The Wisdom of Balahvar
| Author | : David Marshall Lang |
| Publisher | : Routledge |
| Total Pages | : 109 |
| Release | : 2021-12-19 |
| Genre | : Religion |
| ISBN | : 1000514684 |
Originally published in 1957 and forming a companion volume to The Balavariani, this volume provides valuable research into the biography of Gautama Buddha and its influence on medieval Christian thought. This work, the romance of Barlaam and Josaphat, was included by Caxton in The Golden Legend and inspired the episode of the Caskets in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice; its heroes were venerated as Saints. Over a century ago, however, the legend was finally identified as an adaptation of episodes from the life and ministry of the Buddha. The first part of the book is devoted to tracing the development and migration of the Barlaam and Josaphat legend from its original Buddhist environment to the West. The second part is a translation of the Georgian text – the first published in any Western European language. The volume therefore gives one of the oldest Near Eastern versions of the story.
The Literature of Georgia
| Author | : Donald Rayfield |
| Publisher | : Routledge |
| Total Pages | : 358 |
| Release | : 2013-12-16 |
| Genre | : Social Science |
| ISBN | : 1136825363 |
The first comprehensive and objective history of the literature of Georgia, revealed to be unique among those of the former Byzantine and Russian empires, both in its quality and its 1500 years' history. It is examined in the context of the extraordinarily diverse influences which affected it - from Greek and Persian to Russian and modern European literature, and the folklore of the Caucasus.
In Search of the Christian Buddha: How an Asian Sage Became a Medieval Saint
| Author | : Donald S. Lopez Jr. |
| Publisher | : W. W. Norton & Company |
| Total Pages | : 272 |
| Release | : 2014-04-07 |
| Genre | : Religion |
| ISBN | : 0393244210 |
The fascinating account of how the story of the Buddha was transformed into the legend of a Christian saint. The story of Saint Josaphat, a prince who gave up his wealth and kingdom to follow Jesus, was one of the most popular Christian tales of the Middle Ages, translated into a dozen languages, and cited by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. Yet Josaphat is only remembered today because of the similarities of his life to that of the Buddha. In Search of the Christian Buddha is set against the backdrop of the trade along the Silk Road, the Christian settlement of Palestine, the spread of Islam, and the Crusades. It traces the path of the Buddha’s tale from India and shows how it evolved, adopting details from each culture during its sojourn. These early instances of globalization allowed not only goods but also knowledge to flow between different cultures and around much of the world. Eminent scholars Donald S. Lopez Jr. and Peggy McCracken reveal how religions born thousands of miles apart shared ideas throughout the centuries. They uncover surprising convergences and divergences between these faiths on subjects including the meaning of death, the problem of desire, and their view of women. Demonstrating the incredible power of this tale, they ask not how stories circulate among religions but how religions circulate among stories.
The Balavariani
| Author | : David Marshall Lang |
| Publisher | : Routledge |
| Total Pages | : 131 |
| Release | : 2021-12-19 |
| Genre | : Religion |
| ISBN | : 1000514617 |
Originally published in 1966, the full Georgian text of the oldest version of this Christian version of this matchless classic of Oriental wisdom literature is made accessible to a wider readership in an English translation. Based on a unique manuscript preserved in the Greek Patriarchate at Jerusalem, this rendering should appeal to those interested in comparative religion, Buddhism, medieval Christianity, the history of monasticism and in the literature of the Georgians and other ancient nations of the former Soviet Union.
The Buddha
| Author | : Philip C. Almond |
| Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
| Total Pages | : 379 |
| Release | : 2023-11-30 |
| Genre | : Religion |
| ISBN | : 1009346792 |
The first book both to tell the story of the Buddha's life and how the Buddha came to the West.
Languages and Cultures of Eastern Christianity: Georgian
| Author | : Stephen H. Rapp |
| Publisher | : Routledge |
| Total Pages | : 408 |
| Release | : 2018-10-24 |
| Genre | : Religion |
| ISBN | : 1351923269 |
This volume brings together a set of key studies on the history and culture of Christian Georgia, along with a substantial new introduction. The opening section sets the regional context, in relation to the Byzantine empire in particular, while subsequent parts deal with the conversion and christianization of the country, the making of a 'national' church and the development of a historical identity.
The Book of Whispers
| Author | : Kimberley Starr |
| Publisher | : Text Publishing |
| Total Pages | : 401 |
| Release | : 2016-10-03 |
| Genre | : Juvenile Fiction |
| ISBN | : 1922253979 |
Tuscany, 1096 AD. Luca, young heir to the title of Conte de Falconi, sees demons. Since no one else can see them, Luca must keep quiet about what he sees, or risk another exorcism by the nefarious priest Ramberti. Luca also has dreams—dreams that sometimes predict the future. Night after night Luca sees his father murdered, and vows to stop it coming true. Even if he has to go against his father's wishes and follow him on the great pilgrimage to capture the Holy Lands. Far away in Cappadocia, Suzan has dreams too. Consigned with her mute mother to a life in an underground convent, she has a vision of a brown-haired boy riding through the desert. A boy with an ancient book that holds some inscrutable power. A boy who will take her on an adventure that will lead to places beyond both their understanding. Together, Luca and Suzan will realise their true quest: to defeat the forces of man and demon that wish to destroy the world. Kimberley Starr is a teacher and author based in Melbourne. Her debut novel, The Kingdom Where Nobody Dies, won the 2003 Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Best Emerging Author. She has a degree in mediaeval literature, and travelled through Turkey and Israel to research The Book of Whispers. ‘The Book of Whispers combines history, fantasy, romance and the brutality of the Middle Ages in a satisfyingly epic novel.’ Books+Publishing ‘The Book of Whispers is fast paced and bloody in parts, not shying away from the brutality of the period and the atrocities committed during the Crusades; but it also shrewdly challenges the reader to think about religion, extremism and tolerance—particularly in relation to a region where those topics have particular significance.’ Lamont Books ‘One of my favourites of this year.’ Tea in the Treetops ‘This fast paced and well developed story has a little bit of everything to provide you with an interesting foray into a historical journey through time. Grief, love, chaos, adventure, magic, and the Christian crusades into Jerusalem all melded together into a beguiling and beautiful novel.’ Artistic Bent ‘The Book of Whispers embraces its fantastical aspects without sacrificing the concrete, and offers an introspective glance into human nature.’ Foreword Reviews ‘An epic novel that merges history, make-believe, romance and the harshness of the Middle Ages.’ PS News
Before Religion
| Author | : Brent Nongbri |
| Publisher | : Yale University Press |
| Total Pages | : 315 |
| Release | : 2013-01-22 |
| Genre | : History |
| ISBN | : 0300154178 |
Examining a wide array of ancient writings, Brent Nongbri dispels the commonly held idea that there is such a thing as ancient religion. Nongbri shows how misleading it is to speak as though religion was a concept native to pre-modern cultures.
