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New Books in Religion

New Books Network

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox:

religion & spirituality

All Episodes

92:56

Marios Koutsoukos, "Restoring the Ancient Religion:...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/31

Restoring the Ancient Religion: The Theurgic Orthopraxy of Iamblichus(Palgrave MacMillan, 2026)reconsiders Iamblichus’Response to Porphyry, Late Antiquity’s seminal work on theurgy, which is often referred to asDe Mysteriis. Was this text intended to be more than just a defense of ritualism or a philosophical crossing of metaphysical wits between Porphyry and Iamblichus? This volume examines whetherDe Mysteriisconstituted a manifesto of restoration, a call to resignify and revive a religion that

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68:53

George Savran, "Jacob: Conflicted Twin, Aggrieved...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/30

InJacob: Conflicted Twin, Aggrieved Patriarch(Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2025),George Savran brings his narrative interpretive approach to look closely at Jacob's shifting identity. Jacob is indelibly linked to his brother Esau in the Genesis narrative, and their complex relationship as twins foregrounds this problematic connection. Jacob's lineage is examined-he differs noticeably from his ancestors and his offspring in the complexity of his changing character. At times he is a "simple man" at the

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69:29

James L. Fitzgerald, "The Mahabharata, Volume 8" (U...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/30

The Mahabharata, Volume 8(U Chicago Press, 2026) is atranslation of the twelfth book of The Mahābhārata,an epic tale of history and kingship, reinforced with legends, romances, and metaphysical, theological, and ethical teachings written in Sanskrit 1700 or more years ago. The Book of Peace is focused particularly on the ways people can escape the cycle of rebirth and realize sublime beatitude by way of saving knowledge or yoga meditation or devotion to God Viṣṇu-Nārāyaṇa. Supported by an extensive

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45:41

Susannah Heschel and Sarah Imhoff, "The Woman...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/29

The Woman Question in Jewish Studies(Princeton UP, 2025)is acritical look at the difficulties women face in the field of Jewish studies, drawing on quantitative data, personal stories, and the gendered history of the field.The field of Jewish studies has expanded significantly in recent years, with increasing numbers of women entering the field. These scholars have brought new perspectives from studies of women, gender, and sexuality. Yet they have also faced institutional and individual

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0:00

Steven K. Green, "American Infidelity: The Gilded Age...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/29

Today I'm speaking with Steven K. Green, Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of History and Religious Studies at Willamette University. We are discussing his book,American Infidelity: The Gilded Age Battle Over Freethought, Free Love, and Feminism(Oxford University Press, 2026). Since the first permanent Protestant settlement in Jamestown in 1607, Protestant Christianity has waxed and waned through a series of revivals, migrations, and challenges from alternative faiths like

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53:37

Jenny R. Labendz, "Beyond Hope: Rabbinic Eschatology...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/28

InBeyond Hope: Rabbinic Eschatology of Late Antiquity in Comparative Perspective(Oxford UP, 2026) Jenny Labendz addresses distinct patterns within rabbinic eschatology that have been overlooked in scholarship and in Jewish thought. Contrary to what is usually expected of eschatology, this book demonstrates that the rabbis held a sustained eschatology of irresolution. While the rabbis occasionally waxed poetic along the lines of a perfected new world in the eschaton, a vast store of rabbinic texts

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48:59

Dominik A. Haas, "South Asia Before Religion:...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/23

South Asia Before Religion: Reflections on an Anachronistic Concept(Knowledge Commons Works, 2026)critically examines the applicability of the concept of religion to premodern South Asian culture. I argue that premodern South Asia did not possess a concept equivalent to religion as understood today – neither as a distinct system of religious teachings and practices, nor as a fundamental cultural category separate from non-religious domains such as the secular, philosophy, or science. Using Āyurveda

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29:04

Emanuel Tov, "Scribal Practices and Approaches...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/20

Scribal Practices and Approaches Reflected in the Texts Found in the Judean Desert, Revised Second Edition(Brill, 2025)revises the first edition of this book (2004) which is long overdue. Many segments needed revision due in large part to the veritable flood of studies published in the wake of the first edition. In other cases, the author changed his mind in his continued study of the scrolls improved by the new images of the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. Hyperlinks to this library are

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28:42

Ute Hüsken and Suganya Anandakichenin eds., "Pathika:...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/16

A conversation featuring the editors of the newHeidelberg Asian Studies Publishing seriesPathika - Studies of South Asian Texts and Traditions(HAS, 2026)Pathika– Sanskrit for "traveler" or "one who follows a path" – is a new series dedicated to the textual traditions of South Asia, engaging with the rich landscape of South Asian literary and religious traditions. The series encompasses critical editions, annotated translations, and in-depth studies of texts spanning the full breadth of South

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0:00

Spirituality, Science and Environmentalism in Taiwan

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/16

Who is Shennong, the Divine Farmer? And how can he help us understand the intricate relationships between spirituality, science and environmentalism in Taiwan today? These questions are at the heart of new research by the University of Oslo’s Koen Wellens and Mette Halskov Hansen. In this episode, we are joined by Koen Wellens for a conversation on religious responses to environmental change, community temples, and reconnecting to nature via the Divine Farmer in the context of contemporary

