Vedic Sanskrit literature contains a wealth of material concerning the mythology and religious practices of India between 1500 and 500 B.C.E.―a crucial period in the formation of traditional Indian culture. Stephanie W. Jamison here addresses the conditions that have limited our understanding of Vedic myth and ritual; such as the profusion and obscurity of the texts and the tendency on the part of scholars to approach mythology and ritual independently. Tracing two key myths through a variety of texts; Jamison provides insight into the relationship between early Indic myth and ritual as well as offering a new methodology for their study.After a brief survey of Vedic literature and religion; Jamison examines the recurrences of the myths "Indra fed the Yatis to the hyenas" and "Svarbhanu pierced the sun with darkness." Focusing on their verbal form and ritual setting; she essays a general interpretation of the myths and their ritual purpose. Her book sheds new light on some central figures in Vedic mythology and on the evolution of Vedic mythological narrative; and it points to parallels in other cultures as well. Indologists and other scholars and students of South Asian culture; Indo-Eurepeanists; folklorists; historians of religion; classicists; and comparatists will welcome this rich and suggestive introduction to the Vedic tradition.
#193794 in Books Baker Academic 2007-11-01 2007-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.52 x 1.08 x 6.04l; 1.17 #File Name: 080103468X832 pagesISBN13: 9780801034688Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Holmes makes good use of the available greek texts for the textual ...By Phillip LebsackThis was everything I wanted in terms of the books it contained (Barnabas; 1 2 Clement; the letters of Ignatius; the Shepherd; and others).Holmes makes good use of the available greek texts for the textual criticism. The only problem I have with his use of textual evidence is that he; for some reason; only thought the Shepherd of Hermas was preserved in Codex Sinaiticus in chapters 1-31:6. If you go to http://codexsinaiticus.org/ you'll see that parts of chapters 65-68 and 91-95 of the Shepherd were also preserved in the codex. (But quite frankly; those chapters were fragmented and leaving them out of the criticism isn't really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things anyway).Nevertheless; this is still the best interlinear/textual-criticism compilation of the apostolic writings on the market that I know of. If you know of a better one; please let me know.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Great Book Made Better!!!By Stephen MathewsFirst the overall content: The Greek on one page and English on the other is very nice. The flow of the English is very nicely done. The notes are helpful for both the Greek and the English texts. These writings (inspired or not) are very insightful to the Christian faith. If nothing else; it is practice applied and good advice from a time that is far gone but still with us today. Read it and you'll understand what I mean.The Third Edition:I have a second edition paperback print and was very happy to discover this hard covered edition. The chapter-verse style layout is improved and the pages are bible thin so it sits open easily.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent source to read more of the Church Fathers' wisdom and teachings.By J. P. HarrisExcellent source to read more of the Church Fathers' wisdom and teachings. Writings provide insight and different perspectives into the issues and thinking of those early days. Some of writing were remarkable right on point with today's Church which thanks to our beloved Pope Francis is calling us to live a simpler life; loving God and spreading the Gospel. Much of material is easier to read than many of modern texts. Although I do not read Greek; it also provides the text in Greek as well as English for those that do. My favorite work was "The Epistle to Dignetus" with both Holmes introductory material and the actual epistle. I was loaned a copy of book and after reading parts I had to get my own copy so I could underline and make notes.
