Sarah stroumsa, the religion of the freethinkers of medieval islam, in. Portrait of a mediterranean thinker by sarah stroumsa 2009. This is a book of absolutely groundbreaking, exciting scholarship. Picking up the wrong book can derail even the most interested student. The problem is not a lack of interesting jewish writers, thinkers, or scholars.
Even though many of the arguments might be easy to. As freud was happy to acknowledge, plato was the inventor of therapy, insisting that we learn to submit all our thoughts and feelings to reason. Of the making of such books, it seems, there is no end. Sarah stroumsa, ibn masarras third book, in khaled elrouayheb and sabine. The scriptural universe of ancient christianity describes how canonical scripture was established and how scriptural. The books on this list will challenge you, educate you, and ask you to see the universe in different ways. Sarah stroumsa annotation maimonides life circled the mediterranean basin. Gift them to everyone on your list, read them yourself, and prepare for fasc. The scriptural universe of ancient christianity ebook by guy. Beyond religious borders presents sophisticated and often revolutionary studies of the ways jewish, christian, and muslim thinkers drew ideas and inspiration from outside the bounds of their own religious communities. The religious transformations that marked late antiquity represent an enigma that has challenged some of the wests greatest thinkers. Stroumsa considerably broadens our understanding of maimonidess graecoarabic sources. Portrait of a mediterranean thinker jews, christians, and muslims from the ancient to the modern world reprint by stroumsa, sarah isbn. In writing the mt, maimonides drew from earlier source, such as the mishnah.
Ibn alrawandi, abu bakr alrazi, and their impact on. Sarah stroumsa while the great medieval philosopher, theologian, and physician maimonides is acknowledged as a leading jewish thinker, his intellectual contacts with his surrounding world are often described as. Portrait of a mediterranean thinker jews, christians, and muslims from the ancient to the modern world jews, christians. John green goodreads author shelved 3 times as deepthinkers avg rating 4. A history of islamic spain by professor w montgomery watt. Portrait of a mediterranean thinker jews, christians, and muslims from the ancient to the modern world. We decided to put together a short list with three books that will help you both understand stoicism but also teach you valuable the stoic reading list. Freethinkers of medieval islam ibn alrawandi, abu bakr. Freethinkers see that the dream is crushing the reality. Jewish books, and books of particular jewish interest, are being published than ever before.
The philosophers in sunni prophetology openedition. Stroumsa is the author of fourteen books, and the editor or coeditor of some twenty books. But the nature of that reality may be more subtle, allowing space for the existence of god, says andrew briggs. Jan 30, 2019 free access the oxford handbook of the abrahamic religions, adam silverstein and guy g. She argue that freethinking, as exemplified by figures like ibn alrawandi 9th c. The book examines the image of the freethinkers in islam and its connection to the legacy of late antiquity, and to the traditions about indian and sabian religions. President of prometheus books, professor of philosophy at the state university of new york at buffalo, editorinchief of free inquiry magazine, editor of skeptical inquirer magazine and chairman of the committee for the scientific investigation of claims of the paranormal csicop paul kurtz has, perhaps, done more through the publishing. But of real criticism, considered judgment rendered in graceful, accessible prose, there is something of a scarcity. This book endeavors to identify and define the phenomenon of freethinking in. Freethought or free thought is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that positions regarding truth should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism, rather than authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma.
Sarah stroumsa draws our attention to the existence of freethinking in islam and presents it as a peculiarly islamic phenomenon. But i thought if i can only choose five books, i shouldnt choose two by one person. Sarah stroumsa is the alice and jack ormut professor emerita of arabic studies at the hebrew university of jerusalem. Sarah stroumsa offers an integrative new approach to jewish and muslim philosophy in alandalus, where the cultural commonality of the islamicate world allowed scholars from diverse religious backgrounds to. This work is a study of maimonides as a product of his multicultural and multireligious background. The development of islamic freethinking is analyzed against the background of the significance of prophets in islam. This treatise tackles a set of classic issues, as the definition of prophetism, the possibility or the necessity of its existence, the demonstrations of its existence, the manner by which it operates, etc. The scriptural universe of ancient christianity ebook by. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
On the contrary, theyre lively and approachable, smart and entertaining. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. But, according to guy stroumsa, the oppositions between paganism and christianity that characterize prevailing theories have endured for too long. The best books on philosophy in the islamic world recommended by peter adamson. Ibn alrawandi, abu bakr alrazi, and their impact on islamic thought 9789004315471. The fault in our stars by john green, the alchemist by paulo coelho, outliers. David shasha, huffington post the methodological underpinnings of stroumsas approach are rocksolid and eminently worthwhile. Critical to stroumsas reading of maimonides is her insistence that it is impossible to understand any of his texts without taking into account the scholarship of the araboislamic thinkers of his day. Kaivolabregenhoj, offers a lucid sketch of the traditional true riddle in finland, and the contexts within which it functioned, before its virtual disappearance there by the midway point of the twentieth century.
