History of religion Books

Book Synopsis2018 Book Award Winner, The Gospel Coalition (Academic Theology) A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2019 Will all evil finally turn to good, or does some evil remain stubbornly opposed to God and God's goodness? Will even the devil be redeemed? Addressing a theological issue of perennial interest, this comprehensive book (in two volumes) surveys the history of Christian universalism from the second to the twenty-first century and offers an interpretation of how and why universalist belief arose. The author explores what the church has taught about universal salvation and hell and critiques universalism from a biblical, philosophical, and theological standpoint. He shows that the effort to extend grace to everyone undermines the principle of grace for anyone.Table of ContentsContentsVolume 1AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsPrologueIntroduction0.1. Uncovering a Gnostic-Kabbalist-Esoteric Tradition0.2. Linking Esoteric Universalism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam0.3. Two Christian Strands: Origenism and Böhmism0.4. The Theme of Divine Self-Alienation and Self-Return0.5. Contrasts between Esoteric and Exoteric Christian Theologies0.6. Theological Issues: Preexistence, Wisdom, Punishment, and Rationalism0.7. The Late Twentieth-Century Tilt toward Universalism0.8. Divine Drama in Bulgakov, Barth, Balthasar, Tillich, and Moltmann0.9. Scripture, Reason, and Experience in Universalist Argumentation0.10. A Theological Irony: Universalism's Eclipse of Grace1. Final Salvation: Church Teachings and Newer Views1.1. Mainline Protestants: The Turn toward Universalism1.2. Roman Catholics: Traditionalists versus "Hopeful Universalists"1.3. Eastern Orthodoxy: Official Teachings and Private Opinions1.4. Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and Charismatics: Newcomers to Universalism1.5. Should Everyone Be Told? Universalism as a Secret Gospel1.6. Christ's Descent to the Dead and the Larger Hope1.7. The Old Catholic Purgatory and the New1.8. Protestants Debating Hell: From the Seventeenth to Nineteenth Centuries1.9. Recent Catholic Discussions of Death and Hell1.10. British Evangelicals and the Debate over Conditionalism1.11. Summary and Conclusions on Church Teachings2. Ancient Afterlives: The Gnostic, Kabbalist, and Esoteric Roots of Christian Universalism2.1. Near Eastern and Greco-Roman Cultures: From Shadows to Immortal Souls2.2. Jewish Afterlives: Bodies, Souls, Resurrection, and Judgment2.3. Evidence for Second- and Third-Century Gnostic Universalism2.4. Medieval Gnosis: Catharist Universalism2.5. Core Concepts of Kabbalah2.6. Universalist Tendencies in Kabbalah2.7. Early Christian Cabala: Guillaume Postel2.8. Dutch Jews in the 1600s: The Morteira-Aboab Debate on Eternal Punishment2.9. Multilevel Heavens in Swedenborgianism and Mormonism2.10. The Universalism of Sadhu Sundar Singh2.11. Gnostic and Esoteric Models for Reunion with the Divine2.12. Summary and Conclusions on Gnostic, Kabbalistic, and Esoteric Universalisms3. "The End Is Like the Beginning": Origen and Origenism, 200-410 CE3.1. The Modern Rehabilitation of Origen and Origenism3.2. The Question of Origen's Texts3.3. Clement of Alexandria and the Question of Universalism3.4. Origen's Intellectual Backdrop and Cosmic Vision3.5. The Vexatious Issue of Preexistent Souls3.6. Origen's Theology: God, Souls, Angels, Demons, Salvation, and the Eschaton3.7. Origen's Biblical Interpretation and the Cleansing Fire of Conscience3.8. Debated Issues on Origen and the Arguments of the Anti-Origenians3.9. Gregory of Nyssa's Revised Origenism3.10. Final Confluence in Evagrius of Pontus3.11. The First Origenist Controversy, I: Beginnings under Epiphanius3.12. The First Origenist Controversy, II: Conflict in Egypt under Theophilus3.13. The First Origenist Controversy, III: The Jerome-Rufinus Debate3.14. Summary and Conclusions on Origen and Origenism, 200-410 CE4. "That God May Be All in All": Origen and Origenism, 410-1700 CE4.1. Fifth-Century Coptic Anti-Origenism: Shenoute of Atripe4.2. Non-Universalist Syriac Authors: Aphrahat, Ephrem, Isaac of Antioch, and Narsai4.3. Augustine's Conceptual Analysis and Critique of Origen4.4. Hierarchical Neoplatonism: Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite4.5. Stephen bar Sudaili and the Book of the Holy Hierotheos4.6. Bar Sudaili and Thirteenth-Century Mesopotamia: Bar Hebraeus, George Washnaya, and Simon the Persecuted4.7. Sixth-Century Origenism in the Letters of Severus of Antioch and Barsanuphius4.8. Maximus the Confessor's Critique of Origenism4.9. The Universalist Theology of Isaac the Syrian4.10. The Speculative System of John Scotus Eriugena4.11. Thomas Aquinas as a Critic of Origen4.12. Soundings in European Origenism, 1200-1650 CE4.13. Origenism in Seventeenth-Century England: Rust, Parker, and Conway4.14. Origenism's "Swan Song": The Bayle-Le Clerc Exchange4.15. Toward Universalist Rationalism: Andrew Michael Ramsay and David Hartley4.16. Summary and Conclusions on Origen and Origenism, 410-1700 CE5. "In Yes and No All Things Consist": The Theosophic World of Jakob Böhme and the Böhmists of Germany, England, America, France, and Russia5.1. Jakob Böhme: Life and Legend5.2. Divergent Interpretations of Böhme's Thought5.3. An Outline and Summary of Böhme's Theology5.4. The Böhmist Shift to Universalism5.5. Böhmist Receptions: Sectarian, Churchly, Esoteric, Literary, and Philosophical5.6. Johann Georg Gichtel and the Early German Böhmists5.7. Gerrard Winstanley, Jane Lead, and the Philadelphian Movement in England5.8. Johann and Johanna Petersen and German and German-American Pietistic Universalism5.9. British Böhmism: William Law, George MacDonald, Andrew Jukes, and Thomas Erskine5.10. Universalism against a Backdrop of French Illuminism, Esotericism, and Occultism5.11. Martines de Pasqually and the Emergence of French Martinism5.12. Martinism under Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin5.13. The Rise of Russian Böhmism prior to Solovyov5.14. Summary and Conclusions on Böhme and Böhmist Universalism6. A House Divided: The Rise and Fall of the Anglo-American Universalists6.1. Sectarians and Pietists: German Roots of American Universalism6.2. George de Benneville and Paul Siegvolck's Everlasting Gospel6.3. Caleb Rich and Body-Soul Dualism6.4. James Relly and Calvinistic Universalism6.5. John Murray and Rellyan Universalism in America6.6. Elhanan Winchester and Transatlantic Restorationist Universalism6.7. From Calvinism to Universalism to Unitarianism in Britain6.8. Hosea Ballou and the Restorationist Controversy6.9. Internal Tensions and Contradictions in Anglo-American Universalism6.10. Summary and Conclusions on Anglo-American UniversalismVolume 27. German Thinkers: Kant and Müller, Schleiermacher and Hegel, Schelling and Tillich7.1. The Kantian Legacy of Transcendental Selfhood7.2. Müller's Quasi-Origenist Non-universalism7.3. Schleiermacher on Universal Election and Human Solidarity7.4. Hegel as Rationalist and Esotericist7.5. Hegel and the Consummation of Absolute Spirit7.6. A Theological Critique of Hegel's Thought7.7. Schelling's Speculative Reinterpretation of Creation, Fall, and Redemption7.8. Tillich's "Half-Way Demythologization" of the Fall and Restoration of Souls7.9. Summary and Conclusions on German Thinkers8. Russian Thinkers: Solovyov, Berdyaev, Florovsky, and Bulgakov8.1. The Russian Background, I: Orthodoxy, Idealism, and Böhmism8.2. The Russian Background, II: Freemasonry and Esotericism8.3. Vladimir Solovyov and the Roots of Russian Sophiology8.4. Solovyov's Universalist Vision of "All-Unity"8.5. Nicolas Berdyaev and Hell's Irresolvable Paradoxes8.6. The Metaphysical Foundations of Sergius Bulgakov's Dogmatics8.7. Bulgakov and Florovsky in the Sophiological Debate8.8. Bulgakov's The Bride of the Lamb and the Arguments for Universalism8.9. Summary and Conclusions on Russian Thinkers9. Debating Universal Election: Karl Barth, Barth's Interpreters, Jürgen Moltmann, and the Post-1970s Kenotic-Relational Theologies9.1. Interpretive Prologue: Post-1960s Interpretations of Barth's Theology9.2. Biographical Prologue: Barth and the Hellfire Preacher in 19169.3. Barth on Election: An Overview9.4. Barth on Israel's Election and the Jewish People9.5. Barth on Election in the New Testament and Christian Tradition9.6. Barth on the Logos Asarkos and Eternal Godmanhood9.7. Barth on Nothingness (das Nichtige) and the "Impossibility" of Sin9.8. Barth's Interpreters on the Question of Universalism9.9. Barth's Ambiguous Legacy: From the 1950s to the 1980s9.10. Jürgen Moltmann and the God-with-Us in Suffering9.11. Evaluating Moltmann's Universalist Theology9.12. The Rise of Kenotic-Relational Theologies since the 1990s9.13. Apocalypse Now: Congdon's Neo-Bultmannian Universalism9.14. Summary and Conclusions on Barth, Moltmann, and Post-1970s Theologies10. Embracing Universal Hope: Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and the Inclusivist, Plurocentrist, and Universalist Turns in Roman Catholicism10.1. Henri de Lubac and Catholic Debates on Nature and Grace10.2. Karl Rahner's "Anonymous Christians" and Post-Vatican II Theology10.3. The Ambitious and Ambiguous Cosmology of Teilhard de Chardin10.4. The Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar: A General Sketch10.5. Balthasar's Roots: Church Fathers, Russian Thinkers, and Karl Barth10.6. Balthasar's Theological Relation to Adrienne von Speyr10.7. Balthasar's Theo-drama and the Idea of Urkenosis10.8. Balthasar on Eschatology Generally10.9. Balthasar's Dare We Hope? and Universal Salvation10.10. Summary and Conclusions on Roman Catholicism and Universalism11. New Theologies in the New Millennium: The Variety of Contemporary Universalisms11.1. Character of the New Millennium Universalist Literature11.2. Liberal and Esoteric Universalism: Gulley, Mulholland, and Pearson11.3. The Philosophical Universalism of Thomas Talbott11.4. The Evangelical Universalism of Robin Parry11.5. Evangelical Revisionism in Frank, Bell, and Kruger11.6. Pentecostal Preachers of Grace: Dunn, du Toit, Rabe, and Crowder11.7. Summary and Conclusions on Contemporary Universalisms12. The Eclipse of Grace: An Appraisal of Christian Universalism12.1. The Cumulative Argument: A Survey of Preceding Chapters12.2. The Problem of God in Christian Universalism12.3. The Problem of Grace in Christian Universalism12.4. The Problem of Belief in Christian Universalism12.5. Christian Universalism and the Challenge of Evil12.6. Christian Particularism and the Call to HopeAppendix A: Gnosis and Western Esotericism: Definitions and LineagesAppendix B: Zoroastrian EschatologyAppendix C: Anti-Origenist Declarations in the Early Church: From Alexandria, Jerusalem, Rome, and ConstantinopleAppendix D: Ramelli's The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis (2013)Appendix E: The Sefiroth: A Kabbalistic DiagramAppendix F: Universal Salvation in Islamic Teaching Islamic Eschatology and Qur'anic Teaching Philosophical Foundations in Ibn al-'Arabi Hell's Cooling and Final Salvation in Ibn al-'Arabi The Universalistic Theology of Jalal al-Din Rumi The Jurist Ibn Taymiyya and His Pupil Ibn QayyimAppendix G: Types of Christian UniversalismAppendix H: The Cosmic Saga: An Esoteric ViewAppendix I: Ultra-Dispensational UniversalismAppendix J: Words and Concepts for Time and EternityAppendix K: Mormon Teachings on God, Cosmos, and SalvationAppendix L: Barth and Bultmann on Romans 5Index of Ancient SourcesIndex of Subjects

