Temple Worship Research Articles

“RAMAYANA THEMES DEPICTED IN THE TEMPLE ART OF ANDHRADESA” – A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO RAYALASEEMA

The worship of Sri Rama is as ancient as temple worship in this land. The great Itihasa Ramayana by saint Valmiki itself has the sanctity of scripture to the Hindus. In India, there are thousands of temples dedicated to Lord Sri Rama, from Ayodhya, his birthplace in Uttar Pradesh, down to Rameswaram at the southernmost tip of the country. Temples of the Andhra Pradesh are treasure houses of sculptures and art forms representations of gods and goddesses and episodes from their mythologies. The Ramayana cult images found in the different dynasty’s temples in the Andhradesa may be divided into Sculpture, Idol of Sri Rama and Sita, Sculpture and Paintings in Ramayana themes. Andhra Pradesh has a unique place not only in Indian History, but geographically located midway in subcontinent to receive the cultural impacts from the north and pass them on to Southern India. It has many ancient centers of art and culture. Some of them are indigenous in character. In this research paper discussed the cult of Sri Rama iconographic features of sculptures and images of Ramayana themes in important Vaishnava temples in Andhra Pradesh a special reference to Rayalaseema region.

Paul and Jewish Sacrifices: Perspectives and Arguments

Abstract According to the traditional perspective, the early Christians refused to continue with the temple sacrifice. Christ on the cross had already atoned for all sins. Recently, other scholars, especially those belonging to the Radical New Perspective on Paul (or “Paul within Judaism” research), have argued instead that Paul carried on with temple worship, considered it efficacious, and expected Christ-following Jews to continue with the sacrifice. In this research we will investigate the positions of the different perspectives on Paul’s attitude toward Jewish sacrifices and evaluate the arguments at stake. Our research leads us to the conclusion that Paul did not consider the temple sacrifices a problem, but neither did he give them any salvific relevance for the recipients of his letters.

The Law of the Gospel: Shifting Interpretations of a Temple Covenant throughout Latter-day Saint History

The Law of the Gospel: Shifting Interpretations of a Temple Covenant throughout Latter-day Saint History

The Dynamics of Liturgy. Joseph Ratzinger's Theology of Liturgy: An Interpretation by D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D.

Reviewed by: The Dynamics of Liturgy. Joseph Ratzinger's Theology of Liturgy: An Interpretation by D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D. Roland Millare D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D. The Dynamics of Liturgy. Joseph Ratzinger's Theology of Liturgy: An Interpretation San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2022 187 pages. Paperback. $19.95. One of the central contributions of Joseph Ratzinger has been his theology of liturgy, which will continue to inspire the Church for decades to come. This recent work of one of his former doctoral students is a great contribution to the growing literature on the topic. Fr. Vincent Twomey's experience and wisdom as a professor, a theologian, and as a priest-missionary is helpful in presenting Ratzinger's theology of liturgy. The unifying theme of the varying chapters of Twomey's book are the "dynamics" of grace, mission, and faith. Underlying these is the dynamism of human nature, which is oriented towards self-transcendence as expressed in ritual. Twomey's experience in the Major Seminary of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands was the impetus for his inquiry into a potential relationship between aboriginal and Christian rites (Chapter 1). Ratzinger helped Twomey to appreciate how the universal human experiences of birth, death, meals, and marriages "create community, fellowship, not only horizontally, with our fellows, but with God" (45). In all world religions, Ratzinger notes that "sacrifice, the core of worship, invariable involves a meal, communion with the Divinity and with those participating in the offering of sacrifice" (45). [End Page 131] Worship was transformed definitively within the New Testament via the logos. The Pauline understanding of worship as a logike latreia (Rom 12:1) is a central theme in Ratzinger's theology of liturgy, which Twomey underscores. The notion of liturgy or worship is no longer limited to ritual animal sacrifice. Christian worship extends to the transformation of everyday life in light of the Eucharist. According to Ratzinger, the liturgy leads us into a "dynamism of transcendence" that "tears us away from the visible, the present, the comfortable—and directs us toward the future city" (49). Pope Benedict understands the cosmic liturgy as the world itself transformed into "worship of God, an oblation in the Holy Spirit" (57). Twomey notes that in Ratzinger's theology of creation, the covenantal relationship between God and humanity is characterized by the centrality of worship by the entire cosmos. Further, the Temple worship transformed with the New Covenant of Christ as it was brought into Christian worship. Twomey comments that both the cosmic character of the liturgy and the roots of Christian liturgy in Temple worship have been "practically ignored" in the post-conciliar reforms of the liturgy, which has left the Church with a "truncated liturgy" (60). The brief exposition of the cosmic character of the liturgy (Chapter 2) is foundational for Twomey's discussion of sacred art and architecture (Chapter 3) and sacred music (Chapter 4). Beauty, truth, and liturgy are inherently related such that sacred architecture, art, and music should lift the faithful up into the dynamic of transcendent cosmic worship within the liturgy. In the name of post-conciliar reforms, the sacred and the beautiful have become displaced by a neo-iconoclasm governed by minimalism, functionality, and utility. The most striking principle of Ratzinger on sacred music is "A Church which only makes use of 'utility' music has fallen for what is, in fact, useless" (90). Utility music falls short of the spiritualization and glorification which are characteristics of an authentic cosmic liturgy. In the latter part of his work, Twomey returns to his focus on sacred ritual (Chapter 5) where he highlights the great wisdom that anthropologists such as Victor Turner have to offer in our understanding [End Page 132] of changes to the liturgy. Twomey maintains in his outlines of the significance of ritual in Turner's work: "The effectiveness of the ritual is due in great part to the regular repetition of the same rite that, apart from insignificant changes, is understood by all participants as unalterable by those responsible for conducting the rituals: all must abide by the (mostly unwritten) rubrics" (106). Authentic participatio actuosa allows for what Turner describes as communitas, that...

