Author: Alex S. Kohav
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1666969818
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
This edited collection offers new perspectives on perceived paradoxes in Israel’s religious heritage, with a particular focus on the Garden of Eden narrative and descriptions of Israel’s God. The chapters examine a number of themes related to these paradoxes, including (1) “knowledge” versus “life” (referencing the two Edenic trees); (2) paradoxes pertaining to knowledge in the biblical versus Socratic traditions and the Platonic “good” versus the apparent eschewing of the good-evil dichotomy in Garden of Eden; (3) difficulties implicating finitude versus infinity; (4) God’s Edenic garden versus rabbinical “orchard,” or Pardes, the traditional fourfold manner of Torah interpretation; (5) the question of the Sôd, or “secret” esoteric stratum or narrative channel within the text of the Torah; (6) the issue of idolatry; (7) the nature of Israel’s deity; (8) a comparative glimpse of the Israelite God vis-à-vis relevant Christian and Buddhist glosses on divinity; and (9) science-fictional explorations of the biblical exegesis discourse. The volume’s contributors are based in Canada; England; Poland; Israel; and the United States.
Paradoxes in God's Garden
Author: Alex S. Kohav
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1666969818
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
This edited collection offers new perspectives on perceived paradoxes in Israel’s religious heritage, with a particular focus on the Garden of Eden narrative and descriptions of Israel’s God. The chapters examine a number of themes related to these paradoxes, including (1) “knowledge” versus “life” (referencing the two Edenic trees); (2) paradoxes pertaining to knowledge in the biblical versus Socratic traditions and the Platonic “good” versus the apparent eschewing of the good-evil dichotomy in Garden of Eden; (3) difficulties implicating finitude versus infinity; (4) God’s Edenic garden versus rabbinical “orchard,” or Pardes, the traditional fourfold manner of Torah interpretation; (5) the question of the Sôd, or “secret” esoteric stratum or narrative channel within the text of the Torah; (6) the issue of idolatry; (7) the nature of Israel’s deity; (8) a comparative glimpse of the Israelite God vis-à-vis relevant Christian and Buddhist glosses on divinity; and (9) science-fictional explorations of the biblical exegesis discourse. The volume’s contributors are based in Canada; England; Poland; Israel; and the United States.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1666969818
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 245
Book Description
This edited collection offers new perspectives on perceived paradoxes in Israel’s religious heritage, with a particular focus on the Garden of Eden narrative and descriptions of Israel’s God. The chapters examine a number of themes related to these paradoxes, including (1) “knowledge” versus “life” (referencing the two Edenic trees); (2) paradoxes pertaining to knowledge in the biblical versus Socratic traditions and the Platonic “good” versus the apparent eschewing of the good-evil dichotomy in Garden of Eden; (3) difficulties implicating finitude versus infinity; (4) God’s Edenic garden versus rabbinical “orchard,” or Pardes, the traditional fourfold manner of Torah interpretation; (5) the question of the Sôd, or “secret” esoteric stratum or narrative channel within the text of the Torah; (6) the issue of idolatry; (7) the nature of Israel’s deity; (8) a comparative glimpse of the Israelite God vis-à-vis relevant Christian and Buddhist glosses on divinity; and (9) science-fictional explorations of the biblical exegesis discourse. The volume’s contributors are based in Canada; England; Poland; Israel; and the United States.
Surprised by Paradox
Author: Jen Pollock Michel
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 083087092X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 221
Book Description
In a world filled with ambiguity, we want faith to act like an orderly set of truth-claims to solve the problems that life throws at us. While there are certainties in Christian faith, at the heart of the Christian story is also paradox, and Jen Pollock Michel helps readers imagine a Christian faith open to mystery. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either and or in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of and.
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 083087092X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 221
Book Description
In a world filled with ambiguity, we want faith to act like an orderly set of truth-claims to solve the problems that life throws at us. While there are certainties in Christian faith, at the heart of the Christian story is also paradox, and Jen Pollock Michel helps readers imagine a Christian faith open to mystery. Jesus invites us to abandon the polarities of either and or in order to embrace the difficult, wondrous dissonance of and.
