Dan P. Sheridan

Mercy Hall 321 | 207-893-7950 | dsherida@sjcme.edu

Dan Sheridan’s fields are the history of religions and comparative theology within the context of Catholic Systematic Theology. History of Religions understands religious experience from the “primordial” tribal societies to the higher civilizations. Within this field he has studied the religious traditions of India that were expressed in the Sanskrit language, Hinduism and Buddhism. He also studies Islam with an emphasis on the prophetic role of Muhammad. His cultural-historical methodology studies the cultural and religious context within which each tradition emerged, the sequence of stages through which it passed, and the influences that have shaped the variety of its manifestations. Special attention is paid to each tradition’s place within the diversity of the religious and theological development of the United States. He participates in the development of Comparative Theology  and an Inter-Religious Dialogue that is informed by the History of Religions.

Professor Sheridan has great interest in world religions, the future of the Catholic education, history, and the American Civil War. His book The Advaitic Theism of the Bhagavata Purana was published in 1986, and he presented numerous papers at symposiums from 1979 to the present. He is an acknowledged expert on Islam and has an extensive library on the subject.

Professor Sheridan belongs to numerous organizations including the American Academy of Religion, Catholic Theological Society of American, College Theology Society, and Society of Hindu-Christian Studies. He teaches theology courses at Saint Joseph’s and also has taught Civil War and Reconstruction. His hobby is model trains.

Affiliations

American Academy of Religion
Southwest Region, Chair of Comparative Studies in Religion Section; Awards Committee, 1988-1992, Chair, 1991-1992
Catholic Theological Society of America;Comparative Theology Continuing Seminar, Convener, 1992-1994
College Theology Society; Board of Directors, 1991-1994; Director of Annual Teaching Workshop, 1991-1994; Awards Committee, 1994-95, 2004-07; Chair of World Religions Section, 1983-1987; Local Chair, National Meeting, Duquesne University, 1981; Local Chair, National Meeting, Loyola University, 1990

Fellowship of Catholic Scholars
Riverdale Center for Religious Research; Associate Director, 1971-1974; Research Associate, 1974-1995
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies

Publications

“Abheda,” “Bhedābheda,” “Bhedaśruti,” “Gopi,” “Nārada Bhakti Sutra,” “Sat,” “Smṛti,” “Rāsa Līla,” in Encyclopedia of Hinduism and Indic Life, K. L. Seshagiri Rao, ed., (Columbia, S.C.: Rupa Publications, 2011).

“Madhva,” in Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume IV (Leiden: Brill, 2012).

“The Challenge of America for Islamic Values,” in Christian-Muslim Dialogue in the United States and Africa: Theological, Public Health, Political, and Sociological Challenges, Marinus Iwuchukwu and Brian Stiltner, ed.  (Toronto: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2012).

“The Dueling Sacred Biographies of Madhva and Śaṅkara,” The Journal of Vaishnava Studies, 16 (Spring 2007), #2.

“Review Symposium on Melanie M. Morey and John J. Piderit, S.J., Catholic Higher Education: A Culture in Crisis in Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society, 35 (Spring 2008), #1.

“Newman: Facets of the Catholic Whole,” Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly, 33 (Spring 2011), #3.

“Vatican II [1962-1965]: Fifty Years Later.” SJC Magazine, 3 (Summer 2013).

“Angels and Gods: A (Radically) Orthodox Experiment,” Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, 27 (Fall 2014).

“The Asymmetry of ‘Creation’ and ‘Origination’: Contrasts within Comparative Theology,” Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, 28 (Fall 2015).

“Catherine McAuley: A Woman of Mercy, ” Saint Joseph’s Supplement. September 2015, p. 5.