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Book SynopsisNow in its fourth edition, this bestselling textbook (over 125,000 copies sold) isolates key events that provide a framework for understanding the history of Christianity. The book presents Christianity as a worldwide phenomenon rather than just a Western experience. This popular textbook is organized around 14 key moments in church history, providing contemporary Christians with a fuller understanding of God as he has revealed his purpose through the centuries. The new edition includes a new preface, updates throughout the book, revised "further readings" for each chapter, new sidebar content, and study questions. It also more thoroughly highlights the importance of women in Christian history and the impact of world Christianity. Turning Points is well suited to introductory courses on the history of Christianity as well as study groups in churches. Additional resources for instructors are available through Textbook eSources.Table of ContentsContentsPreface to the Fourth EditionIntroduction: The Idea of Turning Points and Reasons for Studyingthe History of Christianity1. The Church Pushed Out on Its Own: The Fall of Jerusalem (70)2. Realities of Empire: The Council of Nicaea (325)3. Doctrine, Politics, and Life in the Word: The Council of Chalcedon (451)4. The Monastic Rescue of the Church: Benedict's Rule (530)5. The Culmination of Christendom: The Coronation of Charlemagne(800)6. Division between East and West: The Great Schism (1054)7. The Beginnings of Protestantism: The Diet of Worms (1521)8. Church and Nation: The English Act of Supremacy (1534)9. Catholic Reform and Worldwide Outreach: The Founding of theJesuits (1540)10. The New Piety: The Conversion of the Wesleys (1738)11. Discontents of the Modern West: The French Revolution (1789)12. A Faith for All the World: The Edinburgh Missionary Conference(1910)13. Mobilizing for the Future: The Second Vatican Council (1962-65)and the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (1974)Afterword: The Character of Christianity and the Search forTurning PointsStudy QuestionsIndex

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Book SynopsisTake a fresh look at the work of B.B. Warfield. 'The Lion of Princeton,' as he was known, was in many ways the most significant American apologist, polemicist, and theologian of his age. However, despite the resurging interest in Warfield's life and work, his views are often misunderstood.In The Lion of Princeton, Kim Riddlebarger investigates Warfield's theological, apologetical, and polemical writings, bringing clarity to the confusion surrounding this key figure of the Princeton tradition. He provides a biographical overview of Warfield's life, traces the growing appreciation for Warfield's thought, evaluates the fundamental structures in Warfield's overall theology, and examines Warfield's work in the field of systematic theology.Trade ReviewIt has been a pleasure for me to learn more about Warfield as a colleague of Kim Riddlebarger. To my mind, Kim is a lot like Warfield: lucid and learned, measured and careful with his judgments, yet bold just where it's needed. This book exposes us to Warfield on his own terms, and usually in his own words.--Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California"Almost a century after his death, B.B. Warfield continues to command attention as a must-read theologian. Kim Riddlebarger's accounting of Warfield's philosophical influences raises again the question of the role of Scottish Common Sense Realism in the Princeton tradition, which many will dispute--but all who owe a debt to Warfield's vast erudition and evident devotion to Christ and the Scriptures will find much to enjoy in this portrait of the 'Lion of Princeton.'"--Fred G. Zaspel, author of The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary

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Book SynopsisThis easy-to-understand translation of one of the earliest surviving Buddhist texts offers a pathway to awakening that is simple, straightforward, and free of religious doctrine One of the earliest of all Buddhist texts, the Atthakavagga, or “Book of Eights,” is a remarkable document, not only because it comes from the earliest strain of the literature—before the Buddha, as the title suggests, came to be thought of as a “Buddhist”—but also because its approach to awakening is so simple and free of adherence to any kind of ideology. Instead the Atthakavagga points to a direct and simple approach for attaining peace without requiring the adherence to doctrine. The value of the teachings it contains is not in the profundity of their philosophy or in their authority as scripture; rather, the value is found in the results they bring to those who live by them. Instead of doctrines to be believed, the “Book of Eights” describes means or practices for realizing peace. Gil Fronsdal’s rigorous translation with commentary reveals the text to be of interest not only to Buddhists, but also to the ever-growing demographic of spiritual-but-not-religious, who seek a spiritual life outside the structures of religion.

