Flights of the Soul: Visions, Heavenly Journeys, and Peak Experiences in the Biblical World, John J. Pilch (Ed.) : book review
The current volume brings together 14 essays which Pilch had published between 1993 and 2009 in various books and journals. They all in one way or another address the phenomenon of alternate states of consciousness as they appear in biblical and pseudepigraphical material. They attempt to provide th...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Review |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2016
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| In: |
Old Testament essays
Year: 2016, Volume: 29, Issue: 1, Pages: 231-233 |
| Further subjects: | B
Book review
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The current volume brings together 14 essays which Pilch had published between 1993 and 2009 in various books and journals. They all in one way or another address the phenomenon of alternate states of consciousness as they appear in biblical and pseudepigraphical material. They attempt to provide the reader in constructing "an appropriate scenario for reading and interpreting biblical reports containing references to alternate states of consciousness"(xiii). The articles appear as published previously with minimal revision. For each essay Pilch appended an updated bibliography, which refers mainly to the anthropological and social-scientific literature which was consulted in the research process. He also included biblical studies that incorporate social-scientific insights in the interpretation of the Bible. In his research Pilch moved from the designation "altered" state of consciousness to the phrase alternat estate of consciousness as Psychological anthropologists note that the continuity of consciousness is an illusion. Our levels of consciousness change many times during the day, so it is best to speak of alternate states. The word 'altered' falsely suggests that there exists a 'stable' state of consciousness that changes. Not so. Consciousness shifts all the time (xiii). |
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| ISSN: | 2312-3621 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Old Testament essays
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| Persistent identifiers: | HDL: 10520/EJC187694 |