Ascent to Heaven in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism

Ascent to Heaven in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism PDF Author: Algis Uždavinys
Publisher: The Matheson Trust
ISBN: 1908092025
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
In this groundbreaking work of comparative religion, Algis Uzdavinys takes us deeply into the "closed and blessed gardens of myth", showing us the capital importance of the many varieties of "ascent to heaven". From the Pyramid Texts down to Second Temple Judaism and apocalyptic Christian literature; and, in parallel, down the theurgic path of Platonic and Hermetic literature to the sanctum of the Islamic revelation in Mecca, we are vividly presented with the sacramental impact of anagoge: elevation to the domain of the supernal archetypes and heavenly principles. As with other books by the author, the face of antiquity is revealed anew, full of intriguing, challenging and enraptured insights.

Ascent to Heaven in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism

Ascent to Heaven in Islamic and Jewish Mysticism PDF Author: Algis Uždavinys
Publisher: The Matheson Trust
ISBN: 1908092025
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Get Book

Book Description
In this groundbreaking work of comparative religion, Algis Uzdavinys takes us deeply into the "closed and blessed gardens of myth", showing us the capital importance of the many varieties of "ascent to heaven". From the Pyramid Texts down to Second Temple Judaism and apocalyptic Christian literature; and, in parallel, down the theurgic path of Platonic and Hermetic literature to the sanctum of the Islamic revelation in Mecca, we are vividly presented with the sacramental impact of anagoge: elevation to the domain of the supernal archetypes and heavenly principles. As with other books by the author, the face of antiquity is revealed anew, full of intriguing, challenging and enraptured insights.

Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven PDF Author: Peter Levenda
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0826428509
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
The idea of heavenly ascent, while popularized in Jewish mysticism, is neither a unique nor recent one. Expertly tracing its origins back to the ancient Middle East, Levenda unearths ascent literature in Africa, India, and China, discerns a common connection in the heavens themselves, and determines that this connection has been sorely neglected in contemporary scholarship. Because scholars treat the "heavens" as metaphorical, it is necessary to recreate the physical context of the culture under discussion in order to better understand it. For the benefit of the reader, Levenda offers two useful concepts for his investigative journey: a "map," whereby he means the cosmological system to better understand the mystical technologies of each culture investigated, and a "vehicle," the method by which the individual equipped with special knowledge is able to navigate the culture's particular cosmology. With these two tools, Levenda travels from the worlds of ancient Egypt and Babylon to the Hebrew Bible, to Jewish and Christian kabbalists, to Daoists in ancient China, to Hindu Tantra and Haitian Vodoun, and, finally, to nineteenth and twentieth century European occult societies.

The Prophet's Ascension

The Prophet's Ascension PDF Author: Christiane J. Gruber
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253353610
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
The tales of the mi'raj describe the prophet Muhammad's journey through the heavens, his encounters with prophets and angels, and his visit to heaven and hell. The tales are among Islam's most popular, appearing in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish literature, and in later adaptations throughout the Muslim world. Often serving as narratives designed to promote the worldview of particular Muslim groups, the tales were also a means for communities to construct rules of normative behavior and ritual practices, and were used to assert the superiority of Islam over other religions. The essays in this collection discuss the formation of this narrative, the mi'raj as a missionary text, its various adaptations, its application to esoteric thought, and its use in performance and ritual. -- Book jacket.

The Art of Mystical Narrative

The Art of Mystical Narrative PDF Author: Eitan Fishbane
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199948631
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 535

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Book Description
In the study of Judaism, the Zohar has captivated the minds of interpreters for over seven centuries, and continues to entrance readers in contemporary times. Yet despite these centuries of study, very little attention has been devoted to the literary dimensions of the text, or to formal appreciation of its status as one of the great works of religious literature. The Art of Mystical Narrative offers a critical approach to the zoharic story, seeking to explore the interplay between fictional discourse and mystical exegesis. Eitan Fishbane argues that the narrative must be understood first and foremost as a work of the fictional imagination, a representation of a world and reality invented by the thirteenth-century authors of the text. He claims that the text functions as a kind of dramatic literature, one in which the power of revealing mystical secrets is demonstrated and performed for the reading audience. The Art of Mystical Narrative offers a fresh, interdisciplinary perspective on the Zohar and on the intersections of literary and religious studies.

