Isabel Moreira
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199736041
- eISBN:
- 9780199894628
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199736041.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This study explores the early history of purgatory as it developed from the first to the eighth centuries. Approaching the subject from a variety of angles, the book examines how ideas of post-mortem ...
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This study explores the early history of purgatory as it developed from the first to the eighth centuries. Approaching the subject from a variety of angles, the book examines how ideas of post-mortem purgation as religious belief were forged from contested theology and eschatology, and how purgatory became the focus for such religious practices as prayer for the dead and the hope for intercession. Illuminating the various interests and influences at play in the formation of purgatorial ideas in late antiquity, this book discusses ideas about punishment and correction in the Roman world, slavery, medical purges at the shrines of saints, visionary texts, penitentials, and law codes. Confronting arguments that have viewed purgatory as a symptom of cultural shifts or educational decline, this book questions the extent to which Irish and Germanic views of society, and the sources associated with them — penitentials and legal tariffs — played a role in purgatory’s formation. In reassessing the significance of patristic discussion of purgatory, this study highlights Bede’s contribution to purgatory’s theological underpinnings allowing the future acceptance of purgatory as orthodox belief. Among those whose writings are examined are Origen, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Bede.Less
This study explores the early history of purgatory as it developed from the first to the eighth centuries. Approaching the subject from a variety of angles, the book examines how ideas of post-mortem purgation as religious belief were forged from contested theology and eschatology, and how purgatory became the focus for such religious practices as prayer for the dead and the hope for intercession. Illuminating the various interests and influences at play in the formation of purgatorial ideas in late antiquity, this book discusses ideas about punishment and correction in the Roman world, slavery, medical purges at the shrines of saints, visionary texts, penitentials, and law codes. Confronting arguments that have viewed purgatory as a symptom of cultural shifts or educational decline, this book questions the extent to which Irish and Germanic views of society, and the sources associated with them — penitentials and legal tariffs — played a role in purgatory’s formation. In reassessing the significance of patristic discussion of purgatory, this study highlights Bede’s contribution to purgatory’s theological underpinnings allowing the future acceptance of purgatory as orthodox belief. Among those whose writings are examined are Origen, Augustine, Gregory the Great, and Bede.
Alcuin Blamires
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198186304
- eISBN:
- 9780191674501
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198186304.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Misogyny is of course not the whole story of medieval discourse on women: medieval culture also envisaged a case for women. But hitherto studies of profeminine attitudes in that period's culture have ...
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Misogyny is of course not the whole story of medieval discourse on women: medieval culture also envisaged a case for women. But hitherto studies of profeminine attitudes in that period's culture have tended to concentrate on courtly literature, on female visionary writings, or on attempts to transcend misogyny by major authors such as Christine de Pizan and Chaucer. This book sets out to demonstrate something different: that there existed from early in the Middle Ages a corpus of substantial traditions in defence of women, on which the more familiar authors drew, and that this corpus itself consolidated strands of profeminine thought that had been present as far back as the patristic literature of the 4th century. The book surveys extant writings formally defending women in the Middle Ages; identifies a source for profeminine argument in biblical apocrypha; offers a series of explorations of the background and circulation of central arguments on behalf of women; and seeks to situate relevant texts by Christine de Pizan, Chaucer, Abelard, and Hrotsvitha in relation to these arguments. Topics covered range from the privileges of women, and pro-Eve polemic, to the social and moral strengths attributed to women, and to the powerful models frequently disruptive of patriarchal complacency presented by Old and New Testament women. The contribution made by these emphases (which are not to be confused with feminism in a modern sense) to medieval constructions of gender is throughout critically assessed.Less
Misogyny is of course not the whole story of medieval discourse on women: medieval culture also envisaged a case for women. But hitherto studies of profeminine attitudes in that period's culture have tended to concentrate on courtly literature, on female visionary writings, or on attempts to transcend misogyny by major authors such as Christine de Pizan and Chaucer. This book sets out to demonstrate something different: that there existed from early in the Middle Ages a corpus of substantial traditions in defence of women, on which the more familiar authors drew, and that this corpus itself consolidated strands of profeminine thought that had been present as far back as the patristic literature of the 4th century. The book surveys extant writings formally defending women in the Middle Ages; identifies a source for profeminine argument in biblical apocrypha; offers a series of explorations of the background and circulation of central arguments on behalf of women; and seeks to situate relevant texts by Christine de Pizan, Chaucer, Abelard, and Hrotsvitha in relation to these arguments. Topics covered range from the privileges of women, and pro-Eve polemic, to the social and moral strengths attributed to women, and to the powerful models frequently disruptive of patriarchal complacency presented by Old and New Testament women. The contribution made by these emphases (which are not to be confused with feminism in a modern sense) to medieval constructions of gender is throughout critically assessed.