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Book SynopsisThe first major history of Mormonism in a decade, drawing on newly available sources to reveal a profoundly divided faith that has nevertheless shaped the nation

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Book SynopsisRedacted examines the evolution of the ministry of deliverance, tracing its roots from the Gospels to the twentieth century. This in-depth exploration reveals the contours of Jesus’ and the apostles’ ministry, and how their practices influenced the fervent exorcisms of the pre-Nicene Church, igniting widespread revival. From there, Redacted follows the decline of exorcism from the fourth to the eleventh centuries, where it almost entirely disappears. When it is brought back during the High Middle Ages, the practice takes on a highly ritualized form that departs from the Apostolic model. The Reformation saw exorcism’s contentious duality between charismatic and ritual forms, before they were both entirely snuffed out with Protestantism. Yet, the twentieth century witnessed its resurgence, beginning at Azusa St. and growing within the Charismatic movement. Redacted identifies the historical connection between deliverance and revival and makes the case that deliverance ministry is essential for revival today.

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Book Synopsis127 short chapters the story of one of the world’s largest religions. A History of the Catholic Church tells in 127 short chapters the story of one of the world’s largest religions from its roots in Jewish history to the pontificate of Benedict XVI. In a taut narrative, it describes how the small community of those who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God grew into a powerful institution whose patriarch, the pope, claimed both secular and spiritual jurisdiction over all the nations of Christendom. There are chapters on the major challenges it faced such as the rise of Islam, the schism with the Orthodox Church, the Protestant Reformation, French Revolution, Bolshevism, Nazism and secularism. There are also short chapters on Catholic art, architecture, philosophy and literature. It is not an academic treatise but a selection of episodes chosen to entertain as well as inform the reader. Piers Paul Read is the author of 17 novels and eight works of non-fiction, among them Alive. The Story of the Andes Survivors (1974). He studied History at Cambridge University, and has written a history of the crusading order, The Templars (1999), and an account of the infamous miscarriage of justice in France in the nineteenth century, The Dreyfus Affair (2012). The Templars ‘A highly readable and nicely paced book that draws on the lessons of modern historical scholarship while also communicating a sense of narrative excitement and drive.’ Evening Standard The Dreyfus Affair ‘In bringing his novelist’s eye to bear on events, Read ensures they unfold with a compelling sense of drama.’ The Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisA deeply personal search for meaning in Michelangelo’s frescoes—and an impassioned defence of the role of art in a fractured age.What do we hope to get out of seeing a famous piece of art? Jeannie Marshall asked that question of herself when she started visiting the Sistine Chapel frescoes. She wanted to understand their meaning and context—but in the process, she also found what she didn’t know she was looking for.All Things Move: Learning to Look in the Sistine Chapel tells the story of Marshall’s relationship with one of our most cherished artworks. Interwoven with the history of its making and the Rome of today, it’s an exploration of the past in the present, the street in the museum, and the way a work of art can both terrify and alchemize the soul. An impassioned defence of the role of art in a fractured age, All Things Move is a quietly sublime meditation on how our lives can be changed by art, if only we learn to look.Trade ReviewPraise for All Things Move"The Sistine Chapel serves as inspiration and structure for this deeply contemplative account about life, family, art, and appreciation."—New York Times"Elegantly voiced [...] [Marshall's] declaration of a point of view, that sense of personal experience in the face of great art and especially the right to have personal experience in the face of great art, proves to be as worthy a subject as the Sistine Chapel itself."—Washington Post"In the era of the perpetual scroll, art still asks us to stop and look, long and slowly. All Things Move is a rich vindication of one writer’s decision to do just that."—Globe and Mail“[Marshall’s] aim—appropriate to the spirit of Renaissance humanism that inspired the frescoes—becomes one of pulling out the human stories beneath their biblical veneer, and her observations on this front are often disarmingly simple, lovely and intelligent.”—Emily Donaldson, Globe and Mail"Marshall’s book is a meditation on how lives can be changed by art."—Toronto Star"Jeannie Marshall examines how art can transform our lives [...] Marshall may not be an art historian, but she nonetheless elegantly sets the Sistine Chapel in historical context."—CBC Ideas"Jeannie Marshall’s All Things Move: Learning to Look in the Sistine Chapel brings Michelangelo’s frescoes into exacting view, considering not only the details of the images and context of their making, but their ongoing situatedness in human history."—Ploughshares"Informative, insightful, perceptive, thought-provoking, and exceptionally 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, All Things Move: Learning to Look in the Sistine Chapel is unreservedly recommended."—Midwest Book Review"All Things Move: Learning to Look at the Sistine Chapel ... makes a unique case for considering the Chapel as something other than a religious enclave, scholarly artifact, or checklist tourist attraction. It’s all those, of course, but its otherworldly qualities transcend religious, academic, or tour-bus affiliations."—Canadian Architect"A sublime meditation on the Sistine Chapel."—The National Catholic Register"In case you have a sense of wanderlust but aren’t able to indulge it yourself, Marshall’s book [...] is a meditation on how lives can be changed by art; and guides us through how she learned how to truly see Michelangelo’s work, and what it has to tell us about life and art."—Toronto Star“Part memoir, part art theory, and all manner of exploration: All Things is an essay in the greatest sense of the word, a meaningful attempt to get to the very heart of why art matters.”—The Tyee"Part meditation, part cultural criticism, part therapy, All Things Move captures the complex range of emotions that art can sometimes elicit in us, as well as the questions that may arise as a consequence."—Literary Review of Canada“All Things Move is an extended essay on how we experience art [...] evocative and illuminating, a moving meditation on the human impulse both to create art and to experience its power.”—Winnipeg Free Press"A testament to quiet patience, and what we gain when we let go of preconceptions of how we are supposed to interact with an artwork of any medium or discipline."—Quill & Quire"Jeannie Marshall's book All Things Move addresses the splendor of the iconic Sistine Chapel from personal and universal perspectives [...] an all-encompassing intimate tour of the Sistine Chapel's extraordinary wonders"—Foreword Reviews"'Great Art' can often have a highbrow, inaccessible aura, but Marshall’s individual approach to the Sistine Chapel makes it so compelling."—McGill Tribune"Jeannie Marshall offers a meditation on the timeless values and personal meanings in both art and religion. Full of insights into everyone from Michelangelo and Martin Luther to Barnett Newman, All Things Move is a celebration of the power of art to make us see, feel and think."—Ross King, author of Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling"All Things Move is not just another book, written in clear and lively sentences that anyone will want to read, detailing the history and creation of one of the greatest works of art known to mankind. It's a book that actually operates in the opposite direction—a book about how we experience that work of art, and why the experience is so unforgettable. Michelangelo made a great and lasting work of art that changed history. But in Marshall's gifted hands, our experience of it becomes an adventure and a work of art in its own right. This is a book about discovery, unlike anything you have read before."—Ian Brown, author of Sixty"In the manner of the late W. G. Sebald, who shattered sundry barriers in his writing, Jeannie Marshall has produced a prose poem, a deeply personal, multi-layered, and thoroughly captivating meditation on art, spirituality, and life. I was both moved and enchanted."—Modris Eksteins, author of Solar DancePraise for Jeannie Marshall“Marshall’s clear, direct book ably captures the frustrations of trying to find the healthiest path and inspiring kids to do the same.”—Kirkus Reviews“Marshall ... writes passionately about the dangers posed by processed foods—not just to our children’s health but to our way of life, our human attachment to the 'ordinary happiness' of meals cooked at home from real foods.”—Boston Globe“Engaging … admirably well-researched … a well-timed eye-opener.”—Chris Nuttal-Smith, Globe and Mail“Outside the Box is about teaching kids how to appreciate real food but also about how globalization is changing the way the world eats. In this beautifully written book about what needs to be done to preserve food culture in Italy and elsewhere, Marshall makes the political personal as she explains how she is teaching her son to enjoy the pleasures of eating food prepared, cooked and lovingly shared by friends and family.”—Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics

