On the State and Prospects of the Study of Zoroastrianism

Numen ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 561-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Stausberg
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
Formative Period ◽  
Textual Studies ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe academic study of Zoroastrianism goes back to the seventeenth century. It was a classic topic in the History of Religions as an academic discipline throughout its formative period. Zoroastrianism has become less visible on the field of the History of Religions since the 1970s. This, however, does not mean that there was no progress in Zoroastrian Studies since that time. Quite to the contrary, despite the customary tendency to paint a gloomy picture of the progress of Zoroastrian Studies, scholarship in this field has advanced considerably in recent decades. The present article sketches eighteen major subjects of innovative recent research activities. Topics include textual studies, law, astrology, secondary sources, religion and politics, regional diversity, marginalization, impact on and interaction with other religious traditions, the modern communities in India, Iran, and various "diasporic" settings as well as gender, rituals, and outside reception. e article concludes by sketching some prospects for the study of Zoroastrianism.

Introduction

2007 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jeremy Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Religious Community ◽  
The Political ◽  
Jewish State ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

This chapter investigates the idea of the 'Jewish contribution' that was borne on Jews, non-Jews, and the interaction between them in modern times, from the seventeenth century to the present. It determines what role 'Jewish contribution' has played in 'Jewish self-definition' and how it has influenced the political, social, and cultural history of the Jews. It also discusses the biblical heritage that Jews, Christians, and Muslims share that highlights the people of the book and the impact of biblical monotheism on the history of religions. The chapter looks at the survival of the Jews as a distinct ethnic group and a multinational religious community that wrestles with the phenomenon to understand the reasons for their survival. It mentions the tragedy of the Nazi Holocaust and the re-establishment of the Jewish state in its wake that piqued the curiosity of the world.

From ‘Fetish’ to ‘Aura’: The Charisma of Objects?

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-190
Author(s):  
Martin Radermacher
Keyword(s):  
Material Objects ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Specific Material ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Material Artifacts

In the history of religions, material artifacts have often played an important role as mediations of the ‘sacred.’ They were and are worshipped, venerated, and sometimes destroyed for their assumed supernatural powers. The article reviews theoretical concepts that engage with the charismatic capacities of objects (‘fetish,’ ‘cultic image,’ and ‘aura’) and discusses literature about ‘charismatic objects.’ It deals with the question of what kind of charisma objects may have and suggests that the term ‘charisma,’ when defined in a specific way, is a useful concept to describe and compare specific material objects from different religious traditions. These conceptual and methodological considerations are illustrated by a brief discussion of Christian relic veneration.

Healing and Religion in the United States

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Hendrickson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Religious Healing ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Parish Nurses ◽  
Constant Change ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of

Religions, in almost every case, are concerned with healing the sick and the broken. Of course, healing is not the sole feature or function of religion, but for many people, restoration of wellness and wholeness is a central component of their religious experience. Religious healing comes in many forms, from miraculous supernatural intervention, to the manipulation of metaphysical energies, to the proper ordering of healthy human relationships and societies. Some religions rely on the ministrations of healing specialists such as shamans, parish nurses, or gifted miracle workers. Others focus on therapeutic modes of self-help, while yet others link healing with redemption from iniquity. In many cases, various kinds of religious healing overlap, all in service of that which is most efficacious in providing relief and recovery. The history of religions in the United States is likewise full of instances and varieties of religious healing. Americans of many creeds and diverse heritages have often sought healing within their religious traditions, and they have innovated new religious movements that focus primarily on the alleviation of suffering. Moreover, the attention to healing within American religions predates the rise of scientific biomedicine, evolves alongside of it, and endures through the present. Finally, recurrence to religious healing has often played a role in ethnic identity construction and maintenance in this largely immigrant nation. Given the scope and impact of healing on U.S. religious history, it is imperative to consider how the idea of healing has captivated and motivated religious actors. Of particular interest is the complex and sometimes violent process by which religious ideas and practices related to healing have been exchanged, modified, and even appropriated. Throughout the course of American history, religious healing—in its many expressions—has been characterized by ongoing competition, collaboration, overlap, and constant change. Ultimately, it bears little fruit to look for a common thread that might run among all the various traditions and formulations of American religious healing. Rather, it is more rewarding to consider carefully the interactions and evolutions of healing in the ever-changing American religious scene.

