|
|
 Gorgias Dissertations (ISSN 1935-6870): Gorgias Dissertations (GD) make available to scholars and the public outstanding doctoral dissertations in various disciplines. The series provides a valuable service to the scholarly community as it disseminates unique academic perspectives that would otherwise remain inaccessible. Gorgias Press has successfully introduced many young scholars as published authors to the academic world through the dissertation series.
Gorgias press is now accepting dissertation submissions. For information on how to submit your work, visit our author's page.
Gorgias Dissertations consists of the following subseries:
| ISBN | Description | Price | Add | 
| 978-1-59333-781-0 | Ali, Jamal. Language and Heresy in Ismaili Thought
Abu Hatim al-Razi (d. 322/934) was the Ismaili author of Kitab al-zina, a unique glossary of Islamic words. This book explores his contributions and place in early Arabic linguistic and lexicographical thought and practice, and in Shi’i heresiographical writing. More... | $105.00 | Add to Cart |  | 
| 1-931956-72-3 | Anagnostou-Laoutides, Evangelia. Eros and Ritual in Ancient Literature
This book examines popular erotic myths with regard to their origins and literary treatment throughout antiquity. The relation of ritual to certain mythic patterns that reflect initiation rites is also considered. These myths reinforce the association between cult and mythology in literature. Initiation patterns were employed as literary metaphors for falling in love or even for holding a philosophical argument on human progress. The myths are chosen in order to form a narrative sequence, but also as an example of how mythic patterns can be variously manipulated in literature. More... | $98.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-210-6 | Azize, Joseph. The Phoenician Solar Theology
This book, the first study of its kind, contends that an authentic Phoenician solar theology existed, reaching back to at least the fifth or sixth century BCE. Through Azize’s examination, a portrait of a vibrant Phoenician tradition of spiritual thought emerges: a native tradition not dependent upon Hellenic thought, but related to other Semitic cultures of the ancient Near East, and, of course, to Egypt. In light of this analysis, it can be seen that Phoenician religion possessed a unique organizing power in which the sun, the sun god, life, death, and humanity, were linked in a profound system. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-628-8 | Barrett, Deirdre Grace. The Ceramic Oil Lamp as an Indicator of Cultural Change within Nabataean Society in Petra and its Environs circa CE 106
Can an altered perception in the Nabataean worldview be detected at the time of the Roman annexation of Petra, Jordan, in CE106? The analysis of ancient ceramic oil lamps from three sacred/ceremonial sites in the area provides evidence for this cultural change. More... | $102.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-120-7 | Bedal, Leigh-Ann. The Petra Pool-Complex: A Hellenistic Paradeisos in the Nabataean Capital
Excavations in the Lower Market in Petra (Jordan), capital of the ancient kingdom of Nabsataea, uncovered the remnants of a monumental pool-complex at the heart of the ancient city. It played an important role in the socio-political life of Petra during the Nabataean and Roman periods. The mere presence of a paradeidos in Petra symbolized the Nabataean king's power and helped to legitimize his place among contemporary rulers. The paradeisos is an example of a gratuitous display of conspicuous consumption, a symbol of the flourishing status of Petra during its Classical era. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-725-4 | Berg, Ina. Negotiating Island Identities
Negotiating Island Identities explores the history of interaction between Crete and the Cycladic islands from the late Middle to Late Bronze II periods when Minoan influence was at its peak. Based on a thorough investigation of pottery assemblages from key sites, the book advocates a rethink of established acculturation scenarios (such as “Minoanisation”) in relation to the Cycladic islands. Openness or closure towards outside influences was not predetermined by cultural, geographical or ecological variables but was socially constructed. Island communities could consciously fashion their worlds and make choices about the nature and degree of interaction with their neighbours. More... | $102.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-158-4 | Bidmead, Julye . The Akitu Festival: Religious Continuity and Royal Legitimation in Mesopotamia
