Holy Tears: Weeping in the Religious Imagination

What religion does not serve as a theater of tears? Holy Tears addresses this all-but-universal phenomenon with passion and precision, ranging from Mycenaean Greece up through the tragedy of 9/11. Sixteen authors, including many leading voices in the study of religion, offer essays on specific topics in religious weeping while also considering broader issues such as gender, memory, physiology, and spontaneity. An elegantly written introduction offers a key to these topics, which offer insightful reflection on a pervasive theme in religious studies.