Symbolism (Religion) Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Researchers from different fields like archaeology, history, philology and natural sciences present their studies on ancient gemstones. Using precious minerals as an example, trade flows and craftsmanship, but also utilisation and perception are discussed in a cross-cultural and diachronic approach. The present volume aims at three main questions concerning gemstones in archaeological and historical contexts: »Mines and Trade«, »Gemstone Working« as well as »The Value and the Symbolic Meaning(s) of Gemstones«.
This volume contains the proceedings of the conference »Gemstones in the first Millennium AD« held in autumn 2015 in Mainz, Germany, within the scope of the BMBF-funded project »Weltweites Zellwerk – International Framework«.

- by and +1
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- Archaeology, Art History, Indian Ocean History, Early Medieval Archaeology
- by Filosofia Poesia Lunaria
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- Symbolism (Religion)

The apparitions in Medjugorje are an extremely complex phenomenon that produces different interpretations and evaluations. In this paper I will focus solely on the perspective of those who recognize the apparitions of Mary as a symbol of resistance. This Mary's role I will analyse in the context of the Medjugorje apparitions in a time of socio-political crisis in communist Yugoslavia, primarily generated by the death of its president Josip Broz Tito and demonstrations in Kosovo.
In that period Medjugorje apparitions have disturbed the spirits, not only within the communist authorities of Yugoslavia, but also within the Church. National authorities characterize the apparitions of Medjugorje as fiction of local Franciscans – "clerical nationalists", in the words of one of communist officials – with the aim of bringing down the constitutional order of the communist Yugoslavia. At the same time, the alleged apparitions in Medjugorje have deeply shaken the Church of this area and intensified the centuries-old conflict between diocesan and Franciscan priests of the Mostar-Duvno Diocese, where Medjugorje belongs.

- by Marijana Belaj
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- Religion, Anthropology, Social Anthropology, Religion and Politics
- by John B Carlson
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- Religion, Native American Religions, Comparative Religion, Sociology

Analyzing and understanding the Aztec view of the cosmos is critical to extracting meaning from their texts, symbols, and belief system. The entire Aztec world view is constructed from that foundation, with myriad variations and overlapping concepts. The fullness and intricacy of Mexica spirituality linked the world of heaven to the success (or failure) of mankind; it could "web the space between the mundane and the supramundane, lacing the world of ritual to the world of the everyday, and each to the sacred." Religious symbolism, published to the population of the Central Valley of Mexico through art, literature, and ceremony, was an attempt to unify the people behind the central authority.

- by Stacey A Giulianti
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- Religion, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Spirituality, Shamanism
- by Massimo Cultraro
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- Symbolism, Symbolism (Religion), Symbolism (Art History), Neolithic Europe

This thesis examines the long-term transmission of a distinctive corpus of religious images in later European prehistory. These are depictions of birds which, often together with solar motifs, formed a recurrent design element on Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age metalwork. Objects with this type of imagery were deposited in different contexts, across Central Europe, for about eight centuries, from the 12 th century BC to the first half of 5 th

This paper examines the various symbols found in two Catholic cemeteries of New Orleans in order to evaluate the symbolic language surrounding death. From that evaluation, I hope to better understand how that symbolic language surrounding death presents in the two cemeteries in question. Utilizing Mircea Eliade’s theory of sacred space as well as elements of a “lived religion” approach, it examines the kinds of symbols used within the cemeteries and the way the symbols communicate various ideas about death. From that, it extrapolates a consideration of the relationship Catholic New Orleanians who bury in the two cemeteries being considered have with their dead. It draws upon data collected in two cemeteries, St Louis Cemetery No 1 and No 3, as well as on various sources relating to Catholic theology and the history of New Orleans. This paper illustrates some of the motifs present in the cemeteries and sets a broad-base pattern of categories—explicitly religious, largely secular, and hybrid. These three categories provide a constructive framework for considering how symbols denote sacrality, how secular symbols become sacred through context and proximity to the sacred, and how these ideas function in a way that is particular to New Orleanian Catholics. This research also engages in the essential work of understanding the religious life of New Orleans as a distinct phenomenon within American Catholicism, in addition to contributing to the necessary undertaking to document New Orleans in both pre-and-post-Katrina conditions. As such, it is the beginning of a larger effort to expand both efforts in the future.

- by Emilia M Mirova
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- Religion, American Catholicism, Death Studies, Identity (Culture)

La categoria di simbolo da tempo è al centro di una vasta riflessione: fa incrociare diverse discipline e interseca problemi molto lontani. Questo libro vuol essere una maneggevole introduzione al tema e insieme una base di partenza per riflessioni ulteriori, in campo filosofico e teologico: infatti proprio dalla “questione simbolica” passano oggi alcune delle strade più promettenti per la filosofia e la teologia a venire.

