Nine founders of the world religions: Moses, Zoroaster, Lao-zu, the Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Krishna, Jesus, and Muhammad.

The Christology of John Macquarrie comprehensively scrutinizes the life and writings of Scottish-born systematic theologian and philosopher John Macquarrie (1919-2007) in an attempt to comprehend and evaluate his Christology. The author examines the people (e.g. Heidegger, Schleiermacher), the philosophical and theological positions, and the writings that formed Macquarrie's thinking. One major influence was his commitment to modern critical theology including the premise that, in the modern world, the only acceptable Christological tenets are those that can stand up to the scrutiny of modern critical reasoning. The work concludes that this commitment profoundly shaped Macquarrie's theology, especially his Christology. The book also discusses Macquarrie's evaluation and criticisms of the Christology of other theologians (e.g. Kierkegaard, Moltmann, Pannenberg, and others), concluding that Macquarrie's understanding of the Christian faith and the person of Jesus Christ is consonant with modern liberal Anglo-Catholicism. This idea furthers the argument that Macquarrie's reluctance to accept traditional incarnational categories suggests that his Christology is a modern form of Adoptionism.

For those who are interested in theology and religious studies, there is no more interesting current topic than that of the relationship between the great religions of the world. Moreover, social changes have brought adherents of the different religious groups into close proximity with one another, and if destructive tribalism and fundamentalisms are to be avoided, there is an urgent need for mutual understanding. Although this book is written from a Christian point of view, it has not only the intention of being open to other religions butalso the hope and expectation of learning from them.

Rather than trying to explain concepts and practices, the nine essays survey the wide-ranging scope of the occult arts and their importance during ancient times. They look at the sets of rules that defined legitimate divine communication in order to delineate its boundaries, and at the values and mechanisms ascribed to its various forms within the cultural system. The focus is on the Platonists, Rabbis, Church fathers, and Gnostics who inherited and interpreted such foundation literature as Homer, Hesiod, Greek tragedy, and the Bible. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"In this work, Andrei A. Orlov examines the apocalyptic profile of the angel Yahoel as the mediator of the divine Name, demonstrating its formative influence not only on rabbinic and Hekhalot beliefs concerning the supreme angel Metatron, but also on the unique aural ideology of early Jewish mystical accounts."--Back of dust jacket.

Andrei A. Orlov examines the tradition about the seventh antediluvian patriarch Enoch, tracing its development from its roots in the Mesopotamian lore to the Second Temple apocalyptic texts and later rabbinic and Hekhalot materials where Enoch is often identified as the supreme angel Metatron. The first part of the book explores the imagery of the celestial roles and titles of the seventh antediluvian hero in Mesopotamian, Enochic and Hekhalot materials. The analysis of the celestial roles and titles shows that the transition from the figure of patriarch Enoch to the figure of angel Metatron occurred already in the Second Temple Enochic materials, namely, in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch, a Jewish work, traditionally dated to the first century CE. The second part of the book demonstrates that mediatorial polemics with the traditions of the exalted patriarchs and prophets played an important role in facilitating the transition from Enoch to Metatron in the Second Temple period.

How does an understanding of the non-human lead us to a greater understanding of the incarnation? Are non-human animals morally relevant within Christian theology and ethics? Is there a human ethical responsibility towards non-human animals? In Animals, Theology and the Incarnation, Kris Hiuser argues that if we are called to represent both God to creation, and creation to God, then this has considerable bearing on understanding what it means to be human, as well as informing human action towards non-human creatures.