Bridget Morris (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195166446
- eISBN:
- 9780199785049
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195166442.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
St. Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373, canonized 1391) was one of the most charismatic and influential female visionaries of the later Middle Ages. Altogether, she received some 700 revelations, dealing ...
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St. Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373, canonized 1391) was one of the most charismatic and influential female visionaries of the later Middle Ages. Altogether, she received some 700 revelations, dealing with subjects ranging from meditations on the human condition, domestic affairs in Sweden, and ecclesiastical matters in Rome, to revelations in praise of the Incarnation and devotion to the Virgin. Her Revelations, collected and ordered by her confessors, circulated widely throughout Europe and long after her death. Many eminent individuals, including Cardinal Juan Torquemada, Jean Gerson, and Martin Luther read and commented on her writings, which influenced the spiritual lives of countless individuals. Birgitta was also the founder of a new monastic order, which still exists today. She is the patron saint of Sweden, and in 2000 was declared (with Catherine of Siena and Edith Stein) co-patroness of Europe. This is the first of four volumes offering the first complete translation of the Revelations into English since the Middle Ages. This volume, which covers Books I-III of the Revelations, contains some of her earliest visions, dating from the 1340s. Book I addresses some of the major themes of her spirituality, and Books II and III contain a sustained critique of the classes of knights and bishops. The introduction outlines the major characteristics of Birgitta's spirituality, her life and work, her style and use of sources, and the main features of her theology.Less
St. Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373, canonized 1391) was one of the most charismatic and influential female visionaries of the later Middle Ages. Altogether, she received some 700 revelations, dealing with subjects ranging from meditations on the human condition, domestic affairs in Sweden, and ecclesiastical matters in Rome, to revelations in praise of the Incarnation and devotion to the Virgin. Her Revelations, collected and ordered by her confessors, circulated widely throughout Europe and long after her death. Many eminent individuals, including Cardinal Juan Torquemada, Jean Gerson, and Martin Luther read and commented on her writings, which influenced the spiritual lives of countless individuals. Birgitta was also the founder of a new monastic order, which still exists today. She is the patron saint of Sweden, and in 2000 was declared (with Catherine of Siena and Edith Stein) co-patroness of Europe. This is the first of four volumes offering the first complete translation of the Revelations into English since the Middle Ages. This volume, which covers Books I-III of the Revelations, contains some of her earliest visions, dating from the 1340s. Book I addresses some of the major themes of her spirituality, and Books II and III contain a sustained critique of the classes of knights and bishops. The introduction outlines the major characteristics of Birgitta's spirituality, her life and work, her style and use of sources, and the main features of her theology.
Niels Christian Hvidt
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195314472
- eISBN:
- 9780199785346
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195314472.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Prophecy plays an important role in the Old Testament. This importance does not end but continues throughout early Judaism, albeit under different forms and genres such as apocalyptic literature, ...
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Prophecy plays an important role in the Old Testament. This importance does not end but continues throughout early Judaism, albeit under different forms and genres such as apocalyptic literature, eschatological prophecy, clerical prophecy, and sapiental prophecy. It equally continues in the history and writings of the early church. The New Testament portrays Christ as the supreme prophet in not merely forwarding words of God to God's people, but being the word of God. Prophecy continued to mutate in the history of Christianity but kept its vigor. It re-emerged in the monastic movements, medieval visionary mysticism, passion mysticism, the great Marian apparitions, augmenting in the 19th century, and in possible contemporary prophetic personalities such as the Greek-Orthodox Vassula Rydén.Less
Prophecy plays an important role in the Old Testament. This importance does not end but continues throughout early Judaism, albeit under different forms and genres such as apocalyptic literature, eschatological prophecy, clerical prophecy, and sapiental prophecy. It equally continues in the history and writings of the early church. The New Testament portrays Christ as the supreme prophet in not merely forwarding words of God to God's people, but being the word of God. Prophecy continued to mutate in the history of Christianity but kept its vigor. It re-emerged in the monastic movements, medieval visionary mysticism, passion mysticism, the great Marian apparitions, augmenting in the 19th century, and in possible contemporary prophetic personalities such as the Greek-Orthodox Vassula Rydén.
Earle H. Waugh
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774160899
- eISBN:
- 9781617970467
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774160899.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its ...