Religion of the Gods
Author: Kimberley Christine Patton
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199723281
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
In many of the world's religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, a seemingly enigmatic and paradoxical image is found--that of the god who worships. Various interpretations of this seeming paradox have been advanced. Some suggest that it represents sacrifice to a higher deity. Proponents of anthropomorphic projection say that the gods are just "big people" and that images of human religious action are simply projected onto the deities. However, such explanations do not do justice to the complexity and diversity of this phenomenon. In Religion of the Gods, Kimberley C. Patton uses a comparative approach to take up anew a longstanding challenge in ancient Greek religious iconography: why are the Olympian gods depicted on classical pottery making libations? The sacrificing gods in ancient Greece are compared to gods who perform rituals in six other religious traditions: the Vedic gods, the heterodox god Zurvan of early Zoroastrianism, the Old Norse god Odin, the Christian God and Christ, the God of Judaism, and Islam's Allah. Patton examines the comparative evidence from a cultural and historical perspective, uncovering deep structural resonances while also revealing crucial differences. Instead of looking for invisible recipients or lost myths, Patton proposes the new category of "divine reflexivity." Divinely performed ritual is a self-reflexive, self-expressive action that signals the origin of ritual in the divine and not the human realm. Above all, divine ritual is generative, both instigating and inspiring human religious activity. The religion practiced by the gods is both like and unlike human religious action. Seen from within the religious tradition, gods are not "big people," but other than human. Human ritual is directed outward to a divine being, but the gods practice ritual on their own behalf. "Cultic time," the symbiotic performance of ritual both in heaven and on earth, collapses the distinction between cult and theology each time ritual is performed. Offering the first comprehensive study and a new theory of this fascinating phenomenon, Religion of the Gods is a significant contribution to the fields of classics and comparative religion. Patton shows that the god who performs religious action is not an anomaly, but holds a meaningful place in the category of ritual and points to a phenomenologically universal structure within religion itself.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199723281
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 513
Book Description
In many of the world's religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, a seemingly enigmatic and paradoxical image is found--that of the god who worships. Various interpretations of this seeming paradox have been advanced. Some suggest that it represents sacrifice to a higher deity. Proponents of anthropomorphic projection say that the gods are just "big people" and that images of human religious action are simply projected onto the deities. However, such explanations do not do justice to the complexity and diversity of this phenomenon. In Religion of the Gods, Kimberley C. Patton uses a comparative approach to take up anew a longstanding challenge in ancient Greek religious iconography: why are the Olympian gods depicted on classical pottery making libations? The sacrificing gods in ancient Greece are compared to gods who perform rituals in six other religious traditions: the Vedic gods, the heterodox god Zurvan of early Zoroastrianism, the Old Norse god Odin, the Christian God and Christ, the God of Judaism, and Islam's Allah. Patton examines the comparative evidence from a cultural and historical perspective, uncovering deep structural resonances while also revealing crucial differences. Instead of looking for invisible recipients or lost myths, Patton proposes the new category of "divine reflexivity." Divinely performed ritual is a self-reflexive, self-expressive action that signals the origin of ritual in the divine and not the human realm. Above all, divine ritual is generative, both instigating and inspiring human religious activity. The religion practiced by the gods is both like and unlike human religious action. Seen from within the religious tradition, gods are not "big people," but other than human. Human ritual is directed outward to a divine being, but the gods practice ritual on their own behalf. "Cultic time," the symbiotic performance of ritual both in heaven and on earth, collapses the distinction between cult and theology each time ritual is performed. Offering the first comprehensive study and a new theory of this fascinating phenomenon, Religion of the Gods is a significant contribution to the fields of classics and comparative religion. Patton shows that the god who performs religious action is not an anomaly, but holds a meaningful place in the category of ritual and points to a phenomenologically universal structure within religion itself.
