Download CURRICULUM VITAE G. John Renard Professor of Theological

CURRICULUM VITAE
G. John Renard
Professor of Theological Studies
College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Louis University
(O) 3800 Lindell Boulevard, #337
St. Louis, MO 63156-0907
(314) 977-2869/2878 (314) 994-7006.
(H) 16 Bon Hills Drive
St. Louis, MO 63132
E-mail: [email protected]
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
1978
1973
1971
1967
Ph.D., Harvard University, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations: Islamic Studies, with focus
on religious literature in Arabic and Persian; Islamic art history, and religion.
M.Div. Program for ordination, Saint Louis University, School of Divinity
M.A., Saint Louis University, Department of Biblical Languages and Literature.
B.A., Saint Louis University, double major in Classical Languages and Philosophy, Summa cum laude.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
1978 -- Professor (1988), Theological Studies, Saint Louis University.
1992-98 Hotfelder Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities (rotating three-year competitive award
renewable once in new competition), Saint Louis University
1990
Fall, Rockefeller Fellow in the Humanities, Washington University, St. Louis
1988
Fall, Visiting Faculty, University of Pittsburgh, Semester at Sea
1985
Winter, Research Fellow, Sophia University (Tokyo) Institute of Asian Cultures
1983
Summer, as above
1981
Fall, Visiting Lecturer in Departments of Theology and Art History (Jesuit Scholar in
Residence), Xavier University, Cincinnati
1981
Summer, Visiting Lecturer in Islamic Religion, Lexington Theological Seminary (Christian Church),
Lexington, KY
1978
Spring, Visiting Instructor, Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, MA
1975
Summer, Instructor in Theology, Saint Louis University
1975-78 Instructor in Theology, Boston College, Boston, MA
1972-73 Instructor in Theology, Saint Louis University
1969-71 Instructor in Theology, Latin, and Greek, DeSmet Jesuit High School, St. Louis
1969-71 Summers, Instructor in Theology, St. John's College, Belize City, Belize, C. A.
GRANTS: 1 NEH Summer Stipend (1994), 1 Rockefeller Fellowship/Washington University (1990), 2 Cambridge
Center for Social Studies (1984, 1985), 6 SLU Graduate Summer Research Awards (1992, 1994, 1995, 1997,
1998, 2001, 2003), 15 SLU Mellon, 1 SLU Beaumont.
RESEARCH LANGUAGES (Reading): Classical and Medieval Arabic, Persian, Biblical Hebrew, Classical and Biblical
Greek, Classical and Medieval Latin, French, Spanish, German, Italian
MEMBERSHIPS (Past and Current):
Middle East Medievalists
American Academy of Religion
American Oriental Society
Middle East Studies Association
College Theology Society
Renard, CV
Catholic Theological Society of America
Islamic Society of North America
PUBLICATIONS
SCHOLARLY (PEER-REVIEWED) BOOKS
Tales of God’s Friends: Islamic Hagiography in Translation, companion anthology to Friends of God, University of
California Press, forthcoming Spring 2009
Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment and Servanthood. Berkeley: University of California
Press, forthcoming Feb. 2008
Knowledge of God in Classical Sufism: Foundations of Islamic Mystical Theology. Paulist Press Classics of
Western Spirituality Series — a selection of Medieval texts translated from Arabic and Persian on the
theme of "experiential knowledge.” Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2004. Indonesian translation: Mengenal
Allah, trans. Musa Kazhim (Bandung: Mizan, 2005).
Islam and the Heroic Image: Themes in Literature and the Visual Arts. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press,
1999, paperback edition. Original cloth edition: Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press,
1993. 342 pp., 17 ill.
Windows on the House of Islam: Muslim Sources of Spirituality and Religious Life. A Sourcebook of Texts and
Images designed as companion to Seven Doors to Islam (below), University of California Press, 1998.
Edited 74 translations by 33 scholars from 12 languages; contributed eight from Arabic and one from
Persian; wrote all connecting and introductory text; along with my own photos for half of the 66
illustrations; 450 pp. Indian edition -- New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 2000. Notable Book Status
award, Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society Book Competition, 1999.
Seven Doors to Islam: Spirituality and the Religious Life of Muslims. Berkeley: University of California Press,
1996. 350 pp., 38 ill. Indian edition -- New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1998. Selection
anthologized in The Spread of Islam, ed. C. Swisher (San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999) 125-33.
Honorable Mention, Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Honor Society Book Award, 1999. Turkish
translation: Đslam’ın Yedi Kapısı (Istanbul: Đnsan Yayınları, Haziran 2003/2006). Indonesian translation:
Dimensi-dimensi islam (Jakarta: Inisiasi Press, 2004). Choice Outstanding Academic Book 1996.
All the King’s Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994.
