tag:open.umn.edu,2005:/opentextbooks/subjects/religionOpen Textbook Library - Religion Textbooks2024-03-17T03:05:10Zhttps://open.umn.edu/assets/common/favicon/favicon-1594c2156c95ca22b1a0d803d547e5892bb0e351f682be842d64927ecda092e7.icohttps://open.umn.edu/assets/library/otl_logo-f9161d5c999f5852b38260727d49b4e7d7142fc707ec9596a5256a778f957ffc.png16282024-03-17T03:07:04Z2024-03-18T16:57:08ZZombie Apocalypse: Holy Land, Haiti, Hollywood<img alt="Read more about Zombie Apocalypse: Holy Land, Haiti, Hollywood" title="Zombie Apocalypse: Holy Land, Haiti, Hollywood cover image" class="cover " width="447" height="640" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTEzNDgsInB1ciI6ImJsb2JfaWQifX0=--5dd95f624db8814474208402e74360ec07a50c37/medium-20bc747ea1712ea191763320c910b1cb.png" />Zombie Apocalypse: Holy Land, Haiti, Hollywood explores the intellectual and cultural histories of two highly influential and essentially religious ideas, that of the zombie and that of the apocalypse. The former is a modern idea rooted in Haitian Vodou and its popular African and European religious antecedents, while the latter is an ancient one rooted in Zoroastrianism and the Bible and widely expanded in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and is arguably one of the most influential ideas in world history. Today the merger of the zombie and the apocalypse has pervaded popular culture, with the zombie surpassing the vampire and Frankenstein as the most prolific monster in popular American consciousness. Drawing on biblical studies, African studies, Caribbean studies, and the sociology and history of religion, Parts I (Holy Land) and II (Haiti) explore the religious origins of these ideas. Part III (Hollywood) uses aspects of cultural studies, literary analysis, critical race theory, and cinema studies to document the (primarily) American obsession with the zombie and the zombie apocalypse. The apocalypse and the zombie have been momentous intellectual, historical, and cultural realities and social forces in both very ancient and very recent human history and culture. As such, Zombie Apocalypse provides a focused analysis of certain fundamental aspects of human existence. It challenges readers to cultivate their critical thinking skills while learning about two of the most compelling notions in human religious history and the impact they continue to have.10192023-02-06T18:26:49Z2023-08-31T14:10:20ZThe Bible and Music<img alt="Read more about The Bible and Music" title="The Bible and Music cover image" class="cover " width="350" height="530" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NDUwMSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d7303c4f3e5005bcd013f2f047fd0d12533bc2bc/The%20Bible%20and%20Music.png" />The Bible and Music by Dr. James F. McGrath provides an introduction and overview of the various ways that music and the Bible have been and continue to be connected. Part 1 focuses on history, presenting what we know about how music in the Ancient Near East sounded, how markings in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible have been interpreted as musical symbols, how chanting of biblical texts has featured liturgically in synagogues and churches, the impact of the Protestant Reformation, and musical developments in North America as enslaved Africans encountered biblical texts and stories. Part 2 focuses on specific texts in Jewish and Christian scripture and looks at how they have been interpreted through the process of setting them to music, including the soundtracks of cinematic depictions of biblical narrative and allusions to the Bible in popular music. Part 3 focuses on composers from the Middle Ages all the way down to the present day. Throughout the book, musical examples are not merely mentioned but embedded so that reading and listening may be seamlessly combined. The book does not presume prior knowledge of either music or the Bible, and additional links within the text provide definitions and further explanations for those who need or desire them.12752022-11-07T14:48:50Z2024-01-22T14:52:35ZElementary New Testament Greek<img alt="Read more about Elementary New Testament Greek" title="Elementary New Testament Greek cover image" class="cover " width="108" height="150" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NDI0MywicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--63ce8f5f5581c53b1b6b86ca7e99ac330189eeeb/thumbnail.jpeg" />This open-access textbook helps students learn to read New Testament Greek at the elementary level. It includes clear, concise explanations of grammar and syntax, helpful examples, and essential vocabulary, with no assumption of previous language study, and it does not require accents for most forms. At the end of each of its twenty chapters, students will find short Greek-language episodes from the life of a fictional early Christian family of Jewish ancestry, short readings from the Greek New Testament and Septuagint, and review/homework exercises that can help reinforce new concepts and vocabulary. This book can help students prepare to read Nijay Gupta