Interpretation in Religion

Drawn by invitation from a number of countries, a group of scholars undertakes to explore the means by which the very attempt to grasp religions leads to a repeated process of internal reinterpretation and, often, transformation. Essays on interpretation in religion in general are followed by essays that probe various hermeneutical aspects of ancient Egyptian religion, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The range of these essays is impressive — from semiosis, problems of translation, and the pragmatic assignment of meaning, to prayer, divine commands, the invisibility ascribed to God, dharma, symbolism and evil, and esotericism. The picture that emerges is rich, by turns detailed and general, and above all intellectually stimulating.