Indonesian translation: Rajawali sang raja: senandung Rumi tentang Nabi dan wahyu (Jakarta: Serambi
Ilmu Semesta, 2001).
Letters on the Sufi Path by Ibn ‘Abbad of Ronda, translation from Arabic, with Introduction and Notes, a Volume
in the Classics of Western Spirituality Series. New York: Paulist Press, 1986. Indonesian translation:
Surat-surat Sang Sufi, trans. M. S. Nasrulloh and Ilyas Hasan (Bandung, Indonesia: Mizan, 1993).
PEER-REVIEWED BOOKS UNDER CONTRACT
Islam and Christianity: Theologies in Comparative Perspective, under contract to the University of California Press, for
tentative delivery mid-late 2009
Renard, CV
Fighting Words: Religion, Violence, and the Interpretation of Sacred Texts. An edited collection of essays, to be
delivered to University of California Press late 2010
ACADEMIC REFERENCE WORK PUBLISHED (Sole Author)
A Historical Dictionary of Sufism. Lanham, NJ: Scarecrow Press (an imprint of Rowman and Littlefield), 2005.
GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS
101 Questions and Answers on Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2003. (Heavily edited
material from the last three chapters of The Handy Religion Answer Book [see below], with permission from VIP)
Understanding the Islamic Experience. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2002. An updated and expanded edition, adding full
index, timeline, glossary, and all new photos by the author, of In the Footsteps of Muhammad: Understanding the
Islamic Experience. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1992. Philippines edition, Manila: St. Paul's Press, 1999
The Handy Religion Answer Book, 200,000 word text with 128 illustrations, including 110 of the author's photos. Detroit:
Visible Ink Press, 2001
Responses to 101 Questions on Buddhism. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999. Indian edition, Bombay: Better Yourself
Books, 2001. Reissued for mass-market outlets as 101 Questions and Answers on Buddhism, dual-publishing
arrangement with Random House/Gramercy Press, 2002
Responses to 101 Questions on Hinduism. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999. Indian edition, Bombay: Better Yourself
Books, 2000. Reissued for mass-market outlets as 101 Questions and Answers on Hinduism, dual-publishing
arrangement with Random House/Gramercy Press, 2002
Responses to 101 Questions on Islam. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1998. Indian edition, Bombay: Better Yourself
Books, 2000. Reissued for mass-market outlets as 101 Questions and Answers on Islam, dual-publishing
arrangement with Random House/Gramercy Press, 2002
PEER-REVIEWED BOOK: PROPOSALS UNDER CONSIDERATION
Stoking the Refiner’s Fire: Apocalyptic Exegesis in the Abrahamic Faith Traditions. An edited collection of essays,
proposal in development for University of California Press
SCHOLARLY ARTICLES and BOOK CHAPTERS
“Conventional Folly: Islamophobia, Double Standards, and Misrepresentations of Islam and Muslims,” in Tradition and
Pluralism: Essays in Honor of William M. Shea, eds. K. Parker, P. Huff and M. Pahls (New York: University
Press of America, 2008), +
“Heroic Themes: An Invitation to Muslim Worlds,” revised chapter from Islam and the Heroic Image: Themes in Islamic
Art and Literature (South Carolina 1993/Mercer 1999 pb) by invitation, in Muslim Modernities: Expressions of
the Civil Imagination, ed. Amyn Sajoo (New York: I. B. Tauris, 2008), 51-72
“Islamic Religious Experience: Foundations, Scripture and Spirituality” in Theological Foundations, ed. JJ. Mueller, SJ
(Winona, MN: St. Mary’s Press, 2008), 306-334. [revised chapter from Understanding the Islamic Experience
(Paulist Press, 2000)]
Renard, CV
“Picturing Holy Places: On the Uses of Architectural Symbolism in Icon and Ornament,” Religion and the Arts 5:4
(2001) 399-428. 13 illustrations
“Comparative Theology: Definition and Method,” Religious Studies and Theology 17:1 (1998) 3-18
“Low Roofs Over Infinity: Architectural Miniatures in a Typology of Ritual Object,” Religion and the Arts 2:3 (1998)
343-75, 16 illustrations
“Comparative Religious Architecture: Islamic and Hindu Ritual Space,” Religion and the Arts 1:4 (1997) 62-88, 8
illustrations
“A Method for Comparative Studies in Religious Visual Arts: Approaching Architecture,” Religion and the Arts 1:1
(1996) 100-123, 4 illustrations
“Islam the One and the Many: Unity and Diversity in a Global Tradition” in Hans Kung and Jurgen Moltmann, eds.,
Islam: A Challenge for Christianity, an issue of Concilium: An International Review of Theology,
(London/Maryknoll: SCM Press and Orbis Books, 1994:3) 31-38
“Mantiq at-Talibin: A Translation, with Commentary, of a Yet Undiscovered Text,” in Maria Subtelny, ed., Festschrift
for Annemarie Schimmel, a special issue of Journal of Turkish Studies 18 (1994) 239-46
“Like a Prophet Among His People: Prophet as Shaykh, Murid, and Model for Mystics in Rumi,” Bulletin of the Turkish
Studies Association 17:1 (1993) 106-119
“Islam and Christian Theologians,” Catholic Theological Society of America Proceedings 48 (1993) 41-54 [Plenary
Address CTSA National Convention]
“Islamic Spirituality,” in Michael Downey, ed., New Catholic Dictionary of Spirituality (Collegeville: Liturgical Press,
1993) 555-59
“The Dominican and the Dervish: A Christian Muslim Dialogue that Might Have Been --Between Thomas Aquinas (d.
