12 Ergebnisse.

This Element provides an introduction to a number of less frequently explored approaches based upon the comparative study of religions. New religions convey origin myths, present their particular views of history, and craft Endtime scenarios. Their members carry out a vast and diverse array of ritual activities. They produce large corpuses of written texts and designate a subset of these as a sacrosanct canon. They focus their attention on mat...

This Element provides an introduction to a number of less frequently explored approaches based upon the comparative study of religions. New religions convey origin myths, present their particular views of history, and craft Endtime scenarios. Their members carry out a vast and diverse array of ritual activities. They produce large corpuses of written texts and designate a subset of these as a sacrosanct canon. They focus their attention on mat...

The scholarly study of new religious movements focuses on the contemporary period, but religious innovation is nothing new. This Element explores a historical epoch characterized by a multitude of emergent religious concepts and practices ¿ the Hellenistic and Roman periods. A precondition for the intense degree of religious innovation during this time was a high level of cultural exchange. Religious elements crossed porous cultural borders an...

Examines the phenomenon of 'invented traditions' in religions from ancient times to the present day.

This volume deals with the transformation of unchurched religious creativity in the late modern West. It analyzes the ways in which the advance of science, globalization and individualism have fundamentally reshaped esoteric religious traditions, from theosophy to the New Age. This publication has also been published in hardback, please click here for details.

This volume deals with the transformation of unchurched religious creativity in the late modern West. It analyzes the ways in which the advance of science, globalization and individualism have fundamentally reshaped esoteric religious traditions, from theosophy to the New Age. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.

Addresses the key features of new religions, such as Scientology, the Moonies and Jihadist movements, from a systematic, comparative perspective.

The Brill Handbook of the Theosophical Current represents pioneering research into an important but under-researched current. The three sections in this volume are devoted to the Theosophical Society, Theosophically influenced religious currents, and the interaction between Theosophy and surrounding culture.

The dictionary definition of tradition refers to beliefs and practices that have been transmitted from generation to generation, however, 'tradition' can rest simply on the claim that certain cultural elements are rooted in the past. Claim and documented historical reality need not overlap. In the domain of religion, historically verifiable traditions coexist with recent innovations whose origins are spuriously projected back into time. This b...

This book explores innovative views of Christ that depart radically from those presented by mainstream churches.

In its historical development from late antiquity to the present, western esotericism has repeatedly been the issue of polemical discourse. This volume engages the polemical structures that underlie esoteric identities and the controversy about esoteric currents in European history.

This book explores innovative views of Christ that depart radically from those presented by mainstream churches.