Description

This volume explores the intricate relationships that the universe of Frank Herbert's Dune portrays between faith, prophecy, and spirituality.

The Dune universe is a large and complex place where social, political, and cultural structures are intricately interwoven with religious, theological, and philosophical ideas. From the syncretism of the Ecumenical Translation Project and the Orange Catholic Bible, through to the messianic aspirations of the Bene Gesserit, and the subsequent transhumanism of Leto II as the God-Emperor. Throughout, the desert planet Arrakis-the series' epicentre-is portrayed as a location where fate and faith collide. It is also a place where the vital function of religious and theological motifs may be examined as they influence the plot and character development throughout the series.

The essays in this volume dance throughout the breadth of Frank Herbert's Dune universe, along with some also considering Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson's Legends of Dune trilogy. They examine the complex ways in which religious and theological constructs shape and are shaped by the characters and the evolving landscape of the Dune universe, and in the mind of the reader.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Christopher A. Porter
1. Spirituality and Organized Religion in Frank Herbert's Dune Series
Tara B.M. Smith
2. Muad'Dib and The Muqaddima
Ruairi Meyler
3. Religious Orientalism in Dune
Christopher A. Porter
4. Spectres of Moses in Dune
Yael Cameron
5. Life After Little-Death: Dune, Psalm 27, and Transformation through Fear
Andrew H. Waller
6. “Prescience and Parables: The Self-defeating of Foreknowledge in Dune and Matthew 25”
Neal Foster
7. When I am Weak, Then I am Strong: The Paradox of Pauline Weakness and Lady Jessica in Dune
Laura Robinson
8. The Prophecy, Prediction, and Prescience of Paul Atreides: Dune and the Problem of Theological Fatalism
Graham Lee and Walter Barta
9. “Fear is the Mind-Killer”: Theological Reflections on the Butlerian Jihad and Superintelligence without Artificial Intelligence in Frank Herbert's Dune Novels
John Anthony Dunne
10. The Worm in the Cross: Technology, Mysticism, and Christian Eschatology in Frank Herbert's 'Dune'
Ryan Haecker
11. The Animal Humanism of the God-Emperor
Trevor B. Williams
12. Messiahs as Visionaries, Megalomaniacs, and Delusions
Jerry Piven
13. Kwisatz Haderach, Muad'Dib, Usul and the Intentional Ministry Change Agent
Will Nicholas and Michelle Eastwood
Appendix I: “Man may not be replaced” - The theological imperative of the Butlerian Jihad and the Rise of the Mentats
Silas Arconti

Product details

Published 11 Dec 2025
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 256
ISBN 9798216254065
Imprint Fortress Academic
Series Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Anthology Editor

Christopher A. Porter

Christopher A. Porter is Adjunct Lecturer at Trini…

Contributor

Silas Arconti

Contributor

Walter Barta

Contributor

Neal Foster

Contributor

Ryan Haecker

Contributor

Graham Lee

Contributor

Ruairi Meyler

Contributor

Will Nicholas

Contributor

Jerry Piven

JERRY S. PIVEN teaches at the New School for Socia…

Contributor

Christopher A. Porter

Christopher A. Porter is Adjunct Lecturer at Trini…

Contributor

Laura Robinson

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