1274) and Jalal ad-Din Rumi (d. 1273),” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 29:2 (Spring 1992) 189-201
“Theological Perspectives on the Middle East,” American-Arab Affairs 34 (Fall 1990) 56-63
“Lonergan in Flatland: Reflections on the Role of Theology in the Liberal Arts Curriculum,” in Rolando Bonachea, ed.,
Jesuit Higher Education: Essays on an American Tradition of Excellence (Pittsburgh: Duquesne University,
1989) 52-65
“Three Visual Themes in Search of a Global Spirituality,” Studies in Formative Spirituality 10:2 (May 1988) 193-207
“Al-Jihad al-Akbar: Notes on a Theme in Islamic Spirituality,” The Muslim World 78:3-4 (July-October l988) 225-242
“Spiritual Guidance in Islam II” The Way 28:1 (Jan. 1988) 60-68. Reprinted in L. Byrne, ed., Traditions of Spiritual
Guidance (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1990) 200-210
“Jesus and Other Gospel Figures in the Writings of Jalal ad-Din Rumi,” Hamdard Islamicus 10:2 (Summer 1987) 47-64
“Images of Abraham in the Writings of Jalal ad-Din Rumi,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 106:4 (Dec. 1986)
633-640
“Muslim-Christian Dialogue: A Review of Six Post-Vatican II Church-Related Documents,” Journal of Ecumenical
Studies 23:1 (Winter 1986) 69-89. Reprinted in Leonard Swidler, ed., Muslims in Dialogue (Lewiston: Edwin
Mellen, 1992) 283-310
“The Prophet Yusuf in the Writings of Jalal ad-Din Rumi,” Hamdard Islamicus (Lahore) 9:1 (Spring 1986) 11-22
“Heroic Themes in Medieval Islamicate Art and Literature,” Journal of Sophia Asian Studies Vol. III (December 1985)
167-89
“In the Mirror of Creation: A Muslim Mystic's View of the Individual in the Cosmos,” Horizons 12:2 (Fall 1985) 311-27
“The Three Paradigmatic Journeys in Islamic Spirituality,” Studies in Formative Spirituality 4:3 (November 1983) 335350
“God is Beautiful and He Loves Beauty: Aesthetics and Spirituality in the Islamic Tradition,” Studies in Formative
Spirituality 4:1 (February 1983) 95-108
“Varieties of Islamic Thought: Five Classical Approaches to Prophetic Revelation,” Thought 57:226 (September 1982)
285-299
“All Things Perish, Save the Face of God: Islamic Perspectives on Death,” Studies in Formative Spirituality 2:2 (May
1981) 189-203
“Prayer in the Islamic Tradition II,” The Way 20:2 (April 1980) 148-57
“Prayer in the Islamic Tradition I,” The Way 20:1 (January 1980) 68-76
Renard, CV
“Muslim Ethics: Sources, Interpretations, and Challenges,” The Muslim World 69:3 (July 1979) 163-77
ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLES
“Abraham” (1:5-7), “Jesus (Islamic view)” (2:428-29), and “Khidr” (2:474-75), in Holy People of the World: A CrossCultural Encyclopedia, ed. Phyllis Jestice (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2004)
“Khadir/Khidr,” delivered under contract for Jane D. McAuliffe, ed., Encyclopedia of the Qur’an (Leiden: E. J. Brill,
2003), Vol. III
“Bayezid al-Bistami,”“Fakhr ad-Din Razi,” “Abu Nasr as-Sarraj,”“Hikmah,” “Hafez,” for The Oxford Dictionary of
Islam, John Esposito, ed. (New York: Oxford U Press, 2003)
“Adoration” (pp. 26-27), “Alexander/Iskandar” (pp. 61-62), “Deliverance” (pp. 518-19), “Despair” (pp. 521-22), in Jane
D. McAuliffe, ed., Encyclopedia of the Qur’an (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2001), Vol. I
ARTICLES IN PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS AND JOURNALS OF OPINION
“Clash-Talk: Islam and the Polarization of American Public Discourse,” America 189:11 (Oct. 10, 2003) 10-13; reissued
in The American Muslim (online journal), July 2005
“Islamic Spirituality,” Chicago Studies 36:1 (1997) 62-73
“A Contemporary Christian Response to Islam,” Spirituality Today 34:3 (Fall 1982) 209-221
“The Foundations of Islamic Religious Experience,” Spirituality Today 34:2 (Summer 1982) 100-112
“Temple and Building: Pauline Images of Church and Community,” Review for Religious 41:3 (May/June 1982) 419-431