- by Andrea Grillo and +1
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- Cultural Studies, Philosophy, Liturgical Studies, Philosophical Anthropology

Endogene teorije o postanku glagoljice istražuju grafičku strukturu slova da otkriju prvotan oblik ili grafički
ključ glagoljskoga pisma tražeći zajednički geometrijski višekratnik i značenje njihovih geometrijskih
oblika. Rozeta V. Jončeva proizvodi 38 glagoljskih slova i zajedno s linijskim sustavom ima uspješnu
primjenu u analitičkoj glagoljskoj paleografiji. Zahvaljujući logici te grafičke i geometrijske strukture
razvile su se egzaktne metode paleografskog istraživanja i dale odgovore na mnoga veoma važna pitanja
glagoljske paleografije. Ta je teorija istovremeno jednostavna, ima potvrdu u spomenicima i po
geometrijskoj strukturi odgovara kršćanskoj simbolici sadržanoj u rozeti. Gramatozofija S. Sambunjaka
dosadašnje rezultate istraživanja tumači nepouzdano, ne odgovara na pitanja glagoljske paleografije,
komplicirana je, grafički i geometrijski najčešće nelogična. Riječ “gramatozofija” (gramatologija i
aritmozofija) sugerira, a niz bibliografskih jedinica iz magije i ezoterije potvrđuju, da autor miješa znanost i
ezoteriju, neuspješno izvodeći iz mandale, uzete iz nekršćanske kulture, glagoljska slova. Autorica postavlja
granice geometriji i simbolici u glagoljskoj paleografiji poistovjetivši ih s kriterijima dobre teorije:
jednostavnost, rješavanje većeg broja pitanja, potvrda na spomenicima. Prema tim kriterijima gramatozofija
i mandala S. Sambunjaka ostaju izvan znanstvenih granica i ne zadovoljavaju uvjetima dobre teorije.

- by Marica Cuncic
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- Symbolism (Religion), Glagolitic Paleography

Most of the voluminous book of Zohar was written in Spain at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its texts are written either as homilies or as stories (and very often as a combination of both genres). There are about 350 stories in the Zohar, but about 20 of them combine together into describing the life story and spiritual development of R. Shimeon bar Yochay and his circle (fraternity). These stories are literarily very sophisticated and are characterized by acute messianism.
Here one scene in this biography is described, in which a new novice, R. Hiyya the Great, joins the fraternity. Thus the fraternity consists now of 10 members and is therefore "whole". At the same time R. Hiyya is being rewarded with an awesome mystical experience and is to be considered a prophet, just like all other members.
This article presents a critical edition of this story, based on 28 sources – manuscripts, different printed editions and quotations. It also presents an additional, unknown version of the story, probably an earlier one, which is extant in one manuscript only.
The article begins with detailed introductions which lay special emphasis on literary and theological analysis.

- by Ronit Meroz
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- Comparative Religion, Jewish Studies, Medieval Literature, Medieval History
- by John B Carlson
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- Religion, Comparative Religion, Mythology And Folklore, Ancient History

The religious geography of Hatay, the southernmost province of Turkey, is shaped through a tapestry of sanctuaries of shared religious heritage. This chapter features four of the most prominent sites that illustrate the religious significance of water, namely a waterfall in Harbiye attributed to the Greek myth of Apollo and Daphne; a rivulet ascribed to the water of life through the legend of St. George and al-Khidr, the Green One; a sacred well in the oldest Christian cave church in Antioch associated with St. Luke and a water pool linked to a visit of the Virgin Mary. By reconstructing the legends and rituals in conjunction with the geography and environment of these sacred springs and water wells, this essay demonstrates how devotion to both deities and saints is integrally tied to the materiality and sacredness of abundant water resources providing the basis for interreligious relations in this region.

- by Jens Kreinath
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- Comparative Religion, Mythology And Folklore, Mythology, History of Religion
- by Konstantinos Kalogeropoulos
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- Symbolism, Symbolism (Religion), Pomegranate, Religious symbolism

« Symbolism, Its Meaning and Effect: The Universal Algebra of Culture », Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy, vol. 12, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1-28. The paper questions the meaning and significance of Whitehead's... more

Sadeq Hedayat (1903-1951) is one of Iran's preeminent writers of short works of fiction. This article is about the role that subtext plays in his works, in general, and in his Blind Owl, in particular. The main reasons for writing the article are: to highlight subtext as a literary device; to apply subtext to such Hedayat short stories as "Dāsh kol" (Dash Akol), "Sag-i Velgard” (the stray dog), " b-i Zendegī” (the water of life), and other short stories; and to illustrate how mourning rituals that Hedayat might have observed in India, serve as a subtext for his Būf-i Kūr (the blind owl). In the case of The Blind Owl, we shall first study the storyline that is used as subtext and follow that with corresponding events from the novella. The article ends with an investigation into whether The Blind Owl is a novel, why is it that we have difficulty understanding it, and the meaning of the novella to the extent that it can be extracted from the subtext. An understanding of the full meaning of the novella belongs to a separate study.

- by Iraj Bashiri
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- Buddhism, Comparative Literature, English Literature, Persian Literature

The scope of the present study is the symbolic analysis of the two interwoven Markan narratives about the healing of the woman with the flow of blood (5:25-34) and the raising of Jairus' daughter (5:21-24.35-43). The principal thesis of this work consists in interpreting both women as symbols of Israel. The study begins with the presentation of the methodological premises of symbolic analysis. The main methodological premise of this work is the conviction that the literary sense of this pericope is in fact imbued with symbolism. Then there is a presentation of three criteria which help in detecting symbols in the biblical text: textual probability, conventions probability and contextual probability. Subsequently, in order to lend credence to the principal thesis of the article, seventeen literary elements found in Mark 5:21-43 are discussed; each of them meets the first two criteria and lends itself to symbolic interpretation of the two women as representations of Israel. The cumulative weight of these seventeen elements creates a rather strong cumulative argument in favor of the main thesis. Finally, the conformity between the symbolic interpretation of these women and both the immediate and global contexts of this peri-cope is discussed. The presence of this conformity meets the third criterion of contextual probability. The article thus offers a convincing case for the symbolic interpretation of the hemorrhaging woman and Jairus' daughter in Mark 5:21-43 as representations of Israel.

- by Adam Kubiś
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- New Testament, Israel Studies, Feminist Theology, Symbolism

On the symbolism of water, two esoteric doctrines of the Far-Eastern and Islamic traditions, namely, Daoism and Sufism, have many comparable teachings. Although different points of view would take different aspects of the symbol into account, the teachings in question come to significant analogous points around the life-giving aspect of the symbol. Above all, water represents fons vitæ equally and simultaneously containing all the possibilities of manifestation and seeds of life. In this meaning, water is a symbol of the great element of the throne of Life for Ibn ʿArabī, equivalent to the state of the Water-veiled Immersion (Hunlun) or Water as the first epiphany of the Great One (Taiyi) in Daoism. This pre-eternal water of the unmanifested state is also manifested with the same quality in the hierarchical levels of existence. This paper first takes a short survey of different symbolical aspects of water in Sufism, and after explaining the place of the idea of life in Daoism, it presents major connotations of the symbol in Daoism from a Sufi point of view.

- by Esmaeil Radpour
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- Daoism, Symbolism, Sufism, Symbolism (Religion)

The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent.
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds
perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard.
Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.

- by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos
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- Religion, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism
- by Timothy Scott
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- Art History, Symbolism, Symbolism (Religion), Giotto

Развитие государственных ритуалов в современной России связано с использованием религиозных символов, однако происходит их переосмысление. В статье предпринята попытка проанализировать новую символику огня в контексте традиционной... more

- by Sergei Chapnin
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- Russian Orthodoxy, Symbolism (Religion), Russian culture, Russia
- by Frédéric-Pierre Isoz
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- Philosophy Of Religion, Theology, Biblical Studies, Symbolism (Religion)
- by Alberto Giacomelli
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- Criminology, Anthropology, Aesthetics, Contemporary Art

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to find out major symbols in The Little Prince novel. It has been known that symbol is part of literary work like poems, songs, paintings, dramas; narratives which have messages that are indirectly delivered by symbols. The writer also compared the denotative meaning of each symbol with its symbolic meaning to make people understand that the symbols used have different meaning with its real meaning. The method used in this study is qualitative method because this method is suitable to examine the symbols used in the novel. From the research that has been done, the writer found that in The Little Prince novel there are some symbols that build the story into one and have great impact from the beginning until the end of the story. The writer found five major symbols in the story there are Desert, Stars, Baobab, Water, and Rose. These five major symbols are related one another in the story and make the story more fascinating.

- by Paolo Urizzi
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- Symbolism, Symbolism (Religion), René Guénon, Ananda Coomaraswamy

As the globalisation promptly captivate the cities of the world, the architecture of the globe become more monotonous and singular. The international style of architecture dominates the skyline from New Delhi, Tokyo, and London to Dubai irrespective of the environmental and cultural conditions of the place. This new architecture is completely detached from traditional learning's and knowledge base developed with time by the people. Vernacular architecture practices are the denominator of climatic issues, the aspirations of the people and satisfy the practical and socio cultural need of the society which generates them. When architectural expression become more than a physical manifestation and represents a social art and responds to a set of spatial criteria in order to decipher their values and culture, it is considered symbolic. The relevance of these symbols expressed through different means generates a non-verbal communication which evokes meaningfulness in its users. The intent of paper is to establish a connection between symbols and their meanings practised in different vernacular architecture and extract the learning which can help to lay the ground for modern practices to follow. Architecture of different region has various inherent meanings and ways of response which can be compared and can be categorised through this research. Hierarchy of spaces through spatial organisation, defining spaces for gender uses, designs inspired by cosmology and symbols which transform over time. Thus, establish an understanding with the help of examples from different vernacular practices. It is believed that architecture evolved from local is passively sustainable in terms of social and environmental concerns. The underline meaning of such symbols or designs can bridge the gap between the lost identity (of place) and factual development of the place rather than the proposition which dilute the multi cultural diversity of people and their livelihood.

- by IJRASET Publication
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- Meaning, Symbolism (Religion), Vernacular, Globalisation
- by Timothy Scott
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- Symbolism, Symbolism (Religion), Symbolism (Art History), Religious Studies

symbolism, iconography, and gestures, used on the sarcophagi of the Etruscan noblewomen, Seianti Harunina Tlesnasa and Larithia Seianti. Both of these figures, along with multiple other Etruscan women, are fully presented reclining on the lid of their sarcophagus pulling their veil out and from their face. The objective is to clarify if this gesture is an anakalypsis, or ‘unveiling gesture,’ and what that gesture may suggest or imply for the deceased. The research strategy was to examine certain communicative elements used on various female Etruscan sarcophagi; identify the origins, purpose, and functionality of the icons; comprehend their communicative value and connection between the deceased and the divine. The purpose of this research is to determine both the anakalypsis and the intended audience, and interpret the message being communicated.

- by Amy Clark Knapp
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- Archaeology, Roman History, Iconography, Roman Religion

An ethno-historical perspective on the popular magic in Sardinia.

- by Marie-Véronique Amella
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- Religion, Comparative Religion, Mythology And Folklore, Ethnohistory
- by Timothy Scott
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- Metaphysics, Perennial Philosophy, Symbolism, Symbolism (Religion)

ABSTRACT: This article utilizes comparative theology and hermeneutics to commence a faith promoting dialogue between Mormon, Jewish, and Catholic sacred architecture. Specifically, similarities between early Mormon temples, the ancient Jewish temples at Jerusalem, and early Christian and Catholic churches are compared in terms of architecture, spatial sequence, ritual, scriptural texts and interpretations, symbolism, and mythicohistorical episodes. The organization of the article relies on the spatial sequence of the Mormon temple ritual drama known as the “endowment.” Consequently, the theme or episode of cosmic history found in each "endowment" room is compared across religions and includes: 1) the cosmogonic primordial era; 2) the paradisal world of Eden; 3) the fallen disordered world; 4) the Messianic paradisiacal era; and 5) the perfected Heavenly realm. It is concluded that comparative theology and hermeneutics are viable methodologies in bringing to light significant theological parallels – especially when a typology of sacred space, such as the Mormon temple, is compared cross-culturally, non-historically, and inter-religiously to other cases of sacred architecture. Ultimately, the comparisons in this article demonstrate how God's "plan of salvation" is revealed in each religion's sacred spaces.

- by Brandon R Ro
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- Gnosticism, Iconography, Jewish Mysticism, Early Christianity

Уже на ранних этапах своего развития человечество особо выделяло коршуна и грифа среди других представителей рода пернатых. Им отводилось важное место в образно-знаковом осмыслении темы жизни и смерти. В Древнем Египте поклонялись и... more

- by Elena Yarovaya
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- Religion, Ancient Egyptian Religion, History, Ancient History

