{"product_id":"when-souls-had-wings-paperback","title":"When Souls Had Wings - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eTerryl L. Givens\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe idea of the pre-existence of the soul has been extremely important, widespread, and persistent throughout Western history--from even before the philosophy of Plato to the poetry of Robert Frost. \u003cem\u003eWhen Souls Had Wings\u003c\/em\u003e offers the first systematic history of this little explored feature of Western culture. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTerryl Givens describes the tradition of pre-existence as \"pre-heaven\"--the place where unborn souls wait until they descend to earth to be born. And typically it \u003cem\u003eis\u003c\/em\u003e seen as a descent--a falling away from a happier and untroubled state into the turbulent and sinful world we know. The title of the book refers to the idea put forward in antiquity that our souls begin with wings, and that only after shedding those wings do we fall to earth. The book not only traces the history of the idea of pre-existence, but also captures its meaning for those who have embraced it. Givens describes how pre-existence has been invoked to explain \"the better angels of our nature,\" including the human yearning for transcendence and the sublime. Pre-existence has been said to account for why we know what we should not know, whether in the form of a Greek slave's grasp of mathematics, the moral sense common to humanity, or the human ability to recognize universals. The belief has explained human bonds that\u003cbr\u003eseem to have their own mysterious prehistory, salved the wounded sensibility of a host of thinkers who could not otherwise account for the unevenly distributed pain and suffering that are humanity's common lot, and has been posited by philosophers and theologians alike to salvage the principle of human freedom and accountability. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen Souls had Wings\u003c\/em\u003e underscores how durable (and controversial) this idea has been throughout the history of Western thought, the theological dangers it has represented, and how prominently it has featured in poetry, literature, and art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTerryl L. Givens\u003c\/strong\u003e is Professor of Literature and Religion and holds the Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English at the University of Richmond. Some of his books include \u003cem\u003eViper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy\u003c\/em\u003e (Oxford, 1997), \u003cem\u003eBy the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion\u003c\/em\u003e (Oxford 2002), which the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e called \"provocative reading,\" \u003cem\u003ePeople of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture\u003c\/em\u003e, which was named Best Book of the Year by the Mormon History Association for 2007, and most recently, \u003cem\u003eThe Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction\u003c\/em\u003e (Oxford 2009).\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 400\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.82 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 01, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51754021126432,"sku":"9780199916856","price":87.21,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/023859fa4ac5734279c9ede664c7590e.webp?v=1780031650","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/when-souls-had-wings-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}