Author: Jörg Rüpke File Type: pdf From one of the worlds leading authorities on the subject, an innovative and comprehensive account of religion in the ancient Roman and Mediterranean world In this ambitious and authoritative book, Jorg Rupke provides a comprehensive and strikingly original narrative history of ancient Roman and Mediterranean religion over more than a millenniumfrom the late Bronze Age through the Roman imperial period and up to late antiquity. While focused primarily on the city of Rome, Pantheon fully integrates the many religious traditions found in the Mediterranean world, including Judaism and Christianity. This generously illustrated book is also distinguished by its unique emphasis on lived religion, a perspective that stresses how individuals experiences and practices transform religion into something different from its official form. The result is a radically new picture of both Roman religion and a crucial period in Western religionone that influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and even the modern idea of religion itself. Drawing on a vast range of literary and archaeological evidence, Pantheon shows how Roman religion shaped and was shaped by its changing historical contexts from the ninth century BCE to the fourth century CE. Because religion was not a distinct sphere in the Roman world, the book treats religion as inseparable from political, social, economic, and cultural developments. The narrative emphasizes the diversity of Roman religion offers a new view of central concepts such as temple, altar, and votive reassesses the gendering of religious practices and much more. Throughout, Pantheon draws on the insights of modern religious studies, but without modernizing ancient religion. With its unprecedented scope and innovative approach, Pantheon is an unparalleled account of ancient Roman and Mediterranean religion. **

Author: Elizabeth A. McCabe File Type: pdf Volume 2 of Women in the Biblical World A Survey of Old and New Testament Perspectives encompasses the latest research in feminist biblical scholarship. New angles of interpretation and fresh perspectives regarding often overlooked biblical women will be gained from the pages of this volume. This volume focuses on such women as Tamar, Deborah, Manoahs wife, Queen Vashti, and Jobs wife. Attention is also given to socio-historical backgrounds lurking behind the biblical text (such as women in Greco-Roman education and syncretism in Ephesus), demonstrating how these backgrounds directly influenced the writings about women. Some emphasis on contemporary application is also stressed regarding problematic passages, such as 1 Corinthians 112-16. This multi-faceted approach to women in the Bible will prove to be invigorating, refreshing, and enlightening for all to read.**ReviewThere are few matters that, historically, have been overlooked as much as womens roles in the Bible. Volume 2 of Women in the Biblical World is therefore welcome, as its contributors bring hermeneutical and socio-historical perspectives to bear upon the biblical texts in manners that illuminate familiar stories and traditions in stimulating ways. This book will be essential reading for all interested in how the biblical text portrays women and what [this] means for contemporary society. (Chris Keith, assistant professor of New Testament and Christian origins, Lincoln Christian University) This volume addresses head-on troublesome passages about women and investigates some of the more enigmatic female characters in the Bible, often challenging traditional readings and engaging feminist interpretations along the way. Written in conversation with a variety of interpretive perspectives, this volume will stand as engaging reading for those interested in biblical perspectives on women, and will prove itself as a useful tool for those who teach others about the place of women in the biblical world. (Lee A. Johnson, assistant professor of religious studies, East Carolina University) The second volume of Women in the Biblical World A Survey of Old and New Testament Perspectives is, once again, edited by Elizabeth A. McCabe. This volume contains eight collected essays, five of which deal with women in the Old Testament and three that address feminist issues in the New Testament....This book adopts the goals of the first volume, shedding light on the role of women in the biblical world, offering additional positive interpretations of passages that androcentric or misogynistic interpreters have used to condemn women, and enlightening readers regarding often overlooked or maligned female characters....These essays move the conversation forward in a positive manner, adding more to the necessary conversation of feminist biblical studies and shedding light on the some of the least- studied aspects of the field. (Review of Biblical Literature) About the Author Elizabeth A. McCabe earned an M.A. in Biblical Studies at Cincinnati Christian University with a dual concentration in Old Testament and New Testament. She is the editor of Volume 1 of Women in the Biblical World A Survey of Old and New Testament Perspectives, as well as the author of An Examination of the Isis Cult with Preliminary Exploration into New Testament Studies.