Religious Studies 

About: Religious Studies is an academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Argument & Theism. It has an ISSN identifier of 0034-4125. Over the lifetime, 2075 publications have been published receiving 13158 citations.

The Cambridge History of Later Medieval Philosophy

Abstract: In the introduction to this large volume the editors refer to their strategy of concentrating on 'those parts of later medieval philosophy that are most readily recognisable as philosophical to a student of twentieth-century philosophy' (p. 3). Twentieth-century philosophy is obviously conceived by the editors in terms of the philosophizing prevalent in university departments of philosophy in the Englishspeaking world. This means that attention is focused on logical and analytic studies in the late Middle Ages. To be sure, the word 'late' should not be greatly emphasized. For the year 1100, which is taken as marking the beginning of the period covered in this volume, hardly belongs to the late Middle Ages. But it is, of course, true that because of the prominence of logical studies at the time the philosophy of the later medieval period is likely to seem more congenial than some other areas of medieval thought to students of philosophy in this country and America, unless perhaps the students happen to be looking for something different from the intellectual food to which they are accustomed. By concentrating on logical studies the work serves the useful purpose of complementing those treatments of medieval philosophy in which attention is focused more on metaphysical and ethical topics. Not that these topics are entirely neglected in the volume under review. They are not. But it is perhaps arguable that the work would have gained in value, if it had been more exclusively a history of logic in the Middle Ages. Some readers at any rate might have found the work more helpful, if the chapters on logic had contained more explanatory material, even at the cost of omitting the brief treatments of metaphysical, ethical and political themes. The retort can indeed be made that the work claims to be a history of later medieval philosophy, not simply of logical studies in the Middle Ages. This is true, but no disrespect is intended to the relevant contributors if one suggests that the chapters on seventeenthcentury scholasticism and on recent neoscholasticism (with references to some still living thinkers) might well have been sacrificed to permit fuller exposition and discussion of some of the features of philosophy in the Middle Ages. For one thing, the cultural background of the 'transcendental Thomists' is different from that of the medieval philosophers. Forty-one contributors participate. The advantage of having a plurality of authors is that the different main topics can be allotted to specialists. The disadvantage is that there may be a failure to convey an overall view. The editors have tried to guard against this danger by arranging that the different chapters should be furnished with introductions and conclusions. But a student who is looking for an overall view of medieval philosophy or for an impression of the spirit and general development of medieval thought would be well advised to turn, for example, to the writings of the late Etienne Gilson. The present volume can hardly take their place, though it certainly 223

The cult of the saints : its rise and function in Latin Christianity

Abstract: Following the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the cult of the saints was the dominant form of religion in Christian Europe. In this elegantly written work, Peter Brown explores the role of tombs, shrines, relics, and pilgrimages connected with the sacred bodies of the saints. He shows how men and women living in harsh and sometimes barbaric times relied upon the merciful intercession of the holy dead to obtain justice, forgiveness, and to find new ways to accept their fellows. Challenging the common treatment of the cult as an outbreak of superstition among the lower classes, Brown demonstrates how this form of religiousity engaged the finest minds of the Church and elicited from members of the educated upper classes some of their most splendid achievements in poetry, literature, and the patronage of the arts. Brown has an international reputation for his fine style, a style he here turns on to illuminate the cult of the saints. Christianity was born without such a cult; it took rise and that rise needs chronicling. Brown has a gift for the memorable phrase and sees what the passersby have often overlooked. An eye-opener on an important but neglected phase of Western development.--The Christian Century Brilliantly original and highly sophisticated . . . . [The Cult of the Saints] is based on great learning in several disciplines, and the story is told with an exceptional appreciation for the broad social context. Students of many aspects of medieval culture, especially popular religion, will want to consult this work.--Bennett D. Hill, Library Journal

The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Orienting Deliberation on the Dogmatic Issue of Hereditary Sin

Abstract: A work that "not only treats of irony but is irony, " wrote a contemporary reviewer of The Concept of Irony, with Continual Reference to Socrates. Presented here with Kierkegaard's notes of the celebrated Berlin lectures on "positive philosophy" by F.W.J. Schelling, the book is a seedbed of Kierkegaard's subsequent work, both stylistically and thematically. Part One concentrates on Socrates, the master ironist, as interpreted by Xenophon, Plato, and Aristophanes, with a word on Hegel and Hegelian categories. Part Two is a more synoptic discussion of the concept of irony in Kierkegaard's categories, with examples from other philosophers and with particular attention given to A. W. Schlegel's novel Lucinde as an epitome of romantic irony.The Concept of Irony and the Notes of Schelling's Berlin Lectures belong to the momentous year 1841, which included not only the completion of Kierkegaard's university work and his sojourn in Berlin, but also the end of his engagement to Regine Olsen and the initial writing of Either/Or.