The Human Icon: A Comparative Study of Hindu and Orthodox Christian Beliefs - Softcover

Frost, Christine Mangala

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0227176359 ISBN 13: 9780227176351

Publisher: James Clarke & Co, 2017

Synopsis

Despite the history that divides them, Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity have much in common. In The Human Icon, Christine Mangala Frost explores how both religions seek to realise the divine potential of every human being, and the differences in their approach. Frost, who has experienced both the extraordinary riches and the all-too-human failings of Hinduism and Orthodox Christianity from the inside, is perfectly placed to examine the convergences and divergences between the two faiths. Inspired by a desire to clear up the misunderstandings that exist between the two, The Human Icon is a study in how two faiths, superficially dissimilar, can nevertheless find meeting points everywhere. The powerful intellectual and spiritual patristic traditions of Orthodox Christianity offer a rare tool for revitalising too-often stalled dialogue with Hinduism and present the chance for a broader and more diverse understanding of the oldest religion in the world. Tracing the long history of Orthodox Christianity in India, from the Thomas Christians of ancient times to the distinctive theology of Paulos Mar Gregorios and the Kottayam School, Frost explores the impact of Hindu thought on Indian Christianity and considers the potential for confluence. With a breadth of interest that spans Hindu bhakti, Orthodox devotional theology, Vedānta and theosis, as well as meditational Yoga and hesychastic prayer, Frost offers a fresh perspective on how the devotees of both faiths approach the ideal of divinisation, and presents a thoughtful, modern methodology for a dialogue of life.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE:
Introduction: What It Means to Inhabit a Hindu World
Part I: Hinduism or Hinduisms?
Part II: Sacred Texts and Sacred Traditions
Part III: The Role of the Bhagavadgītā in the Modern Hindu World
Part IV: God, Gods, Goddesses, and Temples
CHAPTER TWO:
Orthodox Christianity in India: A Dialogue of Life
Part I: The Thomas Christians
Part II: A Dialogue of Life
Part III: The ‘Kottayam School’ of Theology
CHAPTER THREE:
The Quest for the Divine: Divinisation (‘Tat tvam asi’) in Vedānta and Deification (Theosis) in Orthodox Christianity
Part I: Divinisation (‘Tat tvam asi’) in Vedānta and Deification (Theosis)
Part II: Non-Dualism (Advaita), or Monism
Part III: Rāmānuja (c. 1077-1157 CE) and ‘Qualified Non-Dualism’ (Viśiştādvaita)
Part IV: Madhva (c. 1238-1317 CE) and ‘Dualism’ (dvaita)
Part V: An Appraisal of Theistic Vedānta
CHAPTER FOUR:
The Quest for the Divine in the Bhakti Tradition: God, ‘the Lover of Mankind’
Part I: What is Bhakti? Why is it Considered by Hindus to be Essential to Any Quest for the Divine?
Part II: What Are the Possible Areas of Convergence between Hindu Bhakti and Orthodox Devotional Theology?
Part III: What Are the Areas of Questionable Convergence and of Significant Divergence between Hindu Bhakti and Orthodox Devotional Theology?
Part IV: How Might Hindu-Christian Dialogue Regarding the Bhakti Tradition Progress?
Afterword: Parallel Concerns within the Hindu Bhakti and Christian Traditions Where Dialogue May Assist
CHAPTER FIVE:
The Problem of Suffering and Evil: Karma and the Cross
Part I: What is Karma? What is the Attraction of Karma?
Part II: Biblical Perspectives on Suffering and Evil
Part III: Questions of Convergence and Divergence
Part IV: The Great Divergence: The Cross
CHAPTER SIX:
Yoga and Hesychasm: The Body and the ‘Body of Christ’
Part I: What is Yoga? How Far, If At All, Could Christians Endorse It?
Part II: Meditational Yoga and Hesychastic Prayer: A Comparative Analysis
Part III: The ‘Prophetic Polemics’ of St Gregory Palamas’ The Triads and Their Relevance to Discussions of Yoga
CHAPTER SEVEN:
‘Signs and Wonders’: Orthodox Spiritual Elders and Hindu Holy Men
Part I: Signs and Wonders: The Biblical Perspective
Part II: ‘The Golden Chain’: Saints and ‘Holy Men’ in the Orthodox Tradition
Part III: Hindu ‘Holy Men’
Part IV: The Mutual Challenge: Christians and Hindus in Conversation
EPILOGUE
Select Bibliography
Index

About this title

About the Author

Christine Mangala Frost is a Guest Lecturer and Research Associate at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, where she edits and presents their outreach programme, The Way. Born in India and raised Hindu, she converted first to Anglicanism and then, in 1997, to Orthodox Christianity. She is the author of several journal articles on interfaith issues, as well as three novels, including The Firewalkers (1991), which was shortlisted for both the Deo Gloria Award and the Commonwealth First Book Prize.

Review

Dr Frost has capably achieved a gargantuan task in shining a light on the spirituality of Orthodox Christianity for a Hindu audience and likewise illuminating the richness and depth of Hinduism for her own Orthodox Christian community. ... She is a critical observer who strives to be fair to both religions both on their own grounds and in dialogue. A reader of this book will be enlightened and encouraged by the possibilities that lie ahead for mutual enhancement and understanding between Orthodox Christians and Hindus alike.
(www.aidanorthodox.co.uk)

Edition details

• Publisher: James Clarke & Co
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0227176359
• ISBN 13: 9780227176351
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 368