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Book SynopsisThe image of St George - the mounted, medieval knight slaying a dragon - seems so familiar to us all that it is tempting to assume this figure is easily understood. He is, in fact, one of the most significant and complex mythic figures in Christian culture, and has played an important role in Eastern Orthodox, Coptic and western European traditions over many centuries. Today St George continues to have a lively and diverse following: his various appearances can be found across many world religions, including Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and the African-Brazilian belief system Candomble. St George's identification with nature, springtime and healing means that he can also be found throughout pagan beliefs. St George: A Saint for All includes firsthand accounts of celebrations in Georgia, Greece, Malta and Belgium, and explores the iconic figure's wide-ranging significance in nations such as Lebanon, Palestine, Ethiopia and Estonia, as well as his totemic role for the Roma people. With or without the dragon, St George has been repeatedly reinvented over the last 1,700 years. This book is an engaging account of the huge potential that artists, poets and painters have found in his myth, discussing the often controversial political uses to which the saint has been put, including many reworkings and reimaginings, and places his current cultural position in its historical context. This is the first book to offer a full overview of the cult of St George, from its beginnings in the eastern Mediterranean to its established presence around the world today.Table of ContentsChapter 1: A Reappraisal for a Multi-Cultural Age, Chapter 2: Misrepresentations and Reinventions, Chapter 3: St George and the Natural World, Chapter 4: St George and Water, and the Healing Saint, Chapter 5: St George as a Dragon Slayer, Chapter 6: St George and England, Bibliographic Essay, References, Acknowledgements, Index.

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Book SynopsisDemonstrates the vital role Sunday schools played in forming and sustaining faith before, during, and after the First World War for British populations both at home and abroad. Sunday schools were an important part of the religious landscape of twentieth-century Britain and they were widely attended by much of the British population. The Sunday School Movement in Britain argues that the schools played a vital role in forming and sustaining the faith of those who lived and served during the First World War. Moreover, the volume contends that the conflict did not cause the schools to decline and proposes that decline instead set in much earlier in the twentieth century. The book also questions the perception that the schools were ineffective tools of religious socialisation and examines the continued attempts of the Sunday school movement to professionalise and improve their efforts. Thus, the involvement of the movement with the World's Sunday School Association is revealed to be part of the wider developing international ecumenical community during the twentieth century. Drawing together under-utilised material from archives and newspapers in national and local collections, The Sunday School Movement in Britain presents a history of the schools demonstrating their lasting significance in the religious life of the nation and, by extension, the enduring importance of Christianity in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. British Sunday Schools before the First World War, 1900-14 2. British Sunday Schools and the First World War, 1914-18 3. Sunday Schools in the Religious Life of the British Forces, 1914-18 4. British Sunday Schools between the World Wars, 1918-39 5. Teaching, Training and Teachers: Reforming the Sunday School Movement, 1900-39 6. British Sunday Schools and the World, 1900-39 Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe parish church is a symbol of continuity, a cornerstone of the urban and rural landscape, and a treasure trove often as rich in cultural history as any museum. This compact and accessible guide explores all of these aspects of the parish church, beginning by examining why churches are built where they are, and going on to explain how both church buildings and churchyards have changed over time. It also describes their fixtures and furnishings, including fonts, screens, stained glass and monuments, explaining the ritual and symbolic purpose of these features and how their significance has shifted over time. Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs, this book will provide an indispensable primer for anyone who is curious about the nation’s parish churches and wants to explore them further.Table of ContentsThe Broad Sweep of History History of the Parish Church The Churchyard The Church Exterior The Interior The Furnishings Further Reading Places to Visit Index

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Book SynopsisThis celebration of some of the greatest art, architecture and furniture to be found in English churches offers a fascinating account of centuries of accumulated wealth, and is set off by a selection of breathtaking photographs by Matthew Byrne. It covers changing architectural styles across the centuries, and prominent examples of artistic work, including stained glass, rood screens, church monuments and curious carvings. This book is published in association with The National Churches Trust, a national, independent charity dedicated to supporting church buildings across the UK.Trade ReviewThis book will be a sheer delight for anyone who enjoys the magnificent artefacts to be found in our metropolitan cathedrals and remote parish churches. * Parish Pump *The Treasures of English Churches will make your soul soar. -- Harry Mount * Catholic Herald *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction The Art of the Early English Church Norman England: A New Sculpture of Power and Domination Stained Glass at Canterbury Cathedral Medieval Musicians at Beverley, East Yorkshire Masterpieces of Medieval Woodcarving The Contribution of the Medieval Painters Village Life: A Year in the Life of a Medieval Peasant Village Life: Medieval Life from Birth to Death The Monuments: The Theatre of Piety The Monuments: The Theatre of Pomp and Pride The Monuments: The Theatre of War The Monuments: The Theatre of Pathos Jacobean and Baroque Woodwork Portrait of a Cotswold Churchyard Eighteenth-Century Interiors Victorian Interiors: The Beauty of Holiness Curiosities: Oddities and Bygones The Nation Remembers the Wars Modern Art