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Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its Sufi origins into different types of reform. Practicing a visionary form of piety, the Demirdashiya—once legendary for its wealth and secrecy—continues to influence a small but important segment of contemporary Cairo's inhabitants. This study highlights the Demirdashiya's sophisticated and complex relationship with both politics and Islamic culture. As part of his research, the author of this book attended the order's liturgies—the dhikrs (remembrance) and khalwa (retreat) —normally closed to outsiders. During an annual khalwa, the adept silently meditates for three days in his own cell. More than giving up human discourse, the mandated silence is a reordering of sensitivities to the divine, and a path to insight into the many ways that God conveys Himself to humans. Examining the role of the Demirdashiya in Egypt's history as well as its visionary piety, the book explores the dialectic between reform and vision in a stable Sufi order. It also probes how these competing ideals were incorporated into the physical world of the zawiya, mosque, and living quarters, and the extension of its influence in Europe through its most famous daughter, Qut al-Qulub, noted visionary author and mother of the order's current sheikh.Less
Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its Sufi origins into different types of reform. Practicing a visionary form of piety, the Demirdashiya—once legendary for its wealth and secrecy—continues to influence a small but important segment of contemporary Cairo's inhabitants. This study highlights the Demirdashiya's sophisticated and complex relationship with both politics and Islamic culture. As part of his research, the author of this book attended the order's liturgies—the dhikrs (remembrance) and khalwa (retreat) —normally closed to outsiders. During an annual khalwa, the adept silently meditates for three days in his own cell. More than giving up human discourse, the mandated silence is a reordering of sensitivities to the divine, and a path to insight into the many ways that God conveys Himself to humans. Examining the role of the Demirdashiya in Egypt's history as well as its visionary piety, the book explores the dialectic between reform and vision in a stable Sufi order. It also probes how these competing ideals were incorporated into the physical world of the zawiya, mosque, and living quarters, and the extension of its influence in Europe through its most famous daughter, Qut al-Qulub, noted visionary author and mother of the order's current sheikh.
Philip Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195146165
- eISBN:
- 9780199834341
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195146166.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This first chapter of the book introduces the transformation that is occurring in Christianity worldwide. It describes how, over the past century, the center of gravity of the Christian world has ...
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This first chapter of the book introduces the transformation that is occurring in Christianity worldwide. It describes how, over the past century, the center of gravity of the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward and forecasts that this trend will continue apace, so that, in contrast to earlier predictions that Western (“European”) Christianity (seen by some as the ideological arm of Western imperialism) is in its dying days and that Islam is the global faith of the future, Christianity should enjoy a worldwide boom in the twenty-first century. The different sections of the chapter discuss the new tradition of Christianity in the South–pointing out that most writers are neglecting this reality, and focusing on Western Christianity; the implications of this for theology and religious practice since Southern Christianity is far more conservative, even reactionary, and supernatural (charismatic, visionary, and apocalyptic); earlier predictions forecasting the death of orthodox (Western) Christianity, which did not allow for the globalization of the religion; the possible rise of a new Southern Christendom and the conflicts and struggles that this might cause; and the future responses of Northern/Western and Southern Christians to the rise of the Southern Christianity.Less
This first chapter of the book introduces the transformation that is occurring in Christianity worldwide. It describes how, over the past century, the center of gravity of the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward and forecasts that this trend will continue apace, so that, in contrast to earlier predictions that Western (“European”) Christianity (seen by some as the ideological arm of Western imperialism) is in its dying days and that Islam is the global faith of the future, Christianity should enjoy a worldwide boom in the twenty-first century. The different sections of the chapter discuss the new tradition of Christianity in the South–pointing out that most writers are neglecting this reality, and focusing on Western Christianity; the implications of this for theology and religious practice since Southern Christianity is far more conservative, even reactionary, and supernatural (charismatic, visionary, and apocalyptic); earlier predictions forecasting the death of orthodox (Western) Christianity, which did not allow for the globalization of the religion; the possible rise of a new Southern Christendom and the conflicts and struggles that this might cause; and the future responses of Northern/Western and Southern Christians to the rise of the Southern Christianity.
Raymond P. Scheindlin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195315424
- eISBN:
- 9780199872039
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195315424.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
A notable feature of Halevi’s religious poetry is its frequent depictions of spiritual experience in visual terms. Some of Halevi’s visionary imagery derives from the ancient Jewish tradition of ...