ОРУДИЕ ТРУДА КАК ИКОНОГРАФИЧЕСКИЙ ЭЛЕМЕНТ: АЛТАРНАЯ КОМПОЗИЦИЯ ИЗ ХРАМОВ ДЗАНА-БАИ В МАХАРАШТРЕ

The article deals with a unique object of temple worship from Maharashtra, a Marathi-speaking region of Western India, represented by a tripartite structure having a grindmill as its middle section. The motives for such a layout are found in the poetry of the medieval maid-servant Janabai (13th – 14th centuries), who described in her hymns her love for the god Vitthal / Vithoba from Pandharpur and their special bonds, including his help in grinding grain. The technical assemblage of the three components into the genre scene ‘God grinds together with Janabai’ was first recorded in the introductory lithograph for the chapter 21 of the Bhaktavijay, which established Janabai as an independent character. Published in the middle of the 19th century, this collective hagiography became one of the first samples in Marathi book printing and a source of deduction of ethnocultural and nationalistic meanings throughout the period of the formation of Maharashtrian identity. In addition, in the Marathi bhakti milieu a grind mill and grinding process function as a sustained metaphor drawn from the resources of the philosophy of monism-advaita. It implies final atomicity as a result of ‘crushing’ and ‘grinding’ of duality which leads to merging with the Absolute. Ubiquitously manifested the iconography of the servant and the god, inextricably linked by a millstone in the temples in honor of Janabai, visualizes this metaphor through narratives and heroes rooted in the regional culture.

Salem Meiyanur Mariamman Temple Worship and People's Faith

All living beings in the world live depending on nature, likewise earlier man also led a life in harmony with nature. Nature appeared as an enigma to man. Natural objects such as thunder, lightning, rain, flood, volcano, darkness and sun are mysterious and it instilled fear among man. Man, who fears about nature and its disasters starts worshiping them as gods. The worship that appeared in this way is based on faith and is common to all human beings. Even today people follow some rituals to preserve the cultural heritage of a country or race. Today, worship is a necessity of the political background and reflects as a part of the society. Rituals are used to symbolize a culture. Since these rituals are mostly followed in villages. People go to temple to worship God and to seek His blessings. There are many methods to be followed in organizing a temple but most of the minor deity temples are worshiped without building structure considering trees and black stones as their deities. The purpose of this article is to investigate the location of Meiyanur Mariamman Temple which is located in Salem district, the structure of the temple, about the deities located in the temple, the ceremonies held for the deities and the beliefs people have on the deities, and the debts which they pay to deities if their faith is fulfilled.