Paradox of Freedom
Author: Shiva Rahbaran
Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
ISBN: 1564784886
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
As the first book-length study of Nicholas Mosley, "The Paradox of Freedom" combines a discussion of the author's incredible biography with an investigation of his writing, nearly all of which is published by Dalkey Archive Press. The son of Oswald Mosley (the leader of Britain's fascistic Blackshirts), a British Lord, a Christian convert, a war veteran, a voracious reader, and an important thinker, Nicholas Mosley has, this book argues, employed all of these experiences and ideas in novels and memoirs that seek to describe the paradoxical nature of freedom: how can man be free when limiting structures are necessary? Can it be achieved, and how? The answer lies in the books themselves, in the ways telling and re-telling stories allows one to escape the seemingly logical bounderies of life and discover new meanings and possibilities. This is a much-needed companion to the work of one of Britain's most important post-War writers.
Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
ISBN: 1564784886
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
As the first book-length study of Nicholas Mosley, "The Paradox of Freedom" combines a discussion of the author's incredible biography with an investigation of his writing, nearly all of which is published by Dalkey Archive Press. The son of Oswald Mosley (the leader of Britain's fascistic Blackshirts), a British Lord, a Christian convert, a war veteran, a voracious reader, and an important thinker, Nicholas Mosley has, this book argues, employed all of these experiences and ideas in novels and memoirs that seek to describe the paradoxical nature of freedom: how can man be free when limiting structures are necessary? Can it be achieved, and how? The answer lies in the books themselves, in the ways telling and re-telling stories allows one to escape the seemingly logical bounderies of life and discover new meanings and possibilities. This is a much-needed companion to the work of one of Britain's most important post-War writers.
Paradox Lost
Author: Richard P. Hansen
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310518393
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Too often the tensions and unanswerable questions of Scripture and the Christian life are seen as barriers to faith. In Paradox Lost, pastor and author Richard Hansen shows that they are exactly the opposite -- indeed, God’s mysteries are one of the places where we may encounter him most closely. In exchange for Enlightenment-based rationalism that can stunt spiritual imagination, Hansen invites readers to: Discern that there is a hiddenness to God that can be inviting rather than threatening Appreciate that God is far greater than we sometimes assume, and to adjust our mental maps to make more space for awe Realize that faith and reason are not enemies but rather dance partners that complement one another Hansen examines three kinds, or “orders” of biblical paradox, each at a deeper level than the last, demonstrating for readers that paradox is both endemic to modern life and also a natural part of the landscape of Christian faith. Paradox Lost doesn’t seek to solve or justify paradox; instead, it looks through paradox toward what it reveals--namely a holy, mysterious, and awesome God.
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 0310518393
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224
Book Description
Too often the tensions and unanswerable questions of Scripture and the Christian life are seen as barriers to faith. In Paradox Lost, pastor and author Richard Hansen shows that they are exactly the opposite -- indeed, God’s mysteries are one of the places where we may encounter him most closely. In exchange for Enlightenment-based rationalism that can stunt spiritual imagination, Hansen invites readers to: Discern that there is a hiddenness to God that can be inviting rather than threatening Appreciate that God is far greater than we sometimes assume, and to adjust our mental maps to make more space for awe Realize that faith and reason are not enemies but rather dance partners that complement one another Hansen examines three kinds, or “orders” of biblical paradox, each at a deeper level than the last, demonstrating for readers that paradox is both endemic to modern life and also a natural part of the landscape of Christian faith. Paradox Lost doesn’t seek to solve or justify paradox; instead, it looks through paradox toward what it reveals--namely a holy, mysterious, and awesome God.
Sexual Paradox: Complementarity, Reproductive Conflict and Human Emergence
Author: Christine Fielder
Publisher:
ISBN: 141165532X
Category : Gender identity
Languages : en
Pages : 562
Book Description
Unlocks the keys to the paradox of how sexual selection fertilized the explosion of culture, and the resulting fallout, in sexual dominion of man over woman and nature. How sexuality generates the universe, through symmetry-broken complementarity. The implicit conflict of interests of sexual intrigue, in the prisoners' dilemma, and its ecstatic resolution in the cosmology of love. Sexual dominance as a koan for planetary crises. 560 pages containing 270 illustrations.