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A notable feature of Halevi’s religious poetry is its frequent depictions of spiritual experience in visual terms. Some of Halevi’s visionary imagery derives from the ancient Jewish tradition of merkava mysticism, some from the philosophical tradition. But Sufi literature may also have played a part in providing Halevi with his mature conception of the ultimate goal of religious striving. Similarly, a number of important poems depict dreams, considered a form of prophecy; it is a dream that sets the narrative of framework of the Kuzari into motion. The chapter concludes with five poems illustrating visionary experience and dreams. Of these poems, one is a report of a prophetic experience of Halevi himself proclaiming the redemption of Israel; one depicts the poet’s aspiration for a personal vision of God; and one envisions the poet in the Temple.Less
A notable feature of Halevi’s religious poetry is its frequent depictions of spiritual experience in visual terms. Some of Halevi’s visionary imagery derives from the ancient Jewish tradition of merkava mysticism, some from the philosophical tradition. But Sufi literature may also have played a part in providing Halevi with his mature conception of the ultimate goal of religious striving. Similarly, a number of important poems depict dreams, considered a form of prophecy; it is a dream that sets the narrative of framework of the Kuzari into motion. The chapter concludes with five poems illustrating visionary experience and dreams. Of these poems, one is a report of a prophetic experience of Halevi himself proclaiming the redemption of Israel; one depicts the poet’s aspiration for a personal vision of God; and one envisions the poet in the Temple.
Thomas H. Troeger
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195398885
- eISBN:
- 9780199866236
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195398885.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The author, drawing on Wallace Stevens, defines “poet” as any man or woman of imagination. Rather than understanding poetry as the rarefied domain of the literati, poetry is viewed as language that ...
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The author, drawing on Wallace Stevens, defines “poet” as any man or woman of imagination. Rather than understanding poetry as the rarefied domain of the literati, poetry is viewed as language that can engage the visionary capacities of preachers and their listeners. The chapter examines the kinship between poetry and prayer, particularly the invocatory power of poetry and the poetic character of primary religious language as discussed by Andrew Greeley. By blending dream and reason, poetry can give expression to the interfusion of transrational and rational elements that characterizes the state of people’s hearts and minds when they are in deep prayer. The chapter includes three sample sermons based on poems of George Herbert and three others based on the poems of the feminist Christian socialist Alice Meynell, a Roman Catholic laywoman whose work needs to be reclaimed as an important voice from the past.Less
The author, drawing on Wallace Stevens, defines “poet” as any man or woman of imagination. Rather than understanding poetry as the rarefied domain of the literati, poetry is viewed as language that can engage the visionary capacities of preachers and their listeners. The chapter examines the kinship between poetry and prayer, particularly the invocatory power of poetry and the poetic character of primary religious language as discussed by Andrew Greeley. By blending dream and reason, poetry can give expression to the interfusion of transrational and rational elements that characterizes the state of people’s hearts and minds when they are in deep prayer. The chapter includes three sample sermons based on poems of George Herbert and three others based on the poems of the feminist Christian socialist Alice Meynell, a Roman Catholic laywoman whose work needs to be reclaimed as an important voice from the past.
David Fairer
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264706
- eISBN:
- 9780191734557
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264706.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, Milton Studies
According to Joseph Wittreich, Romantic poets empowered Milton by making him whole again through their readings of his poetry in the future tense, so that poems emerging from one moment of crisis ...
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According to Joseph Wittreich, Romantic poets empowered Milton by making him whole again through their readings of his poetry in the future tense, so that poems emerging from one moment of crisis could reflect upon and explain another crisis in history when, once again, terror and tyranny overruled. In the Romantic period, it became a commonplace to link the prophetic Milton to the Romantic poets. This chapter discusses Milton and the Romantics. It examines the Romanticist readings of Paradise Lost and its influence in the writings of the Romantic poets. The chapter examines his tradition of prophecy and oppositional rhetoric, which found its way into the works of the Romantics.Less
According to Joseph Wittreich, Romantic poets empowered Milton by making him whole again through their readings of his poetry in the future tense, so that poems emerging from one moment of crisis could reflect upon and explain another crisis in history when, once again, terror and tyranny overruled. In the Romantic period, it became a commonplace to link the prophetic Milton to the Romantic poets. This chapter discusses Milton and the Romantics. It examines the Romanticist readings of Paradise Lost and its influence in the writings of the Romantic poets. The chapter examines his tradition of prophecy and oppositional rhetoric, which found its way into the works of the Romantics.
Philip Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195146165
- eISBN:
- 9780199834341
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195146166.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
We are living through one of the greatest transformations in the history of religion worldwide. Over the last century, Christianity has enjoyed explosive growth in the global South–in Africa, Asia, ...