The akitu festival is one of the oldest recorded religious festivals in the world, celebrated for several millennia throughout ancient Mesopotamia. Yet, the akitu was more than just a religious ceremony; it acted as a political device to ensure the supremacy of the king, the national god, and his capital city. Using tools of social anthropology and ritual analysis, this book presents a detailed reconstruction of the festival events and its attendant rituals to demonstrate how the festival became a propagandistic tool wielded by the monarchy and ruling classes. The akitu festival demonstrates the effectiveness of religion as a political tool. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-228-9 | Buchan, Thomas. "Blessed is He who has brought Adam from Sheol" Christ's Descent to the Dead in the Theology of Saint Ephrem the Syrian
Buchan’s work is an examination of the theological use of the doctrine of Christ's descent to the dead in the works of Saint Ephrem the Syrian (ca. 306-373 C.E.). Ephrem's conception of Christ's descent to Sheol provides us with an important and distinctive vision of the significance of this salvific event. Ephrem's use of Semitic and non-Western poetic forms and structures as a mode of theological discourse, coupled with his preference for imagery and symbolism rather than definition, resulted in a variety of vivid depictions of Christ's descent to Sheol. The doctrine is shown to be an integral and multifaceted component of Ephrem's theology. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-394-2 | Crosby, Elise W.. The History, Poetry, and Genealogy of the Yemen
The history, poetry, and genealogy of the Yemen is the earliest known history of pre-Islamic Yemen. Attributed to the South Arabian historian ‘Abid b. Sharya al-Jurhumi d. 680 A.D.), it recounts in prose and poetry six saga cycles of ancient personages and events of the Yemen. Here, two sagas, the dispersion of Sam’s descendants from Babel to the Yemen, and the destruction of the tribes of ‘Ad and Thamud, are translated with complete annotation. The tales of Luqman b. ‘Ad and his seven vultures, Sulayman and Bilqis, the Himyarite kings, and Tasm and Jadis are given in full synopses. More... | $102.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-117-7 | de Pretis, Anna. "Epistolarity" in the First Book of Horace's Epistles
De Pretis’s book focuses on the epistolary features of Horace’s First Book of Epistles, reading them from points of view related to the epistolary form: the weight of the addressee; the dialogue between literary genres; the poet's self-representation; temporality; and the power of the author. These issues also pertain to literature as such, since all literature can be regarded, to a certain degree, as "epistolary." But the extent and consistency with which the Epistles explore epistolary aspects, can only be explained in terms of their generic affiliation. More... | $98.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-397-8 | den Biesen, Kees. Simple and Bold: Ephrem’s Art of Symbolic Thought
Ephrem the Syrian is known as one of the greatest Christian poets and as a unique author whose mode of thought is usually described as “symbolic.” In this work, Kees den Biesen explores the literary, intellectual, and theological mechanisms at work in Ephrem’s writings with the specific aim of identifying the exact nature of his “symbolic thought” and evaluating its contemporary relevance. Den Biesen elaborates a comprehensive approach that integrates a variety of methods into a genuinely theological methodology. He then proposes his own comprehensive understanding of the nature and merits of Ephrem’s symbolic thought. More... | $102.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-674-5 | DeRouchie, Jason S.. A Call to Covenant Love
Profound in its conclusions and targeted toward the exegete, this study offers a clear method for establishing literary macrostructure in OT prose. A brief literary-structural commentary on Deut 5–11 models the text grammatical approach and shows its benefits for exegesis. More... | $132.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-345-4 | Dragani, Anthony. Adrian Fortescue and the Eastern Christian Churches
Adrian Fortescue (1874-1923) was recognized as one of England’s foremost authorities on Eastern Christianity and helped to shape the English-speaking world’s understanding of the Eastern Churches. This book is a critical examination of his writings on the subject, analyzing what he said about the Eastern Christian Churches and highlighting his insights into key questions. It focuses on Fortescue’s understanding of the schisms and his thoughts as to how reunion can come about. The book concludes by comparing Fortescue's perspective to later advances in theology and historical scholarship in order to ascertain the long-term accuracy of his writings. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-432-1 | Edwards, Timothy. Exegesis in the Targum of Psalms: The Old, the New, and the Rewritten
