Cognitive Science and Ancient Israelite Religion
New Perspectives on Texts, Artifacts, and CulturePart of Society for Old Testament Study Monographs
AUTHOR: Brett E. Maiden, Emory University, Atlanta
DATE PUBLISHED: October 2020
AVAILABILITY: Available
FORMAT: Hardback
ISBN: 9781108487788$ 99.99 (C) Hardback
Description
In this book, Brett Maiden employs the tools, research, and theories from the cognitive science of religion to explore religious thought and behavior in ancient Israel. His study focuses on a key set of distinctions between intuitive and reflective types of cognitive processing, implicit and explicit concepts, and cognitively optimal and costly religious traditions. Through a series of case studies, Maiden examines a range of topics including popular and official religion, Deuteronomic theology, hybrid monsters in ancient iconography, divine cult statues in ancient Mesopotamia and the biblical idol polemics, and the Day of Atonement ritual in Leviticus 16. The range of media, including ancient texts, art, and archaeological data from ancient Israel, as well theoretical perspectives demonstrates how a dialogue between biblical scholars and cognitive researchers can be fostered.
- Offers an accessible introduction to the current state of the cognitive study of religion, especially for biblical scholars and historians of religion
- Provides theoretical discussion and concrete examples, in the form of case studies, of interdisciplinary scholarship in action
- Examines different interrelated topics in the study Israelite religion, including theoretical, artistic, and textual
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