“Islam and the West: Building Inter-cultural Bridges,” America 142:15 (Apr. 19, 1980) 334-37
“Religion and Politics in Islamic History,” America 141:19 (Dec. 15, 1979) 383-87
“Understanding the World of Islam,” America 141:11 (Oct. 20, 1979) 207-10. Reprinted in The Leader, Brisbane,
Australia, Nov. 1979. These three America articles were selected by chief chaplain, Office of the Chief of Naval
Operations, for inclusion in a packet supplied to all Navy chaplains on Middle East duty in 1990
“Matchwood, Immortal Diamond: Reflections on Death and Resurrection,” Review for Religious 38:4 (July 1979) 511-19
“Islamic Spirituality: Divine Sovereignty and Prophetic Mission,” Review for Religious 37:6 (Nov. 1978) 889-95
REVIEW ESSAYS
“Traces of the Buddha in East Asia and Beyond,” Religion and the Arts 6 Books
“Around the World in Religion and the Arts: Defining the Study of Islamic Art,” Religion and the Arts 10:4 (2006): 53955, 9 books
“Defining the History of Islamic Art,” Religion and the Arts 10:3 (2006): 7 books
“Religious Community, Place, and the Spatial Arts: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives from around the Globe,”
Religion and the Arts 10:2 (2006): 217-90, 16 books
“Genre and Theme in Islamic Religious Literature,” 6 books, Religion and Literature 36:2 (2004) 109-18.
“Of the Beaten Path in the Arts of Christianity and Islam,” 15 books, Religion and the Arts 8:1 (2004) 74-91
“Across Asia in the Footsteps of the Buddha,” 15 books, Religion and the Arts 7:4 (2003) 465-86
“Around the World in Religion and the Arts,” 11 books, Religion and the Arts 6:3 (2002) 359-73
“Jerusalem De-constructed: The Architecture of an Islamic Holy City,” 6 books, Religion and the Arts 4:4 (2000) 556-63
“Holy Writ, Belles Lettres, and Islamic Literature,” Religion and Literature 31:2 (1999) 80-86
“Religion, the Arts, and Islamic Architecture,” 8 books, Religion and the Arts 2:1 (1998) 69-81
“Defining the Issues in the Middle East,” America 147:9 (Mar. 5, 1983) 168-172
“Freeing Captive Memories of Iran,” America 146:11 (Mar. 20, 1982) 213-217
“The Islamic Middle East”, America 146:4 (Jan. 30, 1982) 76-77
Renard, CV
COMMENTARY
“Dying to be Muslim and American,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Oct. 28, 2008
“The common core of Christianity, Judaism and Islam,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 23, 2007
“Do Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God?” Dallas Morning News, June 27, 2004
“Islam, Double Standards, and the New Bigotry.” Catholic Worker Roundtable (Summer 2003) 10-11
“Seeing and Believing: Religious Studies on Semester at Sea.” Shipmates, Newsletter of the Institute for Shipboard
Education, Univ. of Pittsburgh, 68 (Fall 1998) 3, 11
“Reflections on Hindu-Christian Relations.” Pushpanjali (commemorative volume for dedication of St. Louis Hindu
Temple), ed. Shankar Sastry (St. Louis: Hindu Temple Foundation, 1998) 62-65
“Jesuits among Muslims,” Introduction to “Jesuits and the Islamic World at the Beginning of a New Millennium.”
Discovery 4 (1993) vii-ix
“Americans Need to Learn About Islam.” St. Louis Post Dispatch, Jan. 24, 1991
“Lessons Learned from Desert Storm.” St. Louis Post Dispatch, Mar. 11, 1991
REVIEWS
Over 70 Book Reviews (in, e.g., International Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin,
The Muslim World, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies,
Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Religion and the Arts, Journal
of Ecumenical Studies, Theological Studies, Religion and Literature) and 20 Booknotes (e.g., Religious Studies Review,
Choice) including the following since 1990 (not including over two dozen 1978-1989):
Canby, Sheila R. Islamic Art in Detail. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005.
AND
Chaturachinda, Gwyneth, Sunanda Krishnamurty, and Pauline W. Tabtiang. Dictionary of South and Southeast Asian Art.
