Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History
"This is an invaluable addition to our knowledge of the origins and reception of image worship in India and the debates that it sparked. Too often Jain speculation on major issues is ignored and this meticulously researched book fills an important gap in scholarship."--Phyllis Granoff, Lex Hixon Professor of World Religions, Yale University"Framing the Jinais a tour de force which I read with mounting excitement and admiration. Cort's study is firmly grounded on a description of the historical interplay between the highly articulate iconic and aniconic traditions in Ívetåmbara Jainism, but its argument carries much further into the broader area of theoretical discourse about the function of scriptural texts and mimetic representation. Its range of reference and clarity of exposition make this book obligatory reading for anybody with an interest in image worship and its opponents, whether in South Asian traditions or the West Asian monotheisms."--Paul Dundas, Reader in Sanskrit, University of Edinburgh.