Divine Fertility

Divine Fertility PDF Author: Sada Mire
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429769245
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
This book uniquely explores the impact of indigenous ideology and thought on everyday life in Northeast Africa. Furthermore, in highlighting the diversity in pre-Christian, pre-Islamic regional beliefs and practices that extend beyond the simplistic political arguments of the current dominant narratives, the study shows that for millennia complex indigenous institutions have bound people together beyond the labels of Christianity and Islam; they have sustained peace through cultural exchange and tolerance (if not always complete acceptance). Through recent archaeological and ethnographic research, the concepts, landscapes, materials and rituals believed to be associated with the indigenous and shared culture of the Sky-God belief are examined. The author makes sense, for the first time, of the relationship between the notion of sacred fertility and a number of regional archaeological features and on-going ancient practices including FGM, spirit possessions, and other physically invasive practices and the ritual hunt. The book explores one of the most important pilgrimage centres in Somaliland and Somalia, the sacred landscape of Saint Aw-Barkhadle, founded ca. 12th century AD. It is believed to be the burial place of the rulers of the first Muslim Ifat and Awdal dynasties in this region, and potentially the lost first capital of Awdal kingdom before Harar. This ritual centre is seen as a ‘microcosm’ of the ancient Horn of Africa with its exceptional multi-religious heritage, through which the author lays out a locally appropriate archaeological interpretational framework, the "Ritual Set," also applied here to the Ethiopian sites of Tiya, Sheikh Hussein Bale, Aksum and Lalibela, setting these places against a wider historical background of indigenous Sky-God belief. This archaeological study of sacred landscapes, stelae traditions, ancient Christian and medieval Muslim centres of Northeast Africa is the first to put forward a theoretical and analytical framework for the interpretation of the shared regional heritage and the indigenous archaeology of the region. It will be invaluable to archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and policymakers interested in Africa and beyond.

Divine Fertility

Divine Fertility PDF Author: Sada Mire
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429769245
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 327

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book uniquely explores the impact of indigenous ideology and thought on everyday life in Northeast Africa. Furthermore, in highlighting the diversity in pre-Christian, pre-Islamic regional beliefs and practices that extend beyond the simplistic political arguments of the current dominant narratives, the study shows that for millennia complex indigenous institutions have bound people together beyond the labels of Christianity and Islam; they have sustained peace through cultural exchange and tolerance (if not always complete acceptance). Through recent archaeological and ethnographic research, the concepts, landscapes, materials and rituals believed to be associated with the indigenous and shared culture of the Sky-God belief are examined. The author makes sense, for the first time, of the relationship between the notion of sacred fertility and a number of regional archaeological features and on-going ancient practices including FGM, spirit possessions, and other physically invasive practices and the ritual hunt. The book explores one of the most important pilgrimage centres in Somaliland and Somalia, the sacred landscape of Saint Aw-Barkhadle, founded ca. 12th century AD. It is believed to be the burial place of the rulers of the first Muslim Ifat and Awdal dynasties in this region, and potentially the lost first capital of Awdal kingdom before Harar. This ritual centre is seen as a ‘microcosm’ of the ancient Horn of Africa with its exceptional multi-religious heritage, through which the author lays out a locally appropriate archaeological interpretational framework, the "Ritual Set," also applied here to the Ethiopian sites of Tiya, Sheikh Hussein Bale, Aksum and Lalibela, setting these places against a wider historical background of indigenous Sky-God belief. This archaeological study of sacred landscapes, stelae traditions, ancient Christian and medieval Muslim centres of Northeast Africa is the first to put forward a theoretical and analytical framework for the interpretation of the shared regional heritage and the indigenous archaeology of the region. It will be invaluable to archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and policymakers interested in Africa and beyond.

Servants of the Dynasty

Servants of the Dynasty PDF Author: Anne Walthall
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520254449
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 796

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Book Description
This book offers a new perspective on the monarchies that have dominated much of human history, by offering a comparative view of the women who lived, worked, and served in royal courts around the globe. The authors of this volume, historians, anthropologists, and archeologists, investigate women's roles in each era and locale, how those roles changed over time, and what women's histories say about the structures of power and the societies in which they lived. The authors take us to palaces in Early modern Southeast Asia, classic Maya royal courts, the Byzantine court, the harem of the Ottoman royal court, the Mughal palace, an African royal harem, the courts of Chinese Emperors and Empresses, the palace of the Shogun, the court of Versailles, Aztec palaces, and a Korean court.

The Logic of Incest

The Logic of Incest PDF Author: Seth Daniel Kunin
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0567271722
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
The myths of Genesis are the foundation for hundreds of texts written at later diachronically distinct and datable periods. Seven texts-Genesis itself, Genesis Rabbah, Pirke deRabbi Eliezer and mediaeval compilations-are examined here, with five interrelated questions in focus: Can structuralist theory be applied usefully to societies conscious of history and change? What is the relationship between continuity and trasformation as a mythological tradition develops diachronically? What role does diachronic development within a myth play in relation to its underlying structure? What is the synchronic structure of Israelite (or rather, biblical) myth? Are there identifiable patterns of transformation and continuity between biblical myth and the three diachronically distinct levels of rabbinic myth?

