Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars

Critical Explorations in the History of Religions

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, Comparative Religion, History
Cover of the book Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars by Bruce Lincoln, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bruce Lincoln ISBN: 9780226035161
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: July 9, 2015
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Bruce Lincoln
ISBN: 9780226035161
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: July 9, 2015
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

Bruce Lincoln is one of the most prominent advocates within religious studies for an uncompromisingly critical approach to the phenomenon of religion—historians of religions, he believes, should resist the preferred narratives and self-understanding of religions themselves, especially when their stories are endowed with sacred origins and authority. In Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars, Lincoln assembles a collection of essays that both illustrates and reveals the benefits of his methodology, making a case for a critical religious studies that starts with skepticism but is neither cynical nor crude.

The book begins with Lincoln’s “Theses on Method” and ends with “The (Un)discipline of Religious Studies,” in which he unsparingly considers the failings of uncritical and nonhistorical approaches to the study of religions. In between, Lincoln presents new examinations of problems in ancient religions and relates these cases to larger comparative themes. While bringing to light important features of the formation of pantheons and the constructions of demons, chaos, and the dead, Lincoln demonstrates that historians of religions should take religious things—inspired scriptures, sacred centers, salvific rites, communities graced by divine favor—as the theories of interested humans that shape perception, community, and experiences. As he shows, it is for their terrestrial influence, and not their sacred origins, that religious phenomena merit consideration by the historian.

 

Tackling many questions central to religious study, Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars will be a touchstone for the history of religions in the twenty-first century.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Bruce Lincoln is one of the most prominent advocates within religious studies for an uncompromisingly critical approach to the phenomenon of religion—historians of religions, he believes, should resist the preferred narratives and self-understanding of religions themselves, especially when their stories are endowed with sacred origins and authority. In Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars, Lincoln assembles a collection of essays that both illustrates and reveals the benefits of his methodology, making a case for a critical religious studies that starts with skepticism but is neither cynical nor crude.

The book begins with Lincoln’s “Theses on Method” and ends with “The (Un)discipline of Religious Studies,” in which he unsparingly considers the failings of uncritical and nonhistorical approaches to the study of religions. In between, Lincoln presents new examinations of problems in ancient religions and relates these cases to larger comparative themes. While bringing to light important features of the formation of pantheons and the constructions of demons, chaos, and the dead, Lincoln demonstrates that historians of religions should take religious things—inspired scriptures, sacred centers, salvific rites, communities graced by divine favor—as the theories of interested humans that shape perception, community, and experiences. As he shows, it is for their terrestrial influence, and not their sacred origins, that religious phenomena merit consideration by the historian.

 

Tackling many questions central to religious study, Gods and Demons, Priests and Scholars will be a touchstone for the history of religions in the twenty-first century.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book The Fixers by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Egyptian Oedipus by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book The Sour Lemon Score by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Talking Art by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Navigating Conflict by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Not Just Roommates by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Making Hispanics by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Enchanted Islands by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Works of Hesiod and the Homeric Hymns by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Supreme Court Economic Review, Volume 20 by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Iberian Imperialism and Language Evolution in Latin America by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Challenging Operations by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Mastering Iron by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Bodies in Flux by Bruce Lincoln
Cover of the book Evolution Made to Order by Bruce Lincoln
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy