Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor

by Joseph Campbell, Eugene Kennedy (Editor)

Overview

Woven from Joseph Campbell's previously unpublished work, this volume explores Judeo-Christian symbols and metaphors -- and their misinterpretations -- with the famed mythologist's characteristic conversational warmth and accessible scholarship. Campbell's insights highlight centuries of confusion between literal and metaphorical interpretations of Western religious symbols that are, he argues, perennially relevant keys to spiritual understanding and mystical revelation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608681877
Publisher:	New World Library
Publication date:	03/05/2013
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 5.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) wrote classics including The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the four-volume The Masks of God, and Myths to Live By. His televised interview with Bill Moyers introduced his views to millions. Campbell’s interest in mythology was sparked by his love of reading about American Indians and visits to New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.

Table of Contents

About the Collected Works of Joseph Campbell ix

Editor's Foreword Eugene Kennedy xi

Chapter I Metaphor and Religious Mystery 1

The Meaning of Myth 1

What Myths Do 2

Metaphor, the Native Tongue of Myth 6

Metaphor and Mystery 8

Chapter II The Experience of Religious Mystery 11

Symbolism and Religious Experience 11

Experiencing Mystery 12

Chapter III Our Notions of God 17

Elements of Our Experience of the Mystery of God 24

Symbols: Out of Time and Place 28

Chapter IV The Religious Imagination and the Rules of Traditional Theology 33

Imagination and Its Relation to Theological Inquiry 37

Chapter V Symbols of the Judeo-Christian Tradition 43

What Kinds of Gods Have We? 43

Genesis 49

Abraham, Father of the Jewish People 53

Chapter VI Understanding the Symbols of Judeo-Christian Spirituality 61

The Virgin Birth 62

The Cave 65

The Infant 66

Flight into Egypt 68

The Child as Teacher 68

The Messiah 70

Miracles 72

The Last Supper 73

Judas 75

Crucifixion 76

The Cross 76

The End of the World 83

Chapter VII Question Period 85

Appendix: A Discussion 101

Introductory Note 101

Earthrise-The Dawning of a New Spiritual Awareness 102

Chapter Notes 115

A Joseph Campbell Bibliography 121

Index 125

About the Author 133

About the Joseph Campbell Foundation 135

Editorial Reviews

“[A] romp through the Judeo-Christian tradition — a lightning-paced tour with an extremely knowledgeable and provocative guide to illuminate some intriguing, untrammeled paths.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“It is Campbell the armchair speaker who shines through, buoyant with life and with comments that are eerily relevant to current times.”
— Parabola

“The work confirms the commonality of the human experience. A much-needed prescription in today’s world.”
— San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher