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Author: Alan McGill
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1666955701
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 169
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Book Description
When Christians profess faith in the teaching that Jesus “ascended into heaven” and is “seated at the right hand of the Father”, what do they mean? And what kind of truth is denoted by the narratives of the battle in heaven, the Fall, the Exodus, Annunciation, the theophanies of the gospels, and Second Coming? Some may interpret these literally and ascribe to a model of faith that quite happily runs contrary to reason and life experience. Many, however, recognize that the language in question is symbolic but it is not always apparent as to what is being symbolized and how such symbolism relates to objective truth claims. In response, Interpreting Mythical Language in Christian Doctrine draws upon the insights of thinkers including St. Thomas Aquinas, Paul Ricoeur, and Carl Jung so as to rescue Christian doctrines expressed through mythical language from an unwarranted expectation that they convey historical, ontological, or much less, scientific truth – or equally concerning, an assumption that these symbols relate only to a subjective form of meaning so that no interpretation is wrong. This book endeavors to unleash the true power of myth to engage with mystery and express meaning in a manner that surpasses the capacities of other genres.
Author: Alan McGill
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1666955701
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 169
Get Book Here
Book Description
When Christians profess faith in the teaching that Jesus “ascended into heaven” and is “seated at the right hand of the Father”, what do they mean? And what kind of truth is denoted by the narratives of the battle in heaven, the Fall, the Exodus, Annunciation, the theophanies of the gospels, and Second Coming? Some may interpret these literally and ascribe to a model of faith that quite happily runs contrary to reason and life experience. Many, however, recognize that the language in question is symbolic but it is not always apparent as to what is being symbolized and how such symbolism relates to objective truth claims. In response, Interpreting Mythical Language in Christian Doctrine draws upon the insights of thinkers including St. Thomas Aquinas, Paul Ricoeur, and Carl Jung so as to rescue Christian doctrines expressed through mythical language from an unwarranted expectation that they convey historical, ontological, or much less, scientific truth – or equally concerning, an assumption that these symbols relate only to a subjective form of meaning so that no interpretation is wrong. This book endeavors to unleash the true power of myth to engage with mystery and express meaning in a manner that surpasses the capacities of other genres.
Author: Gary J. Dorrien
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN: 9780664257453
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 300
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Book Description
Gary Dorrien follows the threads of theology through the twentieth century, examining how Christians have reconciled their myth-filled religious beliefs within a world secularized by Enlightenment criticism and science. To understand how religion keeps its place in Christians' lives, Dorrien writes, we must explore how modern theologians have answered the question of myth in today's Christianity. Dorrien's narrative walks readers through modern theology - stopping with each of the major thinkers along the way to see how they dealt with the issue of modern Christian mythology. Ultimately he offers his own "new neo-orthodoxy", a theology of Word and Spirit that is pluralistic and affirms the mythical character of the gospel while holding fast to the Gospels' myth-negating condemnation of idolatry and their focus on history.
Author: John Macquarrie
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Communication
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
Bibliographical footnotes. The problem introduced -- How some contemporary theologians view language -- Some general reflections on language -- The theological vocabulary -- Theology and logical empiricism -- Types of theological discourse. Case study: The language of St. Anthanasius -- Language and interpretation. Case study: Heidegger on hermeneutics -- Mythology -- Symbolism. Case study: Light as a religious symbol -- Analogy and paradox -- Empirical language -- the language of existence and being.
Author: Paul Avis
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134609388
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 197
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Book Description
'A mere metaphor', 'only symbolic', 'just a myth' - these tell tale phrases reveal how figurative language has been cheapened and devalued in our modern and postmodern culture. In God and the Creative Imagination, Paul Avis argues the contrary: we see that actually, metaphor, symbol and myth, are the key to a real knowledge of God and the sacred. Avis examines what he calls an alternative tradition, stemming from the Romantic poets Blake, Wordsworth and Keats and drawing on the thought of Cleridge and Newman, and experience in both modern philosophy and science. God and the Creative Imagination intriguingly draws on a number of non-theological disciplines, from literature to philosophy of science, to show us that God is appropriately likened to an artist or poet and that the greatest truths are expressed in an imaginative form. Anyone wishing to further their understanding of God, belief and the imagination will find this an inspiring work.