7 Century Hawan Kund (Fire Altar) of 13 hast (166.38 cubic feet) capacity at Jageshwar Temple in Kumaon Range of Himalaya

From Vedic times to even modern times, Yagya is an essential part of social and spiritual life in India. All kinds of worship in temples have Yagya as an essential portion. This was true even in the medieval time of India. Jageshwar Dham is a place 34 kilometers away from Almora, in the Kumaon Range of Himalaya in Uttarakhand state of India containing 125 big and small temples and 174 sculptures, dating back to circa century and having Shiva as the main deity of the temple complex. Among them, 100 temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva; the oldest of them are Jageshwar Temple and Maha-Mrityunjaya Temple. The temple complex contains Hawan Kund which is still being used by temple Brahmins. There was much of literature describing the construction time of Jageshwar Dham, however, no direct literature was available to find the specific time of the construction of Hawan Kund in the temple complex. The present study attempted to analyze Hawan Kund’s structure, construction, and ritualistic details in order to find its importance and probable time of construction. The study inferred that Scriptural, traditional, and archeological facts of Hawan Kund at Jageshwar temple indeed revealed its importance in Shiva worship and maintaining spiritual ambiance. Besides the strong utilization of Hawan Kund in temple ancient traditions and rituals, the study also found that Hawan Kund was Thirteen Hast (hand as a unit) large, where 13 is the number of Shiva worship. Also, the Ishan (north-east) direction of Hawan Kund’s position with respect to Mrityunjaya temple indicated the following of proper scriptural protocol for Shiva worship indicating well-thought construction by original builders. Thus, though there was no direct literature available to find the specific time of the construction of Hawan Kund in the temple complex, it was clear that the Hawan Kund of Jageshwar temple was associated strongly with the temple’s main deity worship. Hence, the existence of Hawan Kund had to be to that of the Jageshwar and Maha Mrityunjaya temple i.e. circa the century.

