Rituals and Ethics

What patterns of repentance are presented by such different religious traditions as Judaism, Christianity and Islam? How are transgressions cancelled in the eyes of God, the individual and society? What individual and collective actions are necessary for the granting of forgiveness?Today, the study of the mechanisms of social reconciliation based on inner and collective repentance is an increasingly urgent issue. An international conference on this subject was organized by "Mediterraneum", with the participation of scholars from European, American and Middle Eastern universities. We publish here the essays by J. Assmann (Heidelberg), P.C. Bori, A. Destro, M. Pesce (Bologna), A. Feldtkeller (Berlin), G. Filoramo (Turin), G. Mayer (Heidelberg), Mongia and Mokdad Arfa Mensia (Tunis), J. Neusner (Bard College), M. Nobile (Rome), P. Vassiliadis and D. Passakos (Thessaloniki)."Mediterraneum" is an international center for the study of religions situated in Bertinoro, the medieval Italian city from which Ovadiah, the famous commentator of the Mishna, takes his name.