Bøker av Oliver Leaman

Ritual and practice are some of the most defining features of religion, linked with its central beliefs. Discussing the wide range of Jewish ritual and practice, this volume provides a contemporary guide to this significant aspect of religious life and experience. Drawing on a wide range of disciplines, this volume describes not only what takes place, but the reasons behind this and the implications both the theory and practice have for our understanding of Judaism. Organized in terms of texts, periods, practices, languages and relationships with the other, the book includes accounts of prayer, food, history, synagogues and the various legal and ideological debates that exist within Judaism with the focus on how they influence practice. Coming at a time of renewed interest in the role of the body in religion, this book aims to bring the theoretical and scriptural issues which arise in this area of Jewish life and culture up to date.This volume is aimed at students and researchers working in Jewish studies specifically, and religious studies in general. Designed to be helpful to those on courses in relevant areas, especially in the United States, this book includes substantial bibliographical material.

Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) is recognized both as a leading figure in Jewish thought and as one of the most radical philosophers of the Islamic world. This work provides a general introduction to his philosophy, exploring his arguments, and examining their implications and validity.

Although Islamic philosophy represents one of the leading philosophical traditions in the world, it has only recently begun to receive the attention it deserves in the non-Islamic world. This text provides introduction to the major movements, thinkers and concepts within that tradition, from the foundation of Islam onwards.

A guide to the religion and culture of Islam, it focuses on key issues including: the Qur'an, faith, theology, gender, fundamentalism, martyrdom, Jihad, Islam in America, Islam in Europe and Islamic Law. It includes: an introduction, an alphabetical list of relevant terms, a short bibliographical guide, bibliography, and an index.

The reader is invited to view Islamic art as no more and no less than ordinary art, neither better nor worse than anything else that counts as art. It follows that there are no special techniques required in Islamic aesthetics as compared with any other form of aesthetics.

Examining the philosophy of Averroes, this work discusses his metaphysics. Particular emphasis is on the issues which were controversial in his time, such as the apparent denial of the immortality of the individual soul, the necessity of causality, and the distinction between essence and existence.

This volume aims to provides a comprehensive survey of all the major themes encountered in the religious and philosophical traditions of Asia and the Islamic world, from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism.

Through key readings from primary and secondary sources, this book guides the reader through the principle features of the remarkable range of eastern thought - including Buddhist, Confucian, Hindu, Islamic, Shinto and Zoroastrian.

Islamic philosophy is a unique and fascinating form of thought, and particular interest lies in its classical (Greek-influenced) period, when many of the ideas of Greek philosophy were used to explore the issues and theoretical problems which arise in trying to understand the Qur'an and Islamic practice. In this revised and expanded 2001 edition of his classic introductory work, Oliver Leaman examines the distinctive features of Classical Islamic philosophy and offers detailed accounts of major individual thinkers. In contrast to many previous studies that have treated this subject as only of historical interest, he offers analysis of the key arguments within Islamic philosophy so that the reader can engage with them and assess their strengths and weaknesses. His book will interest a wide range of readers in philosophy, religious studies and Islamic studies.