The Earrings of God

The absurd among us

By Fortunato Pasqualino; Translated and Annotated by Gabriel Lahood

Life is full of absurdities, and human misperception of such absurdities leads to a state of unrest and fear that require meaning and direction for a happy life. F. Pasqualino addresses here samples of existential absurdities, and discusses solutions offered: Taoism offers in its paradoxes a natural self-help resource. Buddhism offers a natural wisdom that is informed by a supernatural impersonal Absolute. Hinduism offers a plethora of personal gods who embody the impersonal Absolute. The Judeo-Christian-Islamic wisdom teaches a personal Absolute God whose being is distinct from, but involved with human and non-human beings. The unifying feature of these wisdoms is: Obedience to, and love of, the Absolute can rectify human misperception of life’s absurdities, dissipate fear, and provide meaning, value and a serene life. Jesus Christ, the incarnate Absolute in Christian theology, chose to become an exemplar innocent victim for love, thus giving the most absurd but victoriously redeeming love that provides a new and sublime perspective on life’s absurdities. G. Lahood’s translation and commentary make the Italian masterpiece available to an English-speaking audience.

Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC

Availability: In stock

SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-4359-3

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Publication Status: In Print

Series: Perspectives on Philosophy and Religious Thought 20

Publication Date: Nov 30,2021

Interior Color: Black

Trim Size: 6 x 9

Page Count: 291

Language: English

ISBN: 978-1-4632-4359-3

$123.95

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	Contributor	Biography
	Fortunato Pasqualino	Fortunato Pasqualino was born in 1923 in Butera, Sicily, served his country as a soldier in 1942 during WWII, then attended the University of Catania, Sicily, where he earned in 1951 the doctorate in philosophy. After teaching a few years in Catania, he moved to Rome to work for the Italian National Television Station RAI. He wrote books and articles, and founded with his brother Pino a theater company that was recognized in 2001 by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the human intellectual heritage. Pasqualino won various literary prizes for plays he had written. He married in 1966 Barbara Olson, and had four children. In 1996, he published Gli orecchini di Dio: L’assurdo tra noi (The Earrings of God: The Absurd Among Us), and passed away on September 14, 2008.
	Gabriel Lahood	Gabriel Lahood, translator and commentator, was brought up in Lebanon, and pursued graduate study in philosophy, theology, TESL, and literary translation in Europe (mainly Italy), USA and Canada. He has taught philosophy and religious studies in USA and the Bahamas, and ESL at the Saudi Naval Academy and in Japan for the University of Maryland. He has given lectures at various academic conferences in USA, Canada, Germany, and the Bahamas, and published academic articles in philosophy and Middle Eastern thought. He is now retired, pursuing research and writing.

Preface.................................................................................... vii
Acknowledgements ................................................................. xi
A Brief Biography of Fortunato Pasqualino ............................ xv
Translator’s Introduction........................................................ xix
1. Linguistic ambiguity in the book title requiring interpretation
................................................................. xix
2. Theological and philosophical concepts embedded in
the book title and requiring elucidation ................... xx
3. Pasqualino’s intellectual and literary contribution ...... xxiii
(a) “Nothing new under the sun” ............................. xxiii
(b) Pasqualino’s Holistic Search for Meaning in
Existential Absurdities ...................................... xxiv
(c) Pasqualino’s Literary Style ............................... xxviii
4. Translation Issues ................................................... xxxiii
(a) Long Sentences Shortened ................................ xxxiv
(b) Vague Terms Explained or Kept ....................... xxxiv
(c) Quoting Original Sources vs. Translating Paraphrases
........................................................... xxxv
(d) Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Terms or
Phrases Translated ......................................... xxxvi
(e) Word Choice .................................................... xxxvi
5. Commentary Issues ............................................... xxxviii
(a) Methodology Applied in the Commentary and
Notes ........................................................... xxxviii
(b) Reference to Authors and Books Identified ....... xxxix
(c) Reference to Historic Events Detailed .................... xl
(d) Reference to Technical Philosophical and
Theological Concepts Explained .......................... xl
Translation ............................................................................... 1
Prologue ............................................................................ 3
Chapter I. The Absurd ....................................................... 4
Chapter II. Fear ............................................................... 13
Chapter III. The Wolf and the Lamb................................. 27
Chapter IV. Heaven ......................................................... 36
Chapter V. The Ascent to the Absolute ............................ 45
Chapter VI. The Parable of Parables ................................ 58
Commentary ........................................................................... 71
Commentary on the Prologue .......................................... 73
Further Food for Thought on the Prologue ................. 74
Commentary on Chapter I: The Absurd ............................ 75
Further Food for Thought on Chapter I: The Absurd ... 88
Commentary on Chapter II: Fear .................................... 89
Further Food for Thought on chapter II: Fear ............. 98
Commentary on Chapter III: The Wolf and the Lamb ...... 99
Further Food for Thought on Chapter III: The Wolf
and the Lamb .................................................... 106
Commentary on Chapter IV: Heaven ............................. 109
Further Food for Thought on Chapter IV: Heaven ..... 121
Commentary on Chapter V: Ascent to the Absolute....... 123
Further Food for Thought on Chapter V: Ascent to
The Absolute..................................................... 135
Commentary on Chapter VI: The Parable of Parables .... 138
Further Food for Thought on Chapter VI: The
Parable of Parables ........................................... 153
Notes to Translation and Commentary .................................. 155
Bibliography ......................................................................... 227
Index .................................................................................... 233

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