Reading J. Z. Smith

Reviews / Votes

My initial reaction to see this book was that it could not hold much of interest to one who has already read Smith's essays, but I was wrong. This is a book well worth reading, no matter what level of familiarity one has with his work. * Brian Collins, Ohio University, Religious Studies Review * Reading J. Z. Smith is an easily accessible primer of sorts, both on the man and his work. It would be comprehensible for undergraduates as well as more established scholars who are already familiar with Smith's work and those who are not. * Benjamin D. Crace, Nova Religio * provides a glimpse into the mind of a giant in the field, nearing the end of his career and the end of his life, reflecting on his legacy and on the field that he played no small part in creating. * Richard Kent Evans, Reading Religion * Scholars of religion today have learned to recognize, and to take seriously, that 'religion' is an idea native to nowhere but the modern West, and that the academy was its nursery. In a series of conversations and expository talks, J. Z. Smith demonstrates through his own example how prodigiously productive this recognition can be to the study of religion. A parting gift of a great scholar. * Tomoko Masuzawa, Professor of History and Comparative Literature, University of Michigan * The recently departed J. Z. Smith was the most original theoretician of religion of the past fifty years, in addition to being a larger-than-life character. This collection reveals both in vivid technicolor. Braun and McCutcheon are to be congratulated for bringing an overlooked Smith, the dialogical one, to our attention, thereby ensuring that his important legacy will not be forgotten. This volume will surely be required reading for anyone interested in the continued and necessary illumination of Smith's work. * Aaron W. Hughes, Philip S. Bernstein Chair of Religion, University of Rochester * I have read everything and anything Jonathan Z. Smith wrote during his long and fruitful academic career. The sheer range of materials is staggering. But J.Z. Smith is infinitely better 'in his own words' and this volume is such a wonderful window into just that-not just Smith but Smith on Smith! Nothing could be better, either for one who has never read Smith and will be inspired to do so, or one who has followed him deeply over many decades and can now pause and listen as he relates the various stages of his own unfolding as a human being and a scholar. We owe the editors a debt of gratitude. A must have for anyone who works in the history of religions-or just Humanities for that matter! * James D. Tabor, Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Charlotte *