Almuqammas was a jew who converted to christianity and then reverted to judaism, using the topics he garnered from syriac christian thinkers to both critique christianity and buttress his own reclaimed faith. This concept is quite convenient as it enables us to describe the authors of the different eras and of the different perspectives, who all have in common their disproof of the prophetic fact, even if the. Critical to stroumsa s reading of maimonides is her insistence that it is impossible to understand any of his texts without taking into account the scholarship of the araboislamic thinkers of his day. The best books on philosophy in the islamic world five books. Popular deep thinkers books showing 150 of 428 the fault in our stars hardcover by. Read the scriptural universe of ancient christianity by guy g. Abubakr mohammade zakariyaye razi, also known by his latinized name rhazes. But the nature of that reality may be more subtle, allowing space for the existence of god, says andrew briggs, professor of nanomaterials at oxford university. David shasha, huffington post the methodological underpinnings of stroumsa s approach are rocksolid and eminently worthwhile. Portrait of a mediterranean thinker, by sarah sttoumsa.
Saqi books in association with the institute of ismaili studies, london, 2002, pp. Oct 01, 2014 the books on this list will challenge you, educate you, and ask you to see the universe in different ways. This book endeavors to identify and define the phenomenon o. The first of the collections five sections is devoted to general and theoretical issues. When addressing the really fundamental questions in science, researchers must assume that there is an objective reality to describe. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. Perhaps more than any other cause, the passage of texts from scroll to codex in late antiquity converted the roman empir. The unthought in contemporary islamic thought makes available for the first time the breadth and depth of mohammed arkouns thought to an english readership and reaffirms the significance of his contribution to modern islamic studies and religious studies more generally. Stroumsa makes her points forcefully and persuasively, positioning maimonides as a thinker of great importance to muslims as well as to jews. The major ideas and classic works of more than 100 outstanding western philosophers, physical and social scientists, psychologists, religious writers and theologians by ian p. The oxford handbook of the abrahamic religions silverstein. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a history of islamic spain. The development of islamic freethinking is analyzed on the background of the. In her book, sarah stroumsa examines the image of freethinkers, and the repercussions of freethinking on muslim, jewish and christian medieval thought.
Alkindi 801873 ce had been appointed by the abbasid caliph mamum founder of baghdad, to the house of wisdom in that city, he was a philosopher and an opponent of alchemy. According to the oxford english dictionary, a freethinker is a person who forms their own ideas and opinions rather than accepting those of other. I wanted to pick a book about a nonmuslim philosopher to make the point that philosophy in the islamic world is not all by muslims. Freethinkers of medieval islam ibn alrawandi, abu bakr alrazi. A history of islamic spain ebook written by professor w montgomery watt, pierre cachia. It played a decisive role in the roman empires conversion to christianity and eventually enabled the worldwide spread of christian faith. Mcgreal and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Freethinkers of medieval islam ibn alrawandi, abu bakr al.
He has published more than a hundred and thirty articles. Portrait of a mediterranean thinker princeton and freethinkers of medieval islam. You go off to live in the woods off the grid and raise a bunch of hippie kids. You do what your heart calls you to do and thats pretty weird. Recommended reading list for students of the lds mormon religion sometimes members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or investigators feel overwhelmed when first confronted with the big lists of arguments that critics often compile in an effort to shock or overwhelm others. Portrait of a mediterranean thinker jews, christians, and muslims from the ancient to the modern world kindle edition by stroumsa, sarah. Ibn alrawandi, abu bakr alrazi and their impact on islamic thought. Inside his work the book of surgical instruments, the most admirable. Dawud almuqammass twenty chapters brings the reader into the littleknown world of 9th century theology and polemics in the middle east. The oxford handbook of the abrahamic religions silverstein, adam j. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading maimonides in his world. David shasha, huffington post stroumsa is an intellectual historian whose mastery of her material is impressive on many levels. Maimonides composed the mishneh torah literally, a repetition or second torah over a 10year period, continuing to edit it until his death. The enchiridion or manual of epictetus is a short but powerful book of stoic ethical advice from the 2ndcentury greek stoic philosopher epictetus.
The passage of texts from scroll to codex created a revolution in the religious life of late antiquity. The oxford handbook of the abrahamic religions, adam. Nov 14, 2016 the scriptural universe of ancient christianity describes how canonical scripture was established and how scriptural interpretation replaced blood sacrifice as the central element of religious ritual. The book examines the image of the freethinkers in islam and its connection to the. Andalusians spoke proudly of the regions excellence, and indeed it engendered celebrated thinkers such as maimonides and averroes. Stroumsa also works on the history of scholarship on religion, from early modern times to the twentieth century. Nadim attributed a series of twelve books to razi, plus an additional seven, including his refutation to alkindis denial of the validity of alchemy. Writing on maimonides is difficult for several reasons. You spend a year traveling to see every work of art youve ever wanted to see. Comprising 14 books and nearly 1,000 chapters, it was the first ever comprehensive code of halakha jewish law. Freethinkers of medieval islam ibn alrawandi, abu bakr alrazi, and their impact on islamic thought. Sarah stroumsa hebrew university of jerusalem academia.
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