Faculty Books
Differentiating the Pearl from the Fish-Eye: Ouyang Jingwu and the Revival of Scholastic Buddhism
Eyal Aviv, assistant professor of religion, offers an account of Ouyang Jingwu (1871-1943), a leading intellectual who revived the Buddhist scholastic movement during the early Republican period in China. Ouyang believed that authentic Indian Buddhism was an alternative to the prevalent Chinese Buddhist doctrines of his time. Aviv shows how Ouyang's rhetoric of authenticity won the movement well-known admirers but also influential critics. This debate shaped modern intellectual history in China.
Ethics of War and Peace in Islam: A Shi’a View
Professor Mohammad Faghfoory demonstrates that the Shia perception of war and peace is deeply rooted in the Quran and the Tradition of the Prophet and is defensive in nature. His analysis challenges the views of some of the Shia jurists of earlier centuries regarding jihad. It is the first comprehensive study in its kind on this important and timely subject.
Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire
Professor Paul Duff offers an accessible and informed account of Christian origins, beginning with the teaching of Jesus and moving to the end of the first century. Duff's narrative shows how the rural Jewish movement led by Jesus developed into a largely non-Jewish phenomenon permeating urban centers of the Roman Empire. Paying special attention to social, cultural and religious contexts, this book helps readers cultivate a deeper understanding of the identity, beliefs and practices of early Christ-believers.
Religious Zionism, Jewish Law, and the Morality of War
Robert Eisen, professor of religion and Judaic studies, examines a dilemma within modern Jewish thought: Although the state of Israel has been plagued by war for much of its existence, Jewish law includes little material on moral issues in times of conflict. He features five prominent rabbis with insight into the key moral questions in war as they create an entire new body of law.
Contesting the Yellow Dragon: Ethnicity, Religion and the State in the Sino-Tibetan Borderland
Xiaofei Kang, associate professor of East Asian religions and women and gender studies, produced the first long-term study of the Sino-Tibetan borderland. It traces relationships and mutual influence among Tibetans, Chinese, Hui Muslims, Qiang and others over some 600 years, focusing on the old Chinese garrison city of Songpan and the nearby religious center of Huanglong, or Yellow Dragon.