The Old, the New and the Rewritten illustrates how Targum Psalms creatively interprets selected psalms and how those interpretations relate to other Jewish and Christian traditions, including early translations of the psalms, rabbinic Midrashim, the New Testament and early Church Fathers. The study of these Psalms suggests viewing Targum Psalms as a creative partner in the world of biblical interpretation, as opposed to a compilation of already existing midrashic material. Edwards portrays the Targum as a link between the written and oral Torah that leads its readers on a path to tradition. More... | $102.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-581-6 | Farag, Lois M.. St. Cyril of Alexandria, A New Testament Exegete
This study portrays Cyril of Alexandria as exegete and theologian through an examination of his Commentary on the Gospel John. It begins with an attempt to place Cyril and his commentary within their context. This work argues that Cyril wrote his Commentary on the Gospel of John early in his writing career, almost a decade before becoming bishop. Cyril’s commentary on the Johannine Gospel reveals his exegetical method and his strong Trinitarian theology. The commentary also focuses the nature and work of the Holy Spirit: the indwelling of the Spirit is the beginning of the newness of life. More... | $115.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-195-9 | Ferencz, Nicholas. American Orthodoxy and Parish Congregationalism
Orthodox ecclesiology doctrinally and historically requires that all authority in the church be expressed by the bishop. The unity of authority, based upon the laying on of hands, is the lived expression of the oneness and catholicity of the church. American Orthodoxy, however, does not have such an authority structure, especially on the parish level. This study explores the divergence of practice from doctrine in the American church. The study concludes with a theological discussion of the problematic nature of parish congregationalism in Orthodoxy. It points toward the already-realized conciliarity of supra-parish structures as the paradigm for a reformation of parish authority structures. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-200-9 | Freedman, Daphne. Man and the Theogony in the Lurianic Cabala
Lurianic mythology represents an intensely personal view, in which earlier cabalistic symbolism is used to express new and original ideas. The lurianic corpus can be seen as a metaphor for a relation between man and the deity which is not yet fulfilled. The cabalistic myths of his sources express the reality of the relations of being in the lurianic corpus. The lurianic system seeks to reformulate the relation of man and god, concentrating on the way that the being of the deity is revealed in man. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-229-7 | Gane, Roy E. Ritual Dynamic Structure
The present work takes up the neglected quest for a theory of ritual and methodology of analysis that recognizes and traces the contours of ritual dynamic structure. The resulting fresh approach provides a controlled framework for interpreting rituals belonging to various cultures and for identifying bases of comparison between them. The first part of ritual dynamic structure builds a theory and definition of ritual and a corresponding methodology for analyzing specific rituals in terms of their activities and the meanings attached to those activities. The second part illustrates this methodology and its usefulness for comparative studies by applying it to ceremonies of cult purification in the ancient Near East. More... | $98.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-159-2 | Jefferies, Daryl . Wisdom at Qumran: A Form-Critical Analysis of the Admonitions in 4QInstruction
This study provides background on wisdom forms, the key Qumran sectarian texts, and wisdom studies related to the Dead Sea Scrolls. 4QInstruction includes poetic discourses, hymnic material, and short wisdom sayings and admonitions. A major focus is placed on the admonitions, which are discussed in terms of their structure, wisdom forms, and setting. The admonitions are expressed in biblical wisdom forms, showing a familiarity with and acceptance of traditional Hebrew wisdom, including a focus on traditional themes. Yet, when read from the sectarian perspective, 4QInstruction reinforces the guidelines and theology of the key Dead Sea Scroll documents. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-373-7 | Johnston, Pamela Delia. The Military Consilium in Republican Rome
