A comprehensive manual for anyone wishing to become competent in reading and understanding the Scriptures of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The chapters of this book introduce the reader to all aspects of biblical studies. They guide the reader through the maze, from 'Venturing In' to 'Negotiated Reading'. There are sections on, for example, considering the self-consciousness of the reader/interpreter, the interaction of the tradition with the text of Scripture through the ages, the various literary genres together with the principal forms within the larger biblical documents, ways of reading the text in the modern and post-modern periods, how the academic reading of Scripture and the church reading interact, the relation between competent reading of the sacred text and the preparation and delivery of the sermon, the place of dialogue in the interpretive process. The conclusion sums up the discussion throughout the book and focuses the issues for a competent reading of the Bible and related writings. Student-friendly features include, at the end of each chapter: --An Objective, summarizing the content and objective of the chapter 12-14 lead questions with act as in-depth study exercises--Full bibliography and suggestions for further reading

Covering the major monotheistic religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—as well as selected Eastern religions and Bahá'í, Zoroastrianism, and Mormonism, this cross-cultural book offers excerpts of sacred texts and interprets passages to enable a deeper understanding of these religious writings. Sacred Texts Interpreted: Religious Documents Explained gives readers the opportunity to examine—directly—the primary sources of different religions and to better understand these texts through expert commentary on selected passages. The interpretative material investigates the nature of sacred texts along with the relationship between sacred scripture and canon, and it explains why these sacred texts have enduring significance and influence. The author provides suggestions on how to read a sacred text before turning to the textual selections from 13 religious traditions arranged alphabetically, beginning with the Bahá'í religion and ending with Zoroastrianism. Each chapter is devoted to the primary textual sources of a particular religious tradition and is prefaced by an introduction to the literature that places it within its historical and cultural heritage. The emphasis for each religion is on its foundational scriptures that are often considered sacred by its adherents. Readers will gain a much greater appreciation of how powerful religious texts have always been across human culture and throughout millennia—and of how religious thought and ideology have shaped daily life, built civilizations, inspired art and literature, and incited wars and violence.

A rich display of the Christian tradition's reading of Scripture Though well-known and oft-repeated, the advice to read the Bible "like any other book" fails to acknowledge that different books call for different kinds of reading. The voice of Scripture summons readers to hear and respond to its words as divine address. Not everyone chooses to read the Bible on those terms, but in Reading Sacred Scripture Stephen and Martin Westerholm (father and son) invite their readers to engage seriously with a dozen major Bible interpreters -- ranging from the second century to the twentieth -- who have been attentive to Scripture's voice. After expertly setting forth pertinent background context in two initial chapters, the Westerholms devote a separate chapter to each interpreter, exploring how these key Christian thinkers each understood Scripture and how it should be read. Though differing widely in their approaches to the text and its interpretation, these twelve select interpreters all insisted that the Bible is like no other book and should be read accordingly.

Spiritual Reading explores how God, the Bible and the practices of reading are all connected. Angela Lou Harvey investigates how the spiritual reading of the Bible takes place in our modern, literate, Western culture. In this context, a spiritual reading of the Bible is one that aims to know and love God through individual Bible reading. Spiritual Reading discusses what it means to read the Bible well and looks at the role of the church as giving us guidance for reading it in this way. Harvey considers these ideas vis-a-vis historically orientated biblical scholarship as well as reading the Bible as a classic work of Western literature. With reference to the use of literature through a Christian framework in the works of C.S. Lewis and Alan Jacobs, Harvey analyses the significance the Bible has had in shaping other literary works. Drawing upon insights of theologians such as Karl Barth, Henri de Lubac, and Ellen F. Davis, Spiritual Reading suggests that a renewed understanding of faith is needed for the spiritual reading of Scripture. Spiritual Reading is for the reader who wishes to gain a deeper understanding on how Scripture can better connect an individual to God.

