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Islamic Philosophy of Religion: Essays from Analytic Perspectives (Routledge Studies in Religion)

This volume focuses on Islamic philosophy of religion with a range of contributions from analytic perspectives. It opens with methodological discussions on the relationship between the history of Islamic philosophy and contemporary analytic philosophy. The book then offers a philosophical examination of some specific Islamic beliefs as well as some approaches to general beliefs that Islam shares with other religions. The chapters address a variety of topics from the existence and attributes of God through to debates on science and religion. The authors are predominantly scholars from Muslim backgrounds who tackle philosophical issues concerning Islam as their own living religion, representing internal perspectives that have never been vocal in analytic philosophy of religion so far. This is valuable reading for scholars and students of philosophy, theology, and religious studies.

Islamic Philosophy of Religion: Essays from Analytic Perspectives (Routledge Studies in Religion)

This volume focuses on Islamic philosophy of religion with a range of contributions from analytic perspectives. It opens with methodological discussions on the relationship between the history of Islamic philosophy and contemporary analytic philosophy. The book then offers a philosophical examination of some specific Islamic beliefs as well as some approaches to general beliefs that Islam shares with other religions. The chapters address a variety of topics from the existence and attributes of God through to debates on science and religion. The authors are predominantly scholars from Muslim backgrounds who tackle philosophical issues concerning Islam as their own living religion, representing internal perspectives that have never been vocal in analytic philosophy of religion so far. This is valuable reading for scholars and students of philosophy, theology, and religious studies.

Islamic Religious Authority in a Modern Age: Australian and Global Perspectives

This book situates Australian Muslim experiences of religious authority within the global context of Islam in the modern world. While drawing on examples of Muslim-majority states, new empirical findings indicate the growing diversity of Muslim religious actors in Australia, as well as the contextual realities shaping the way religious authority is legitimised and contested in democratic and authoritarian environments. In particular, the study challenges homogenous articulations of Islamic religious authority in unearthing new voices, epistemologies and socio-political factors shaping Muslim attitudes and experiences of religious authority. The book fills important gaps in the field, such as intra-Muslim relations, female religious authority, digital Islam and the relationship between traditional ulama, reformists and Muslim intellectuals in the West.

The Islamic Secular

The basic point of the secular in the modern West is to "liberate" certain pursuits--the state, the economy, science--from the authority of religion. This is also assumed to be the goal and meaning of "secular" in Islam. Sherman Jackson argues, however, that that assumption is wrong. In Islam the "secular" was neither outside "religion" nor a rival to it. "Religion," in Islam was not identical to Islam's "sacred law," or "shari'ah." Nor did classical Muslim jurists see shari'ah as the all-encompassing, exclusive means of determining what is "Islamic." In fact, while, as religion, Islam's jurisdiction was unlimited, shari'ah's jurisdiction, as a sacred law, was limited. In other words, while everything remained within the purview of the divine gaze of the God of Islam, not everything could be determined by shari'ah or on the basis of its revelatory sources. Various aspects of state-policy, the economy, science, and the like were "differentiated," from shari'ah and its revelatory sources, without becoming non-religious or un-Islamic. Given the asymmetry between the circumference of shari'ah and that of Islam as religion, not everything that fell outside the former fell outside the latter. In other words, an idea or action could be non-shar'i (not dictated by shari'ah) without being non-Islamic, let alone anti-Islam. The ideas and actions that fall into this category are what Jackson terms "the Islamic Secular." Crucially, the Islamic Secular differs from the Western secular in that, while the whole point of the Western secular is to liberate various pursuits from religion, the Islamic Secular differentiates these disciplines not from religion but simply from shari'ah. Similarly, while both secularization and secularism play key roles in the Western secular, both of these concepts are alien to the Islamic Secular, as the Islamic Secular seeks neither to discipline nor to displace religion, nor expand to its own jurisdiction at religion's expense. The Islamic Secular is a complement to religion, in effect, a "religious secular." Nowhere are the practical implications of this more impactful than in Islam's relationship with the modern state. In this book, Jackson makes the case for the Islamic Secular on the basis of Islam's own pre-modern juristic tradition and shows how the Islamic Secular impacts the relationship between Islam and the modern state, including the Islamic State.