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We are living through one of the greatest transformations in the history of religion worldwide. Over the last century, Christianity has enjoyed explosive growth in the global South–in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Within a few decades, Christianity will be overwhelmingly a non-European, non-white religion. Philip Jenkins argues that what we are seeing is no less than the creation of a new Christendom, which, for better or worse, will play a major role in world affairs. This book offers the first in-depth examination of the globalization of Christianity and discusses the implications for Christian worship, liturgy, culture, and political life. In addition, the denominations that are triumphing all over the global south are strongly traditional and even reactionary by the standards of economically advanced nations, and their message tends to be charismatic, visionary, and apocalyptic. This newly militant Christianity may give rise to renewed religious rivalry, especially since Islam is expanding in the same areas as Christianity. The resulting confrontations have already given rise to deadly conflicts in places such as Nigeria, Malaysia, and Indonesia. An unprecedented and potentially dangerous global change is underway. This book is an important first step toward understanding its challenges and its threats.Less
We are living through one of the greatest transformations in the history of religion worldwide. Over the last century, Christianity has enjoyed explosive growth in the global South–in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Within a few decades, Christianity will be overwhelmingly a non-European, non-white religion. Philip Jenkins argues that what we are seeing is no less than the creation of a new Christendom, which, for better or worse, will play a major role in world affairs. This book offers the first in-depth examination of the globalization of Christianity and discusses the implications for Christian worship, liturgy, culture, and political life. In addition, the denominations that are triumphing all over the global south are strongly traditional and even reactionary by the standards of economically advanced nations, and their message tends to be charismatic, visionary, and apocalyptic. This newly militant Christianity may give rise to renewed religious rivalry, especially since Islam is expanding in the same areas as Christianity. The resulting confrontations have already given rise to deadly conflicts in places such as Nigeria, Malaysia, and Indonesia. An unprecedented and potentially dangerous global change is underway. This book is an important first step toward understanding its challenges and its threats.
Terryl L. Givens
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138184
- eISBN:
- 9780199834211
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513818X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
In the context of 19th‐century American millennialism, many early converts to Mormonism heralded the Book of Mormon as a sign of the end times. In an era of many prophets and visionaries, the Book of ...
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In the context of 19th‐century American millennialism, many early converts to Mormonism heralded the Book of Mormon as a sign of the end times. In an era of many prophets and visionaries, the Book of Mormon was offered as tangible proof that Joseph was an authentic prophet. Joseph Smith's emphatic literalism and appeal to physical and historical evidence made him both more threatening and more attractive than a Jacob Boehme or an Emanuel Swedenborg. The story of angels, seer stones, and gold plates, thus displaced a focus on the Book of Mormon's content, for both critics and believers.Less
In the context of 19th‐century American millennialism, many early converts to Mormonism heralded the Book of Mormon as a sign of the end times. In an era of many prophets and visionaries, the Book of Mormon was offered as tangible proof that Joseph was an authentic prophet. Joseph Smith's emphatic literalism and appeal to physical and historical evidence made him both more threatening and more attractive than a Jacob Boehme or an Emanuel Swedenborg. The story of angels, seer stones, and gold plates, thus displaced a focus on the Book of Mormon's content, for both critics and believers.
Brian Baker
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719069048
- eISBN:
- 9781781700891
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719069048.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature
This book is a comprehensive critical introduction to one of the most original contemporary British writers, providing an overview of all of Iain Sinclair's major works and an analysis of his vision ...
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This book is a comprehensive critical introduction to one of the most original contemporary British writers, providing an overview of all of Iain Sinclair's major works and an analysis of his vision of modern London. It places Sinclair in a range of contexts, including: the late 1960s counter-culture and the British Poetry Revival; London's underground histories; the rise and fall of Thatcherism; and Sinclair's writing about Britain under New Labour and Sinclair's connection to other writers and artists, such as J.G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock and Marc Atkins. The book contributes to the growing scholarship surrounding Sinclair's work, covering in detail his poetry, fiction, non-fiction (including his book on John Clare, Edge of the Orison), and his film work. Using a generally chronological structure, it traces the on-going themes in Sinclair's writing, such as the uncovering of lost histories of London, the influence of visionary writings, and the importance of walking in the city, and more recent developments in his texts, such as the focus on spaces outside of London and his filmic collaborations with Chris Petit. The book provides a critically informed discussion of Sinclair's work using a variety of approaches.Less
This book is a comprehensive critical introduction to one of the most original contemporary British writers, providing an overview of all of Iain Sinclair's major works and an analysis of his vision of modern London. It places Sinclair in a range of contexts, including: the late 1960s counter-culture and the British Poetry Revival; London's underground histories; the rise and fall of Thatcherism; and Sinclair's writing about Britain under New Labour and Sinclair's connection to other writers and artists, such as J.G. Ballard, Michael Moorcock and Marc Atkins. The book contributes to the growing scholarship surrounding Sinclair's work, covering in detail his poetry, fiction, non-fiction (including his book on John Clare, Edge of the Orison), and his film work. Using a generally chronological structure, it traces the on-going themes in Sinclair's writing, such as the uncovering of lost histories of London, the influence of visionary writings, and the importance of walking in the city, and more recent developments in his texts, such as the focus on spaces outside of London and his filmic collaborations with Chris Petit. The book provides a critically informed discussion of Sinclair's work using a variety of approaches.