Author: Michael W. Herren
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019060669X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 249
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Book Description
The Anatomy of Myth is a comprehensive study of the different methods of interpreting myths developed by the Greeks, adopted by the Romans, and eventually passed on to Jewish and Christian interpreters of the Bible. Greek thinkers only rarely saw "myth" as a category of thought in its own right. Most often they viewed myths as the creation of poets, or else as an ancient revelation that had been corrupted by them. In the first instance, critics attempted to find in the intention of the authors some deeper truth, whether physical or spiritual; in the second, they deemed it necessary to clear away poetic falsehoods in order to recapture an ancient revelation. Parallel to the philosophical critiques were the efforts of early historians to explain myths as exaggerated history; myths could be purified by logos (reason) and rendered believable. Practically all of these early methods could be lumped under the term "allegory"--to intend something different from what one expressed. Only occasionally did philosophers veer from a concern for the literal truth of myths but a few thinkers, while acknowledging myths as fictions, defended their value for the examples of good and bad human behavior they offered. These early efforts were invaluable for the development of critical thinking, enabling public criticism of even the most authoritative texts. The Church Fathers took the interpretative methods of their pagan contemporaries and applied them vigorously to their reading of the scriptures. Pagan Greek methods of myth interpretation passed into the Middle Ages and beyond, serving as a perennial defense against the damaging effects of scriptural literalism and fundamentalism.
Author: G Gaskell
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317589424
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 849
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Book Description
G. A. Gaskell’s Dictionary of the Sacred Language of All Scriptures and Myths, first published in 1923, examines several different aspects of religion, including examples from Ancient Egyptian religion and mythology to modern-day Christianity, providing explanations of gods, events, and symbols in alphabetical order. This is a perfect reference book for students of theology or the history of religion.
Author: Hans Werner Bartsch
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 264
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Book Description
Author: Rudolf Bultmann
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 9781451417883
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 184
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Book Description
Aside from the fact that it is perhaps the single most discussed and controversial theological writing of the century, no one knowledgeable of Bultmann's work could doubt its basic importance for his entire contribution. Although the position is for which it argues was hardly new, having already taken shape in several of his theological essays written during the 1920s, it is nevertheless the classic formulation of this position and as such incomparable in the Bultmann corpus.
Author: Johannes Sloek
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 311081028X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 176
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Book Description
Author: John Warwick Montgomery
Publisher: New Reformation Publications
ISBN: 1945500719
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 156
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Book Description
If you are a "fan" of the fantasy books by Tolkien, C.S.Lewis, Charles Williams or Chesterton, then this is a book worth reading. It is a collection of essays by various authorities in literature, myth and theology. A couple of the contributors were acquainted with either Tolkien or Lewis. The central thesis running through this collection of essays is that mythic symbols found in folk-tales and religious rituals, all express a common, fundamental human yearning for healing and a return to a "lost paradise". The essayists draw on insights from religious phenomenology, Jungian analysis, Christian theology and literary interpretation to tease out the potent mythic symbols found in the writings of Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton and Williams. Lewis, Williams and Tolkien were associated with one another as drinking partners in an informal literary club known as The Inklings. The essayists "test" their thesis about the power of myth to reveal our search for meaning through the novels of the Inklings. The essayists take us a step further to consider the Christian world-view that informed and shaped the writings of Tolkien, Lewis, Williams and Chesterton. Although a couple of the essays are slightly "dated", anyone interested in fantasy literature would find the thesis very absorbing. It should be useful not merely to students of English literature but also to the general reader who might like to know more about the backdrop to The Lord of the Rings, Narnia, etc. Certainly a book to add to your list for reading if you enjoyed the novels!