Islamic Social Finance: Law And Practice In Malaysia (Islamic Business And Finance Ser.)

Islamic Sustainable Finance: Policy, Risk and Regulation (Islamic Business and Finance Series)

The central idea of sustainability in the modern world is intricate and ever-changing. Closely related to the realm of finance and socioeconomic discussion, the phrase “sustainable impact finance” has become increasingly popular among bankers, practitioners, financial analysts, investors and the relevant experts seeking an impactful connection between the best financing mechanisms or tools and sustainable development related investments or projects.This book opens up the discussion by offering a Shari’ah-compliance perspective. It is a primer on how Islam addresses and offers solutions to the challenges facing us within the spirit of maqasid al-Shari’ah, among others, in tackling poverty, food supply, health and well-being, quality education, reducing inequalities, responsible consumption and production and climate action. It discusses the connection between Islamic sustainable finance and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explains the strategic action-plan of Islamic banks towards achieving Islamic sustainable finance.The book considers the relevant policies and regulations, evaluating the role of regulators, discussing jurisprudential solutions and focusing on the role of Islamic banking standards in relation to Islamic sustainable finance. Further, it explores the issue of risk mitigation and the effective role of Takaful. It presents a practical case study from the banking industry in Malaysia, which evaluates the carbon footprint of bank loans and climate change risk mitigation. Finally, it highlights sustainable finance innovations in an Islamic concept.The book will appeal to advanced students, researchers and scholars of Islamic banking and finance, as well as those concerned with environmental social governance and Sustainable Development Goals research. Regulators, policy makers and Shari’ah-compliant practitioners will also find it to be a useful guide.

Islamic Sustainable Finance: Policy, Risk and Regulation (Islamic Business and Finance Series)

The central idea of sustainability in the modern world is intricate and ever-changing. Closely related to the realm of finance and socioeconomic discussion, the phrase “sustainable impact finance” has become increasingly popular among bankers, practitioners, financial analysts, investors and the relevant experts seeking an impactful connection between the best financing mechanisms or tools and sustainable development related investments or projects.This book opens up the discussion by offering a Shari’ah-compliance perspective. It is a primer on how Islam addresses and offers solutions to the challenges facing us within the spirit of maqasid al-Shari’ah, among others, in tackling poverty, food supply, health and well-being, quality education, reducing inequalities, responsible consumption and production and climate action. It discusses the connection between Islamic sustainable finance and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explains the strategic action-plan of Islamic banks towards achieving Islamic sustainable finance.The book considers the relevant policies and regulations, evaluating the role of regulators, discussing jurisprudential solutions and focusing on the role of Islamic banking standards in relation to Islamic sustainable finance. Further, it explores the issue of risk mitigation and the effective role of Takaful. It presents a practical case study from the banking industry in Malaysia, which evaluates the carbon footprint of bank loans and climate change risk mitigation. Finally, it highlights sustainable finance innovations in an Islamic concept.The book will appeal to advanced students, researchers and scholars of Islamic banking and finance, as well as those concerned with environmental social governance and Sustainable Development Goals research. Regulators, policy makers and Shari’ah-compliant practitioners will also find it to be a useful guide.

Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life: New Frontiers in Science and Religion

Over the last thirty years, humanity has discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system. The discovery of extraterrestrial life could be imminent. This book explains how such a discovery might impact Islamic theology. It is the foundational reference on the subject, comprising a variety of different insights from both Sunni and Shi'i positions, from different Muslim contexts, and with chapters that compare and contrast Islamic perspectives with Christianity. Together, they address some of our biggest questions through an Islamic lens: What makes humans unique in the cosmos? What are the ethics of dealing with other sentient beings? And how universal is salvation? Given the accelerating advances in exoplanet research and astrobiology, the book is at the frontier of science and Islamic thought. Contributors include a range of leading experts from Muslim theologians, scholars of comparative religion and philosophers, to historians, social scientists and natural scientists.

