Major religious traditions of the world contain perspectives of perennial importance on the topic of death and afterlife. Such concepts and beliefs are not only reflected directly in mortuary and funerary practices, but also inform patterns of beliefs and rituals that shape human lifestyles. Though evidenced in sacred texts, they cannot be fully understood in isolation by textual study alone. Rather, they must be explored in terms of a comprehensive understanding of the given religious system as rooted in an overall culture. Here thirteen scholars, each a specialist in a particular religious tradition, outline the beliefs, myths, and practices relating to death and afterlife. The volume introduction provides a framework for understanding the evolutionary relationships among world religions and the unity as well as the diversity of their quest for overcoming death. Part I comprises chapters on African religions representing the nonliterate religious experience and on ancient religions of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. Studies of these religions serve as background for comprehending concepts relating to death and afterlife in the major world religions, which are dealt with in Part II, on Western religions, and Part III, on Eastern religions. The particular method of approach to each tradition is determined by the nature of the material. With death and afterlife as the common focus, this group of scholars has brought to bear its diverse expertise in anthropology, classics, archaeology, biblical studies, history, and theology. The result is a text important for comparative religion courses and, beyond that, a book extending our understanding of human thoughts and aspirations. It offers a global perspective from which an individual can ponder his or her own personal issues concerning death and afterlife.
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“The 13 short and necessarily selective, but nevertheless substantial chapters of this ably edited cross-cultural survey are to be recommended for being both authoritative (each contributor is an expert) and engagingly and enlighteningly written. The work is quite comprehensive, encompassing preliterate African, ancient Mediterranean, and the mainstream Western and Eastern traditions. It utilizes a variety of approaches--historical, sociological, anthropological, theological, etc. It intersects most notably with both Religious Encounters with Death, ed. by F.E. Reynolds and E.H. Waugh (CH, Apr '78) and Death, Afterlife, and the Soul, ed. by L.E. Sullivan (1989). In format, it is more akin to the former, but it differs from it in at least two main respects: (1) here the focus of each chapter is generally broader, less specialized; and (2) proportionately more attention is given to the major Western traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The new volume thus augments and complements its predecessors. Useful chapter notes, bibliography, and index. Appropriate for graduate students and upper-division undergraduates.”–Choice
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
HIROSHI OBAYASHI is Professor of Religion at Rutgers University, where he teaches a course on Death and Afterlife.
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This review is from: Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions (Contributions to the Study of Religion, Vol. 33) (Paperback)
This book was required for my class at UIW... However we never used it once because for our class the Rev. decided not to do quizez, which came straight from the book. The book itself was a little hard to follow, very boring.
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Interesting book,
This review is from: Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions (Contributions to the Study of Religion, Vol. 33) (Paperback)
The book contains information about different cultures' religions and their origins. You can get lost in the reading at times.
Other than that, the book came in perfect condition and on time.
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This book was the exact book i needed for my class. the way the seller described it was exactly as i received it. Not a single page was written on or bent folded anything it was in mint condition you couldn't even tell it was used. The price was reasonable and the expedited shipping was only a few dollars more. all in all this gets a 100% satisfaction review
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Sub-Saharan Africa is marked by its great diversity. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
more favorable rebirth, release from rebirth, devotional theism, hun soul, mortuary cult, memorial rites, cyclic existence, tomb owner, rebirth process, social person Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Testament, Tibetan Book of the Dead, New York, Old Testament, World of the Fathers, Near Eastern, Chuang Tzu, Clear Light, Middle Ages, Roman Catholic, Pyramid Texts, University of Chicago Press, Dalai Lama, Day of Resurrection, Pure Land, Son of God, Book of Daniel, Isles of the Blessed, Cambridge University Press, City of God, Last Judgment, New Haven, Oxford University Press, Princeton University Press, Tibetan Tantric Buddhism New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Sub-Saharan Africa is marked by its great diversity. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
more favorable rebirth, release from rebirth, devotional theism, hun soul, mortuary cult, memorial rites, cyclic existence, tomb owner, rebirth process, social person Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New Testament, Tibetan Book of the Dead, New York, Old Testament, World of the Fathers, Near Eastern, Chuang Tzu, Clear Light, Middle Ages, Roman Catholic, Pyramid Texts, University of Chicago Press, Dalai Lama, Day of Resurrection, Pure Land, Son of God, Book of Daniel, Isles of the Blessed, Cambridge University Press, City of God, Last Judgment, New Haven, Oxford University Press, Princeton University Press, Tibetan Tantric Buddhism New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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19
books
cite this book:
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- The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Shambala Pocket Classics) by Chogyam Trungpa on 8 pages
- Death in Ancient Egypt (Penguin Archaeology) by A. J. Spencer on 4 pages
- Egyptian Religion: Siegried Morenz by Siegfried Morenz on 4 pages
- Nuer Religion by Sir Edward E. Evans-Pritchard on page 14, page 18, and Back Matter
- Death and the Regeneration of Life by Maurice Bloch on page 18, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 100 books this book cites
- Into the Jaws of Yama, Lord of Death: Buddhism, Bioethics, And Death by Karma Lekshe Tsomo in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Conduct and Behavior as Determinants for the Afterlife: A Comparison of the Judgments of the Dead in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece by Gary A. Stilwell in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity: Doctrine, Community, and... by Claudia Setzer in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Charming Cadavers: Horrific Figurations of the Feminine in Indian Buddhist Hagiographic Literature (Women in Culture and Society) by Liz Wilson in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Early History of Heaven by J. Edward Wright in Back Matter
See all 19 books citing this book
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