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Book SynopsisIn 1844, a young merchant from Shiraz called Sayyid ‘Ali-Muhammad declared himself the ‘gate’ (the Bab) to the Truth and, shortly afterwards, the initiator of a new prophetic cycle. His messianic call attracted a significant following across Iran and Iraq. Regarded as a threat by state and religious authorities, the Babis were subject to intense persecution and the Bab himself was executed in 1850. In this volume, leading scholars of Islam, Baha’i studies and Iranian history come together to examine the life and legacy of the Bab, from his childhood to the founding of the Baha’i faith and beyond. Among other subjects, they cover the Bab’s writings, his Qur’an commentaries, the societal conditions that underlay the Babi upheavals, the works of Babi martyr Tahirih Qurratu’l-‘Ayn, and Orientalist Edward Granville Browne’s encounters with Babi and Baha’i texts.Table of ContentsBiographies Acknowledgments A Note on Transliteration Map Preface 1 The Bab: A Sun in a Night Not Followed by Dawn | Fereydun Vahman · The Bab Discontinues his Formal Education and Begins his Mercantile Work · Epiphany, Piety, and Intuition · The Bab’s Journey to the Sacred Shrine Cities of ʻIraq · The Bab’s Return to Shiraz and Marriage · The Declaration of the Bab’s Cause: The Birth of a New Religion · After the Declaration of the Bab’s Cause · Mulla ʻAli Bastami · The Bab’s Eventful Journey to Mecca · The Bab’s Return from Pilgrimage and the Events of Shiraz · The Bab in Isfahan · From Isfahan to Azarbaijan · The Trial of Tabriz · The Return to Chihriq Prison · The Execution of the Bab in Tabriz · Bibliography 2 The Worldview of the Báb: The Reconstruction of Religion and Society | Nader Saiedi · Reconstruction of the Idea of Religion: Dialectical Logic and Historical Consciousness · Reconstruction of the Idea of the Human Being and Human Identity · Rationalism and Humanism ·· Equality of the Believers and Canceling of the Authority of the Clerics ·· Centrality of the Word and the Rejection of Miracles ·· Reconstruction of Heaven, Hell, and the Day of Resurrection ·· Reconstruction of the Concept of the Occultation and Return of the Imam · Equal Rights, Social Justice, and Ethics ·· Station of Women, Rejection of Patriarchy ·· The Ethical Maxim: For the Sake of God ·· Culture of Affirmation ·· Development and Modernization: Perfection and Refinement · Conclusion · Bibliography 3 The Shaping of the Babi Community: Merchants, Artisans, and Others | Abbas Amanat · The Changing Economy · The Babi Merchants · The Babi Artisans · Converts from the Government Ranks · The Babi Community: An Assessment · Selected Bibliography 4 From a Primal Point to an Archetypal Book: Literary Trajectories through Select Writings of the Bab (1819–50) | Stephen N. Lambden · The Writings of the Bab, Some Preliminary Observations · Bayan/Mubin (“Crystal Clear”) yet “Abstruse, Bewilderingly Abstruse (sa‘b mustasa‘b)”: Exegetical Clarity and Esoteric Depth in the Writings of the Bab · The Shahada (Testimony of Faith) and its Alphabetical Mysteries · Esoterica, the Abstruse, Sciences of the Unseen (‘ulūm alghayb) · The Style, Grammar, and Syntax of the Bab · Personal Letters, “Scriptural Tablets” (Lawh, pl. Alwah) ·· Letters or Scriptural Tablets · The Genesis of the New Shari‘a (Laws), the Khasa’il-i Sab‘a (mid. 1845) · The All-Comprehensive Bayan (Exposition) of the Bab · The Five Modes of Revelation · Devotional Writings of the Bab · Tafsir Sūrat al-Hamd (Praise) or al-Fatiha (“The Opening,” Q. 1) · “We indeed proffered thee al-Kawthar (The Abundance).” · Hadith Commentary · Commentaries on Hadith Texts by the Bab · Sūrat al-Ridwan · Khutbas, Literary Orations · The Khutba al-Jidda (Literary Oration Nigh Jeddah) · The Khutba on ‘ilm al-huruf (On the “Science of the Letters”) · Select Treatises (Risala, pl. Rasa’il), Epistles (Ṣahifa, pl. Ṣuhuf ) and Other Scriptural Communications · The Risala fi’l-nubuwwa al-khassa (A Treatise on the Specific Prophethood of Muhammad) · Epistles, Treatises, Booklets (Ṣahifa, pl. Ṣuhuf ) · The Persian Dala’il-i sab‘a (Seven Proofs) · The Arabic al-dala’il al-sab‘a (Seven Proofs) · Kitab al-asma’/Kull shay’ (The Book of the Divine Names, the “All Things”) · Kitab-i panj sha‘n (The Book expressive of Five Modes of Revelation) · The (Lawh‑i) Haykal al‑din (“Temple of Religion”) (1266/early–mid-1850) · The Late Messianism of the Bab · The Wasiyyat-nama (Will and Testament) Attributed to the Bab · Concluding Summary Note · Bibliography 5 Interpretation as Revelation: The Qur’án Commentary of the Báb, Sayyid ‘Alí Muḥammad Shírází (1819–50) | Todd Lawson · Life of the Báb · The Shaykhí School · Shaykhí Teachings · Tafsír Works ·· Tafsír súrat al-baqara ·· Tafsír súrat Yúsuf · Conclusions · Bibliography 6 The Social Basis of the Bābī Upheavals in Iran (1848–53): A Preliminary Analysis | Moojan Momen · Introduction · The Shaykh Ṭabarsī Upheaval: 1848–49 ·· Total Number of Bābīs at Shaykh Ṭabarsī ·· Rural/Urban Origin of Bābī Participants at Shaykh Ṭabarsī · The Nayrīz Upheavals of 1850 and 1853 ·· Occupations of Bābī Participants in the Two Nayrīz Upheavals ·· Origins of Participants at the Two Nayrīz Upheavals ·· Total Numbers of Bābī Participants at the Two Nayrīz Upheavals · The Zanjān Upheaval: 1850–51 ·· Occupations of Bābī Participants at Zanjān ·· Origins of Bābī Participants at Zanjān ·· Total Numbers of Bābī Participants at Zanjān · The Tehran Episodes of 1850 and 1852 ·· The Seven Martyrs of Tehran, 1850 ·· The Tehran Executions of 1852 ·· Occupations of the Bābīs Executed in Tehran in 1852 · Conclusions ·· A Comparative Analysis ·· The Role of Women ·· Other Social Groups ·· The Social Basis of Babism 7 The Babi–State Conflicts of 1848–50 | Siyamak Zabihi-Moghaddam · Babi Clashes with the State: Neither Social Protest nor Offensive Holy War · Review of the Primary Sources of the Babi Upheavals · An Outline of the Conflict at Shaykh Tabarsi, September 1848–May 1849 · The Objectives of the Babis at Shaykh Tabarsi · The Calm between Storms: May 1849–May 1850 · The Nayriz Conflict of May–June 1850 · An Analysis of the Objectives of Vahid and the Babis in Nayriz · Hujjat and the ‘Ulama’ of Zanjan · The Zanjan Episode of May 1850–January 1851 · An Analysis of the Objectives of Hujjat and the Zanjani Babis · Conclusion · Bibliography 8 From Babi Movement to the Baha’i Faith: Some Observations About the Evolution of a New Religion | Armin Eschraghi · Some General Observations on the Bab’s Sacred Law · Messianism in the Bab’s Writings · The Later Development of the Babi Movement · Baha’u’llah After the Bab’s Martyrdom · Babi Messianism and the Question of Leadership · Some General Observations on Baha’u’llah’s Sacred Law · Some Further Observations on the Baha’i Faith’s Evolution from the Babi Movement ·· Messianism ·· Ritual Impurity (najasah) ·· Holy War and Religious Legitimization of Violence · Conclusion · Bibliography 9 “The hand of God is not chained up”: Notes on Two Salient Themes in the Prose Writings of Ṭáhirih Qurratu’l-‘Ayn | Omid Ghaemmaghami · Introduction · Progressive Revelation · Love, Friendship, and Forbearance · Bibliography 10 Babi-Baha’i Books and Believers in E. G. Browne’s A Year amongst the Persians | Sholeh A. Quinn · Introduction · Terminology and Identifications · Isfahan · Shiraz ·· Books in Shiraz ·· Reading in Shiraz · Yazd · Kirman · Conclusion · The Texts Browne Encountered in Iran · Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsisthe Jesuits have always defined themselves, not by any particular place or specific ministry, but by a universal outreach. they were ready to go wherever the needs were great and the opportunities promising. Adaptability became their hallmark. From early on the Jesuits spread rapidly: to the Far East, starting with Francis Xavier in 1540, to North and South America, to Africa and eventually to Australasia. In their reports to Rome, they spoke about the different situations they faced, their successes and failures, their frustrations and hopes. This little volume tells the stories of a few of these Jesuits, from different continents and eras. In the hope that their commitment and struggles will prove inspirational once again today.

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For more than four hundred years, the Catholic Church’s Index Librorum Prohibitorum struck terror into the hearts of authors, publishers and booksellers around the world, while arousing ridicule and contempt from many others, especially those in Protestant and non-Christian circles. Biased, inconsistent and frequently absurd in its attempt to ban objectionable texts of every conceivable description – with sometimes fatal consequences – the Index also reflected the deep learning and careful consideration of many hundreds of intellectual contributors over the long span of its storied evolution. This book constitutes the first full study of the Index of Prohibited Books to be published in English. It examines the reasons behind the Church’s attempts to censor religious, scientific and artistic works, and considers not only why this most sustained of campaigns failed, but what lessons can be learned for today’s debates over freedom of expression and cancel culture.