Islāmically Modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy)

This book outlines the methods and practice of Islāmically Modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (IMCBT), a modified version of CBT adapted to the Muslim client’s preferences, culture, and religion.The book begins by establishing IMCBT’s fidelity to the core competencies and evidence-based practices of CBT while also introducing new unique features and interventions related to Muslim clients. It uses real-life cases to off er practical strategies for overcoming stigma, forming the therapeutic alliance, structuring the session, and utilising the client’s faith for coping and problem-solving. Chapters comprehensively provide CBT skills competencies with Islāmic modifications for a range of topics including case conceptualisation, reframing, cognitive restructuring, and advanced coping strategies for addressing interpersonal conflicts and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. The book also offers both proscriptive and prescriptive ethical guidance by showcasing instances where clients experienced negative outcomes with other practitioners to emphasise the dangers of not properly preparing for and understanding how to work with Muslims who prioritise their faith.This book will appeal to practitioners, educators, and students who are seeking deeper ways of adapting their practice, teaching, or learning to the Muslim client’s needs while also maintaining fidelity to the core features of CBT.

Islāmically Modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Islamic Psychology and Psychotherapy)

This book outlines the methods and practice of Islāmically Modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (IMCBT), a modified version of CBT adapted to the Muslim client’s preferences, culture, and religion.The book begins by establishing IMCBT’s fidelity to the core competencies and evidence-based practices of CBT while also introducing new unique features and interventions related to Muslim clients. It uses real-life cases to off er practical strategies for overcoming stigma, forming the therapeutic alliance, structuring the session, and utilising the client’s faith for coping and problem-solving. Chapters comprehensively provide CBT skills competencies with Islāmic modifications for a range of topics including case conceptualisation, reframing, cognitive restructuring, and advanced coping strategies for addressing interpersonal conflicts and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. The book also offers both proscriptive and prescriptive ethical guidance by showcasing instances where clients experienced negative outcomes with other practitioners to emphasise the dangers of not properly preparing for and understanding how to work with Muslims who prioritise their faith.This book will appeal to practitioners, educators, and students who are seeking deeper ways of adapting their practice, teaching, or learning to the Muslim client’s needs while also maintaining fidelity to the core features of CBT.

Israel/Palestine in World Religions: Whose Promised Land?

The struggle over Israel/Palestine is not just another contest by competing nationalisms or an instance of geopolitical competition. It is also about control of sacred territory that involves local Jews, Muslims, and Christians as well as worldwide faith communities, each with their own interests and stake in what transpires. This balanced introduction to a complex subject presents the multiple positions within the great monotheistic traditions. It demonstrates that the secular discourses in the public square concerning ownership privileges, historical precedence, political rights, and justice that have allegedly replaced religious claims actually coexist with, and often complement, the theological. It explores the century-long tangle of secular and theological debates about Israel’s legitimacy. Whether readers support a Jewish state or are resolutely opposed, the serious and substantial scholarship of this well-reasoned and innovative book will contribute to a nuanced and better-informed understanding of this persistent issue that has entered its second century on the international agenda.

J.N. Darby and the Roots of Dispensationalism

J.N. Darby and the Roots of Dispensationalism describes the work of one of the most important and under-studied theologians in the history of Christianity. In the late 1820s, John Nelson Darby abandoned his career as a priest in the Church of Ireland to become one of the principal leaders of a small but rapidly growing religious movement that became known as the ?Plymouth Brethren.? Darby and other brethren modified the Calvinism that was common among their evangelical contemporaries, developing distinctive positions on key doctrines relating to salvation, the church, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the end times. After his death in 1882, Darby's successors revised and expanded his arguments, and Darby became known as the architect of the most influential system of end-times thinking among the world's half-a-billion evangelicals. This ?dispensational premillennialism? exercises extraordinary influence in religious communities, but also in popular culture and geopolitics. But claims that Darby created this theological system may need to be qualified -for all his innovation, this reputation might be undeserved. This book reconstructs Darby's theological development and argues that his innovations were more complex and extensive than their reduction into dispensationalism might suggest. In fact, Darby's thought might be closer to that of his Reformed critics than to that of modern exponents of dispensationalism.

