By Robert A. Segal (NHC Fellow, 1997–98) For two hundred years the subject of myth—its origin, function, and significance—has been addressed again and again, first by theologians and philosophers and then by anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists. From the outset the topic has sparked intense debate, with differing opinions expressed on everything from issues of epistemology … Continued
By Leila Ahmed (NHC Fellow, 1982–83) Are Islamic societies inherently oppressive to women? Is the trend among Islamic women to appear once again in veils and other traditional clothing a symbol of regression or an effort to return to a “pure” Islam that was just and fair to both sexes? In this book Leila Ahmed … Continued
By Meredith J. Gill (NHC Fellow, 2003–04) The late antique Church father, Augustine, fascinated writers of the Italian Renaissance. They perceived him to be a conduit of classical and Christian truths, and an example of the life of the intellect reconciled to a life of faith. This book traces the availability and the reception of … Continued
By Philip Benedict (NHC Fellow, 1993–94) This sweeping book tells the story of Calvinism’s origins, expansion, and impact across Europe from the upheavals of the early Reformation to the end of the seventeenth century. The faith’s fundamental doctrines, diverse ecclesiastical institutions, and significant consequences for lived experience are all explored, revealing the ongoing interplay between … Continued
Edited by Timothy Tackett (NHC Fellow, 2000–01) and Stewart J. Brown During the tumultuous period of world history from 1660 to 1815, three complex movements combined to bring a fundamental cultural reorientation to Europe and North America, and ultimately to the wider world. The Enlightenment transformed views of nature and of the human capacity to … Continued
By Jinhua Jia (NHC Fellow, 2014–15) During the Tang dynasty (618–907), changes in political policies, the religious landscape, and gender relations opened the possibility for Daoist women to play an unprecedented role in religious and public life. Women, from imperial princesses to the daughters of commoner families, could be ordained as Daoist priestesses and become … Continued
By Lynn E. Roller (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) This book examines one of the most intriguing figures in the religious life of the ancient Mediterranean world, the Phrygian Mother Goddess, known to the Greeks and Romans as Cybele or Magna Mater, the Great Mother. Her cult was particularly prominent in central Anatolia (modern Turkey), and spread … Continued
By Richard W. Pfaff (NHC Fellow, 1996–97) This book includes four hitherto unpublished papers together with a substantial introductory historiographical and bibliographical overview. Many of the studies concern the liturgical views of figures like Lanfranc, St Hugh of Lincoln, and William of Malmesbury (an edition of William’s Abbreviatio Amalarii is included) and the ways Thomas … Continued
By Luis Nicolau Parés (NHC Fellow, 2010–11) This book examines religious practices on the former Slave Coast in West Africa, corresponding to the extent where the Republic of Benin is today. In this small stretch of coast, a significant part of the Africans who arrived in slavery in Brazil, particularly in Bahia, embarked. The work privileges the … Continued
By J. Kameron Carter (NHC Fellow, 2006–07) In Race: A Theological Account, J. Kameron Carter meditates on the multiple legacies implicated in the production of a racialized world and that still mark how we function in it and think about ourselves. These are the legacies of colonialism and empire, political theories of the state, anthropological theories … Continued