The Symbol

How do Christians understand the Trinity? How does this understanding relate to other Christian teachings? In conversation with key thinkers in contemporary and classical theology, particularly Henri de Lubac, Karl Rahner, Thomas Aquinas and Augustine, this book argues that a theology of symbols can help us glimpse the mystery of the Trinity and see how this central Christian teaching corresponds to Christian understandings of creation, humanity and the church. A symbol is not here understood as an arbitrary sign, but as a sign that mediates the presence of the symbolized. Joshua Mobley examines the understanding of the Father as “symbolized” in the Son who is the “symbol” of the Father by the “symbolism” of the Spirit, the personal agent of unity between Father and Son. These trinitarian relations then structure creaturely relations to God: God is symbolized in creation, which is a symbol of God by participation in the Son, and the church is symbolism, the union of creation with God by the power of the Spirit. Mobley thus argues that a theology of symbol helps coordinate trinitarian theology with key themes in Christian dogmatics.

This interdisciplinary conversation discusses the nature of language.

Clearly presenting the case-law concerning Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, this is a lively and accessible analysis of a key issue in contemporary society: whether there is a human right to wear a religious symbol and how far any such right extends.

A symbol is a picture that means something more (than meets the eye). Symbols are compact containers of meaning. They transcend language and can be understood by everyone. Scientists have also shown that we remember pictures better than the word that the picture represents. In this sense, a symbol is a picture that is worth a thousand words! The symbols presented in the book include world famous symbols such as the Olympic Rings, the Recycle symbol, and the Handicap symbol. The book also features lesser known symbols such as the Red Crystal, Mr. Yuk, and the Accessible Icon. I hope that by reading this book, the reader will better appreciate symbols and the communicative power they have.

Written in a remarkably precise and lucid style by two foremost authors on Reiki, this compendium reveals indispensable information of tremendous spiritual value, including the dedication rituals necessary for the practice of Reiki as well as the complex overall healing system.

Day Symbols of the Maya Year is evocative book authored by Cyrus Thomas. The day symbols used in the Maya calendar system are examined in this book. By analysing the glyphs and symbols connected to every day in the Maya calendar, Cyrus Thomas illuminates the complex and sophisticated nature of the Maya calendrical systems. The Maya possessed a highly developed awareness of astronomical cycles and an elaborate calendar that included a religious and secular tally of days. In "Day Symbols of the Maya Year," Thomas offers insights on the religious importance of specific days, the way the Maya arranged organised time, and the relationship between the calendar and Maya society. It is a significant addition to our knowledge of Maya society and its calendrical systems and demonstrates the breadth of Cyrus Thomas's late 19th-century anthropological and archaeology studies.

Increasingly, debates about religious symbols in the public space are reformulated as human rights questions and put before national and international judges. Particularly in the area of education, legitimate interests are manifold and often collide. Children’s educational and religious rights, parental liberties vis-à-vis their children, religious traditions, state obligations in the area of public school education, the state neutrality principle, and the professional rights and duties of teachers are all principles that may warrant priority attention. Each from their own discipline and perspective––ranging from legal (human rights) scholars, (legal) philosophers, political scientists, comparative law scholars, and country-specific legal experts––these experts contribute to the question of whether in the present-day pluralist state there is room for state symbolism (e.g. crucifixes in classroom) or personal religious signs (e.g. cross necklaces or kirpans) or attire (e.g. kippahs or headscarves) in the public school classroom.