This is volume 19 of Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture published by The Interpreter Foundation. It contains articles on a variety of topics including: "On Being a Tool," "Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the American Renaissance: An Update," "Science and Mormonism," "Latter-day Saint Youths’ Construction of Sacred Texts," "Telling the Story of the Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon," "'My People Are Willing': The Mention of Aminadab in the Narrative Context of Helaman 5-6," "'See That Ye Are Not Lifted Up': The Name Zoram and Its Paronomastic Pejoration," "Why Did You Choose Me?", "Nice Try, But No Cigar: A Response to Three Patheos Posts on Nahom (1 Nephi 16:34)," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Map: Part 1 of 2," "Mormonism at Oxford and What It Signifies," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Map: Part 2 of 2," "Mormonism and the Scientific Persistence of Circles: Aristotle, Spacetime, and One Eternal Round," "Alma — Young Man, Hidden Prophet," "'From the Sea East Even to the Sea West': Thoughts on a Proposed Book of Mormon Chiasm Describing Geography in Alma 22:27," "Shulem, One of the King’s Principal Waiters," and "Conversations with Mormon Historians."

Reading Jewish Religious Texts introduces students to a range of significant post-biblical Jewish writing. It covers diverse genres such as prayer and liturgical poetry, biblical interpretation, religious law, philosophy, mysticism and works of ethical instruction. Each text is newly translated into English and accompanied by a detailed explanation to help clarify the concepts and arguments. The commentary also situates the work within its broader historical and ideological context, giving readers an enhanced appreciation of its place in the Jewish religious experience. This volume includes a comprehensive timeline, glossary and bibliography.

The phenomenon of sacred text has undergone radical deconstruction in recent times, reflecting how religion has broken out of its traditional definitions and practices, and how current literary theories have influenced texts inside the religious domain and beyond. Reading Spiritualities presents both commentary and vivid examples of this evolution, engaging with a variety of reading practices that work with traditional texts and those that extend the notion of 'text' itself. The contributors draw on a range of textual sites such as an interview, Caribbean literature, drama and jazz, women's writings, emerging church blogs, Neo-pagan websites, the reading practices of Buddhist nuns, empirical studies on the reading experiences of Gujarati, Christian and post-Christian women, Chicana short stories, the mosque, cinema, modern art and literature. These examples open up understandings of where and how 'sacred texts' are emerging and being reassessed within contemporary religious and spiritual contexts; and make room for readings where the spiritual resides not only in the textual, but in other unexpected places.Reading Spiritualities includes contributions from Graham Holderness, Ursula King, Michael N. Jagessar, David Jasper, Anthony G. Reddie, Mich le Roberts, and Heather Walton to reflect and encourage the interdisciplinary study of sacred text in the broad arena of the arts and social sciences. It offers a unique and well-focussed 'snapshot' of the textual constructions and representations of the sacred within the contemporary religious climate - accessible to the general reader, as well as more specialist interests of students and researchers working in the crossover fields of religious, theological, cultural and literary studies."

In this much-anticipated follow-up to his first book, Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, Gregor Maehle offers a detailed and multifaceted guide to Ashtanga Yoga’s Intermediate Series. An expert yogi and teacher, Maehle will guide you to your next level with an unprecedented depth of anatomical explanation and unparalleled attention to the practice’s philosophical and mythological heritage. You will learn: • The background and applications of each of the three forms of yoga: Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana • How to use Indian myth and cosmology to deepen your practice • The importance of the Sanskrit language to the yogic tradition • The mythology behind the names of the Intermediate Series postures • The functions and limitations of body parts integral to the Intermediate Series, including the spine, the sacroiliac joint, the shoulder joint, and the hip joint • How to reap the full benefits of practicing the Intermediate Series Maehle meticulously explores all twenty-seven postures of the Intermediate Series through photos, anatomical line drawings, and practical, informative sidebars. He also discusses the philosophical and spiritual background of Ashtanga Yoga and places the practice within the context of Indian cultural history. With passionate erudition, Maehle will prepare you to reap physical, spiritual, and mental fulfillment from your evolving practice.