The consilium, or advisory council, played an important role in the everyday activities of the Roman magistrate in his role as military commander. This work is an in-depth look at the commander's consilium from its first depicted appearances in the accounts of the legendary period to 31 BC. The concilium adapted to meet changing needs and serves to illustrate how Romans felt about their own society. The role of the commander's consilium can be seen as a pragmatic compromise between the desire for competent leadership and personal ambition on the one hand, and the Romans' ever-present fear of tyrannical behavior on the other hand. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-149-5 | Moser, Maureen Beyer. Teacher of Holiness: The Holy Spirit in Origen's Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
This book explores the pneumatology of Origen's Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans illustrates the centrality of the Holy Spirit for his theological project. As both God's exitus into the world and humanity's reditus to God, the Spirit forms the crucial link between Origen's doctrine of God and his spiritual anthropology. Origen's images for the Holy Spirit, understood in the context of second century concepts of 'spirit,' convey the intersection of theology and anthropology in his thought. This book explores Origen's understanding of the multiplicity of spirits found in the Scriptures, with particular emphasis on the Holy Spirit as pivotal to God's outreach into the world. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-127-4 | Moss, Joshua L. Midrash and Legend: Historical Anecdotes in the Tannaitic Midrashim
This study applies form criticism to the stories of the earliest rabbinic midrashim. The results shed light on the literary personalities of the individual midrash collections and the relationships of transmission in the tradition. These stories are of particular interest from an inter-religious and comparative literary point of view because New Testament studies have often referred to certain narratives in the gospels as "midrashic." The author sets forth, in positive terms, an understanding of what functions historical anecdotes serve in the tannaitic midrashim, along with a catalogue of the rhetorical conventions used to fulfill those functions. More... | $115.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-157-6 | Pitkanen, Pekka. Central Sanctuary and Centralization of Worship in Ancient Israel
This book provides the first major reinvestigation and reinterpretation of the history of ancient Israel since de Wette and Wellhausen, in the nineteenth century. Old Testament scholarship has thus far relied on the consensus that the book of Deuteronomy is the product of late monarchic Judah (7th century BC). Pitkanen places the biblical material in its archaeological and ancient Near Eastern context and pays special attention to rhetorical analysis. The author suggests that the book of Joshua, as well as its sources (such as Deuteronomy) may have originated as early as before the disaster of Aphek and the rejection of Shiloh. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-348-X | Rand, Michael. Introduction to the Grammar of Hebrew Poetry in Byzantine Palestine
This book investigates the interaction between grammatical norms and poetic technique on the basis of a corpus selected from the oeuvre of the payyetan Eleazar be-rabbi Qillir. As a basis for this investigation, a descriptive/comparative analysis of the Qillirian dialect is offered. The first portion of the work is a grammar devoted mainly to morphology and syntax. The second portion of the work is an investigation of the poetic norms, as well as rhetorical techniques employed by Qillir, together with an assessment of their impact on the grammar. The overall aim of the project is to design an analytical framework within which a self-conscious poetic dialect might be investigated. More... | $124.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-339-0 | Reid, Sara Karz. The Small Temple
Excavation of the Small Temple of Petra, Jordan has revealed a Roman building likely dedicated to the imperial cult. Constructed in the wake of Roman annexation of Nabataea in 106 CE, the temple would have helped to solidify Roman control. Reid systematically examines the evidence used to support the identification of the Small Temple as an imperial cult building through the discussion of its prominent use of marble, a material with Roman imperial associations and almost entirely monopolized by the bureaucracy of the Roman Empire. The analysis of architectural evidence, as well as the placement of the Small Temple within the city, also support this identification.