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Book SynopsisJohn Cassian (360-435 CE) started his monastic career in Bethlehem. He later traveled to the Egyptian desert, living there as a monk, meeting the venerated Desert Fathers, and learning from them for about fifteen years. Much later, he would go to the region of Gaul to help establish a monastery there by writing monastic manuals, the Institutes and the Conferences. These seminal writings represent the first known attempt to bring the idealized monastic traditions from Egypt, long understood to be the cradle of monasticism, to the West. In his Institutes, Cassian comments that “a monk ought by all means to flee from women and bishops” (Inst. 11.18). An odd comment from a monk, apparently casting bishops as adversaries rather than models for the Christian life. This book argues that Cassian, in both the Institutes and the Conferences, advocated for a separation between monastics and the institutional Church. In Cassian’s writings and the larger corpus of monastic writings from his era, monks never referred to early Church fathers such as Irenaeus or Tertullian as authorities; instead, they cited quotes and stories exclusively from earlier, venerated monks. In that sense, monastic discourse such as Cassian’s formed a closed discursive system, consciously excluding the hierarchical institutional Church. Furthermore, Cassian argues for a separate monastic authority based not on apostolic succession but on apostolic praxis, the notion that monastic practices such as prayer and asceticism can be traced back to the primitive church. This study of Cassian’s writings is supplemented with Michel Foucault’s analysis of the creation of subjects to examine Cassian’s formation of a specifically Egyptian form of monastic subjectivity for his audience, the monks of Gaul. Foucault’s concepts of disciplinary power and pastoral power are also employed to demonstrate the effect Cassian’s rhetoric would have upon his direct audience, as well as many other monks throughout history.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Cassian’s Context and Asceticism as Basis for Valid Authority 3. Foucault, Cassian, and the Creation of Subjects 4. Conflicts Between Monasticism and the Church 5. Cassian’s Rhetorical Attempts to Separate Monasticism from the Church 6. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisA central difficulty when reading al-Ghazali (d. 1111) is understanding why he attempts to bring together seemingly disconnected aspects of ethical theory. He inclines toward a more philosophical influence of virtue ethics in his earlier book, The Scale of Action (Mizan al-''amal), while in his vast encyclopedic work, The Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya'' ''ulum al-din), his conception of religious practice was greatly informed by the emerging Sufism of his time. These two works, in particular, lay the foundation for understanding his program for Islamic practice and his unique balance of reason and revelation. Al-Ghazali''s ethical writings are not easily explained by the existing categories and demarcations found in contemporary ethical discourse, so it becomes essential to present what was at the centre of his pedagogy. This book argues that the thread connecting each method of expression is al-Ghazali''s dramatic and explicit emphasis on self-control as the path to felicity. It demonstrates that the underlying substrate of al-Ghazali''s ethics is his constant focus on restraining and redirecting the body, emotions, and thought. The study first examines the destructive vices, specifically in relation to eating, sexual desire, anger, and speech. It is then followed by looking at al-Ghazali''s early work, The Scale of Action which explains his views on controlling the body and achieving moderation through the process of habituation. It then turns to investigate al-Ghazali''s views on controlling the emotions and how he understands thought and its role in unification of the fragmented self. It is only in the final chapter, entitled self-surrender, that the study attempts to answer the question of why, for al-Ghazali, the subject of self-control takes such great importance. His directions for self-control are not without purpose and are designed to culminate in a unique form of knowledge. Although the aim of acquiring knowledge is initially for the purpose of inducing proper action, the final result, according to al-Ghazali, must culminate in recognition and love of God. For these reasons, the study naturally concludes by answering the question of why these techniques of restraint were of such great significance to al-Ghazali.

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Book SynopsisA volume that evaluates the fragile and heroic history of ''Y Cylch Catholig'', the society that promotes Catholic worship through the medium of Welsh, from its origins until the present day. Many entertaining stories about the ''Cylch'' is relayed, together with individual chapters discussing events and contributions by current members.

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Book SynopsisPaul Alvarus wrote the Indiculus luminosus in 854 in response to the executions of a number of Córdoban Christians, beginning with the monk Isaac in 851, who had denounced Muhammad in public. The first half of the treatise offers an extended apologia in defence of the militant actions of these spontaneous blasphemers. In the second half, Alvarus argues at length, on the basis of key passages in Daniel and Job, that Muhammad was a precursor to Antichrist. Alvarus undertook this exegetical project not only to create a context within which the actions of the Córdoban blasphemers would make sense, but to criticize the Córdoban Christian leadership at the time for being too cosy with the local Islamic rulers. While Alvarus relied on Jerome’s Commentary on Daniel and Gregory’s Moralia in Iob, he transcended them, offering a truly novel exegesis. In the process, he shed important light on the nature of Christian life under Islamic rule and demonstrated a surprisingly deep knowledge of Islam. The Indiculus luminosus is the perfect complement to the writings of his friend, Eulogius, who may in fact have encouraged Alvarus to undertake this task.

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Book SynopsisGnosticism - derived from the Greek word gnosis, to know - is the name given to various religious schools that proliferated in the first centuries after Christ and, at one time, it almost became the dominant form of Christianity. Yet some Gnostic beliefs derive from the older Mystery traditions of Greece and Rome, and the various Gnostic schools came to be branded as heretical by the emerging Christian church. Indeed, although some Gnostic beliefs are close to mainstream Christianity Gnosticism also held that the world is imperfect as it was created by an evil god who was constantly at war with the true, good God; that Christ and Satan were brothers; that reincarnation exists; and that women were the equal of men As a result, the Gnostics held the Feminine Aspect of God - whom they addressed as Sophia, or Wisdom - in very high regard. They also stressed that we each have a spark of the Divine inside us which, when recognised and developed, will ultimately liberate us from the prison of the material world. Although largely stamped out by the Church by the sixth century, Gnosticism survived underground through groups such as the Bogomils and the Cathars, and influenced the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the psychologist Carl Jung, the Existentialists, the New Age movement and writers as diverse as William Blake, W.B. Yeats, Albert Camus and Philip K. Dick. In this book, Sean Martin recounts the long and diverse history of Gnosticism, and argues for its continued relevance today.Trade Reviewan insightful guide -- Sophie Pearce * The New Statesman *well written, informative account -- Gary Lachman * The Independent *Good basic introduction to a fascinating religious belief -- David V Barrett * Fortean Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Knights Templar were the most powerful military religious order of the Middle Ages. Formed to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land, they participated in the Crusades and rapidly gained wealth, lands and influence and were answerable to none save the Pope himself. In addition to having a fearful military reputation, they were also Christendom's first bankers, and played a large part in inventing the modern banking system. They were also involved in developments in navigation, architecture, medicine, and engineering, amongst others. Seemingly untouchable for nearly two centuries, the Templars fell from grace spectacularly after the loss of the Holy Land. In 1307, all Templars in France were arrested on charges of heresy, homosexuality, denial of the cross and devil worship. The order was suppressed by the Pope in 1312, and Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master, was burnt at the stake as a heretic two years later. The myth of the Templars was born and in the ensuing centuries, they have occupied a unique position in European history. Orthodox historians see them as nothing more than soldier-monks whose arrogance was their ultimate undoing, while others see them as occultists of the first order, the founders of Freemasonry, possessors of the Holy Grail and the Turin Shroud. Sean Martin considers both the orthodox and conspiratorial version of events, and includes the latest revelations from the Vatican Secret Archives.Trade Reviewa well written and easily enjoyed introduction to the history of this extraordinary crusading Order of military monks whose account still manages to fascinate even after all this time -- Michael Baigent * Freemasonry Today *...do not be deceived by the book's seeming brevity. For this book contains more information than many recent books on the Templars weighing in at three to four times this one -- Stephen Dafoe * Templar History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisAccounts of specific communities and themes build to a comprehensive picture of Jews in England C11 - C13. Britain's medieval Jewish community arrived with the Normans in 1066 and was expelled from the country in 1290. This is the first time in many years that its life has been comprehensively examined for a student and general readership. Beginning with an introduction setting the medieval British experience into its European context, the book continues with three chapters outlining the history of the Jews' presence and a discussion of where they settled. Further chapters then explore themes such as their relationship with the Christian church, Jewish women's lives, the major types of evidence used by historians, the latest evidence emerging from archaeological exploration, and new approaches from literary studies. The book closes with a reappraisal of one of the best-known communities, that at York. Drawing together the work of experts in the field, and supported by an extensive bibliographical guide, this isa valuable and revealing account of medieval Jewish history in Britain. Patricia Skinner is a Wellcome Research Fellow in the College of Arts and Humanities, Swansea University. Contributors: ANTHONY BALE, SUZANNE BARTLETT, PAUL BRAND, BARRIE DOBSON, JOHN EDWARDS, JOSEPH HILLABY, D.A. HINTON, ROBIN MUNDILL, ROBERT C. STACEY.Trade ReviewThere are gems of information, excellent insights and a useful bibliography in this collection. * JOURNAL OF JEWISH STUDIES *As a review of the current state of scholarship, this collection combines concision with expertise. It covers a great deal of ground with commendable zest. * ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW *A useful collection of essays which clearly adds to our understanding of Jewish life in medieval Britain. * HISTORY *A welcome sight...it proves that medieval Jewish history is finally gaining the recognition it deserves. * ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *An invaluable guide to recent work and the present state of knowledge [in the subject]. * NORTHERN HISTORY *Table of ContentsJewish Colonisation in the Twelfth Century - Joe Hillaby The English Jews under Henry III - Robert C. Stacey Edward I and the Final Phase of Anglo-Jewry - Robin Mundill The Jewish Community in the Records of English Royal Government - Paul Brand The Church and the Jews in Medieval England - John Edwards Medieval Anglo-Jewry: the Archaeological Evidence - D A Hinton Women in the Medieval Anglo-Jewish Community - Suzanne Bartlet Fictions of Judaism in England before 1290 - Anthony P. Bale The Medieval York Jewry Reconsidered - Barrie Dobson