Second Edition. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 2004. AND
Boele, Vincent, et al. Pilgrim Treasures from the Hermitage: Byzantium, Jerusalem. Amsterdam: Lund Humphreys,
2005. ALL in Religion and the Arts 11:3/4 (2007): 509-11
Wheeler, Brannon. Mecca and Eden: Ritual, Relics, and Territory in Islam. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press,
2006. Religion and the Arts 11:3/4 (2007): 515-16
Hughes, Aaron W. The Texture of the Divine: Imagination in Medieval Islamic and Jewish Thought (Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 2004) In The Journal of the American Oriental Society 125:1 (2005): 106-7
Ramos, João Ramos, with Isabel Boavida, eds. The Indigenous and Foreign in Christian Ethiopian Art: On PortugueseEthiopian Contacts in the 16th-17th Centuries (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2004) AND
Silverman, Raymond A. Painting Ethiopia: The Life and Work of Qes Adamu Tesfaw (Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler
Museum of Cultural History, 2005) in Religion and the Arts 10:3 (2006): 435-37
Chicarelli, Charles F. Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Introduction. (Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 2004). AND
Lopez, Donald S., ed. Critical Terms for the Study of Buddhism. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005). Religion
and the Arts 9:3/4 (2005): 341-43.
Roberts, Allen F. and Mary Nooter Roberts. A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal (Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler
Museum of Cultural History, 2003) AND
Wolper, Ethel Sara. Cities and Saints: Sufism and the Transformation of Urban Space in Medieval Anatolia (University
Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003). In Religion and the Arts 9:3/4 (2005): 355-59.
Qiao Yun, Taoist Buildings: Ancient Chinese Architecture Series (Stuttgart: Spring, 2001), in Religion and the Arts 8:4
(2004): 534-35.
Helen I. Jessup, Art and Architecture of Cambodia (New York: Thames and Hudson, 2004), in Religion and the Arts 8:4
(2004): 532-33.
Renard, CV
Harold J. Ellens, ed. The Destructive Power of Religion: Violence in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. 4 volumes.
(Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004). In Religion and the Arts 8:4 (2004): 501-3.
Anna L. Dallapiccola, Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (New York: Thames and Hudson, 2002) in Religion and the
Arts 8:4 (2004): 531-32.
Noegel, Scott B. and Brannon M. Wheeler. Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism. (Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow Press, 2001) AND
Wheeler, Brannon M. Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis. (New York:
Continuum, 2002). In Religion and Literature 37:1 (2005): 123-25.
S. Brent Plate, ed. Religion, Art, and Visual Culture. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2002). Religion and the Arts 7:3
(2003) 353.
Colum Hourihane, ed. King David in the Index of Christian Art. (Princeton 2002). Religion and the Arts 7:3 (2003) 352.
Reinhard Neudecker, The Voice of God on Mount Sinai: Rabbinic Commentaries on Exodus 20:1 in the Light of Sufi and
Zen Buddhist Texts (Rome: Biblical Institute, 2002). Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations 14:4 (2003) 492-93.
Cooperson, Michael. Classical Arabic Biography: The Heirs of the Prophets in the Age of al-Ma'mun. (Cambridge U P,
2000). together with
Hibri, Tayeb al-. Reinterpreting Islamic Historiography: Harun al-Rashid and the Narrative of the `Abbasid Caliphate.
(Cambridge U P, 1999). Journal of the American Academy of Religion 70 (2002) 203-208
Brown, Kerry. Sikh Art and Literature (Routledge, 1999). Religion and the Arts 4:2 (2000) 281-82
Elgood, Heather. Hinduism and the Religious Arts (Cassel/Continuum 1999). Religion and the Arts 4:2 (2000) 282-83
Milstein, Rachel. Stories of the Prophets: Illustrated Manuscripts of Qisas al-Anbiya (Mazda, 1999). Religion and the
Arts 4:2 (2000) 288-89
Kelly, Michael, ed. Encyclopedia of Aesthetics (Oxford 1998). Religion and the Arts 4:2 (2000) 270-72
Arthur Buehler, Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh (U of
South Carolina P, 1998). International Journal of Middle East Studies 32 (2000) 541-42
Buck, Christopher. Paradises and Paradigms: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Baha'i Faith (SUNY 1999).
Middle East Studies Association Bulletin 34:2 (2000) 212-213
Marianna Shreve Simpson. Persian Poetry, Painting and Patronage: Illustrations in a Sixteenth-Century Manuscript.