Susanne M. Sklar
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199603145
- eISBN:
- 9780191731594
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603145.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
William Blake says Jerusalem is written to move readers from a solely rational way of being (called Ulro) to one that is highly imaginative (called Eden/Eternity), and that each word in it is chosen ...
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William Blake says Jerusalem is written to move readers from a solely rational way of being (called Ulro) to one that is highly imaginative (called Eden/Eternity), and that each word in it is chosen to suit ‘the mouth of a true Orator’. Rational interpretation is of limited use when reading this multifaceted poem. But considering Jerusalem as visionary theatre — an imaginative performance in which characters, settings, and imagery are not confined by mundane space and time — allows readers to enjoy the coherence of its delightful complexities. With his characters, Blake's readers can participate imaginatively in what Blake calls ‘the Divine Body, the Saviour's Kingdom’, a way of being in which all things interconnect: spiritually, ecologically, socially, and erotically. This two‐part book first discusses the theological, literary, and historical antecedents of the poem's imagery, characters, and settings before presenting a scene‐by‐scene commentary of the entire illuminated work. Jerusalem tells the story of a fall, many rescue attempts, escalating violence, and a surprising apocalypse — in which all living things are transfigured in ferocious forgiveness.Less
William Blake says Jerusalem is written to move readers from a solely rational way of being (called Ulro) to one that is highly imaginative (called Eden/Eternity), and that each word in it is chosen to suit ‘the mouth of a true Orator’. Rational interpretation is of limited use when reading this multifaceted poem. But considering Jerusalem as visionary theatre — an imaginative performance in which characters, settings, and imagery are not confined by mundane space and time — allows readers to enjoy the coherence of its delightful complexities. With his characters, Blake's readers can participate imaginatively in what Blake calls ‘the Divine Body, the Saviour's Kingdom’, a way of being in which all things interconnect: spiritually, ecologically, socially, and erotically. This two‐part book first discusses the theological, literary, and historical antecedents of the poem's imagery, characters, and settings before presenting a scene‐by‐scene commentary of the entire illuminated work. Jerusalem tells the story of a fall, many rescue attempts, escalating violence, and a surprising apocalypse — in which all living things are transfigured in ferocious forgiveness.
Susanne M. Sklar
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199603145
- eISBN:
- 9780191731594
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603145.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
Blake's Jerusalem has baffled many good readers, but approaching it as visionary theatre reveals the coherence of its complexities and strange language. Key terms – such as visionary theatre, Divine ...
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Blake's Jerusalem has baffled many good readers, but approaching it as visionary theatre reveals the coherence of its complexities and strange language. Key terms – such as visionary theatre, Divine Body, Zoa, Emanation, Selfhood, and Blake's four states of being (Ulro, Generation, Beulah, Eden/Eternity) – must be described or defined before approaching his illuminated poem both creatively and critically. Jerusalem seeks to move its readers (with its characters) from a merely rational approach (called Ulro) to an imaginative one in which all things interconnect in what can be called ‘differentiated unity’ (Eden/Eternity). A brief overview of Jerusalem's reception history prepares the ground for the imaginatively theological approach this book is offering.Less
Blake's Jerusalem has baffled many good readers, but approaching it as visionary theatre reveals the coherence of its complexities and strange language. Key terms – such as visionary theatre, Divine Body, Zoa, Emanation, Selfhood, and Blake's four states of being (Ulro, Generation, Beulah, Eden/Eternity) – must be described or defined before approaching his illuminated poem both creatively and critically. Jerusalem seeks to move its readers (with its characters) from a merely rational approach (called Ulro) to an imaginative one in which all things interconnect in what can be called ‘differentiated unity’ (Eden/Eternity). A brief overview of Jerusalem's reception history prepares the ground for the imaginatively theological approach this book is offering.
Susanne M. Sklar
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199603145
- eISBN:
- 9780191731594
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603145.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
The idea of Visionary Theatre arises from seventeenth century approaches to the Book of Revelation, which has affinities with Blake's Jerusalem. This chapter considers what visionary theatre is, and ...