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Book SynopsisThe best of evangelical Christian theology has always paid attention to the key thinkers, issues and doctrinal developments in the history of the church. What God has done in the past is key to understanding who we are and how we are to live. The purpose of this volume is threefold: to introduce a selection of key early and medieval theologians; to strengthen the faith of evangelical Christians by helping them to understand the riches of the church's theological reflection; and to help them learn how to think theologically. These essays offer insightful analysis of and commentary on each theologian, along with some critical assessment of how evangelicals should view and appropriate his insights. The contributors' intention is the cultivation of minds 'fired by the grace of our creator and saviour' (Augustine), so that we might think well and rightly about our good and great God and live in his light.

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Book SynopsisThe early twentieth century saw the transformation of the southern Irish Protestants from a once strong people into an isolated, pacified community. Their influence, status and numbers had all but disappeared by the end of the civil war in 1923 and they were to form a quiescent minority up to modern times. This book tells the tale of this transformation and their forced adaptation, exploring the lasting effect that it had on both the Protestant community and the wider Irish society and investigating how Protestants in southern Ireland view their place in the Republic today.

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Book SynopsisSet against the spectacular backdrop of the South Downs, this four-day walk links medieval churches in a crescent-shaped route from Portchester to Chichester. Here the genesis of a modern pilgrim route was formed - Mary's Crescent - highlighting a wealth of ancient ecclesiastical architecture nestled in breathtaking scenery. The churches, each dedicated to St Mary, are a fascinating window into our Saxon and Norman past. From the priory church of Portchester to the magnificent Lady Chapel at Chichester Cathedral, with the simple single-celled church of North Marden and the five Norman gems of Droxford, Buriton, South-Harting, Singleton and East Lavant in-between, this route connects us to these historical landmarks in need of continued attention to preserve them for future generations. Each day ends near a country pub providing excellent food and accommodation, with plenty of refreshment stops in between. Includes detailed walking instructions and maps throughout.Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Walk: Why Mary's Crescent / Medieval Churches: Historical background to worship in the Middle Ages: Architectural features associated with church worship in the Middle Ages / Overview of the four-day walk from Porchester to Chichester: Maps: Travel: Church Opening Times: Accommodation and Food / Day 1 Porchester to Droxford / Day 2 Droxford to Buriton / Day 3 Buriton to Chilgrove / Day 4 Chilgrove to Chichester

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Book SynopsisThe Spanish Inquisition was one of the most feared institutions in Western history. Set up by the Roman Catholic church to suppress heresy it operated in France, Italy, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire and was later extended to the Americas. Trials were held in secret, torture was common, and penalties ranged from simple fines and flogging to death by burning. Lea's magisterial study remains one of the most detailed and comprehensive accounts ever published. It continues to be an essential source for scholars of the Inquisition and medieval Spain. This edition includes the scarce volume on the inquisition in the Spanish dependencies. Introduced by Professor Lu Ann Homza, a leading contemporay scholar of the Inquisition, this handsome 5 volume set will be welcomed by researchers, collectors and institutions alike.Trade Review"An achievement which places its author at the head of all American historical students now living. To put the matter shortly Mr Lea has produced a work on a subject of absorbing interest, which for many a long day to come must serve as an authority to European experts on the subject" - New York Times; "Rarely has so significant an institution been so sanely and comprehensively studied" - The NationTable of ContentsVolume I Book 1: Origin and Establishment Ch.1 The Castillian monarchy Ch.2 The Jews and the Moors Ch.3 The Jews and the Conversos Ch.4 Establishment of the Inquisition Ch.5 The kingdoms of Aragon Book 2: Relations with the State Ch.1 Relations with the crown Ch.2 Supereminence Ch.3 Privilege and exemptions Ch.4 Conflicting jurisdictions Ch.5 Popular hostility Volume II Book 3: Jurisdiction Ch.1 Heresy Ch.2 The regular orders Ch.3 Bishops Ch.4 The Edict of Faith Ch.5 Appeals to Rome Book 4: Organisation Ch.1 The Inquisitor-General and Supreme Council Ch.2 The Tribunal Ch.3 Unsalaried officials Ch.4 Limpieza Book 5: Resources Ch.1 Confiscation Ch.2 Fines and penances Ch.3 Dispenasations Ch.4 Benefices Ch.5 Finances Book 6: Practice Ch.1 The Edict of Grace Ch.2 The Inquisitorial Process Ch.3 Arrest and sequestration Ch.4 The secret prison Ch.5 Evidence Ch.6 Confession Appendix of documents Volume III Book 6 contd Ch.7 Torture Ch.8 The trial Book 7: Punishment Ch.1 The sentence Ch.2 Minor penalties Ch.3 Harsher penalties Ch.4 The stake Ch.5 The auto de fe Book 8: Spheres of Action Ch.1 Jews Ch.2 Moriscos Ch.3 Protestantism Ch.4 Censorship Appendix: statistics of offences and penalties Documents Volume IV Book 8 contd Ch.5 Mysticism Ch.6 Solicitation Ch.7 Propositions Ch.8 Sorcery and occult arts Ch.9 Witchcraft Ch.10 Political activity Ch.11 Jansenism Ch.12 Free-Masonry Ch.13 Philosophism Ch.14 Bigamy Ch.15 Blasphemy Ch.16 Miscellaneous business Book 9 Conclusion Ch.1 Decadence and extinction Ch.2 Retrospect Appendix of documents Index Volume V : The Inquisition in the Spanish Dependencies Ch. 1: Sicily (including Malta) Ch.2: Naples Ch. 3: Sardinia Ch. 4: Milan Ch. 5: The Canaries Ch. 6: Mexico (including the Philippines) Ch. 7: Peru Ch. 8: New Granada Appendix Index

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Book SynopsisFounded in the early twelfth century, allegedly to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land, the Knights Templar became famous for their pioneer banking system, crusading zeal, and strict vows of obedience, chastity and poverty. Having grown to some 15,000 men, they came to be perceived as a threat by Philip the Fair, who in 1307 disbanded the group and tortured their leaders for confessions. The French king accused the order of heresy, sodomy and blasphemy. Recent works of fiction and popular histories have created a resurgence of interest in the mysterious Knights Templar. Numerous contradictory and fantastic claims are made about them, adding to the enigma that already surrounds the warrior monks of France. In this unique collection of lecture material and writings from Rudolf Steiner, a new perspective emerges. Based on his spiritual perceptions, Steiner speaks of the Templars' connection to the esoteric tradition of St John, their relationship with the Holy Grail, and their spiritual dedication to Christ. He describes the secret order that existed within the Templars, and the strange rituals they performed. He also throws light on the Templars' attitude to the Roman Church, and the spiritual forces that inspired their torture and confessions.