(Yale U P, 1998), and
_____________________. Sultan Ibrahim Mirza's “Haft Awrang”: A Princely Manuscript from Sixteenth Century Iran.
(Yale U P, 1997), and
Baer, Eva. Islamic Ornament. (New York U P, 1998), and
Blair, Sheila. Islamic Inscriptions. (New York U P, 1998), and
Barral i Altet, Xavier. The Early Middle Ages. (Taschen, 1997), and
Stierlin, Henri. Turkey: From the Seljuks to the Ottomans. (Taschen, 1998), all in Religion and the Arts 3:1 (1999) 119121, 127-133
Mahmoud Zibawi. Eastern Christian Worlds. Translated from French by Madeleine Beaumont. (The Liturgical Press,
1997). Religion and the Arts 2:3 (1998) 388-90
Henri and Anne Stierlin. Splendours of an Islamic World: Mamluk Art in Cairo, 1250-1517. (Tauris Parke Books, 1997).
Religion and the Arts 2:3 (1998) 392-93
Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom. The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800. (Yale U P, 1994). Religion and
the Arts 1:4 (1997) 97-99
Michael Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism. (Paulist 1996). Theological Studies 58:1 (1997) 188
A. Banani et al., eds, Poetry and Mysticism in Islam (Cambridge U P, 1994). Journal of American Oriental Society 117:1
(1997) 185-186
Leonard Lewisohn, Beyond Faith and Infidelity: the Sufi Poetry and Teachings of Mahmud Shabistari (Curzon, 1995).
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (London) 59:3 (Oct. 1996) 23-24
Roger Arnaldez, Three Messengers for One God (Notre Dame 1994). Theological Studies 57:2 (Spring 1996) 365-66
Giacinto B. Marcuzzo, Le Dialogue d'Abraham de Tiberiade avec Abd al-Rahman al-Hashimi a Jerusalem vers 820
(Rome: PISAI, 1986). Journal of Ecumenical Studies 31:1-2 (Winter-Sp 1994) 179-180
David Burrell, Freedom and Creation in Three Traditions (Notre Dame 1993). Theological Studies 55:4 (1994) 556-558
Renard, CV
Sarwat Anis al-Assiouty, Récherches comparèes sur le Christianisme Primitif et l'Islam Premier, 3 vols. (Letouzey et
Ane, 1987). Journal of Ecumenical Studies 29:1 (1992) 132-33
Johann C. Bürgel, The Feather of Simurgh: The Licit Magic of the Arts in Medieval Islam (New York U P, 1988).
Journal of the American Oriental Society 110:4 (1990) 785-87
SELECTED LECTURES, PAPERS, ACADEMIC CONFERENCES
2008: “Heroes and Saints in Islamic Art and Literature,” Calderwood Chair lecture in Religion and the Arts, Boston
College, October 17
2007: “Islamophobia, Double Standards, and Misperceptions of Islam and Muslims,” keynote address, Colloquium at
Holy Cross College, Worcester MA, March 16-18
2006: “Female Friends of God: Revered Women in Traditional Islamic Hagiography,” Annual Lecture for the Center of
Medieval and Renaissance Studies, SLU, Sept. 20
2006: “God’s Female Protegées: Revered Women in Traditional Islamic Hagiography,” Meramec Community College
and Washington University
2005: “Sulayman, Sinan, and the Architectural Heritage of Byzantium,” Medieval and Renaissance Colloquium, SLU,
April 1
2005: “Issues in Translating Medieval Arabic and Persian Religious Texts,” Center for the Study of Islamic Societies and
Cultures, Washington University, April 26
2004: Respondent to Plenary Address by Vincent Wimbush, national American Academy of Religion conference, San
Antonio, Nov. 20
2004: “Hujwiri on Knowledge: When a ‘Classic’ Translation Needs Updating,” International Society for Iranian Studies,
Washington DC, May 28
2003: “Beauty and Creativity: an Islamic Perspective,” for the symposium Axis of Love, organized by Washington U. at
the Missouri Historical Society, Oct. 8
2003: “The Jesuits and the Arts in 16th and 17th century Mughal India,” public lecture in connection with the exhibition
on Mughal Art, St. Louis Art Museum, April 3
2003: “Approaching Islam in the Twenty-first Century,” Islamic Studies Group, University of Pittsburgh, March 12
2002: “Religion and Culture: An Understanding of World Affairs,” presentation for conference “Collision and
Coexistence,” St. Louis chapter of World Affairs Council, June 4
2001: “Experiential Knowledge in the Sufi Manuals,” American Academy of Religion, national, Denver, Nov.
