{"product_id":"drudgery-divine-on-the-comparison-of-early-christianities-and-the-religions-of-late-antiquity-chicago-studies-in-the-history-of-judaism-9780226763620","title":"Drudgery Divine: On the Comparison of Early Christianities and the Religions of Late Antiquity (Chicago Studies in the History of Judaism)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this major theoretical and methodological statement on the history of religions  Jonathan Z. Smith shows how convert apologetic agendas can dictate the course of comparative religious studies. As his example  Smith reviews four centuries of scholarship comparing early Christianities with religions of late Antiquity (especially the so-called mystery cults) and shows how this scholarship has been based upon an underlying Protestant-Catholic polemic. The result is a devastating critique of traditional New Testament scholarship  a redescription of early Christianities as religious traditions amenable to comparison  and a milestone in Smiths controversial approach to comparative religious studies.  \"An important book  and certainly one of the most significant in the career of Jonathan Z. Smith  whom one may venture to call the greatest pathologist in the history of religions. As in many precedent cases  Smith follows a standard procedure: he carefully selects his victim  and then dissects with artistic finesse and unequaled acumen. The operation is always necessary  and a deconstructor of Smiths caliber is hard to find.\"Ioan P. Coulianu  Journal of Religion\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648090431541,"sku":"ByrdShop_0226763625","price":227.32,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780226763620.jpg?v=1781709124","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/drudgery-divine-on-the-comparison-of-early-christianities-and-the-religions-of-late-antiquity-chicago-studies-in-the-history-of-judaism-9780226763620","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}