The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh: Islam, Politics and Society in a Post-Democratic Nation (Politics in Asia)

The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh addresses the complex intersection of global politics and local dynamics in Bangladesh, particularly in relation to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat). With multidisciplinary insights and perspectives, the contributors to this volume provide an objective socio-historical analysis of Islam, politics and society in Bangladesh. Separating fact from fiction, they attempt to uncover the truth about Jamaat, the largest Islam-based political party in the country. Suppressed and marginalized by the BAL regime, Jamaat remains active in the social landscape of Bangladesh. What makes Jamaat so resilient against all odds? Can it peacefully coexist with rival political parties in a polarised nation such as Bangladesh? This book seeks to answer these crucial questions. An essential read for those interested in Bangladeshi politics and political Islam.

The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh: Islam, Politics and Society in a Post-Democratic Nation (Politics in Asia)

The Jamaat Question in Bangladesh addresses the complex intersection of global politics and local dynamics in Bangladesh, particularly in relation to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat). With multidisciplinary insights and perspectives, the contributors to this volume provide an objective socio-historical analysis of Islam, politics and society in Bangladesh. Separating fact from fiction, they attempt to uncover the truth about Jamaat, the largest Islam-based political party in the country. Suppressed and marginalized by the BAL regime, Jamaat remains active in the social landscape of Bangladesh. What makes Jamaat so resilient against all odds? Can it peacefully coexist with rival political parties in a polarised nation such as Bangladesh? This book seeks to answer these crucial questions. An essential read for those interested in Bangladeshi politics and political Islam.

Jerusalem through the Ages: From Its Beginnings to the Crusades

A major new history of one of the world's holiest of cities, based on the most recent archaeological discoveries First settled five thousand years ago by a mountain spring between the Mediterranean and Dead Sea, Jerusalem was named for the god (Shalem) that was worshipped there. When David reportedly conquered the city, ca. 1000 BCE, he transferred the Ark of the Covenant--and with it, the presence of the God of Israel--to this rocky outcrop. Here, David's son Solomon built a permanent house for the God of Israel called the first temple, and since then this spot has been known as the Temple Mount. After Babylonians destroyed Solomon's temple in 586 BCE, it was replaced by the second temple, which is the setting for many of the events described in the Gospel accounts. In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, leaving the Temple Mount in ruins. Two hundred and fifty years later, the emperor Constantine constructed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher around the spots where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried, and the church is now considered Jerusalem's holiest site by many Christians worldwide. In the late seventh century CE the focus shifted back to the Temple Mount, when an early Islamic ruler named `Abd al-Malek enshrined the rocky outcrop in a monument that is still iconic of the city today: the Dome of the Rock. In 1099 Crusaders conquered Jerusalem, and although their rule was brief rule they left a deep impact on the city. Today, much of the old city retains its medieval appearance. For followers of the three Abrahamic faiths, Jerusalem is the place where the presence of the God of Israel dwells--the meeting point of heaven and earth and the locus of divine and human interaction. Jerusalem through the Ages by Jodi Magness explores how these beliefs came to be associated with the city by introducing readers to its complex and layered history, providing a broad yet detailed account, including the most recent archaeological discoveries. Each chapter focuses on a key moment of transition from Jerusalem's beginnings to the Crusades of the medieval period, enabling readers to experience the city's many transformations as it changed hands and populations-Jebusites, Israelites, Judahites, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The book also includes a walking guide for visitors who wish to experience the city's many archaeological sites firsthand.

Jesus and YHWH-Texts in the Synoptic Gospels (The Library of New Testament Studies)

Scott Brazil examines the frequent practice of applying Old Testament YHWH-texts to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. He argues that this YHWH-text phenomenon evidences a high Christology in the primitive church that traces back to Jesus himself. He thus finds in this Synoptic practice a stinging contradiction against the modern critical theory that a high Christology took many decades to develop in the early church and exists only in John among the canonical Gospels.Brazil surveys the Synoptic Gospels in canonical order, exegeting dozens of passages in which OT texts originally referring to YHWH are either clearly or most probably applied to Jesus. He observes the frequency, diversity, and ubiquity of the practice, as well as its wide range of OT source material and its parallel to the NT practice of applying OT messianic texts to Jesus. And from the data he offers several ramifications, including the early deliberate employment of YHWH-texts to Jesus, the likelihood that Jesus is the source of the practice, the high Christology of the Synoptics, and the redemptive-historical metanarrative that Jesus is the divine interpreter and central figure of the Jewish Scriptures.Ultimately, Brazil argues that understanding the prolific application of OT YHWH-texts to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels cannot be neglected without truncating genuine NT Christology.

Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy: Piety and Zealotry (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)

Beginning with the informal establishment of Jewish Orthodoxy by a Hungarian rabbi in the early nineteenth century, this book traces the history and legacy of Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy over the course of the last 200 years. To date, no single book has provided a comprehensive overview of the history of Hungarian Orthodoxy, a singularly zealous, fundamental, and separatist faction within Jewish circles. This book describes and explains the impact of this strand of Jewish Orthodoxy – developed in Hungary in the second half of the nineteenth century – across the Jewish world. The author traces the development of Hungarian Orthodoxy in the “new” Jewish territories created in the wake of Hungary’s dismantlement following its defeat in World War I. The book also focuses on Hungarian Orthodoxy in the two spheres where it continued to develop after the Holocaust, namely Israel and the United States. The book concludes with a review of Hungarian Orthodoxy’s legacy in contemporary communities worldwide, most of which are known for their radical anti-Zionist and anti-modernistic strands. The book will prove vital reading for students and academics interested in religious fundamentalism, Hungarian history, and Jewish studies generally.

Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy: Piety and Zealotry (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)

Beginning with the informal establishment of Jewish Orthodoxy by a Hungarian rabbi in the early nineteenth century, this book traces the history and legacy of Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy over the course of the last 200 years. To date, no single book has provided a comprehensive overview of the history of Hungarian Orthodoxy, a singularly zealous, fundamental, and separatist faction within Jewish circles. This book describes and explains the impact of this strand of Jewish Orthodoxy – developed in Hungary in the second half of the nineteenth century – across the Jewish world. The author traces the development of Hungarian Orthodoxy in the “new” Jewish territories created in the wake of Hungary’s dismantlement following its defeat in World War I. The book also focuses on Hungarian Orthodoxy in the two spheres where it continued to develop after the Holocaust, namely Israel and the United States. The book concludes with a review of Hungarian Orthodoxy’s legacy in contemporary communities worldwide, most of which are known for their radical anti-Zionist and anti-modernistic strands. The book will prove vital reading for students and academics interested in religious fundamentalism, Hungarian history, and Jewish studies generally.

Jewish Monotheism and Slavery (Elements in Religion and Monotheism)

Biblical monotheism imagines God as a slave master who owns and has total control over humans as his slaves, who are expected to show obedience to him. The theological use of slavery metaphors has a limited value, however, and is deeply problematic from the perspective of real-life slave practices. Ancient authors already supplemented the metaphor of God as a slave master with other images and emphasized God's difference from human slave owners. Ancient and modern experiences of and attitudes toward slavery determined the understanding and applicability of the slavery metaphors. This Element examines the use of slavery metaphors in ancient Judaism and Christianity in the context of the social reality of slavery, modern abolitionism, and historical-critical approaches to the ancient texts.

Jewish Women: Between Conformity and Agency (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)

Jewish Women: Between Conformity and Agency examines the concepts of gender and sexuality through the primary lens of visual and material culture from antiquity through to the present day. The backbone of this transhistorical and transcontextual study is the question of Jewish women’s agency in four different geographical, chronological, and methodological contexts, beginning with women’s dress codes in Roman-Byzantine Syro-Palestine, continuing with rituals of purity in medieval Ashkenaz, worship in papal Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin, and ending with marriage and divorce in Israeli film. Each of these explorations is interested in creating a dialogue between the patriarchal legacy of the traditional texts and the chronologically corresponding visual and material culture. The author challenges traditional approaches to the study of Jewish culture by employing tools from art history, archaeology, and film and media studies. In each of these different contexts, there is ample evidence that women—despite persistent overall structural discrimination—have found ways to challenge male constructs of gender norms. Ultimately, these examples from past and present times highlight women’s eminence in shaping Jewish history and culture. Bringing a new interdisciplinary lens to the study of the history of gender and sexuality, the book will be of interest to students and researchers of Jewish history and culture, art history, archaeology, and film studies.

