Emotions have increasingly attracted the attention of the sciences and academia. The topic is
all the more timely since we have witnessed a global trend towards highly emotionalized
discourses across societies and religions. Discourses are less guided by rational arguments and
facts. Instead narratives sometimes manipulative influence the thoughts and activi-ties of
our societies. In this context the authoritative texts of the monotheistic religions are
experiencing a renaissance. Tanach Bible and Qur'an do not only emotionalize they also offer
ancient concepts of emotions which affect the present. This book brings the interdependencies
of antiquity and (post)modernity into an interdisci-plinary discussion. How should we
understand feelings at all? This book explores the ap-proaches to emotions as portrayed and
understood in various sources and disciplines. The contributors share their perspectives on
methodological questions concerning research on the emotions. Scholars in religious studies and
theology from different traditions-Jewish Christian Islamic-enter into dialogue with other
disciplines such as psychology literary studies sociology cultural studies philosophy and
historiography.
