Holy War: History of an Idea - Hardcover

Ruelland, Jacques G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0773455485 ISBN 13: 9780773455481

Publisher: Edwin Mellen Press Ltd, 2007

Synopsis

The author seeks to establish a clear distinction between a holy war which concerns religion, and a just war which concerns ethics. He makes us understand that the root of the problem of the definition of holy war resides in the ambiguity of the notion of 'sacredness', in its metamorphoses or in its displacements. By revealing the ideas behind holy war by examining speeches and events of many eras and cultures, he criticizes the sacred character of the wars between Jews and Moslems, jihads and crusades, the religious and Byzantine wars, the two World Wars of the twentieth century, and the Gulf War.

About this title

Review

"We are indebted to Dr. Jacques G. Ruelland for revealing the variety of meaning pertaining to the sacred throughout history. He succeeds in revealing the ideas behind holy war by examining the speeches and events of many eras and cultures. By showing their differences and resemblances, he criticizes the sacred character of the wars between Jews and Moslems, jihads and crusades, the religious and Byzantine wars, the two World Wars of the twentieth century, and finally the Gulf War." - Professor Eric Volant Departement des Sciences de la Religion Universite du Quebec a Montreal "There can be no doubt about the worth of Dr. Ruelland's essay on the so-called "holy war," especially now as we face the reality of religion's overwhelming presence in the political arena. To the same extent as this presence signifies that we are not living in a global society and that the new ideology of political and economic neo-liberalism has not yet achieved the status of universal acceptance, it is more urgent than ever to denounce the confusion of all self-sanctified crusades of the Good against the Evil... This incredibly well-informed manner of scholarship is what we need most." - Professor Gerard Raulet Universite de Paris Sorbonne"

About the Author

Dr. Jacques G. Ruelland currently teaches philosophy at the College Edouard-Montpetit (Longueuil, Quebec) and history of science, medicine, and museology at the Department of History at the Universite de Montreal. Ms. Cornelia Fuykschot, a native of Amsterdam, is a retired language and history teacher who currently resides in Ontario, Canada, where she translates various works from Dutch and French for English publication. Ms. Jeanne Poulin is a bilingual writer who specializes in socio-political and cultural issues and has written pieces for publications based in Montreal, Toronto, and New York.

Edition details

• Publisher: Edwin Mellen Press Ltd
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0773455485
• ISBN 13: 9780773455481
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 124