and Jonah Sandford’s Intermediate Greek Reader: Galatians and Related Texts, also available as an open-access textbook.12252022-08-16T20:21:15Z2024-01-22T14:52:33ZReading the Bible as Literature: A Journey<img alt="Read more about Reading the Bible as Literature: A Journey" title="Reading the Bible as Literature: A Journey cover image" class="cover " width="350" height="525" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MzkwOCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d29a9889f35b52efaafd1816f98798024860a92d/cover-350x525.jpeg" />The Bible is one of the most published books in human history. It is also one of the most misquoted, misunderstood and misused books in human history. This happens because people are not always aware that the Bible is not a book, it is a collection of diverse writings. The Bible might even be called an anthology, and it will include everything from poetry to genealogy, pithy sayings to architectural mandates, mythology to letters. Knowing what one is reading helps one understand the ideas in the writings. We read letters in the context of who wrote them and who received them. We read sermons understanding the speaker's perspective may differ from the listener's perspective. So this text is an attempt to give historic, literary, geographical and cultural context to a complex and often poorly understood set of materials. This is very much an ebook, and needs to be used in that format. Pdfs and other printed versions will lose a great deal of the content.11682022-05-12T21:26:40Z2024-03-06T19:59:44ZTheological Questions<img alt="Read more about Theological Questions" title="Theological Questions cover image" class="cover " width="260" height="300" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MzYzNSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f118d9444c3de5970334729c083111f98ca095dc/submission_81_72_coverImage_en_US_t.png" />Theological Questions is an Open Educational Resource (free textbook) that originates from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and was created with funding form the Atla OER Grant Program. This open textbook was used at St. Mary's in the first of two required core theology courses. It is designed to give a broad historical overview of theological questions from the perspective of the Catholic tradition. It seeks to represent fairly a variety of questions and answers within and beyond the Catholic tradition. This OER is a foundation for other teachers of introductory courses in theology who may wish to adapt it for their purposes.10762021-09-27T23:44:11Z2024-02-15T22:08:16ZWorld Religions: the Spirit Searching<img alt="Read more about World Religions: the Spirit Searching" title="World Religions: the Spirit Searching cover image" class="cover " width="683" height="1024" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MjkwNSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--02ed278bde4d9d119edb9d6a7307042fc7f61431/cover-683x1024.jpg" />Humans across the globe and throughout millennia have searched for answers to questions like, "why are we here?" or "what am I supposed to do with my life?" And the answers people have found, or created, or chosen, have varied as widely as the cultures and people themselves. Some people focus on rules. Some focus on afterlives. Some look to become whole. Some seek adventure and learning. So this text, while full of various ways that people have searched and discovered and created, is only touching a few of the bigger traditions in our world. Hopefully each chapter will introduce the reader to some ideas from that specific tradition that enlighten them as to how a specific group of people think, believe, and live. This text is set up to be an ebook. The various videos, links and resources will only really work if the user keeps to the digital format. Read this book on a device--it will be a much more rewarding experience!9422020-12-27T05:20:43Z2024-01-22T14:52:15ZIntroduction to Philosophy: Philosophy of Religion<img alt="Read more about Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophy of Religion" title="Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophy of Religion cover image" class="cover " width="683" height="1024" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTg3NywicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--3e9b1a3f73abd8e40aa1c507a863931558260a15/Rebus-Digital-Cover-Religion-683x1024.jpg" />Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophy of Religion introduces some of the major traditional arguments for and against the existence of God, as well as some less well-known, but thought-provoking arguments for the existence of God, and one of the most important new challenges to religious belief from the Cognitive Science of Religion. An introductory chapter traces the connection between philosophy and religion throughout Western history, and a final chapter addresses the place of non-Western and non-monotheistic religions within contemporary philosophy of religion.8552020-06-29T18:59:33Z2023-08-31T14:10:15ZStudying the Bible: The Tanakh and Early Christian