Drudgery Divine
On the Comparison of Early Christianities and the Religions of Late Antiquity
Smith, Jonathan Z.
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BOOK SUMMARY
In this major theoretical and methodological statement on the history of religions, Jonathan Z. Smith shows how convert apologetic agendas can dictate the course of comparative religious studies. As his example, Smith reviews four centuries of scholarship
Submit a book reviewBOOK SYNOPSIS
In this major theoretical and methodological statement on the history of religions, Jonathan Z. Smith shows how convert apologetic agendas can dictate the course of comparative religious studies. As his example, Smith reviews four centuries of scholarship comparing early Christianities with religions of late Antiquity (especially the so-called mystery cults) and shows how this scholarship has been based upon an underlying Protestant-Catholic polemic. The result is a devastating critique of traditional New Testament scholarship, a redescription of early Christianities as religious traditions amenable to comparison, and a milestone in Smith's controversial approach to comparative religious studies.
"An important book, and certainly one of the most significant in the career of Jonathan Z. Smith, whom one may venture to call the greatest pathologist in the history of religions. As in many precedent cases, Smith follows a standard procedure: he carefully selects his victim, and then dissects with artistic finesse and unequaled acumen. The operation is always necessary, and a deconstructor of Smith's caliber is hard to find."--Ioan P. Coulianu, Journal of Religion
BOOK EXCERPTS
06
AUTHOR BIO
Jonathan Z. Smith is the Robert O. Anderson Distinguished Service Professor of the Humanities in the College of the University of Chicago.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
I. On the Origin of Origins
II. On Comparison
III. On Comparing Words
IV. On Comparing Stories
V. On Comparing Settings
Index
FOR RELATED BOOKS
Religion Books :: Comparative Religion Books
MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0226763633
ISBN(13-digit): 9780226763637
Dewey Decimal: 291/.09/015
Library of Congress: 90038519
Book Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr
Language: ENG
Paper Weight (lb): 0.5
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