Al Fārūqī between the History of Religions and Islamic Theology

Numen ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 60 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 230-250
Author(s):  
Abdulkader Tayob
Keyword(s):  
Religious Studies ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Islamic Theology ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Truth Claims ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S

Abstract Ismāʿīl Rājī al Fārūqī (1921–1986) played a considerable role in the academic study of Islam as it was developing in North America in the 1960s and 1970s. This paper is a critical examination of how he employed the categories of religion and religious studies in his scholarly, dialogical, and Islamist work. The paper follows his ideas of religious traditions, their truth claims, and ethical engagement in the world. For Al Fārūqī, these constituted the main foundations of all religions, and provided a distinctive approach to the study of religions. Al Fārūqī was critical of the then prevailing approaches, asserting that they were either too subjective or too reductionist. He offered an approach to the study of religions based on a Kantian approach to values. Al Fārūqī’s method and theory, however, could not escape the bias and prejudice that he tried to avoid. Following his arguments, I show that his reflections on religion and its systematic study in academia charted an approach to religions, but also provided a language for a particular Islamic theology that delegitimized other approaches, particularly experiential ones, in modern Islam.

The Study of Yoruba Religious Tradition in Historical Perspective

Numen ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob K. Olupona
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Conducting Research

AbstractThis essay presents an overview of past and recent scholarship in Yoruba religion. The earliest studies of Yoruba religious traditions were carried out by missionaries, travellers and explorers who were concerned with writing about the so called "pagan" practices and "animist" beliefs of the African peoples. In the first quarter of the 20th century professional ethnologists committed to documenting the Yoruba religion and culture were, among other things, concerned with theories about cosmology, belief-systems, and organizations of Orisà cults. Indigenous authors, especially the Reverend gentlemen of the Church Missionary Society, responded to these early works by proposing the Egyptian origin of Yoruba religion and by conducting research into Ifá divination system as a preparatio evangelica. The paper also examines the contributions of scholars in the arts and the social sciences to the interpretation and analysis of Yoruba religion, especially those areas neglected in previous scholarship. This essay further explores the study of Yoruba religion in the Americas, as a way of providing useful comparison with the Nigerian situation. It demonstrates the strong influence of Yoruba religion and culture on world religions among African diaspora. In the past ten years, significant works on the phenomenology and history of religions have been produced by indigenous scholars trained in philosophy and Religionswissenschaft in Europe and America and more recently in Nigeria. Lastly, the essay examines some neglected aspects of Yoruba religious studies and suggests that future research should focus on developing new theories and uncovering existing ones in indigenous Yoruba discourses.

Religions, Reasons and Gods

1987 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
John Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Prior Belief ◽  
Principal Function ◽  
Philosophical Literature ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Belief In God ◽  
Theistic Proofs ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of

Philosophers have tended to discuss theistic proofs (and theistic disproofs) largely in abstraction from their specific roles within the religious traditions in which those proofs were cultivated and in which, until modern times, they flourished. As a result, the traditional theistic proofs of the West are generally presented in the philosophical literature as no more than (failed) attempts to demonstrate or within tolerable limits to establish the probability of the existence of at least one god. Whatever the history of philosophy may suggest, the history of religions shows that theistic proofs have been developed from a variety of motives and have been employed to a variety of ends, only one of which is to persuade someone not already so inclined to believe that god/s exist. Indeed, this latter purpose is fairly subsidiary in the history of religions. A survey of the place and roles of theistic proofs and disproofs within a range of religious traditions, Eastern as well as Western, suggests that in the main they were used to serve intra-traditional ends. Their principal function seems to have been more nearly explanatory than justificatory. Even when they aimed them outside the tradition and used them to apologetic ends, purveyors of the proofs tended to assume prior belief in god/s on the part of their intended audience.