Writings<img alt="Read more about Studying the Bible: The Tanakh and Early Christian Writings" title="Studying the Bible: The Tanakh and Early Christian Writings cover image" class="cover " width="652" height="844" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTEzMCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b71c08e8acf65b06aee4d65ef39a1cbdfbf90da6/bibletanakh.png" />Studying the Bible: The Tanakh and Early Christian Writings is a university-level, textbook introduction to the study of the Bible, its literary forms, and historical and cultural contexts. This textbook is a companion to the Bible courses taught in the English Department at Kansas State University, in particular ENGL 470 The Bible, though it is available for use in other courses and contexts. This textbook examines the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Tanakh) and the early Christian writings of the New Testament. It is an introduction to the analysis of biblical texts, their histories, and their interpretations. The emphasis throughout this textbook is on the literary qualities of these biblical texts as well as their cultural and historical contexts.5922018-09-07T17:22:12Z2024-01-22T18:55:27ZIntermediate Biblical Greek Reader: Galatians and Related Texts<img alt="Read more about Intermediate Biblical Greek Reader: Galatians and Related Texts" title="Intermediate Biblical Greek Reader: Galatians and Related Texts cover image" class="cover " width="578" height="866" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6NTE1LCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--3856adf2861e3257e1609f3add4dec2f2b4d538b/9780999829233.png" />After completing basic biblical Greek, students are often eager to continue to learn and strengthen their skills of translation and interpretation. This intermediate graded reader is designed to meet those needs. The reader is “intermediate” in the sense that it presumes the user will have already learned the basics of Greek grammar and syntax and has memorized Greek vocabulary words that appear frequently in the New Testament. The reader is “graded” in the sense that it moves from simpler translation work (Galatians) towards more advanced readings from the book of James, the Septuagint, and from one of the Church Fathers. In each reading lesson, the Greek text is given, followed by supplemental notes that offer help with vocabulary, challenging word forms, and syntax. Discussion questions are also included to foster group conversation and engagement. There are many good Greek readers in existence, but this reader differs from most others in a few important ways. Most readers offer text selections from different parts of the Bible, but in this reader the user works through one entire book (Galatians). All subsequent lessons, then, build off of this interaction with Galatians through short readings that are in some way related to Galatians. The Septuagint passages in the reader offer some broader context for texts that Paul quotes explicitly from the Septuagint. The Patristic reading from John Chrysystom comes from one of his homilies on Galatians. This approach to a Greek reader allows for both variety and coherence in the learning process. This reader is a collaborative project that developed out of an advanced Greek course at Portland Seminary (2017-2018). The following students contributed equally to the content of the textbook. Alexander Finkelson (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018) Bryn Pliska Girard (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018) Charles E. R. Jesch (MDIV, Portland Seminary, current student) Paul C. Moldovan (MDIV, Portland Seminary, current student) Jenny E. Siefken (MATS, Portland Seminary, current student) Julianna Kaye Smith (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018) Jana Whitworth (MDIV, Portland Seminary, current student) Kyle J. Williams (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018)5422018-09-07T17:22:09Z2024-01-22T14:51:57ZSix Ways of Being Religious<img alt="Read more about Six Ways of Being Religious" title="Six Ways of Being Religious cover image" class="cover " width="116" height="150" data-controller="cover" data-placeholder="/assets/common/placeholder-0e0607cbc50663ddb9e8fd188058bcd2630c730ef6ee322801278607b7d5af8e.png" src="/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTk4OSwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--a4dd0334c2c7e82bd3947e08f29413688f54aa7a/thumbnail%20(2).jpg" />The book proposes the hypothesis that six generic ways of being religious may be found in any large-scale religious tradition such as Christianity or Buddhism or Islam or Hinduism: sacred rite, right action, devotion, shamanic mediation, mystical quest, and reasoned inquiry. These are recurrent ways in which, socially and individually, devout members of these traditions take up and appropriate their stories and symbols in order to draw near to, and come into right relationship with, what the traditions attest to be the ultimate reality.
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/religion?page=2