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58:14

Sarah Rosenson, "Fan Fiction on the Book of Genesis:...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/14

Can creative writing become a form of biblical interpretation? That is the provocative question at the heart of my conversation with Sarah Rosenson about her new book, Fan Fiction on the Book of Genesis: A Guide to Close Reading of and Creative Writing on the Bible (Cherry Orchard Books, 2026). The modern phenomenon of fan fiction involves readers writing creative pieces that answer questions left open in favorite works of literature. This also describes the ancient tradition of midrash, where

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61:34

Stephen G. Covell, "The Teaching and Teachings of...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/12

How have Buddhist teachings come to be in modern and contemporary Japan and how are they taught? This pioneering work seeks to answer these questions by highlighting the public teachings of Temple Buddhism institutions, in particular Temple Buddhism kindergartens and Buddhist secondary schools and colleges. The community outreach provided by these Buddhist facilities is far greater than any other with the possible exception of funerals yet until now it has received little attention from

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33:47

Pratap Kumar Penumala and Arvind Sharma, "The...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/09

With the plurality of Hinduism in mind, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Hindu Ethics focuses on the human, sociological and situational ethical framework underpinning Hindu ethics. Chapters go beyond the traditional classical sources-such as the Vedas, epics, mythological narratives and Dharmasastra texts-to include lesser known vernacular based moral texts, as well as contemporary sources from organizations, intellectuals and movements of religious, social and political nature.Going beyond only

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44:57

Paul Helseth and David P. Smith eds., "New...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/09

New Perspectives on Old Princeton, 1812-1929 (Routledge, 2024) focuses on Princeton Theological Seminary and the theologians who taught there from the time of its founding in 1812 to the time of its reorganization in 1929. It confronts the standard assessment of Old Princeton in the historiography of North American evangelicalism and sets out why a new paradigm is needed. The volume critically engages with the 'Ahlstrom thesis' and other more recent scholarship concerning Old Princeton's

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50:51

Metamodern Mysticism with Linda Ceriello

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/08

In this episode, host Pierce Salguero sits down with Linda C. Ceriello, a scholar of mysticism and popular culture from Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Linda is one of the foremost scholars of metamodernism, with particular focus on contemporary spirituality and mystical experiences. She talks with us about what this concept of metamodernism means, and how it can open up new kinds of more capacious thinking. I’m sure you will agree that a lot of what we’ve been doing on the Black Beryl podcast

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59:05

Molly Crabapple, "Here Where We Live Is Our Country:...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/05

Molly Crabapple joins Michael Stauch to discuss the history of the Jewish Labor Bund, the subject of her new book, Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund (Random House, 2026). Once the most influential Jewish political force in Eastern Europe, the Bund was secular, socialist, and uncompromisingly anti-Zionist. The Bundists fought for dignity and equality, not in an imagined homeland in Palestine but “here where we live.” In the first popular history of the Bund,

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33:47

Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan, "Tamil Śiva Temples,...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/02

Tamil Śiva Temples, Āgamas, and Śivabrāhmaṇas/Ādiśaivas addresses the issue of whether members of all castes can become priests in Tamil Śiva temples. The history of the Śivabrāhmaṇas or Ādiśaivas as priests in Tamil Śiva temples is described using the epigraphic corpus as well as other Śaiva texts in Tamil along with information from the Śaiva studies of the likes of Richard Davis, Alexis Sanderson, Dominic Goodall, and Michael Gollner. Find the open access PDF here Learn more about your ad

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0:00

Good Goy, Bad Goy: The Portrayal of Gentiles in...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/07/01

Gentiles often appeared in the news sections of the London Yiddish press, and sometimes they also appeared in the regular “feuilleton” section in character sketches and fiction, stories and scenes from immigrant East-End Jewish life. Many of these portrayals were humorous local scenarios and imagined tales. This talk will look at a broad section of how and where Gentile characters appear and their relationship to the Jewish immigrant. Gentiles fix cars and do physical chores for the hapless

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48:10

Susannah Crockford, "A Perturbed System: Religion and...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/06/29

Our ecological system is disturbed, and with it, every other system we’ve built to inhabit it. We do not face inevitable destruction, yet many of us cannot conceive of climate change as anything but the end of the world, an apocalypse with all its biblical trappings. Why? In A Perturbed System: Religion and Climate Change from the End of a World, anthropologist Susannah Crockford argues that we must understand the climate emergency as a spiritual crisis, a result of Christian colonialism that we

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66:10

John K. Roth, "Saving the American Dream: Meditations...

New Books in Religion ·

2026/06/26

The American Dream at its best is an ethical ideal and a moral compass. If respected and sustained, it can guide the United States through Trump 2.0. Anchored in the US Constitution, Saving the American Dream: Meditations for Dark Times (Wipf and Stock, 2026) features meditations for dark times. Meditations are intentional acts of focused attention.Its fundamental premise is that individuals moved to communal action by warned awareness and committed resistance are indispensable to meet

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