Books in the Religion and Normativity series in order

As indicated by the title, this volume focuses on an area of conflict that became decisive for the development of Christianity, i.e. which group of texts should be regarded as normative for the preaching of the Christian faith, and how these texts should be interpreted. Several centuries were to pass however before there was consensus in the Church on this matter. There were no foregone conclusions and a great number of disputes arose. The most viable opinions therefore are reflected in the texts that, together, form the New Testament canon.Through many years, Christians as a religious and social group established their own identity, giving preferential treatment to a certain collection of texts which became normative for the lives and worldview of the believers. Frictions can arise however, even in a religious community that agrees on the delimitation of the texts that form the basis of their faith. These frictions were expressed in interpretations of the canonical texts.The aim of this volume is to elucidate the processes in the history of early Christianity that became important for the formation and interpretation of the New Testament canon. The first part of the book deals with theoretical questions, while the second part provides examples of concrete discussions about the formation and interpretation of the normative biblical canon. The last chapter in addition presents a process parallel to the formation of the biblical canon, namely the formation of the Mandaean corpus of normative texts.

The Bible has been called the 'Book of Books'. In Western culture it is considered a literary work and it has a central role in both the Jewish and Christian religions. The Bible has inspired much rewriting and has also provoked contradiction. It has not only had a normative function for future poets, but philosophers and scientists have also applied biblical motives and have struggled with biblical ideas to formulate new thoughts.Drawing on examples from the works of Torgny Lindgren, Philip Pullman, Milan Kundera and Martin A. Hansen, the first part of this volume begins by examining the reception and transformation of the Bible in literature. Then, using examples from Søren Kierkegaard, K.E. Løgstrup and Paul Ricoeur, the second part goes on to explore the reception and transformation of the Bible in philosophy, considering also its reception within evolutionary theory. The third and last part, deals with the Bible's reception and transformation in religious communities, and considers, inter alia: the role of the Torah in Judaism - both as text and as artefact; and, the Bible, as a model for Christian ideas, as a challenge to scriptural performance and as a norm for the images of God in modern hymns. All three sections of the book are introduced by some general reflections offering a framework for the individual articles.The Book of Books is still a work that inspires new thoughts. The aim of Reception and Transformations of the Bible is thus to challenge and provoke readers to further discussion on the authority of the Bible.

The relationship between religion, politics, and law represents one of the most important issues in contemporary discussions on the world's future. While global changes and political conflicts in many parts of the world demand seirous reflection about the role of religion in politics and in public discourse, the study of religion in post-secular societies calls for reflections about the normtive role of religion in politics and law.Through the contribution of scholars in the disciplines of theology, the science of religion, and political science, this volume presents an absorbing analysis of democracy, politics, and law, drawing upon the works of John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, Max Horkheimer, Michel Foucault and Theodor W. Adorno.Such topics as Islam and democracy are addressed, in addition to the report by the European Council on Fatwa and Research and specific issues in which chruches have been involved in political conflicts. Case studies on communism, nazism, and apartheid, for esample, are also presented, and finally the question is addressed of how interreligious dialogue can function in secular societies in relation to the Danish cartoon crisis.