Sufism and Jewish-Muslim Relations

Sufism and Jewish-Muslim Relations PDF Author: Yafia Katherine Randall
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317428935
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
In Israel there are Jews and Muslims who practice Sufism together. The Sufi’ activities that they take part in together create pathways of engagement between two faith traditions in a geographical area beset by conflict. Sufism and Jewish Muslim Relations investigates this practice of Sufism among Jews and Muslims in Israel and examines their potential to contribute to peace in the area. It is an original approach to the study of reconciliation, situating the activities of groups that are not explicitly acting for peace within the wider context of grass-roots peace initiatives. The author conducted in-depth interviews with those practicing Sufism in Israel, and these are both collected in an appendix and used throughout the work to analyse the approaches of individuals to Sufism and the challenges they face. It finds that participants understand encounters between Muslim and Jewish mystics in the medieval Middle East as a common heritage to Jews and Muslims practising Sufism together today, and it explores how those of different faiths see no dissonance in the adoption of Sufi practices to pursue a path of spiritual progression. The first examination of the Derekh Avraham Jewish-Sūfī Order, this is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Sufi studies, as well as those interested in Jewish-Muslim relations.

Union with God in Christ

Union with God in Christ PDF Author: Matthew Friedman
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498278388
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
A significant number of Muslim communities throughout the world reflect varying degrees of involvement in Islamic mysticism. What bridges are present in this context that will facilitate not only evangelism, but also discipleship and community formation? Matthew Friedman guides the reader on a journey examining the response of the early Christian community to the challenges of ancient Jewish and Hellenic mysticism, focusing on the central idea of “union with God in Christ.” Far from finding this to be a leftover from the early Church, he discovers that this theme remained crucial into the Reformation, particularly in the writing and work of eighteenth-century figures John and Charles Wesley.Join Friedman as he explores resources for discipleship and community building that will be relevant to both scholars and practitioners alike, and will be effective for witness within modern contexts of Islamic mysticism worldwide.

Islam [4 volumes]

Islam [4 volumes] PDF Author: Cenap Çakmak
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 1938

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Book Description
This expansive four-volume encyclopedia presents a broad introduction to Islam that enables learning about the fundamental role of Islam in world history and promotes greater respect for cultural diversity. One of the most popular and widespread religions in the world, Islam has attracted a great deal of attention in recent times, particularly in the Western world. With the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and a pervasive sense of hostility toward Arab Americans, there is ever increasing need to examine and understand Islam as a religion and historical force. Islam: A Worldwide Encyclopedia provides some 700 entries on Islam written by expert contributors that cover the religion from the birth of Islam to the present time. The set also includes 16 pages of color images per volume that serve to illustrate the diverse expressions of this important religious tradition. Each entry begins with a basic introduction, followed by a general discussion of the subject and a conclusion. Each entry also features a further readings list for readers. In addition to supplying a comprehensive, authoritative overview of Islam, this work also specifically addresses many controversial related issues, including jihad, violence in Islam, polygamy, and apostasy.

Chasing Immortality in World Religions

Chasing Immortality in World Religions PDF Author: Deborah M. Coulter-Harris
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786497920
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
Humans have been chasing immortality since the beginning of history, seeking answers to sickness and aging, death and the afterlife, and questioning the human condition. Analyzing ideas from ancient Sumer, Egypt, Greece and India, as well as the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, this study explores how early religious models influenced later beliefs about immortality, the afterlife, the human soul, resurrection, and reward and punishment. The author highlights shared teachings among the most influential religions and philosophies, concluding that humankind has not substantially changed its conceptions of immortality in 6,000 years. This continuity of belief may be due to chromosomal memory and cultural inheritance, or may represent a fundamental way of conceptualizing the afterlife to cope with mortality. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism

Ascensions on High in Jewish Mysticism PDF Author: Moshe Idel
Publisher: Central European University Press
ISBN: 6155053782
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Ascensions on high took many forms in Jewish mysticism and they permeated most of its history from its inception until Hasidism. The book surveys the various categories, with an emphasis on the architectural images of the ascent, like the resort to images of pillars, lines, and ladders. After surveying the variety of scholarly approaches to religion, the author also offers what he proposes as an eclectic approach, and a perspectivist one. The latter recommends to examine religious phenomena from a variety of perspectives. The author investigates the specific issue of the pillar in Jewish mysticism by comparing it to the archaic resort to pillars recurring in rural societies. Given the fact that the ascent of the soul and pillars constituted the concerns of two main Romanian scholars of religion, Ioan P. Culianu and Mircea Eliade, Idel resorts to their views, and in the Concluding Remarks analyzes the emergence of Eliade's vision of Judaism on the basis of neglected sources.

The Origins of Jewish Mysticism

The Origins of Jewish Mysticism PDF Author: Peter Schäfer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691142157
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
'The Origins of Jewish Mysticism' offers an in-depth look at the history of Jewish mysticism from the book of Ezekiel to the Merkavah mysticism of late antiquity. The author reveals what these writings seek to tell us about the age-old human desire to get close to and communicate with God.