Religion 2010 press.princeton.edu Table of Contents 1 General Interest 16 Princeton Readings in 5 American Religion Religion 8 Jews, Christians and Muslims 17 Buddhisms from the Ancient to the 17 Philosophy and Religion Modern World 18 Kierkegaard 9 Princeton Studies in Muslim 20 Of Related Interest Politics 21 Index 10 Jewish Studies 13 Comparative Religion and History of Religion Many of the books in this catalog are now being made available as ebook editions that can be purchased from on-line booksellers. For more informa- tion, please visit our website at press.princeton.edu. New Forthcoming A Very Brief History of Pen of Iron Eternity American Prose and the King James Carlos Eire Bible Robert Alter “Strikingly erudite and profound yet “In this subtle and impressive work, Robert Alter accessible, this book shows us in great, attentive detail what style is, will appeal to anyone demonstrating the work of language on every who takes pleasure page and revealing the extraordinary things that in being enlightened American writers have done with the language and entertained at of the King James Bible.” the same time.” —Michael Wood, Princeton University —Peter Iver Kauf- The simple yet grand language of the King James man, University of Bible has pervaded American culture from the Richmond beginning—and its powerful eloquence contin- In A Very Brief History ues to be felt even today. In this book, acclaimed of Eternity, Carlos Eire has written a brilliant short biblical translator and literary critic Robert history of eternity in Western culture. Tracing the Alter traces some of the fascinating ways that idea from ancient times to the present, Eire ex- American novelists—from Melville, Hemingway, amines the rise and fall of five different concep- and Faulkner to Bellow, Marilynne Robinson, tions of eternity, exploring how they developed and Cormac McCarthy—have drawn on the rich and how they have helped shape individual and stylistic resources of the canonical English Bible collective self-understanding. to fashion their own strongly resonant styles and distinctive visions of reality. Carlos Eire is the Riggs Professor of History and Religious Studies at Yale University. Robert Alter has taught Hebrew and comparative literature at the University of California, Berkeley, 2009. 296 pages. 16 halftones. 2 line illus. 2 tables. Cl: 978-0-691-13357-7 $24.95 | £16.95 since 1967. April 2010. 208 pages. Cl: 978-0-691-12881-8 $19.95 | £13.95 Cover photo: Fragment of Matthew, P.Monts.Roca 1. Photo courtesy of Abadia de Montserrat.©Abadia de Montserrat New Forthcoming Saving God A Short History of the Jews Religion after Idolatry Michael Brenner Mark Johnston Translated by Jeremiah Riemer “This book is a “Brenner is a proven author with a broad brilliantly conceived competence in Jewish history, which makes him contribution to one of the few Jewish historians able to handle natural theology.” a volume of such large scope. His book has a —Jeffrey Stout, novel approach that sets it apart from other one- author of Democracy volume histories. It is intended as a first book in and Tradition and Jewish history for readers with little knowledge Ethics after Babel of the subject. The style is extraordinarily read- In this book, Mark able.” Johnston argues —Michael A. Meyer, author of Judaism within that God needs to Modernity be saved not only Michael Brenner is professor of Jewish history from the distortions of the “undergraduate and culture at the University of Munich. atheists” (Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris) but, more importantly, from June 2010. 432 pages. 90 color illus. Cl: 978-0-691-14351-4 $27.95 | £19.95 the idolatrous tendencies of religion itself. Each monotheistic religion has its characteristic ways of domesticating True Divinity, of taming God’s Forthcoming demands so that they do not radically threaten The Rebbe our self-love and false righteousness. Turning The Life and Afterlife of Menachem the monotheistic critique of idolatry on the Mendel Schneerson monotheisms themselves, Johnston shows that much in these traditions must be condemned as Samuel Heilman & false and spiritually debilitating. Menachem Friedman Mark Johnston is the Walter Cerf Professor of “There are few subjects in the study of contem- Philosophy at Princeton University. porary Judaism of greater interest or relevance than the messianic legacy of the Rebbe. This 2009. 216 pages. 1 halftone. Cl: 978-0-691-14394-1 $24.95 | £16.95 book will become the definitive study on the subject.” Also by Mark Johnston —David N. Myers, author of Resisting History: Forthcoming Historicism and Its Discontents in German-Jewish Surviving Death Thought Samuel Heilman is Distinguished Professor of So- “This is a major and highly original work of ciology at Queens College, City University of New philosophy that culminates in a fascinating York. Menachem Friedman is professor emeritus argument that, without making any supernatural of sociology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. assumptions, one can literally survive bodily death. The book is elegantly written and the May 2010. 