More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-225-4 | Reiner, Hanan. The Web of Religion and Science: Bellah, Habermas and Giddens
Scholars from various fields of study have long dealt with the relationship between religion and science. This subject has found a particular expression in sociology. Sociologists and other scholars agree that even though religion and science can be seen as separate from each other, there are several commonalities between the two. The common ground between Bellah, Giddens, and Habermas – the meaningful position the Subject has/should have in constructing the social reality – brings to light a transition in the sociological theoretical arena, if we take into account the different theoretical roots of each scholar – Functionalism (Bellah), Positivism (Giddens), and Neo-Kantian (Habermas). More... | $76.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-126-6 | Sands, Paul. The Justification of Religious Faith in Soren Kierkegaard, John Henry Newman, and William James
This book examines the religious epistemologies of Søren Kierkegaard, John Henry Newman, and William James in the light of contemporary challenges to religious faith. They defended the right of persons to embrace religious beliefs that are not strictly warranted by empirical evidence and logical argumentation. Faith must not be hampered, they argued, by the demands of reason narrowly conceived. Paul Sands notes, however, important differences in the way each relates faith to reason. Sands examines the religious epistemologies of Kierkegaard, Newman, and James in the context of two "givens" characteristic of early twenty-first century culture, namely, the intellectual hegemony of probabilism and the pluralization of the Western mind. More... | $98.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-094-4 | Schneider, Maridien . Cicero 'Haruspex': Political Prognostication and the Viscera of a Deceased Body Politic
This monograph explores Marcus Tullius Cicero's awareness and interpretation of contemporary political events as reflected in his private correspondence during the last years of both the Roman republic and his own life. Cicero's correspondence gives a detailed view of current political events in Rome and constitutes, together with Caesar's writings, our major contemporary evidence for the circumstances of the civil war of 49 BC. The theoretical input of Cicero's predecessors, their perceptions of constitutional development (in particular of Roman politics) as well as Cicero's perception of their political theories are scrutinized to determine the extent of Cicero's awareness of a larger pattern of political events. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-156-8 | Shemunkasho, Aho. Healing in the Theology of Saint Ephrem
Ephrem, the most celebrated writer of the Syriac Church, presents a wide range of theological themes and images that are characteristic of fourth-century Syrian Christianity. A significant theme that no one has yet studied in Ephrem is the concept of sickness and healing. This book presents the significance of healing theology and the ways in which the healing of man - spiritually, mentally, and corporally - is highly valued by Ephrem. The main part of the book deals with the causes of spiritual sickness and the process of healing, and the way in which Ephrem places them in the divine history of salvation. More... | $99.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-131-2 | Steppa, Jan-Eric. John Rufus and the World Vision of Anti-Chalcedonean Culture
This book deals with the works of the anti-Chalcedonian hagiographer, John Rufus, and traces the basic motives behind the opposition against the council of Chalcedon in the fifth century through an attempt to reconstruct a specific anti-Chalcedonian culture. As part of the eastern monastic culture, it considered itself a counter-culture guarding purity of ascetic conduct and orthodoxy from being defiled by the perverseness of the majority. Reading John Rufus' hagiography, we find ourselves in the midst of a cosmological warfare between good and evil, where the great heroes of the anti-Chalcedonian movement enter into history as God's warriors against the rebellion of demons and heretics. More... | $98.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 978-1-59333-975-3 | Sun, Chloe. The Ethics of Violence in the Story of Aqhat
This book examines the ethics of violence in the Ugaritic story of Aqhat by using the conventions of characterization and point of view. The multiple perspectives on Anat's act of violence present a complex and nuanced understanding of the subject in question. More... | $109.00 | Add to Cart | | 
| 1-59333-317-X | Turner, Jr., William C.. The United Holy Church of America: A Study in Black Holiness-Pentecostalism
This project was inspired by years of nurture and ministry in the church upon which the study focuses. With roots going back to the historic African American Church, it offers a window into early growth, the development of crucial theological positions, institutional development within the American Church of the twentieth century, and emerging patterns for worldwide Christianity in the twenty-first century. The struggle within this project is against a background of misunderstanding. Given the pejorative biases in earlier studies against African American Christianity in general, and Holiness-Pentecostalism in particular, a contest is under way for placement within the appropriate taxonomy. More... | $85.00 | Add to Cart | |
|