Մահացածները միշտ և բոլոր ժամանակներում տարբեր ժողովուրդների մոտ (թե´ արևմուտքում, և թե´ արևելքում) ունեցել են միևնույն պահանջները: Անտիկ աշխարհում, երբ դեռ գոյություն չուներ փիլիսոփայական մտածողություն, բոլոր տեղերում իշխում էր առասպելը և առասպելական մտածողությունը, իսկ առասպելների հիմքում ընկած էին ժողովրդական հավատալիքները: 19-րդ դարի հայտնի մշակութաբան Էդուարդ Թեյլորը գրում է. «Երբ ազգագրագետը զբաղվում է հանդերձյալ աշխարհի վերաբերյալ գոյություն ունեցող հավատալիքներով, նա այդ ամենը դիտարկում է որպես առասպել»:
Մահն ինքն իրենով նույնպես հանդիսանում է սրբազան առասպելի յուրահատուկ մի ձև. ռումինացի հայտնի կրոնի երևութաբան Միրչա Էլիադեն գրում է. «Մահը գոյության և կեցության միանշանակ սրբազան և հոգևոր մի ձև է» :
Մահվան մասին գաղափարն ու հուղարկավորության ծեսերն ի սկզբանե ձևավորվել են հավատալիքային համակարգի հիման վրա և իրենցից ներկայացնում են կրոնահավատալիքային համակարգի մի հսկա ինստիտուտ:
Սույն աշխատանքում մենք նպատակ ենք դրել ոչ միային նկրագրագրական մեթոդի օգնությամբ ներկայացնել իրանական ժողովուրդների շրջանում կատարվող հուղարկավորության ծիսակարգն ու առաջ քաշել վախճանաբանական որոշ դրվագներ, այլև փորձել ենք ներկայացնել մահացածների պաշտամունքի ողջ էությունն ու կենտրոնանալ ծիսական ամենակարևոր ինստիտուտներից մեկի՝ զոհաբերության (մահացածներին կերակրելու սովորույթը) գաղափարի և խորհուրդի վրա:

The presented paper focuses on comprehending the symbolism, variety and scale of the eagle’s image implementation in art and broadly named culture of ancient Rome of the Augustan age (ca. 27 B.C.-14 A.D.). Both literary, numismatical, as well as gemmoglyptical evidence are examined, in our attempt to better understand the ideological notion of the fawn bird’s image in the ancient times.

- by Hadrian Kryśkiewicz
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- Cultural History, Roman History, Iconography, Roman Religion
- by Gökhan Duran
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- Religion, Psychology, Philosophy, Alchemy

Från renhållningshjon till modeaccessoar. 10 000 år av relationer människa-hund i Sverige. Föredrag vid ett symposium i Uppsala 15 februari 2013. (From scavenger to fashion accessory: 10,000 years of human-canine relations in Sweden. Proceedings of a symposium in Uppsala on 15 February 2013.) Edited by Anne-Sofie Gräslund and Ingvar Svanberg. Acta Academiae Regiae Gustavi Adolphi 133. Uppsala 2014. 171 pp. ISSN 0065-0897, ISBN 978-91-87403-09-5.

"Kartvelian-Sumerian-Egyptian Linguoculturology" offers readers a unique opportunity to get acquainted with a new look at old problems, make use of novel ways of solving various issues, and building a logical, harmonious, and continuous picture of our past outlining, at the same time, its perspectives for future studies.
"Kartvelian-Sumerian-Egyptian Linguoculturology" is a scholarly “adventure” of the manuscript that was found in the Bamiyan caves (Afghanistan) and taken to the British Museum for assessment and possible purchase. The manuscript had tiny stone seals engraved carefully and attached to several pages of the manuscript whose upper registers featured two letter-signs of the Kartuli Asomtavruli alphabet – Ghani and Doni. A detailed paleographic analysis of the Bamiyan and Kartuli Asomtavruli letters made it necessary to include a number of scholarly fields into the study. These included Assyriology, Egyptology, historical linguistics, paleography, history, archaeology, ethnology, and Kartvelology.
A comprehensive scrutiny of various graphic and semantic issues of the Bamyian and Asomtavruli letter-signs through the mentioned fields uncovered concealed sacred and codified relations of the Kartuli Asomtavruli alphabet with the Phoenician and Greek alphabets, with Sumerian and Egyptian royal and divine insignia, various symbols, cuneiform letters, hieroglyphs, and many more. A complex methodology combining traditional linguistic and culturological methods with the means and techniques of the ancient esoteric science of the Kabbalah deciphered and uncovered the Kartvelian origin of numerous language items related to the discussed problems.
The work is in Georgian and has a long summary in English at the end.

- by Anna Meskhi
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- Sumerian Religion, Etymology, Symbolism (Religion), Kartvelian Languages