Publisher:
ISBN: 141165532X
Category : Gender identity
Languages : en
Pages : 562
Book Description
Unlocks the keys to the paradox of how sexual selection fertilized the explosion of culture, and the resulting fallout, in sexual dominion of man over woman and nature. How sexuality generates the universe, through symmetry-broken complementarity. The implicit conflict of interests of sexual intrigue, in the prisoners' dilemma, and its ecstatic resolution in the cosmology of love. Sexual dominance as a koan for planetary crises. 560 pages containing 270 illustrations.
The Grand Paradox
Author: Ken Wytsma
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0718005910
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 236
Book Description
If we were made for relationship with God, why do we often feel lost and distant from Him? The life of Christian faith is and always has been a beautifully awkward reality. Following Jesus is done—can only be done—in the messiness of this world into which we were all born. Yet many Christians expect the walk of faith to be easier, neater, and relatively devoid of hassles. So perhaps it’s time for a frank conversation about the true nature of Christian faith. Maybe there are many desperately in need of a clear dialogue about how—despite living in a turbulent, chaotic world—our greatest joy is found in our pursuit of God. In The Grand Paradox, Ken Wytsma seeks to help readers understand that although God can be mysterious, He is in no way absent. God’s ways are contradictory and counter to the way the world tells us to pursue happiness. Doubt is okay, it will accompany in the life of faith. What looks like struggle can actually be the most important and meaningful season of our lives. This book is an exploration of the art of living by faith. It is a book for all those wrestling with the paradoxes that confront those who seek to walk with Christ. It’s an honest look at how faith works, here and now, in our culture, our time—and how to put down real roots and flourish in the midst of our messy lives.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 0718005910
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 236
Book Description
If we were made for relationship with God, why do we often feel lost and distant from Him? The life of Christian faith is and always has been a beautifully awkward reality. Following Jesus is done—can only be done—in the messiness of this world into which we were all born. Yet many Christians expect the walk of faith to be easier, neater, and relatively devoid of hassles. So perhaps it’s time for a frank conversation about the true nature of Christian faith. Maybe there are many desperately in need of a clear dialogue about how—despite living in a turbulent, chaotic world—our greatest joy is found in our pursuit of God. In The Grand Paradox, Ken Wytsma seeks to help readers understand that although God can be mysterious, He is in no way absent. God’s ways are contradictory and counter to the way the world tells us to pursue happiness. Doubt is okay, it will accompany in the life of faith. What looks like struggle can actually be the most important and meaningful season of our lives. This book is an exploration of the art of living by faith. It is a book for all those wrestling with the paradoxes that confront those who seek to walk with Christ. It’s an honest look at how faith works, here and now, in our culture, our time—and how to put down real roots and flourish in the midst of our messy lives.
Paradox Lost
Author: Catherine Skurja
Publisher: Whitaker House
ISBN: 0985310413
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
What if there was a way to peel back the broken and tattered pieces of ourselves, and uncover a new life of freedom, adventure, and transformation? For many of us, our misconceptions about the nature and character of the triune God have kept us from the freedom and joy found in our true identity in Christ. Damaging cycles of shame and the endless effort to look the part keep us trapped in drama and fear. Unable to grasp the paradox of a God who is both Lion and Lamb, we end up feeling alone, stuck on the banks of the river while a life of passion and adventure beckons. Using stories of transformation, Paradox Lost presents a framework for understanding our patterns of “stuckness” and provides specific tools for getting off the riverbanks and into the current. With life-giving insight into God’s nature, readers will find the courage to uncover their own wounded places, as well as invite others to experience the wholeness of abundant life in Christ.