Wonderful Works of Nature: C.S. Lewis and Reijer Hooykaas on Francis Bacon and the Scientific Revolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-209
Author(s):  
Arend Smilde
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Scientific Revolution ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Francis Bacon ◽  
History Of ◽  
Good For

This article examines a disagreement which briefly came to light decades ago, half-posthumously, between two twentieth-century Christian scholars, C.S. Lewis (1898–1963) and Reijer Hooykaas (1906–1994), the first Dutch professor in the history of science, who later succeeded to the chair of Eduard Dijksterhuis in Utrecht. Hooykaas and Lewis diverge in their views of the role traditionally ascribed to the work of Francis Bacon (1561–1626) as a major inspiration for the seventeenth-century scientific revolution. Put briefly, while Bacon is a hero for Hooykaas, he is an antihero for Lewis. Sorting out the extent to which either scholar was right not only results in a fairly clear answer but entails, as a bonus, a fine example of what the history of science as an academic discipline is indeed good for.

The History of Religions as a Tool for Citizenship Education of Children

2013 ◽  
pp. 914-922
Author(s):  
Mariachiara Giorda ◽  
Giulia Nardini ◽  
Beatrice Nuti
Keyword(s):  
Religious Education ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Citizen Education ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of

In the context of an increasingly multicultural Italy, teaching young people about different cultural and religious identities is in order. The presence in schools of a growing number of children from different cultural backgrounds, languages, and religions begs for the creation of a constructive and respectful dialogue that helps to develop the ability to listen to others, promoting a democratic path of inclusion. This project puts forward a course on Religious Education, already active in a second grade class of an elementary school in Turin, and in several elementary schools in the province of Latina, as from 2011. The methodology of the project involves a series of classroom workshops based on the recollection of personal experiences of students, free participation in group dynamics, and discussion about the different lifestyles. It aims at teaching a correct religious terminology, the historical and geographic development of religions, and several religious customs. This approach to Citizen Education through the knowledge or religious traditions is a pioneering initiative in Italy.

Non-Traditional Modern Advaita Gurus in the West and Their Traditional Modern Advaita Critics

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 6-37
Author(s):  
Phillip Charles Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
The Other ◽  
Advaita Vedanta ◽  
The West ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of Religions ◽  
History Of

The Modern Advaita movement has undergone a split between two factions: one remains committed to a more traditional articulation of Advaita Vedanta, and the other has departed in significant ways from this traditional spiritual system. Over the past fifteen years, the Traditional Modern Advaita (TMA) faction has launched sustained and wide-ranging criticism of Non-Traditional Modern Advaita (NTMA) teachers and teachings. This article identifies the main themes of TMA criticisms and interprets their significance using insights from the social sciences and history of religions. I suggest that some reconfiguring of the Advaita tradition is necessary as it expands in transnational directions, since the structures of intelligibility from one culture to another are rarely congruent. Indeed, adaptation, accommodation and reconfiguration are normal and natural processes for religious traditions expanding beyond their indigenous cultural matrices. In the end, the significant questions for Advaita missionaries to the West may be how much accommodation is prudent, how rapidly reconfiguration should take place, and what adaptations are necessary for their spiritual methodology not only to survive but also thrive in new cultural settings.

scholarly journals A Case of Geluk Growth: The Career of Scholar and Yogin Shar Kalden Gyatso (1607–1677) and His Role in Propagating the Geluk School in Rebgong, Amdo

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Dorje
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Religious History ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Central Figure ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
History Of ◽  
Institutional Foundations ◽  
Century Development ◽  
Home Region

This paper explores the life of Shar Kalden Gyatso with a focus on his contributions to the seventeenth-century development of Geluk influence in the northeastern Tibetan region of Amdo. Not only did he adopt the role of a monastic leader in founding and bolstering scholastic traditions in his home region in Amdo, but he was also an accomplished practitioner. In addition to his role as the founder of scholastic and retreat institutions in Rebgong, his close relationship with local rulers in Amdo and his non-sectarian stance toward other religious traditions fueled his charisma and increased his base of followers. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is to explore all these themes as they illustrate the career of Shar Kalden Gyatso as a central figure in the religious history of Amdo in general and the development of Geluk influence in Rebgong in particular. Meanwhile, I provide an appropriate assessment of the sectarian conversion of Rongwo Monastery, also considering the importance of Shar Kalden Gyatso’s role in institutional foundations, his network of patronage, and his religious ecumenical thought to particularly characterize his outstanding career.

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