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The idea of Visionary Theatre arises from seventeenth century approaches to the Book of Revelation, which has affinities with Blake's Jerusalem. This chapter considers what visionary theatre is, and how Blake's poem become more comprehensible when placed in the context of other examples of visionary theatre. John's Apocalypse, esoteric alchemical texts, the writings of Jacob Boehme, and the songs and rituals of the Freemasons help to illuminate the nature of Jerusalem's structure and imagery. Like Masonic initiates, Jerusalem's readers are enjoined to enter into what Blake calls ‘a Sublime Allegory’—and be changed by this. We can be like actors, participating imaginatively in the world of the poem.Less
The idea of Visionary Theatre arises from seventeenth century approaches to the Book of Revelation, which has affinities with Blake's Jerusalem. This chapter considers what visionary theatre is, and how Blake's poem become more comprehensible when placed in the context of other examples of visionary theatre. John's Apocalypse, esoteric alchemical texts, the writings of Jacob Boehme, and the songs and rituals of the Freemasons help to illuminate the nature of Jerusalem's structure and imagery. Like Masonic initiates, Jerusalem's readers are enjoined to enter into what Blake calls ‘a Sublime Allegory’—and be changed by this. We can be like actors, participating imaginatively in the world of the poem.
Jonathan Bate
- Published in print:
- 1989
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198129943
- eISBN:
- 9780191671883
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198129943.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
Aside from how William Blake was initially suspected to have been associated with various mystical traditions from the 18th-century, Blake continues to intimidate a number of readers. As most people ...
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Aside from how William Blake was initially suspected to have been associated with various mystical traditions from the 18th-century, Blake continues to intimidate a number of readers. As most people would rather not explore beyond the ‘pure’ poetry of the songs across the late prophetic books, only some of Blake's longer and later poems have been preserved. Because these works are read only by those who Shelley referred to as the synetoi, Blake's works are analyzed in terms of the associated cryptic sources. In this chapter, attention is drawn to how Shakespeare was perceived as an exemplary poet, and that Shakespeare's visionary power has proven to be central to the various literary works of Blake.Less
Aside from how William Blake was initially suspected to have been associated with various mystical traditions from the 18th-century, Blake continues to intimidate a number of readers. As most people would rather not explore beyond the ‘pure’ poetry of the songs across the late prophetic books, only some of Blake's longer and later poems have been preserved. Because these works are read only by those who Shelley referred to as the synetoi, Blake's works are analyzed in terms of the associated cryptic sources. In this chapter, attention is drawn to how Shakespeare was perceived as an exemplary poet, and that Shakespeare's visionary power has proven to be central to the various literary works of Blake.
Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199812295
- eISBN:
- 9780199919390
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199812295.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
In Tibetan Buddhism, visionary literature, known as ‘treasures’ (gter), form unique and often controversial additions to the established canon. They are ‘discovered’ by practitioners believed to be ...
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In Tibetan Buddhism, visionary literature, known as ‘treasures’ (gter), form unique and often controversial additions to the established canon. They are ‘discovered’ by practitioners believed to be prophetically predestined to spread the cycles of teachings, rituals and meditations that are included in these Treasure lineages. The rituals included in and developed out of these lineages have social as well as spiritual importance. In these rituals, the discoverer negotiates his way into a position of legitimacy as public participation in ritual validates his discovery, while the community also negotiates for active agency in religious virtuosity that recognizes them as ‘insiders’ in the process of creation of religious authority. Although they cannot experience the realization that comes with mastery of the Treasure practices, they still, in some way, receive the spiritual benefit. The chapter uses as an example a Guru Rinpoche treasure ritual discovered by a recent Treasure discoverer, rTogs ldan Sha kya Shri (1853- 1919), who in the course of his rich visionary life received many Treasures.Less
In Tibetan Buddhism, visionary literature, known as ‘treasures’ (gter), form unique and often controversial additions to the established canon. They are ‘discovered’ by practitioners believed to be prophetically predestined to spread the cycles of teachings, rituals and meditations that are included in these Treasure lineages. The rituals included in and developed out of these lineages have social as well as spiritual importance. In these rituals, the discoverer negotiates his way into a position of legitimacy as public participation in ritual validates his discovery, while the community also negotiates for active agency in religious virtuosity that recognizes them as ‘insiders’ in the process of creation of religious authority. Although they cannot experience the realization that comes with mastery of the Treasure practices, they still, in some way, receive the spiritual benefit. The chapter uses as an example a Guru Rinpoche treasure ritual discovered by a recent Treasure discoverer, rTogs ldan Sha kya Shri (1853- 1919), who in the course of his rich visionary life received many Treasures.
Seth Perry
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179131
- eISBN:
- 9781400889402
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179131.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter examines visionary accounts as a form of performed biblicism that made particularly dramatic claims on relationships of authority, focusing on the ways in which they participated in the ...