Asian Americans suffer within-community discrimination related to COVID-19

Asian Americans suffer within-community discrimination related to COVID-19

Other Writings/Traditions

Other Writings/Traditions Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, William J. Urbrock, and J. Edward Owens Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz William J. Urbrock University of Wisconsin Oshkosh J. Edward Owens OSST, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio TX 1618. [1 Samuel 4 according to Josephus, Ant. 5.355–362] Michael Avioz, "1 Samuel 4 in Josephus' Antiquities 5.355–362," JNSL 47 (1, 2021) 1-17. My paper explores Josephus's exegetical skills in elucidating the biblical text, taking his retelling of 1 Samuel 4 in Ant. 5.355–362 as a test case. The historian's retelling of the Samuel text which recounts the fall of the Elides and the destruction of the Shiloh sanctuary is twice as long as the former passage. While acknowledging Josephus's apologetical tendencies in his Antiquities, my article seeks to demonstrate that his hermeneutical concerns in his retelling of the above biblical account is equally significant. I begin by analyzing the biblical passage and its textual difficulties and gaps, and then proceed to examine Josephus's additions, omissions, and changes, as well as the question of his textual Vorlage for the 1 Samuel 4 passage. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1619. [Levitical Temple Singers in Rabbinic Sources] Hallel Baitner, "Levitical Singers in Rabbinic Sources: Echoes of an Ancient Dispute," JSJ 52 (2, 2021) 228-56. The Hebrew Bible reflects ambiguity concerning the historical existence of the Levites as a group distinguished from the priesthood. Postexilic and late Second Temple sources also present a variety of voices concerning the extent to which Levites participated [End Page 580] in the temple's worship. My article argues that, while rabbinic sources appear to present a straightforward, retrospective description of the Levites as a group of temple-singers who were clearly subordinate to the priests and responsible for temple singing, a closer reading reveals differences of opinion about the group and its activity. Disagreements concerning the exact place in the temple in which the Levites used to sing reflect significantly different views concerning the status of the Levites in the temple and the importance of their singing. This rabbinic dispute echoes similar late Second Temple period controversies, and sources from the two periods may shed reciprocal light on each other. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1620. [Reimaging of Angels, Watchers, and Giants in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam] Kelley Coblentz Bautch and Jonathan Kaplan (eds.), "Introduction," Hen 41 (2, 2019) 181-87. As guest editors of a thematic issue of Henoch devoted to early Jewish, Christian, and Islamic reconceptualizations of earlier traditions about "angels, watchers, and giants," B. and K. provide an introduction to the topic that surveys previous scholarly work on the subject as well as the essays featured in this issue. Their essay concludes with a bibliography of relevant studies. For abstracts of those articles of particular interest to OTA readers, see ##1621, 1663.—C.T.B. Google Scholar 1621. [Demons in Josephus] Carson M. Bay, "Demons in Flavius Josephus," Hen 41 (2, 2019) 204-25 [see #1620]. Demons, as they appear in Josephus's corpus, help situate Josephus, qua firstcentury Roman-Jewish author, between a Hellenistic culture informed by classical antiquity and a Jewish culture informed by Jewish Scripture and tradition. Whether as individual beings or as some impersonal force, the daemonic in Josephus's writings aligns far more with the daemons of the Classical and Hellenistic Greek milieu than it does with Jewish literature from the Hebrew Bible to the NT. However, Josephus's daemons do reflect the influence of Jewish tradition as well. Thus, daemons allow Josephus's writings to be seen as the product of intercultural influence and exchange. My essay seeks to demonstrate this claim by providing a sequential and comprehensive assessment of Josephus's treatment of daemons and the daemonic throughout his corpus and then by offering a comparative survey of related literature earlier than or contemporary with Josephus. This survey shows where Josephus's daemons are both different from and similar to ancient Hellenistic and Jewish traditions in their...

Modern Worship music and historical grounds for the use of instrumental music in Christian Worship

The subject of the study is the historical grounds for the use of instrumental music in Christian worship, acting as arguments in favor of the permissibility of the presence of modern worship music in liturgical practice, taking into account its inherent genre and style features. Modern worship music is performed as part of the divine service by the so-called "glorification group", whose composition is formed like a secular pop or rock band and in the vast majority of cases includes performers on electronic and percussion instruments. According to supporters of the inclusion of genetically secular music in the composition of worship, a number of testimonies (primarily sacred texts) indicate that there is no prohibition on the use of some special style of music, musical instruments, as well as dance movements within the framework of worship. The novelty of the research lies in a comprehensive analysis of the studies of musicologists and the evidence of sacred texts, which allowed us to substantiate the conclusion about the nature of the liturgical music of the temple and synagogue period. As a result of the study, the predominant role of monotony, improvisational and instrumental accompaniment in temple worship was established. At the same time, a gap in the continuity in the use of instrumental music between the temple worship and the liturgy of the early Christians was revealed – not a single confirmation of the use of instrumental music in the synagogue liturgical tradition was recorded. The provisions set out in the article are intended to lay the theoretical foundations for further study of the musical tradition of early Christianity as a necessary condition for understanding the diverse trends in modern liturgical music.

I Am a Child of Gods

I Am a Child of Gods

Education System in Vaikhanasa Tradition

Vishnu began in public temples even before the Christian era. 'Bhitargaon' and the 'Deogarh’ monumental temples in the North are dedicated to Vishnu built during Gupta period in the 4th or 5th Century AD. Many temples have been built in subsequent periods by Kings and Vishnu tradition followers. Daily worship is done to him from the Vedic period. Temple worship took the Vedas as its principles, and was followed in two divisions known as Vaishnava and Saiva. Advaita, Dvaita, Visistadvaita, Idol worship were practiced. Saiva Agamas and Vaishnava Agamas are being followed in almost all the places in our country. As per Vaikhanasa sutra, those who are well versed with all the samskaras are eligible to do the pooja in Vaikhanasa Agama temples. Agama is based on Vedic mantras and one becomes eligible to read the Agama only after getting Upanayana Samskara. Further, the learner should attain at least a minimum of 9 years to have a good grasp of Agama Sastras and communicate the significance of Agama sastras to others. This study attempt to discuss the education system in Vaikhanasa Tradition

Many-faced Bes. Ancient Egyptian terracotta figurines from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

The article examines four terracotta figurines depicting the ancient Egyptian god Bes and his female counterpart Beset, acquired by Vladimir S. Golenischev in Egypt and kept in the storages of the Department of the Ancient Orient at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. The analyzed objects are diverse in their topics, form and functional purposes, testifying to the great popularity of this ‘minor’ deity in Graeco-Roman Egypt; all objects are included in the context of domestic worship of the god Bes. They served as a “link” between temple festivals and domestic worship, and could also be placed in a burial place as grave goods or could be brought to a temple as votive offerings. Bes and Beset guarded and helped a person during periods when he faced the forces of chaos – in a time of sleeping, illness, in childbirth, during the war. Bes and Beset were considered the protectors of childhood and motherhood, promoting conception and successful childbirth. Bes was associated with the different borderline states of human health and the period of a person’s transition to another world. The images of Bes do not come from temple theology, but from the context of domestic, private rituals; Bes remains entirely a “popular” god, the part of a daily life cycle of the population of Graeco-Roman Egypt. These multifaced quality is one of the secrets of the incredible popularity of Bes, whose figurines spread along with the Greeks and Romans throughout the oecumene down to the Black Sea region.

Sacred groves – an ancient tradition of nature conservation of sthalavrikshas in coimbatore, tamil nadu, india

In India sthalavrikshas worship in temples was a religrous practice. In Tamil Nadu almost every temple is associated with a plant or tree connected to the history and mythology of the temple and or deity. The worshipper who comes to the temple attains a healty spiritua; enlighten. Sthalavrikshas is a natural tree found in the temple site brfore construction of the temple. The present investigation was carried out in coimbatore district to enumerate the sthalavrikshas associate with temple by field observation method. During the field visit temples were frequently visited and surveyed for the sthalavrikshas from the month of December 2019 - February 2020. The survey was conduced at 46 ancient temples of the coimbatore district and revelated the occurrence of 19 sthalavrikshas species were observed in different area of coimbatore district. These sacred plants are worshiped by the local people for getting the blessing of health and wealth by positive powers of nature. Sthalavrikshas are germplasm reservers and an indicator of socio-cultural conservation strategy. It is concluded that the Sthalavriksha worship is an age old practice, myths, beliefs and floklore play a major role in the exsistance of Sthalavrikshas worship and this customms help in plant conservation.

Guru Neri and Thiruneri in Upadesamalai

Tiruvavaduthurai Athenathu pandara Satras fourteen. The books of grace in this collection are given by Arulthiru Ambalavana Desikar, Arulthiru Dakshinamurthy Desikar, Arulthiru Swaminatha Desikar and Arulthiru Perur Velappadesikas. Among them is The Admonition Venpa, one of the ten books of Grace given by Arulthiru Ambalavana Desikas. This book is written by the author in his language to express the blessings of his wise guru Namachivaya Murthis. This book condemns the ignorance that we will be directly subjected to yoga and meet the nitta, excluding the steps of right and work. This book emphasizes the clear method of receiving the fire through the teaching of the Jnanaguru and following its instructions properly and following the yoga system. In accordance with the Saiva ethics of 'Thirumeni Kandal of The Clear Guru' and 'Thiruvarthai Ketal of The Clear Guru', The Lord of The Guru, Namachivaya Murthis, has been blessed with the blessings of 'Enadurai dhanathuraiyaga. In the final verse of this book, He speaks of 'Namachivaya Murtis' as evidence of the enduring grace of The Ambalavana Desikas towards his jnanasiriyas. This article examines the conditions in which this book is translated into ways in which yoga can be attained through the aryans, the temple worship, the sariyai, and the work of the Shiva puja.

Overnight Urbanization and Changing Spirits

Three Chinese cases involving ghost attacks, the increase of spirit mediums, and innovations in the forms and objects of temple worship suggest how nonequilibrium ecology, broadly conceived, can clarify processes of urban change. They extend Ingold’s call for “ecologies of life” by clarifying how latent potentials become manifest and how new symbiotic assemblages can be created in disturbed ecosystems. These cases arise from the rapid urban expansion in wealthy parts of China, accompanied by the resettlement of many villagers into high-rise buildings, wiping out farms, village temples, and rural graves and making earlier forms of social organization impossible. The territorially based religion described in much of the anthropological and historical literature has thus become increasingly untenable. Contrary to many expectations, the expanding urban edge at our field sites in southern Jiangsu cities has fostered an especially creative zone of innovation.

Is tithing a justifiable development in the Christian church?

With its over 40 000 denominations worldwide, Christianity undoubtedly remains the most fragmented of the religions of the world. One of the main causes of the said fragmentation is apparently the practice of tithing, which both genuine clergy and many shady characters that have disguised themselves as ministers of religion in society regard as the quickest way of accumulating wealth or making money. Anybody who views television programmes on religion and listens to religious leaders who give Christian preaching on various radio stations nowadays cannot fail to observe the aggressive way in which such leaders opportunistically manipulate their followers and listeners to pay tithes using what has come to be generically known as ‘prosperity gospel’. Given the extent to which it has fragmented and continues to fragment the Christian Church, as well as to taint the image of Christianity as a religion, the question asked by many people today about tithing is: Are the Christians as obligated to pay tithes as the Jews under the Mosaic Law? Using typology for its interpretative tool and arguing both scripturally and historically, this article argues that Christians are not obligated to pay tithes because tithing, as part of the temple worship system whose existence ended with Christ’s free self-offering as a sacrifice to God on the cross, foreshadowed free offering to God by Christ’s followers, not obligatory giving by law.Contribution: This article contributes to the general debate on tithing as practised in the Christian Church today. The article argues that there is no scriptural proof anywhere to validate payment of tithes to the New Testament Church or its ministers.

Maintaining Gods in Medieval China: Temple Worship and Local Governance in North China under the Jin and Yuan

Maintaining Gods in Medieval China: Temple Worship and Local Governance in North China under the Jin and Yuan

“A verry poor place for our doctrine”: Religion and Race in the 1853 Mormon Mission to Jamaica

ABSTRACTThis article examines the first Mormon mission to Jamaica in January 1853. The missionaries, facing opposition from both black and white Jamaicans, returned to the United States after only a month on the island, having made only four converts. Latter-day Saints did not return to Jamaica for another 125 years. Drawing on the missionaries’ personal papers, church archives, local newspaper reports, and governmental records, I argue that the 1853 mission played a crucial role in shaping nineteenth-century Mormonism's racial theology, including the “temple and priesthood ban” that restricted priesthood ordination and temple worship for black men and women. While historians have rightly noted the role twentieth-century missions to regions of the African Diaspora played in ending the ban, studies of the racial restriction's early scope have been discussed in almost exclusively American contexts. The mission to Jamaica, precisely because of its failure, helped shape the ban's implementation and theological justifications. Failing to make any inroads, the elders concluded that both Jamaica and its inhabitants were cursed and not worthy of the missionaries’ time, which anticipated later decisions to prioritize preaching to whites and to scale back and ultimately abandon efforts to proselytize people of African descent.

Seeing, imagined, and lived

Scholarship on Hindu traditions and practices proposes the practice of darshan as fundamental to Hindu traditions, particularly in temple worship, observing that devotees seek out images of deities primarily to see them and “receive” their darshan. These works typically gloss the definition of darshan with a sentence or two about seeing, exchanging glances, and/or receiving blessings. In this paper, I focus on the ways in which darshan is ideally imagined in conjunction with other bodily sensory practices through sources of authority, such as texts and senior devotees, to create a specific sensory experience and expectation in the transnational Gaudiya Vaishnava community. I then look to the lived realities of darshan in this tradition, specifically how devotees negotiate the structures created through sources of authority in their daily lives. Through this juxtaposition of idealized and lived darshan, I argue that we need a new approach towards theories of practice to take into account the complexities of darshanic moments in this and other religious practices.