Jewish Women: Between Conformity and Agency (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)

Jewish Women: Between Conformity and Agency examines the concepts of gender and sexuality through the primary lens of visual and material culture from antiquity through to the present day. The backbone of this transhistorical and transcontextual study is the question of Jewish women’s agency in four different geographical, chronological, and methodological contexts, beginning with women’s dress codes in Roman-Byzantine Syro-Palestine, continuing with rituals of purity in medieval Ashkenaz, worship in papal Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin, and ending with marriage and divorce in Israeli film. Each of these explorations is interested in creating a dialogue between the patriarchal legacy of the traditional texts and the chronologically corresponding visual and material culture. The author challenges traditional approaches to the study of Jewish culture by employing tools from art history, archaeology, and film and media studies. In each of these different contexts, there is ample evidence that women—despite persistent overall structural discrimination—have found ways to challenge male constructs of gender norms. Ultimately, these examples from past and present times highlight women’s eminence in shaping Jewish history and culture. Bringing a new interdisciplinary lens to the study of the history of gender and sexuality, the book will be of interest to students and researchers of Jewish history and culture, art history, archaeology, and film studies.

Jews and the Wine Trade in Medieval Europe: Principles and Pressures (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)

Although Jews were at the centre of commercial activity in medieval Europe, a talmudic ban on any wine touched by a Gentile prevented them from engaging in the lucrative wine trade. Wine was consumed in vast quantities in the Middle Ages, and the banks of the Rhineland hosted some of the finest vineyards in northern Europe. German Jews were, until the thirteenth century, a merchant class. How could they abstain from trading in one of the region’s major commodities? In time, they ruled that it was permissible to accept wine in payment of debt, but forbade trading in it, and they maintained that ban throughout the Middle Ages. Further study in the twelfth century, however, led Talmudists to discover that Jews were only forbidden to profit from trading in Gentile wine if they dealt with idolaters, but that trade with Christians and Muslims was permitted. Nevertheless, the German community refused to take advantage of this clear licence. Using Jewish and Gentile sources, this study probes the sources of this powerful taboo. In describing the complex ways in which deeply held cultural values affect Jews’ engagement in the economy of the surrounding society, this book also illustrates the law of unintended consequences—how the ban on Gentile wine led both to a major Jewish contribution to German viticulture and to the involvement of Jews in moneylending, with all its tragic consequences.

Jews, Christians, and the Discourse on Images before Iconoclasm

Between the sixth and eighth centuries CE, the image emerged as a rhetorical category in religious literature produced in the Mediterranean basin. The development was not a uniquely Christian phenomenon. Rather, it emerged in the context of broader debates about symbolic forms that took place across a wide range of ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups who inhabited the late Roman and early Byzantine world. In this book, Alexei Sivertsev demonstrates how Jewish texts serve as an important, and until recently overlooked, witness to the formation of image discourse and associated practices of image veneration in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Addressing the role of the image as a rhetorical device in Jewish liturgical poetry, Sivertsev also considers the theme of the engraved image of Jacob in its early Byzantine context and the aesthetics of spaces that bridge the gap between the material and the immaterial in early Byzantine imagination.

John of the Cross: Carmel, Desire and Transformation (Contemporary Theological Explorations in Mysticism)

This book explores the life and teaching of John of the Cross, the Spanish mystic who remains a major source of Western thought on spirituality, theology and mysticism. Leading academics discuss the importance and legacy of John from historical, theological, philosophical, pastoral, ecumenical, psychological and literary perspectives. The book focuses on his place in Carmel, his understanding of desire, and the role of transformation in his theology. Approaching John in the context of the late medieval mystical tradition, it offers a timely re-evaluation of his work and a significant reassessment of his relevance in the context of current debates.

John of the Cross: Carmel, Desire and Transformation (Contemporary Theological Explorations in Mysticism)

This book explores the life and teaching of John of the Cross, the Spanish mystic who remains a major source of Western thought on spirituality, theology and mysticism. Leading academics discuss the importance and legacy of John from historical, theological, philosophical, pastoral, ecumenical, psychological and literary perspectives. The book focuses on his place in Carmel, his understanding of desire, and the role of transformation in his theology. Approaching John in the context of the late medieval mystical tradition, it offers a timely re-evaluation of his work and a significant reassessment of his relevance in the context of current debates.