Author: Jeffrey J. Kripal Publisher: University of Chicago Press ISBN: 0226453820 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 241
Book Description
“Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field.” With those words in Genesis, God condemns the serpent for tempting Adam and Eve, and the serpent has shouldered the blame ever since. But how would the study of religion change if we looked at the Fall from the snake’s point of view? Would he appear as a bringer of wisdom, more generous than the God who wishes to keep his creation ignorant? Inspired by the early Gnostics who took that startling view, Jeffrey J. Kripal uses the serpent as a starting point for a groundbreaking reconsideration of religious studies and its methods. In a series of related essays, he moves beyond both rational and faith-based approaches to religion, exploring the erotics of the gospels and the sexualities of Jesus, John, and Mary Magdalene. He considers Feuerbach’s Gnosticism, the untapped mystical potential of comparative religion, and even the modern mythology of the X-Men. Ultimately, The Serpent’s Gift is a provocative call for a complete reorientation of religious studies, aimed at a larger understanding of the world, the self, and the divine.
Author: Helen Elaine Lee Publisher: Scribner Book Company ISBN: Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 388
Book Description
The lives of two African-American families who unite after a breadwinner dies. A son becomes a writer of folk stories and oral history, and it is he who provides the novel with its social and historical content.
Book Description
Dina has inherited the Shamer's Gift from her mother: she can shame even the most hardened wrong-doers, simply by looking into their eyes. But now she discovers a far more terrifying inheritance: her father is a Blackmaster and has the Serpent Gift for lie and illusion. And when he comes to claim his daughter, Dina and her family are catapulted into reckless flight and danger...
Author: Curtis Jobling Publisher: Penguin ISBN: 1101615915 Category : Juvenile Fiction Languages : en Pages : 414
Book Description
With friends turning into enemies, can Drew find his way out of this war alive? The entire kingdom of Lyssia is now at war, and the battle lines have been drawn. While Drew and his ragtag army defend the throne against Ratlords and Crowlords, Gretchen and Whitley venture on a harrowing journey through the perilous Dyrewood. But none of the werelords counted on the return of the most terrifying monster of them all...