Practicing Theory with Ancient Religious Literature

Dear Colleagues,

In this special edition of Religions, we seek submissions that will explore the uses of cultural, sociological, and literary theories in the study of ancient religions. We will leave the definition of “ancient religions” vague because “antiquity” does not have a singular definition for all regions of the world. We will entertain submissions related to the development of any religious tradition prior to the rise of print technologies.

Modern sociological and literary theory emerged from the societal upheaval of industrialization. Recently, Kwame Anthony Appiah has discussed “how religion gave definition to the social sciences that gave definition to religion” (Appiah, 2025, p. 27). Religion could become an object of study only amidst the historical contingencies and social dissolution of the modern period. Religion qua religion became visible only from the outside when it was possible to imagine a reality beyond it.

The foundations of sociological and literary theory continue to transform approaches to the literature and institutions of ancient religions. Max Weber, who published on the religions of China and India, the European Protestant ethic, and ancient Judaism, did so from a particular ideal vantage point. His sociological theory was self-consciously a constructed analytical tool that wasn’t straightforwardly “objective.” What justified theory for him was that it was fit for the task of observing its object of study to a particular end. Durkheim’s 1912 volume, Elementary Forms of Religious Life, also continues to shape discourse on the study of religion. Similarly, literary theories devised in the same period allow us to understand textual objects “as forms of activity inseparable from the wider social relations between writers and readers…and largely unintelligible outside the social purposes and conditions in which they were embedded” (Eagleton, 2008, p. 179).

Since the middle of the twentieth century, we have seen a proliferation of critical theories that have been adapted and applied to the study of religion. While no interpretive theory, on its own, can exhaust a text’s meaning, theory can challenge conventional thinking and transform our understanding of a religious tradition and its history. Theory can compel scholars to move beyond questions of what a text means to interrogate the matter of who constructs meaning and for what purposes. It also brings the difference between the world of the text and the world of the reader to the fore. Theory is constrained by the cultural milieu in which it is developed; alternatively, it offers one the possibility of stepping outside the constraints of one’s habitus—as Bourdieu would express it—so as to see the world anew.

As Appiah (2025) and others elucidate, it is not uncommon for scholarship on religions to employ aspects of social and literary theories when analyzing sacred texts and religious communities. However, we believe there is ample room for the expansion of theory as a means for reshaping our understanding of ancient literature or the cultures that produced them. If “observing” religion shaped the sociology that defined religion, scholars of religious cultures, texts, and rituals should acknowledge the inevitable recursiveness of their studies; at the same time, they exploit the distinctive character and challenges of interpreting ancient documents.

In this Special Issue of Religions, we invite contributions exploring the impact of various theories and individual theorists on the study of ancient religious texts. We also welcome scholarly reviews of the state of theory in their field generally, or that application of a specific theory or theorist over time. Scholars of ancient religions are limited in ways that those studying contemporary religions are not. For instance, the historical origins of ancient religions are often presumed to predate their sacred texts, sometimes by many centuries, as is the case with Judaism (e.g., the Pentateuch) and Hinduism (Vedic literature). As such, there is always the question of how reliably the earliest surviving sources reflect anything about the origins or formative periods of a given religion. Additionally, antiquity obfuscates the relationship between religious texts produced by literati and the lived experiences of practitioners who have left us no written traces. In contrast, religions like Christianity and Islam, whose earliest surviving texts developed almost concurrently with the founding of the religion, might offer us insights into how to navigate the gaps in yet older religious traditions.

Submissions should demonstrate how theory—or a specific theorist—illuminates previously overlooked dimensions of religious experience in the ancient world; or, alternatively, how theory can help navigate methodological challenges distinctive to a given tradition or set of documents, whose authors remain unknown (e.g., Nag Hammadi). As noted, we are consciously leaving open the definition of “antiquity,” thereby inviting submissions from all regions of the world that have left us documentary vestiges of developing religious traditions.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Dr. Gilmore and Professor Aaron, and cc the Assistant Editor of Religion, Clare Chai, at clare.chai@mdpi.com. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References

Appiah, Kwame Anthony. 2025. Captive Gods: Religion and the Rise of Social Science. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Eagleton, Terry. 2008. Literary Theory: An Introduction. 3^rd edition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Dr. Caleb A. Gilmore
Prof. Dr. David H. Aaron
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• theory
• ancient
• social science
• culture
• religion
• text
• scripture