Art and Immortality in the Ancient Near East


Book Description

Far from being a Judeo-Christian invention, apocalyptic thought had its roots in the ancient Near East and was expressed in its art.




Parabola


Book Description







Guardians of the Sundoor


Book Description

Coomaraswamy's final un-published essays, including: The Iconography of Sagittarius, Philo's Doctrine of the Cherubim, Concerning Sphinxes, and The Concept of Ether in Greek and Indian Cosmology, are complemented by the author's own illustrations from his personal archives.




The 2012 Story


Book Description

From the pioneering author who helped introduce the question of 2012 into the global spiritual community comes an epic exploration of the authentic origins and meaning of this portentous date. Drawing from his own groundbreaking research (including his involvement in the modern reconstruction of Mayan 2012 cosmology), John Major Jenkins has created the crucial guide to 2012, surveying its roots in Mayan cosmology, modern astronomy, ancient prophecy, and metaphysical philosophy and exploring why it has become a focal point for millions today.




Gilgamesch


Book Description

English summary: This collection of articles has two aims: The first is to create a comprehensive compendium of iconography on GilgameU. It includes reprints of three formerly published articles by Ruth Opificius (1970), Wilfred G. Lambert (1987) and Dominique Collon (2002). The second aim is to publish some objects of Near Eastern art from the Bible+Orient Collection in Fribourg, which relate to GilgameU. Seven new papers deal with the visual representation of GilgameU. Two of them discuss terracotta plaques and cylinder seals from the Bible+Orient Collection. The terms iconography and iconology have often been used loosely. In order to understand which method the authors of this book apply, an introductory article connects them to the history of the academic disciplines of archaeology and of art history. German description: Dieser Sammelband verfolgt zwei Ziele: Einerseits will er ein Kompendium zur GilgameU-Ikonographie bieten. Zu diesem Zweck werden drei Untersuchungen nachgedruckt und durch neue Forschungsbeitrage erganzt. Andererseits sollen Bildzeugnisse der Sammlung Bibel+Orient in Freiburg publiziert werden, die einen Bezug zu Themen der GilgameU-Legenden aufweisen. Die Begriffe Ikonographie und Ikonologie werden oft recht frei gebraucht. Um zu verstehen, welche Methode die Autoren dieses Bandes anwenden, ordnet sie ein einfuhrender Artikel in die Wissenschaftsgeschichte der Archaologie und Kunstgeschichte ein. Ausgehend von Humbaba-Masken identifiziert R. Opificius im ersten nachgedruckten Artikel den Typus einer Dreiergruppe, in der zwei Helden den in der Mitte befindlichen Gegner besiegen, mit der Uberwindung Humbabas durch GilgameU und Enkidu. W.G. Lambert vergleicht in seinem Artikel systematisch unterschiedliche Versionen des Epos mit bildlichen Darstellungen. D. Collon hat ihren Aufsatz fur diesen Band aktualisiert und erganzt. Der grosste Teil des ikonographischen Materials, das den Kampf von GilgameU und Enkidu gegen Humbaba darstellt, findet sich auf Rollsiegeln und greift eine haufig auf Siegeln abgebildete Konstellation auf, namlich den Dreifiguren-Kampf. Die beiden nachsten Beitrage stammen von Philologen. C. Mittermayer wirft ein Schlaglicht auf die Literaturgeschichte des GilgameU-Epos. D. Frayne untersucht, ob Keilschrifttexte und Rollsiegel des 3. Jahrtausends v. Chr. einen Bezug zu GilgameU aufweisen. U. Seidl beschreibt verschiedene altbabylonische Terrakotta-Reliefs, von denen einige aus der Sammlung Bibel+Orient stammen. Sie benennt zunachst vor-ikonographisch die Gegenstande und Figuren. Dann unternimmt sie eine ikonographische Analyse des Themas der Terrakotta-Releifes, welches sie als GilgameU's Zug zum Zedernwald bestimmt. T. Ornan stellt schriftliche Versionen des Epos und Bilder nebeneinander. Mit Hilfe bildlicher Darstellungen, die alter sind als die schriftlichen Zeugnisse, kann sie die Entwicklungsgeschichte der Erzahlungen und verloren gegangene Versionen rekonstruieren. M.-A. Atac fragt nach der tieferen Bedeutung von Zeichen, Symbolen und Figurentypen mit Bezug zu GilgameU in der neuassyrischen Kunst. H.U. Steymans stellt das Material uber GilgameU in der Levante zusammen. Seine Liste umfasst die Keilschrifttafeln, die Handlungssequenzen der auf ihnen erhaltenen Texte und das Bildmaterial.




The Underlying Religion


Book Description

This is an anthology of 25 essays by the leading exponents of the perennialist school of comparative religious thought. It aims to be the most accessible introduction yet to the perspective of the Perennial Philosophy.




Islands in the Sky


Book Description

Homer provides an enormous challenge to the student; the potentialities of these lengthy texts are legion and the scholarship vast. The author has relied upon her knowledge of symbolic discourse to make a fresh study of the Odyssey, prioritising early neighbouring religions, their mythology, and shamanic practice. The latter has yielded particularly rich material concerning the axis of the world (axis mundi) as a route to the stars and the world of the gods. Man’s shared experience of the night skies has also provided some remarkably consistent patterns for the geography of an Otherworld in the skies and the means to reach the gods residing there. By applying world-wide motifs of the soul journey, the initiatory process and established points of transformation along a solar path, it has been possible to recast the hero’s sea voyage in cosmic terms and give a celestial homeland to the many islands visited by Odysseus and his companions. The result gives a surprising twist to the meaning of the epic and reveals Homer the poet as both philosopher and student of the cosmos. The ‘wine-dark sea’ is revealed as none other than the night sky which serves as backdrop to the hero’s adventures among the stars, and Ithaka itself with its many conflicts finds a place at the very centre of the known universe of Bronze Age Greece.




Voices of Islam


Book Description

Despite frequent and extensive publications on Islam, very few Americans, indeed very few non-Muslims, truly understand the faith or the more than one billion adherents who live it. This set presents the diversity and richness of Islam, filling in the blanks and expanding our knowledge and understanding. Portraying Muslims in all their humanity and diversity balances the images that have bombarded society and presents the reader with a fuller and more accurate picture of the Islamic faith and what it means to live as a Muslim—in Muslim communities, and as part of a broader tapestry of pluralism in the nations of the world. What does it mean to share Muslim concerns? To experience Muslim spirituality? What is the difference between Sunni and Shiite sects? Why do Muslims pray so frequently? What is the reality of Muslim marriage and gender relations? What is the meaning of jihad and martyrdom to a practicing Muslim? What role do the arts and humanities play in modern Muslim life? How are Islamic children raised? These questions and others are answered in these volumes, which bring together Muslim voices from around the world, including men and women, scholars and laypersons, fundamentalists and progressives, and others from various cultural, political, and Islamic backgrounds. Personal experiences and poetry are included to illustrate the many different expressions of Islam.




Meister Eckhart


Book Description

Though he lived in the thirteenth century, Meister Eckhart’s deeply ecumenical teachings were in many ways modern. He taught about what we call ecology, championed artistic creativity, and advocated for social, economic, and gender justice. All these elements have inspired spiritual maverick Matthew Fox and influenced his Creation Spirituality. Here, Fox creates metaphorical meetings between Eckhart and Teilhard de Chardin, Thich Nhat Hanh, Carl Jung, Black Elk, Rumi, Adrienne Rich, and other radical thinkers. The result is profoundly insightful, substantive, and inspiring.