Seth D. Kunin

Helen Katharine Bond

Francesca Murphy

Though they are intimately related, most textbooks cover either religious studies or theology, leaving students lacking in exposure to one or the other of these associated disciplines. Religious Studies and Theology: An Introduction offers a comprehensive introduction to both subjects in one inclusive volume. The text is written in an accessible style and is meant for beginning students and all those interested in learning about these fields. It is divided into six sections, including Theories of Religion; World Religions; Biblical Studies; Practical Theology; Systematic Theology; and The Philosophy of Religion. The volume also contains a guide for further reading as well as boxes to explain key terms. Offering thorough and cutting-edge coverage of all aspects of these fields, it is the only introduction to the whole of religious studies and theology in a single-volume format. Contributors: Douglas J. Davies, Seth D. Kunin, Hugh Goddard, Martin A. Mills, Matthew Wood, F. Michael Perko, Paul Ellingworth, Ken Aitken, Helen K. Bond, John Swinton, Henry R. Sefton, Francesca Aran Murphy, and Derek Cross.

An Introduction

Religious Studies and Theology

Juggling Identities is an extensive ethnography of the crypto-Jews who live deep within the Hispanic communities of the American Southwest. Critiquing scholars who challenge the cultural authenticity of these individuals, Seth D. Kunin builds a solid link between the crypto-Jews of New Mexico and their Spanish ancestors who secretly maintained their Jewish identity after converting to Catholicism, offering the strongest evidence yet of their ethnic and religious origins. Kunin adopts a unique approach to the lives of modern crypto-Jews, concentrating primarily on their understanding of Jewish tradition and the meaning they ascribe to ritual. He illuminates the complexity of this community, in which individuals and groups perform the same practice in diverse ways. Kunin supplements his ethnographic research with broader theories concerning the nature of identity and memory, which is especially applicable to crypto-Jews, whose culture resides mainly in memory. Kunin's work has wider implications, not only for other forms of crypto-Judaism (such as that found in the former Soviet Union) but also for the study of Judaism's fluid nature, which helps adherents adapt to new circumstances and knowledge. Kunin draws fascinating comparisons between the intricate ancestry of crypto-Jews and those of other ethnic communities living in the United States.

Seth D. Kunin

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