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This chapter examines visionary accounts as a form of performed biblicism that made particularly dramatic claims on relationships of authority, focusing on the ways in which they participated in the scripturalized environment of the early national period. The mechanisms of this scripturalization are analyzed in early national visionary texts. The chapter first explains how print-bible culture defined the generic and formal terms of what a visionary text should look like, thus providing models for latter-day visionaries, before discussing the tendency of visionaries such as Chloe Willey to make direct citation of the Bible. It then considers the visionary texts' preoccupation with literacy, with writing itself, and with the written presentation of revelation. Finally, it reviews the history of The Vision of Isaac Childs, a visionary text of the nineteenth century, to illustrate the operations and effects of the scripturalized terms of visionary authority in the early national period.Less
This chapter examines visionary accounts as a form of performed biblicism that made particularly dramatic claims on relationships of authority, focusing on the ways in which they participated in the scripturalized environment of the early national period. The mechanisms of this scripturalization are analyzed in early national visionary texts. The chapter first explains how print-bible culture defined the generic and formal terms of what a visionary text should look like, thus providing models for latter-day visionaries, before discussing the tendency of visionaries such as Chloe Willey to make direct citation of the Bible. It then considers the visionary texts' preoccupation with literacy, with writing itself, and with the written presentation of revelation. Finally, it reviews the history of The Vision of Isaac Childs, a visionary text of the nineteenth century, to illustrate the operations and effects of the scripturalized terms of visionary authority in the early national period.
Elliot R. Wolfson
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199751198
- eISBN:
- 9780199918782
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751198.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter surveys several distinct paradigms of mystical knowledge among Native American visionaries. These paradigms will be contextualized in terms of various expressive, semiotic aspects of ...
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This chapter surveys several distinct paradigms of mystical knowledge among Native American visionaries. These paradigms will be contextualized in terms of various expressive, semiotic aspects of Native American cultures, such as in art, ritual, music, and communal activity. The basis of this comparison, its epistemological sources, will be organized around the visionary experience as a mystical encounter resulting in revelatory knowledge that supports a creative context for the emergence of new visionary teachings. The sharing of visionary narratives is linked to pedagogy in order to demonstrate a variety of approaches to teaching this kind of material. Oral traditions, including a discussion of verbal art and visual presentation, will be linked to pedagogical theory that is both multisensory and involves an evocative use of imagination as inseparable from a vivid understanding of native religions. It also addresses the problem of mysticism as a nonnative category.Less
This chapter surveys several distinct paradigms of mystical knowledge among Native American visionaries. These paradigms will be contextualized in terms of various expressive, semiotic aspects of Native American cultures, such as in art, ritual, music, and communal activity. The basis of this comparison, its epistemological sources, will be organized around the visionary experience as a mystical encounter resulting in revelatory knowledge that supports a creative context for the emergence of new visionary teachings. The sharing of visionary narratives is linked to pedagogy in order to demonstrate a variety of approaches to teaching this kind of material. Oral traditions, including a discussion of verbal art and visual presentation, will be linked to pedagogical theory that is both multisensory and involves an evocative use of imagination as inseparable from a vivid understanding of native religions. It also addresses the problem of mysticism as a nonnative category.
Lee Irwin
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199751198
- eISBN:
- 9780199918782
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199751198.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter surveys several distinct paradigms of mystical knowledge among Native American visionaries. These paradigms will be contextualized in terms of various expressive, semiotic aspects of ...
More
This chapter surveys several distinct paradigms of mystical knowledge among Native American visionaries. These paradigms will be contextualized in terms of various expressive, semiotic aspects of Native American cultures, such as in art, ritual, music, and communal activity. The basis of this comparison, its epistemological sources, will be organized around the visionary experience as a mystical encounter resulting in revelatory knowledge that supports a creative context for the emergence of new visionary teachings. The sharing of visionary narratives is linked to pedagogy in order to demonstrate a variety of approaches to teaching this kind of material. Oral traditions, including a discussion of verbal art and visual presentation, will be linked to pedagogical theory that is both multisensory and involves an evocative use of imagination as inseparable from a vivid understanding of native religions. It also addresses the problem of mysticism as a nonnative categoryLess
This chapter surveys several distinct paradigms of mystical knowledge among Native American visionaries. These paradigms will be contextualized in terms of various expressive, semiotic aspects of Native American cultures, such as in art, ritual, music, and communal activity. The basis of this comparison, its epistemological sources, will be organized around the visionary experience as a mystical encounter resulting in revelatory knowledge that supports a creative context for the emergence of new visionary teachings. The sharing of visionary narratives is linked to pedagogy in order to demonstrate a variety of approaches to teaching this kind of material. Oral traditions, including a discussion of verbal art and visual presentation, will be linked to pedagogical theory that is both multisensory and involves an evocative use of imagination as inseparable from a vivid understanding of native religions. It also addresses the problem of mysticism as a nonnative category
