Espen Dahl
In Between
The Holy Beyond Modern Dichotomies
Translated by Brian McNeil
1. Auflage 2011
163 Seiten gebunden
ISBN 978-3-525-60441-0
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
Research in Contemporary Religion (RCR) - Band 006
Versandkostenfrei in D, A, CH (Versandinformationen)
Buch
| PDF eBook | 59,99 € |
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Thanks to the recent »return to religion«, the holy has become a relevant issue in public debate, as is suggested by concepts such as »re-sacralization« and »re-enchantment«. Holy war and religiously motivated terrorist attacks, the fascination in popular culture for subjects such as the Holy Grail (as in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code), new spiritual longings both within and outside institutional religion – all testify to the new religious climate. This situation calls for a reassessment of both classical and new theories about the holy.
Espen Dahl offers a theoretical account of the holy. Central to its approach is the idea that the holy cannot be reduced to one stable essence, but is fundamentally composite and takes place »in between«. This means that the typical modern dichotomies between the holy and the profane, the pure and the impure, the pious and the violent, cannot be drawn as sharply as scholars once did. Instead, the manifestation of the holy takes place in the interstice between those spheres. Such a position is not strong – it attests to the weakness of the holy. Through a critical dialogue with the most influential recent contributions, various theories and responses to them are presented on the basis of the book’s overall perspective.
Espen Dahl deals with various theoretical perspectives, corresponding to the numerous dimensions of the holy. Phenomenology plays the principal role, because it offers the best means to preserve the experiential dimensions which are essential to the holy. From this perspective, the book discusses theories from religious science, theology, philosophy, and psychology.
Zusammenfassung
Trotz des immer wiederkehrenden Ausrufes des Todes Gottes und des vermeintlichen Sieges der Säkularisierung machen Menschen die Erfahrung, von etwas Heiligem berührt zu sein. Sie reden von heiligen Orten die Rede, heiligen Worten, dem Heiligen Land, der Heiligen Schrift, von heiligen Kühen und Kriegen. Allerorten ist die Religion wieder Thema. Das postsäkulare Zeitalter scheint angebrochen.
Vor einem phänomenologischen Hintergrund untersucht Espen Dahl die vielen Dimensionen des Heiligen und diskutiert Theorien zum Heiligen aus Religionswissenschaft, Theologie, Philosophie und Psychologie.
Dieser Titel soll unser Testfall für die Druckkooperation mit dem Partner von HuCo in New York (für den Vertrieb in Nordamerika) und dem Australian Theological Forum Inc. (für den Vertrieb in Australasien) werden.
