- Paperback: 716 pages
- Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (Jan 1 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0802829570
- ISBN-13: 978-0802829573
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Booklist
If God is indeed in the details, then this compilation delves into Him well. The contributors tell the stories of five great religious founders--Moses, Jesus, Shakyamuni Buddha, Muhammad, and Confucius--and their traditions. Each contributor chooses one founder and tradition and argues powerfully that understanding them is deepened by viewing faith traditions as tributaries of a great river rather than incompatible worldviews. Inherent to that argument is a challenge to sociologist Max Weber's theory of religious founders, and when the contributors start squabbling over details of Weber's analysis in the conclusion, even courageous readers may become discouraged. Also discouraging is the section on Moses, which fails to give nonacademic readers enough background on rabbinic Judaism. The other sections, however, don't leave armchair religion scholars behind. Although perhaps too complex an introduction to these figures and their traditions, the book will provide enthusiasts of Christianity and World Religions, masterminded by Hans Kung, and Karen Armstrong's History of God (1993) with some of the deeper, broader analyses that they may be seeking. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
A fascinating look at the founders of the world's main religions. The major religious traditions of the world owe their existence to the vision of an ancient founder. This important volume explores the lives of the five founders of major world religions-Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad-chronicling what is actually known of these charismatic men and introducing readers to the cultural and religious worlds that heard their messages. Readers in predominantly Christian lands, in addition to learning about the lives of Confucius, Buddha, and Muhammad- whom they might not be familiar with- will also be introduced to modern research now casting fresh light on the careers of Moses and Jesus. Whether studied individually or in comparison with one another, these biographies, together with a chapter on the characteristics of religious leadership, chart the spiritual rivers that continue to feed the diversity of religious expression today.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent (and Much Needed Just Now),
By A Customer
This review is from: The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders (Hardcover)
There has never been a time when interreligious understanding was more needed. And I don't have in mind only the atrocities committed at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center and what seems to be, as I write, an impending war. It's trite to say, but true, that the vast geographical distances that once separated the great religions from one another have vanished, both figuratively in the sense that modern transportation and communication technologies have rendered them insignificant and literally in the sense that, given modern immigration patterns, Hindus and Muslims and Buddhists and Confucianists and Sikhs are very likely to be living in the same neighborhoods with Jews and Christians. It is imperative that we learn to understand one another better.This book is an important step in that direction. By presenting academically serious, reliable, but still sympathetic portraits of the five great religious founders, it provides a basis for genuine dialogue between the faiths. It is an excellent book. The authors are first-rate, and the writing is generally clear and occasionally even quite good. I wish it weren't so expensive, but I hope that it will nonetheless have a large readership. I recommend it enthusiastically.
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent contemporary review,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders (Hardcover)
Contributions from the best contemporary thinkers provide explorations of the lives and beliefs of the five founders of major world religions: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus and Muhammad. These essays provide new insights into the careers of these individuals, blending biography with spiritual insights. An excellent contemporary review.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent (and Much Needed Just Now),
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders (Hardcover)
There has never been a time when interreligious understanding was more needed. And I don't have in mind only the atrocities committed at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center and what seems to be, as I write, an impending war. It's trite to say, but true, that the vast geographical distances that once separated the great religions from one another have vanished, both figuratively in the sense that modern transportation and communication technologies have rendered them insignificant and literally in the sense that, given modern immigration patterns, Hindus and Muslims and Buddhists and Confucianists and Sikhs are very likely to be living in the same neighborhoods with Jews and Christians. It is imperative that we learn to understand one another better.This book is an important step in that direction. By presenting academically serious, reliable, but still sympathetic portraits of the five great religious founders, it provides a basis for genuine dialogue between the faiths. It is an excellent book. The authors are first-rate, and the writing is generally clear and occasionally even quite good. I wish it weren't so expensive, but I hope that it will nonetheless have a large readership. I recommend it enthusiastically. 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent contemporary review,
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders (Hardcover)
Contributions from the best contemporary thinkers provide explorations of the lives and beliefs of the five founders of major world religions: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus and Muhammad. These essays provide new insights into the careers of these individuals, blending biography with spiritual insights. An excellent contemporary review.
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