2001: “Iraq: Religious and Cultural Heritage,” Puleo Conference on Iraqi Sanctions, Feb. 1, Saint Louis University
1999: “Calligraphic Themes in Contemporary Islamic Art,” American Academy of Religion, national, Boston, Nov. 21
1999: Respondent to panel, “Envisioning Islam: Elements of Visual and Spatial Symbolism in Muslim Religious Life,”
American Academy of Religion, national, Boston Nov. 19
1999: “Words Alight: Islamic Calligraphy and the Art of Bernard Maisner,” SLU, MOCRA April 15
1998: “Opening Doors and Windows: A Christian Scholar's Approach to Islam,” Islamic Foundation
of Saint Louis, Nov. 7
1998: “Ritual and Revelation in the Islamic Tradition,” faculty retreat for Eden Seminary, St. Louis, Aug. 31
1998: “Signs of the Times: Islam in America,” Touhy Professorship Summer Lecture Series, John Carroll University,
July 14
1998: “Islam in Contemporary Middle Eastern Political Discourse,” for academics traveling to the M.E., organized by JR. Leguey-Feilleux, July 1
1998: Convened and Chaired session on Inter-religious Dialogue, annual College Theology Society meeting, St. Louis,
June 8 (at SLU)
1997: “An Integrated Framework for Islamic Spirituality,” session on Teaching Islam jointly sponsored by Middle East
Studies Association and American Academy of Religion, San Francisco, Nov. 23
1997: “Comparative Theology: Definition and Method,” Religious and Theological Reflection section, American
Academy of Religion, San Francisco, Nov. 22
Renard, CV
1997: “Historical and Systematic Models for Comparative Theology,” pre-conference meeting of Comparative Theology
Group, Catholic Theological Society of America, June 6, Minneapolis
1997: Respondent to James Fredericks, “Inter-Religious Friendship: A New Theological Virtue,” national conference,
Catholic Theological Society of America, June 7, Minneapolis
1996: “Seeing and Believing: Jesuits and the Arts at the Mughal Court,” College of Arts and Sciences Endowed Chairs
Lecture Series, November 12; presented again at Washington University for Islamic and Religious Studies
faculty and students
1996: “Art, Akbar, and Aquaviva: Jesuits and Art Patronage at the Mughal Court,” national Sixteenth Century Studies
conference, in panel on Jesuits at Court: China, India, and Japan, October 26, St. Louis
1995: Convener, presider, presenter, panel entitled “Defining Issues in Islamic Theological Literature,” Middle East
Studies Association, National Convention, Washington DC Dec. 8
1994: “Sources and Foundations of Islamic Ethics,” Ethical Society of St. Louis, October 9
1994: “Islam and the Heroic Image,” SLU lecture sponsored by Committed of Endowed Chairs of the College of Arts
and Sciences, Nov. 17
1994: “Kalam Chowder: Divining a Pedagogical Recipe for Islamic Theological Literature,” American Academy of
Religion, National Convention, Chicago, Nov. 21
1993: Plenary Address, “Islam and Christian Theologians,” Catholic Theological Society of America, National
Convention, San Antonio, June 11
1993: “What Christians and Muslims Have to Say to Each Other,” World Parliament of Religions, Chicago, International
Conference, September 1
1993: “Islamic Architecture and Sacred Space in Comparative Perspective,” American Academy of Religion, National
Convention, Washington DC, November 21
1992: “Literary and Visual Sources for the Study of Islamic Spirituality,” Islamic Studies Section, American Academy of
Religion, National Convention, San Francisco, Nov. 21-24
1992: “Miniature and Symbolic Sacred Spaces in the History of Religion,” Society for Religion and the Arts, National
Meeting, St. Louis, November 7
1992: “Prophets as Mystical Models in Rumi,” National convention, Middle East Studies Association, Portland, OR,
October 29-31
1992: Keynote address, “Muhammad as Paradigm,” National convention of College Theology Society, workshop on
Teaching Islam in the College Classroom, May 30
1992: Two Gallery talks, St. Louis Art Museum, in connection with special exhibition of Islamic Art from Kuwaiti
collections, February
1991: Aquinas Lecture, “The Dominican and the Dervish: Thomas and Rumi in an Imaginary Dialogue,” sponsored by
Aquinas Institute, January 28
1991: “What Christians Need to Know About Islam,” Annual Ecumenical Lecture, Lourdes College, Toledo Ohio, Feb.
24
1991: “Research on Islamic Heroic Themes,” Rockefeller Fellows Seminar, Center for the Study of Islamic Societies and
Civilizations, Washington University, March 15
1991: Organizer and presenter, session on Peace and Christian-Muslim Dialogue, National Christian Unity Workshop,
St. Louis, April 16
1991: “Formation of Heroic Paradigms in the Islamic World,” Islamic Studies section, American Academy of Religion,
National Convention, Kansas City; also Convener and chair, session on Women in Islam, same convention
1990: Respondent to five papers on Sufi Thought, Islamic Studies section, American Academy of Religion, National
Convention, New Orleans
1990: “Islamic Thought and Christian Theology of the Spirit,” National meeting, North American Academy of
Ecumenists, Washington D. C., September 29
1990: “Theological Perspectives on the Middle East,” Religious Leaders Symposium on Peace in the Middle East,
sponsored by Arab-American Affairs Council, Marquette University, Nov. 7.
