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Συγκριτική θρησκειολογία: Ιστορική εισαγωγή
Η επιστήμη που είναι γνωστή με τα διάφορα ονόματα που έχει πάρει στη διάρκεια της εξέλιξής της, όπως θρησκειολογία, συγκριτική θρησκειολογία, ιστορία των θρησκειών ή θρησκευτικές σπουδές, δηλαδή η επιστήμη που έχει ως αντικείμενο τη θρησκεία ή τις θρησκείες ειδικά, αποτελεί ένα από εκείνα τα επιτεύγματα του δυτικού πνεύματος που παραμένουν ακόμη σχεδόν άγνωστα στην Ελλάδα. Το βιβλίο του Eric J. Sharpe Comparative Religion – A History αποτελεί μία από τις καλύτερες εισαγωγές στην επιστήμη αυτή και έχει πλέον καταγραφεί ως μία κλασική επισκόπηση της ιστορίας της. Μέσα από την προσωπική ερμηνευτική του ματιά, ο Eric J. Sharpe, ο οποίος υπήρξε ένας από τους πρωταγωνιστές της καθιέρωσης της θρησκειολογίας ως επιστήμης στα πανεπιστήμια της Αγγλίας, της Αμερικής και της Αυστραλίας, περιγράφει τις αρχαίες ρίζες της, την ίδρυσή της ως ιδιαίτερου γνωστικού αντικειμένου από τα μέσα του 19ου αιώνα, τους αγώνες της για καθιέρωση στον ακαδημαϊκό κόσμο, τις μεταμορφώσεις της μέσα από την επιρροή των μεγάλων πνευματικών ρευμάτων της νεότερης και σύγχρονης Δύσης, το διάλογό της με άλλες επιστήμες, τη συνεχιζόμενη πάλη της για αυτοσυνειδησία και αποσαφήνιση της ταυτότητάς της, προσφέροντας έτσι όλα τα απαραίτητα, βασικά στοιχεία για μια γνωριμία με αυτό το δημοφιλές σήμερα και πάντα γοητευτικό γνωστικό αντικείμενο.
- GenresReligionNonfiction
576 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 1986
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August 18, 2022Kitabın Türkçe çevirisini okudum. O burada bulunmadığı için ve goodreads artık kitap eklemeye izin vermediği için yorumu buraya yazacağım. Sakarya üniversitesi yayınlarından çıkmış olan Türkçesi bir çeviriden ziyade bir taslak gibi yazım hatalarını cümle düşüklüklerini geçtim arada cümle düşük/cümle problemli gibi notlar da var öylece maille düzeltmeye gönderil iş hali yayınlanmış sanki. Ancak çeviriden bağımsız olarak da kitap iyi planlanmamış dağınık bir çalışma olmuş.
December 6, 2019
I like this book. Grt book on religion.
November 6, 2023
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2022
A history of the study of comparative religion. Sharpe talks about different thinkers/analysts in the genre of "comparative religion" or "religious studies," as well as what the study is and what the studiers (theologians, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, historians, and other scholars) are looking at and comparing.
It was interesting to read about who considered non-Christian religions as fake or mere curiosities (or trying to copy Christianity [p. 149]) and who actually saw each religion's value for its culture. Also of note were mentions of Max Muller considering religion(s) to be a solution to/result of "man's apprehension of natural phenomena" (Sharpe's words; p. 41); Adalbert Kuhn + Max Muller's thoughts on the personification of nature leading to "gods" or myths (p. 41-43, 67); the “phenomenology of religion," P.D. Chantepie de la Saussaye’s “cross-cultural comparison of the constituent elements of religious belief and practice, as opposed to their treatment in cultural isolation” (Sharpe’s words; p. 223); valuing the faith of the believer, rather than judging them according to the studier’s views (Kristensen, p. 228-229); the view, like that of Jabez T. Sunderland, that “there is one God over all the world, and that all religions contain truths that are of vital and permanent importance to men” (p. 253) and the similar view of Rammohun Roy, Sri Ramakrishna, Keshub Chunder Sen and Swami Vivekananda in the equality of religion (p. 254), as described by Ramakrishnam, who Sharpe says “claimed that the differences between the spiritual disciplines were of no real significance; the Bengali, Urdu and English languages have different words to describe water, he once said, but the substance itself is one, not three. In the same way competing and apparently contradictory views of religion refer to one attainable spiritual vision of reality” (p. 254); others who believed in “tolerance” and how close different religions are to one another, especially when analyzing them scientifically (e.g., p. 272); the evolution in the mid-20th century that studying religions / the history of religions is a form of the humanities, not theology or politics (p. 278); and the change from calling it (especially in universities) “comparative religion” to “religious studies” (p. 298).
The book definitely has some interesting parts, but is also very dry in parts. Sharpe also seems to go off on tangents and sidetracks ... or maybe I just don't understand his points.
It was interesting to read about who considered non-Christian religions as fake or mere curiosities (or trying to copy Christianity [p. 149]) and who actually saw each religion's value for its culture. Also of note were mentions of Max Muller considering religion(s) to be a solution to/result of "man's apprehension of natural phenomena" (Sharpe's words; p. 41); Adalbert Kuhn + Max Muller's thoughts on the personification of nature leading to "gods" or myths (p. 41-43, 67); the “phenomenology of religion," P.D. Chantepie de la Saussaye’s “cross-cultural comparison of the constituent elements of religious belief and practice, as opposed to their treatment in cultural isolation” (Sharpe’s words; p. 223); valuing the faith of the believer, rather than judging them according to the studier’s views (Kristensen, p. 228-229); the view, like that of Jabez T. Sunderland, that “there is one God over all the world, and that all religions contain truths that are of vital and permanent importance to men” (p. 253) and the similar view of Rammohun Roy, Sri Ramakrishna, Keshub Chunder Sen and Swami Vivekananda in the equality of religion (p. 254), as described by Ramakrishnam, who Sharpe says “claimed that the differences between the spiritual disciplines were of no real significance; the Bengali, Urdu and English languages have different words to describe water, he once said, but the substance itself is one, not three. In the same way competing and apparently contradictory views of religion refer to one attainable spiritual vision of reality” (p. 254); others who believed in “tolerance” and how close different religions are to one another, especially when analyzing them scientifically (e.g., p. 272); the evolution in the mid-20th century that studying religions / the history of religions is a form of the humanities, not theology or politics (p. 278); and the change from calling it (especially in universities) “comparative religion” to “religious studies” (p. 298).
The book definitely has some interesting parts, but is also very dry in parts. Sharpe also seems to go off on tangents and sidetracks ... or maybe I just don't understand his points.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews