Books by Luther H. Martin

With contributions from the founders of the field including Justin Barrett, Armin Geertz and Harvey Whitehouse as well as from younger scholars from successive stages in the field's development, this is an important survey of the first 25 years of the cognitive science of religio...n. Each chapter provides the author's views on the contributions the cognitive science of religion has made to the academic study of religion, as well as any shortcomings in the field and challenges for the future. Religion Explained? The Cognitive Science of Religion after Twenty-five Years calls attention to the field whilst providing an accessible and diverse survey of approaches from key voices, as well as offering suggestions for further research within the field. This book is essential reading for anyone in religious studies, anthropology, and the scientific study of religion, interested in the theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion.
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With contributions from founders of the field, including Justin Barrett, E. Thomas Lawson, Robert N. McCauley, Paschal Boyer, Armin Geertz and Harvey Whitehouse, as well as from younger scholars from successive stages in the field's development, this is an important survey of the... first twenty-five years of the cognitive science of religion. Each chapter provides the author's views on the contributions the cognitive science of religion has made to the academic study of religion, as well as any shortcomings in the field and challenges for the future. Religion Explained? The Cognitive Science of Religion after Twenty-five Years calls attention to the field whilst providing an accessible and diverse survey of approaches from key voices, as well as offering suggestions for further research within the field. This book is essential reading for anyone in religious studies, anthropology, and the scientific study of religion.
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The Roman cult of Mithras was the most widely-dispersed and densely-distributed cult throughout the expanse of the Roman Empire from the end of the first until the fourth century AD, rivaling the early growth and development of Christianity during the same period. As its membersh...ip was largely drawn from the ranks of the military, its spread, but not its popularity is attributable largely to military deployments and re-deployments. Although mithraists left behind no written archival evidence, there is an abundance of iconographic finds. The only characteristic common to all Mithraic temples were the fundamental architecture of their design, and the cult image of Mithras slaying a bull. How were these two features so faithfully transmitted through the Empire by a non-centralized, non-hierarchical religious movement? The Minds of Mithraists: Historical and Cognitive Studies in the Roman Cult of Mithras addresses these questions as well as the relationship of Mithraism to Christianity, explanations of the significance of the tauroctony and of the rituals enacted in the mithraea, and explanations for the spread of Mithraism (and for its resistance in a few places). The unifying theme throughout is an investigation of the mind of those engaged in the cult practices of this widespread ancient religion. These investigations represent traditional historical methods as well as more recent studies employing the insights of the cognitive sciences, demonstrating that cognitive historiography is a valuable methodological tool.
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Argues that religious study needs to define and critique its own field, and to distinguish itself from theology and other non-objective disciplines. Featuring contributions from leading international experts, this work looks into the religious studies discipline to expose the ide...ologies beneath.
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This selection of essays by Luther Martin brings together studies from throughout his career--both early as well as more recent--in the various areas of Graeco-Roman religions, including mystery cults, Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism. It is hoped that these studies, which r...epresent spatial, communal, and cognitive approaches to the study of ancient religions might be of interest to those concerned with the structures and dynamics of religions past in general, as well as to scholars who might, with more recent historical research, confirm, evaluate, extend, or refute the hypotheses offered here, for that is the way scholars work and by which scholarship proceeds. This outstanding set of essays reminds us that the study of Hellenistic religions still has a lot to offer to historians and scholars of religions. With his erudition, sharp eye, comparative outlook, and dedication to new scientific methods, Luther H. Martin offers an indispensable volume to students and scholars interested in perhaps the most diverse, rich, and complex historical period in terms of religious beliefs, ideas, and practices. --Nickolas P. Roubekas, University of Vienna Bringing together articles that Luther Martin has written over a long period of time, this volume provides valuable insights into a wide spectrum of socio-political conditions and religious traditions that shaped the thought, worldview, and religious life of the Graeco-Roman era. The author's deep knowledge of the Graeco-Roman world and his unique theoretical thought embellished by his acquaintance with cognitive theories make this volume an astonishing contribution to modern understanding of past people. --Olympia Panagiotidou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki This volume contains a set of valuable and thought-provoking articles by Professor Luther H. Martin, a distinguished scholar of the history of religions. You may not always agree with Martin's views and support his conclusions, but they are often eye-opening and
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