1989: “Islam and Christian Theology: Prophetic Revelation” in Session on Comparative Theology, Catholic Theological
Society of America, National Convention, St. Louis
Renard, CV
1989: Convener and Chair, Session on Sufi Thought, Islamic Studies, American Academy of Religion, National
Convention, Anaheim
1987: “Low Roofs Over Infinity: Miniaturized Architecture and Symbolic Spatial Imagery in the History of Religion,”
American Academy of Religion, National Convention, Boston
1986: “Law in the Islamic World,” first in series of lectures on Religion and Public Policy sponsored by SLU Center for
Urban Programs
1986: “Al-Jihad al-Akbar in Islamic Spirituality,” and served as respondent in another session on Religious Violence and
Messianism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, American Academy of Religion, National Convention, Atlanta
1986: “Prophet and Prophets in Islamic Art,” inaugural paper for Washington Univ. Islamic Circle, first session, Fall
1985: Lectures on “Image and Pilgrimage in Islam” and “Sacred Heroes in Islamic Art and Literature,” January, Visiting
Research Fellow, Institute of Asian Cultures, Sophia
University, Tokyo
1985: “Religious, Economic and Social Values in the Iranian Revolution,” College Theology Society, National
convention, Newport
1985: “Three Visual Themes in the History of Religion,” National Conference, The Future of Theology in a Threatened
World, SLU (Lewis and NEH-funded)
1984: “Themes in Christian-Muslim Dialogue,” College Theology Society, National Convention, Milwaukee
1984: “Jesus in Rumi's Poetry,” American Academy of Religion, National Convention, Chicago
1984: “Lonergan in Flatland: Reflections on the Role of Theology in the Liberal Arts Curriculum,” National
Conference, Challenge of Jesuit Education, SLU
1983: “Heroic Themes in Islam as Bridge Between East and West,” International Conference, Europe and Asia, 6001600: Institutions and Ideas, University of Hawaii
1983: “Images of Abraham in Rumi's Poetry,” American Academy of Religion, National Convention, Dallas
1983: Series of Lectures on “Islamic Art and Spirituality,” June/July, as Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Asian
Cultures, Sophia University, Tokyo
1982: “Religious Studies, Theology, and the Visual Arts,” Theology and Religious Studies, SLU (Lewis Grant)
1982: “Heroes, Prophets, and Saints in Islamic Art,” College Theology Society, National Convention, Detroit
1981: “The Art of Sacred Space: A Method for the Study of Religious Architecture,” College Theology Society,
National Convention, Pittsburgh
1981: “Christians and Islam,” a two-part lecture series, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Nov. 6 and 13
PROFESSIONAL AND UNIVERSITY SERVICE: SELECTED ITEMS
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE:
National Council of Churches Committee on Christian-Muslim Relations, Associate Member, (1978 -- ); member
of committee to draft Policy Statement on Middle East, 1983-4
Member of Committee on Faiths in the World of the National Association of Diocesan Ecumenical Officers
(1982-93)
Steering Committee, Islamic Studies Section, American Academy of Religion (1989-92)
Consultant on Islam to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (1989-91)
Referee for Islamic material submitted to Thought, Horizons, and Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Alliance and
Dialogue, Religion and the Art, Allegorica and of book manuscripts for Palgrave, University of California, State
University of New York, Orbis, Paulist
Editorial Member of American Seminar on Jesuit Spirituality (1985-87)
Member Steering Committee, Islamic Studies Section, American Academy of Religion, 1992-94
Editorial Consultant, Curzon Series on Persian Art and Culture, 1997Board of Advisors, Elijah School for the Study of Wisdom Traditions, Jerusalem, 1997UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENTAL SERVICE (1978 --):
Peer Review Committee, Department of Theological Studies (2 3-yr terms)
Renard, CV
Faculty Executive Committee, Department of Theological Studies (3 yrs)
Graduate Studies Committee, Department of Theological Studies (2 3-yr terms cont.)
Chair, Double Search Committee, Department of Theological Studies
Medieval Theology Search Committees, member, two searches (2 yrs on 1st, 1 on 2nd), Theological Studies
Search Committee, Chair of Theological Studies (1997)
Marchetti Endowment Fund Program Committee (9 yrs continuing)
Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Advisory Committee (7 yrs)
Mellon Faculty Development Fund Committee (3 3-yr terms)
Endowed Chairs Colloquium Planning Committee (6 yrs as Hotfelder Professor)
Danforth Chair in Theological Studies Search Committee (c. 1994)
Internal Review of Department of Fine and Performing Arts
Research Committee of the Graduate School (two terms, 7 yrs total)
Graduate Council (2 yrs)
Faculty Executive Council, College of Arts and Sciences (2 yrs)
International Programs Advisory Committee (3 yrs)
Curriculum Committee and related curriculum revision sub-committees (5 yrs)
SLU 2000 Faculty Salary Initiative committee (1 yr)