Let's Talk Religion

In this very long episode, I give an introduction to one of the most significant, yet often misunderstood thinkers and mystics in history - Ibn 'Arabi.

Sources:

Chittick, William (2005). "Ibn Arabi: Heir to the Prophets". OneWorld Publications.

Chittick, William (1998). "The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology". State University of New York Press.

Chittick, William (2005). "The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi". World Wisdom, inc.

Chodkiewicz, Michel (1982). "The Spiritual writings of Amir 'Abd al-Kader". State University of New York Press.

Chodkiewicz, Michel (1993). "Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and sainthood in the doctrine of Ibn 'Arabi". Translated by Liadain Sherrard. The Islamic Texts Society.

Addas, Claude (1993). "Quest for the Red Sulphur". The Islamic Texts Society.

Ibn 'Arabi - "The Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-hikam)". Translated by Caner Dagli. Kazi Publications.

Ibn Arabi - "The Interpreter of Desires (Tarjuman al-ashwaq)". Translated by Reynold A. Nicholson. London: Royal Asiatic Society.

Ibn Arabi - "The Universal Tree and the Four Birds (al-ittihad al-kawni). Translated by Angela Jaffray. Oxford: Anqa Publishing.

Mahmud Shabistari - "Garden of Mystery: The Gulshan-i raz of Mahmud Shabistari". Translated by Robert Abdul Hayy Darr. Archetype.

Fakhruddin 'Iraqi - "Divine Flashes (Lama'at)". Translated by William C. Chittick & Peter Lamborn Wilson. The Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Paulist Press.

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In this latest episode I talk about the Ikhwan al-safa, or "Brethren of Purity" - a group of secretive philosophers and scholars who lived in medieval Basra, Iraq.

Sources used:

de Callatay, Godefroid (2006). "Ikhwan al-safa - a brotherhood of idealists on the fringes of Orthodox Islam". Oneworld Publications.

Walker, Paul E. (2005). "The Isma'ilis". In "The Cambridge companion to Arabic Philosophy". (Edited by Peter Adamson & Richard C. Taylor). Cambridge University Press.

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In this episode I talk about the 11th century Ismaili philosopher Nasir Khusraw and his major work "Jami' al-hikmatayn" or "The union of the two wisdoms".

This is an audio version of my video on my YouTube channel "Let's Talk Religion".

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There is talk within the Muslim community (and outside) of the so-called "Quranists" or the movement "Quranism". In this episode I talk about, in very generalizing terms, what this term is referring to, and what its characteristics are.

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In this episode we talk about the third major branch of Islam, known as Ibadism, which is a major presence today in Oman, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

It is a somewhat forgotten branch, but one that is also often viewed as a moderate and tolerant branch of the religion.

Sources:

Hoffman, Valerie J. (2012). The Essentials of Ibadi Islam. Syracuse University Press.

Wilkinson, John C. (2010). Ibadism - Origins and early development in Islam. Oxford University Press.

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In this episode I go through the scholarly discussion regarding the composition of the Hebrew Bible and, in particular, the Torah/Pentateuch. The main theory discussed is the so-called "Documentary hypothesis".

Sources/interesting articles:

https://www.ias.edu/ideas/2018/schmid-torah

Matthieu Richelle, “Elusive scrolls. Could any hebrew literature have been written prior to the eighth century B.C.E.?” (2016)

Erhard Blum, “Die altaramäischen Wandinschriften aus Tell Deir ̕Alla und ihr institutioneller Kontext,” in Meta-Texte. Erzählungen von schrifttragenden Artefakten in der alttestamentlichen und mittelalterlichen Literatur (ed. Friedrich-Emanuel Focken and Michael Ott; Materiale Textkulturen 15; Berlin: de Gruyter, 2016)

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In this episode, we finally explore the fifth largest religion in the world - Sikhism (more properly called "Sikhi").

Sources/Suggested Reading:

Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh (2013). "Sikhism: A guide for the Perplexed". Bloomsbury Academic.

Singh, Patwant (1999). "The Sikhs". John Murray.

Also try to get ahold of the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib". You can find translations of the scriptures online, or in published form translated by Ernest Trumpp or Gurbachan Singh Talib.

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The Hasidic movement is pretty famous. But few are aware of its deep mystical teachings and connections with Kabbalah. In this episode, we explore the early history of the Hasidim.

This episode was written by Seth Weprin and co-written by me (Filip Holm).

Sources/Suggested Reading:

Idel, Moshe (1995). "Hasidism: Between Ecstacy and Magic". SUNY Press.

Idel, Moshe. “Modes of Cleaving to the Letters in the Teachings of Israel Baal

Shem Tov: A Sample Analysis.” Jewish History 27 (2013): 299-317.

Jacobson-Maisels, James. “My Aid Will Come from Nothingness: The Practice of Negative Theology in Maggid Devarav Le-Ya’akov.” In Michael Fagenblat Negative Theology As Jewish Modernity. New Jewish Philosophy and Thought. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2017.

Krassen, Mosheh Aaron. “Introduction: Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov: Prophet of a New

Paradigm.” In Israel ben Eliezer. Pillar of Prayer. Translated by Menachem Kallus. Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2010.

Magid, Shaul. “The Intolerance of Tolerance: Mahaloket (Controversy) and Redemption in Early

Hasidism.” Jewish Studies Quarterly 8, no. 4 (2001): 326-368.

Nadler, Allan. The Faith of the Mithnagdim: Rabbinic Responses to Hasidic Rapture. Baltimore:

Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997.

Scholem, Gershom. “The Neutralization of the Messianic Element in Early Hasidism.” In The

Messianic Idea in Judaism. New York: Schocken Books, 1995 [1971].

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