Publisher: Whitaker House
ISBN: 0985310413
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
What if there was a way to peel back the broken and tattered pieces of ourselves, and uncover a new life of freedom, adventure, and transformation? For many of us, our misconceptions about the nature and character of the triune God have kept us from the freedom and joy found in our true identity in Christ. Damaging cycles of shame and the endless effort to look the part keep us trapped in drama and fear. Unable to grasp the paradox of a God who is both Lion and Lamb, we end up feeling alone, stuck on the banks of the river while a life of passion and adventure beckons. Using stories of transformation, Paradox Lost presents a framework for understanding our patterns of “stuckness” and provides specific tools for getting off the riverbanks and into the current. With life-giving insight into God’s nature, readers will find the courage to uncover their own wounded places, as well as invite others to experience the wholeness of abundant life in Christ.
The Paradox of God and the Science of Omniscience
Author: Clifford A. Pickover
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250083095
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
In his most ambitious book yet, Clifford Pickover bridges the gulf between logic, spirit, science, and religion. While exploring the concept of omniscience, Pickover explains the kinds of relationships limited beings can have with an all-knowing God. Pickover's thought exercises, controversial experiments, and practical analogies help us transcend our ordinary lives while challenging us to better understand our place in the cosmos and our dreams of a supernatural God. Through an inventive blend of science, history, philosophy, science fiction, and mind-stretching brainteasers, Pickover unfolds the paradoxes of God like no other writer. He provides glimpses into the infinite, allowing us to think big, and to have daring, limitless dreams.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250083095
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 369
Book Description
In his most ambitious book yet, Clifford Pickover bridges the gulf between logic, spirit, science, and religion. While exploring the concept of omniscience, Pickover explains the kinds of relationships limited beings can have with an all-knowing God. Pickover's thought exercises, controversial experiments, and practical analogies help us transcend our ordinary lives while challenging us to better understand our place in the cosmos and our dreams of a supernatural God. Through an inventive blend of science, history, philosophy, science fiction, and mind-stretching brainteasers, Pickover unfolds the paradoxes of God like no other writer. He provides glimpses into the infinite, allowing us to think big, and to have daring, limitless dreams.
The Sin Paradox
Author: D.B. Evans
Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
ISBN: 1489723242
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 201
Book Description
What if Adam, Eve, death, murder, debt, wars, and even the last days of Jesus were all part of a common biblical pattern? Have you ever asked why God did something a certain way? In The Sin Paradox, author D. B. Evans shares his revelatory answers to a number of important questions he asked to God—who late one night answered him in a whispered word. What did Adam and Eve do? What kind of fruit did they eat? Why did Satan take the form of a serpent? Why did Satan do it? Why did Jesus have to die? Why did he have to die the way he did? Why did the last days of Jesus’s life play out the way they did? How does the sinful act of Adam and Eve permeate all of subsequent human existence and actions, such as wars, debt, greed, and all the other sins humankind experiences? Could the sin committed in Eden still be happening today? What if all these questions could be answered within a common biblical thread? The Sin Paradox provides a case against Adam, Eve, and the Serpent—not of guilt or innocence of those involved, but of whether the evidence points to the actual crime they committed.
Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
ISBN: 1489723242
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 201
Book Description
What if Adam, Eve, death, murder, debt, wars, and even the last days of Jesus were all part of a common biblical pattern? Have you ever asked why God did something a certain way? In The Sin Paradox, author D. B. Evans shares his revelatory answers to a number of important questions he asked to God—who late one night answered him in a whispered word. What did Adam and Eve do? What kind of fruit did they eat? Why did Satan take the form of a serpent? Why did Satan do it? Why did Jesus have to die? Why did he have to die the way he did? Why did the last days of Jesus’s life play out the way they did? How does the sinful act of Adam and Eve permeate all of subsequent human existence and actions, such as wars, debt, greed, and all the other sins humankind experiences? Could the sin committed in Eden still be happening today? What if all these questions could be answered within a common biblical thread? The Sin Paradox provides a case against Adam, Eve, and the Serpent—not of guilt or innocence of those involved, but of whether the evidence points to the actual crime they committed.