Metaphor, canon and community : Jewish, Christian and Islamic approaches

Every religion interprets its metaphors according to a specific model. Such differences tend to be largely determined by dogmatic principles underlying a specific religion. This volume contains a selection of the papers originally delivered at the 25th LAUD-symposium on 'Metaphor and Religion'. It presents the unusual attempt of gathering viewpoints from the three great religions within monotheism: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and it includes contributions from renowned authors such as Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Anna Wierzbicka and Mehmet Aydin. The volume covers a wide range of theological subjects from mysticism to pastoral care. It also contains case studies illustrating the methodology used by today's scholars of metaphor in the field. The volume poses important challenges to mainstream metaphorology. It presents a significant range of discoveries, instances, and new interpretative models. The book, however, not only addresses theorists of metaphor but all students, scholars and religious leaders engaged in cross-religious studies or ecumenical dialogue.