, bishops and priests everywhere struggledÊ to ÒChristianizeÓ the urban spaces still dominated by Greco-Roman monuments and festivals. During this period of upheaval, when congregants seemingly attended everything but their own ÒorthodoxÓ church, many ecclesiastical leaders began simultaneously to promote aggressive and insidious depictions of the demonic. In City of Demons, Dayna S. Kalleres investigates this developing discourse and the church-sponsored rituals that went along with it, showing how shifting ecclesiastical demonologies and evolving practices of exorcism profoundly shaped Christian life in the fourth century.

The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West

The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West PDF

Author: Alison I. Beach

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-01-09

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1108770630

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Monasticism, in all of its variations, was a feature of almost every landscape in the medieval West. So ubiquitous were religious women and men throughout the Middle Ages that all medievalists encounter monasticism in their intellectual worlds. While there is enormous interest in medieval monasticism among Anglophone scholars, language is often a barrier to accessing some of the most important and groundbreaking research emerging from Europe. The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West offers a comprehensive treatment of medieval monasticism, from Late Antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages. The essays, specially commissioned for this volume and written by an international team of scholars, with contributors from Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States, cover a range of topics and themes and represent the most up-to-date discoveries on this topic.