280 pages. Cl: 978-0-691-13888-6 $26.95 | £18.95 promise of a breathtaking conclusion pulls the reader along.” —Alex Byrne, Massachusetts Institute of Technology February 2010. 352 pages. 3 color illus. 2 line illus. Cl: 978-0-691-13012-5 $35.00 | £24.95 press.princeton.edu General Interest • 1 Forthcoming New Taming the Gods A Necessary Engagement Religion and Democracy on Three Reinventing America’s Relations with Continents the Muslim World Ian Buruma Emile Nakhleh “Ian Buruma broaches the biggest themes in “Nakhleh . argue[s] contemporary world politics in this book: what that the majority of are the relations, actual and possible, between Muslims strongly religion and democracy in a globalized world? oppose terrorism In setting out his thoughts, Buruma marshals and want good pungent quotation after pungent quotation governance and a from Spinoza, Tocqueville, and Voltaire—not functional relation- to mention Jefferson, Locke, and Hume; classic ship with the U.S.” Chinese and Japanese texts; and a wide range of —Publishers Weekly modern commentators, politicians, activists, and Emile Nakhleh agitators.” was director of —Andrew Barshay, University of California, the Political Islam Berkeley Strategic Analysis Program in the Directorate of Ian Buruma is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Intelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency. Democracy, Human Rights & Journalism at Bard Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics College. 2009. 184 pages. Cl: 978-0-691-13525-0 $26.95 | £18.95 March 2010. 176 pages. Cl: 978-0-691-13489-5 $24.95 | £16.95 New Paperback With a new introduction by David Gordon New Paperback White Souled Out Yoga Reclaiming Faith and Politics after Immortality and Freedom the Religious Right Mircea Eliade E. J. Dionne Jr. Translated from the French by Willard R. Trask “[A] deeply personal and searchingly “[Yoga: Immortality intelligent reflection and Freedom] states on the noble history, with clarity and recent travails, and precision what the likely prospects of beliefs and practices American liberalism.” of yoga are, and how —R. Scott Appleby, they originated from New York Times Book the primeval Indic Review religions.” —New Yorker E. J. Dionne Jr. is a senior fellow at the Mircea Eliade Brookings Institution and a professor at George- (1907–1986) was for town University. many years the Sewell L. Avery Distinguished 2009. 254 pages. Service Professor of the History of Religion at the Pa: 978-0-691-14329-3 $17.95 | £12.50 University of Chicago. Cl: 978-0-691-13458-1 $24.95 | £16.95 Princeton Classic Editions 2009. 568 pages. Pa: 978-0-691-14203-6 $24.95 Not for sale in the Commonwealth (except Canada) 2 • General Interest New Forthcoming Paperback Questioning the Veil With a new foreword by Richard Jaffe Open Letters to Muslim Women Zen and Japanese Culture Marnia Lazreg Daisetz T. Suzuki “A wonderful read: well-written, well-construct- Praise for Princeton’s ed, well-argued, and highly significant. Lazreg previous editions: addresses a controversial topic and takes intel- “As one turns the lectual risks. This little gem of a book is brilliant.” pages of this delight- —Sondra Hale, University of California, Los ful book, one seems Angeles to catch intimations Marnia Lazreg is professor of sociology at the of how and why Graduate Center and Hunter College, City Univer- certain aspects of sity of New York. the ‘spirit of Zen’ are 2009. 168 pages. making themselves Cl: 978-0-691-13818-3 $22.95 | £15.95 felt in America today.” Winner of the 2007 Award for Excellence in the —New York Times Study of Religion, Analytical-Descriptive Studies, American Academy of Religion Daisetz T. Suzuki (1870–1966) was Japan’s fore- Evil Incarnate most authority on Zen Buddhism and the author Rumors of Demonic Conspiracy and Satanic of over one hundred books on the subject. Abuse in History Bollingen Series, Mythos David Frankfurter June 2010. 608 pages. Pa: 978-0-691-14462-7 $24.95 | £16.95 “Mr. Frankfurter . shows just how similar stories about evil have been.” New —Edward Rothstein, New York Times 2008. 304 pages. 10 halftones. Lost in the Sacred Pa: 978-0-691-13629-5 $19.95 | £13.95 Why the Muslim World Stood Still Cl: 978-0-691-11350-0 $29.95 | £20.95 Dan Diner Winner of the 2009 Award of Merit for History/ Translated by Steven Rendall Biography, Christianity Today “Dan Diner’s breadth of knowledge, capacity God and Race in American for clear and broad interpretation, and stylistic Politics sovereignty will no doubt make this a classic in A Short History the field.” Mark A. Noll —Anson Rabinbach, Princeton University 2008. 224 pages. 3 line illus. 8 tables. Dan Diner is professor of modern history at the Cl: 978-0-691-12536-7 $22.95 | £15.95 Hebrew University of Jerusalem and director of the Simon Dubnow Institute for Jewish History Honorable Mention, 2008 PROSE Award for and Culture at the University of Leipzig.