Culture, Creation, and Procreation

Culture, Creation, and Procreation PDF Author: Monika Böck
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 1785334867
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
As reproduction is seen as central to kinship and the biological link as the primary bond between parents and their offspring, Western perceptions of kin relations are primarily determined by ideas about "consanguinity," "genealogical relations," and "genetic connections." Advocates of cultural constructivism have taken issue with a concept that puts so much stress on heredity as being severely biased by western ideas of kinship. Ethnosociologists in particular developed alternative systems using indigenous categories. This symbolic approach has, however, been rejected by some scholars as plagued by the problems of the analytical separation of ideology from practice, of largely overlooking relations of domination, and of ignoring the questions of shared knowledge and choice. This volume offers a corrective by discussing the constitution of kinship among different communities in South Asia and addressing the relationship between ideology and practice, cultural models, and individiual strategies.

We think What We Eat

We think What We Eat PDF Author: Seth Daniel Kunin
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0567228010
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
In We Think What We Eat, Seth Kunin presents both an appreciation and critique of Professor Mary Douglas' classical work on Israelite food rules. He places her arguments into the context of related anthropological approaches and suggests a new interpretation of the food rules system based on a rigorous application of structuralist theory. Kunin then goes on to extend this analysis to other areas of Israelite culture. Through detailed analysis of texts from Genesis, Exodus and Judges, he demonstrates that the same structural pattern found in the first section in respect of ritual is also characteristic of the mythological material. This section of the book also takes up the issue of structural transformation. It examines the processes found as the myths move from the Israelite context to that of the rabbis, the authors of the New Testament and of the Book of Mormon. The arguments presented demonstrate that as the myths move from culture to culture diachronically and geographically while the same mythological elements are retained they are restructured and organized based on the structural needs of the new cultural context. Kunin is also interested in issues of structuralist theory. Thus, he addresses issues related to the processes of structural transformation - suggesting processes that lead to changes in structural emphasis and those relating to more significant transformations. This is volume 412 in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement series.

An Anthology of Christian Mysticism

An Anthology of Christian Mysticism PDF Author: Harvey D. Egan
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 9780814660126
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 736

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Book Description
"A Pueblo book." Includes bibliographical references (p. 610-615) and index.

The Whirlwind

The Whirlwind PDF Author: Stephen L. Cook
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 056737484X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
This collection of essays focuses on the book of Job, exploring the complex interplay of methodology and hermeneutics. There are two major parts: approaches that are primarily historical, i.e. the recovery of what the text 'meant'; and those that are contextual, i.e. that take seriously the context of reading. Both approaches engage the theological issue of how this reading helps us to better appropriate what the text 'means'. Contributors include the editors, Mark S. Smith, Douglas J. Green, Victoria Hoffer, Ellen F. Davis and Claire Matthews McGinnis.An introductory essay surveys the contents and outcomes of the various contributions and proposes new directions for the question of integrating methods.

The Hidden Life

The Hidden Life PDF Author: Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)
Publisher: ICS Publications
ISBN: 0935216170
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
"this is an inspiring collection of Edith stein's shorter spiritual writings, many available for the first time in English translation. They were composed during her final years, often at the request of her Carmelite superiors. ..." [from back cover]

Love's Oneing

Love's Oneing PDF Author: Kerrie Hide
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
ISBN: 1398452297
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Grounded in Christian love mysticism, Love’s Oneing gives voice to the luminous consciousness that awakens from within our oneness in God in contemplation. With great sensitivity, the book offers nuanced insight into the marriage of kenosis and desire in contemplation, through the rich tapestry of writings from nine mystics: Julian of Norwich, the Cloud of Unknowing author, Meister Eckhart, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Clare of Assisi, John of the Cross, Teilhard de Chardin, Beatrice Bruteau and Ilia Delio. With the delicate eye of a spiritual director immersed in mystical literature, Kerrie Hide situates these mystical teachings within contemplative prayer, whilst offering a scholarly exploration of contemplative practice to embody the insights. Deeply grounded in traditional and contemporary mystical classics, Hide celebrates how the Christian mystical tradition lays a foundation for the evolutionary growth of communion consciousness and the insights of quantum science, highlighting key moments in contemplation that when surrendered into, open into divine love. Born of intellectual reflection, lived experience and contemplative wisdom, Love’s Oneing makes a unique contribution to the existing literature on contemplation at a time when the recovery of the mystical dimension of life is crucial for the future of our planet in this climate crisis moment.

The Sexual Person

The Sexual Person PDF Author: Todd A. Salzman
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 1589017269
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Two principles capture the essence of the official Catholic position on the morality of sexuality: first, that any human genital act must occur within the framework of heterosexual marriage; second, each and every marriage act must remain open to the transmission of life. In this comprehensive overview of Catholicism and sexuality, theologians Todd A. Salzman and Michael G. Lawler examine and challenge these principles. Remaining firmly within the Catholic tradition, they contend that the church is being inconsistent in its teaching by adopting a dynamic, historically conscious anthropology and worldview on social ethics and the interpretation of scripture while adopting a static, classicist anthropology and worldview on sexual ethics. While some documents from Vatican II, like Gaudium et spes ("the marital act promotes self-giving by which spouses enrich each other"), gave hope for a renewed understanding of sexuality, the church has not carried out the full implications of this approach. In short, say Salzman and Lawler: emphasize relationships, not acts, and recognize Christianity's historically and culturally conditioned understanding of human sexuality. The Sexual Person draws historically, methodologically, and anthropologically from the best of Catholic tradition and provides a context for current theological debates between traditionalists and revisionists regarding marriage, cohabitation, homosexuality, reproductive technologies, and what it means to be human. This daring and potentially revolutionary book will be sure to provoke constructive dialogue among theologians, and between theologians and the Magisterium.