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Book SynopsisThe shocking massacre of the Jews in York, 1190, is here re-examined in its historical context along with the circumstances and processes through which Christian and Jewish neighbours became enemies and victims. The mass suicide and murder of the men, women and children of the Jewish community in York on 16 March 1190 is one of the most scarring events in the history of Anglo-Judaism, and an aspect of England's medieval past which is widely remembered around the world. However, the York massacre was in fact only one of a series of attacks on communities of Jews across England in 1189-90; they were violent expressions of wider new constructs of the nature of Christian and Jewish communities, and the targeted outcries of local townspeople, whose emerging urban politics were enmeshed within the swiftly developing structures of royal government. This new collection considers the massacreas central to the narrative of English and Jewish history around 1200. Its chapters broaden the contexts within which the narrative is usually considered and explore how a narrative of events in 1190 was built up, both at the timeand in following years. They also focus on two main strands: the role of narrative in shaping events and their subsequent perception; and the degree of convivencia between Jews and Christians and consideration of the circumstances and processes through which neighbours became enemies and victims. SARAH REES JONES is Professor, and SETHINA WATSON Senior Lecturer, in History at the University of York. Contributors: Sethina Watson, Sarah Rees Jones, Joe Hillaby, Nicholas Vincent, Alan Cooper, Robert C. Stacey, Paul Hyams, Robin R. Mundill, Thomas Roche, Eva de Visscher, Pinchas Roth, Ethan Zadoff, Anna Sapir Abulafia, Heather Blurton, Matthew Mesley, Carlee A. Bradbury, Hannah Johnson, Jeffrey J. Cohen, Anthony BaleTrade ReviewThe contributions offering insights into Jewish life in Angevin England are particularly interesting . . . but they all give a clearer sense of the triangular relationship of crown, Jews, and Christians-a pattern visual elsewhere in Europe well into recent centuries. * STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING *For all scholars of twelfth- and thirteenth-century England there is much to learn from this book. ... The editors and Press are to be congratulated on producing such an impressive and stimulating volume... York Medieval Press has, since 1999, added impressively to our knowledge of the history, literature and culture of the Middle Ages both in Britain and on the Continent. * NORTHERN HISTORY *A scholarly and stimulating volume. * YORKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL *Through its new approach to old sources and examination of new sources, the collection provides important insights into Christian attitudes toward Jews, as well as moments of violence against Jews and their everyday lives in medieval England. * JOURNAL OF CHURCH AND STATE *The volume as a whole makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of the Jewish community in medieval England and its relationship with the Christian population and English royal government. * CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW *An impressive and rich collection of articles. Each and every one.repays careful attention. The reader gets filled up with a very solid mixture of facts about the inner workings of Jewish life in Angevin England as well as an appetite for more. * MEDIEVAL HISTORIES *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Moment and Memory of the York Massacre of 1190 - Sethina Watson Neighbours and Victims in Twelfth-Century York: A Royal Citadel, the Citizens and the Jews of York - Sarah Rees Jones Prelude and Postscript to the York Massacre: Attacks in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, 1190 - Joe Hillaby William of Newburgh, Josephus and the New Titus - Nicholas Vincent 1190, William Longbeard and the Crisis of Angevin England - Alan Cooper The Massacres of 1189-90 and the Origins of the Jewish Exchequer, 1186-1226 - Robert C. Stacey Faith, Fealty and Jewish 'Infideles' in Twelfth-Century England - Paul Hyams The 'archa' System and its Legacy after 1194 - Robin Mundill Making Agreements, with or without Jews, in Medieval England and Normandy - Thomas Roche An Ave Maria in Hebrew: The Transmission of Hebrew Learning from Jewish to Christian Scholars in Medieval England - Eva De Visscher The Talmudic Community of Thirteenth-Century England - Pinchas Roth and Ethan Zadoff Notions of Jewish Service in Twelfth and Thirteenth-Century England - Anna Sapir Abulafia Egyptian Days: From Passion to Exodus in the Representation of Twelfth-Century Jewish-Christian Relations - Heather Blurton 'De Judaea, Muta et Surda': Jewish Conversion in Gerald of Wales's Life of Saint Remigius - Matthew M. Mesley Dehumanizing the Jew at the Funeral of the Virgin Mary in the Thirteenth Century [c.1170 - c.1350] - Carlee Bradbury Massacre and Memory: Ethics and Method in Recent Scholarship on Jewish Martyrdom - Hannah Johnson The Future of the Jews of York - Jeffrey Jerome Cohen Afterword: Violence, Memory and the Traumatic Middle Ages - Anthony Bale Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIgnorance about Islam runs deep in the West – ignorance of its rites, its beliefs, and above all its prophet.  Who was Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and the man Muslims believe was God’s last prophet on earth? In this concise and colourful account, the acclaimed writer and broadcaster Barnaby Rogerson tells the story of the illiterate orphan who was raised in the desert and trained as a merchant on the camel trade routes that criss-crossed Arabia, before defying his tribe to found a new religion, establish a world language, and create an almost unstoppable force that only 100 years after his death has conquered an empire stretching from the Pyrenees to the Hindu Kush. It was when he was 40 that Muhammad experienced his first revelation on a mountainside outside Mecca, hearing the divine order: 'Recite!'  From then until his flight from Mecca his tale is one of rejection and persecution, but it is also one of puzzling contradictions: why did he order the mur

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Book SynopsisChurch History in Leicestershire charts the story of religion in England from pre-Christian times to the twentieth century, viewed through events and the eyes and experiences of people in Leicestershire. Weaving together ecclesiastical, political and social strands it chronicles the tortuous tale of religion, churches and the people who worshipped there. Where did churches and chapels come from; who built them, when and why? What significance lies in their looks and names? What made people so devoted to them? Why do they still exist? The book covers sweeping religious and political movements, potentates of church and state, but centre-stage are the clergy, their parishioners, churches and chapels: how they thrived or perished, weathered plague and invasions, grappled with their consciences during the Reformation and Civil Wars, founded powerful new denominations and championed social reform when Leicester(shire) became a hub of Christian Socialism and Secularism. Closing sections reflect on the church’s past and future, as it faces debates as fundamental as any previously encountered.

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Book SynopsisThe studies in this volume share a focus on religion in the ancient Mediterranean world: how ritual, myth, spectatorship, and travel reflect the continual interaction of human beings with the richly fictive beings who defined the boundaries of groups, access to the past, and mobility across land and seascapes. They share as well the methodological exploration of the intersection between human sciences, the integration of numerous disciplines around the study of all aspects of human life from the biological to the cultural, and the study of the past. In so doing, they continue a long dialogue that engages with critical models derived from specializations within history, philology, archaeology, sociology, and anthropology, and addresses, increasingly, the potentialities and pitfalls of quantitative and digital analyses. Many of the threads in this long conversation inform these chapters: the comparative project, human social evolution, disciplinary reflexivity, religion as an embedded, functional, and structural system, and the role for agency, networks, and materiality.

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Book SynopsisThis open access book explores the role of religion in England's overseas companies and the formation of English governmental identity abroad in the seventeenth century. Drawing on research into the Virginia, East India, Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New England and Levant Companies, it offers a comparative global assessment of the inextricable links between the formation of English overseas government and various models of religious governance across England's emerging colonial empire. While these approaches to governance varied from company to company, each sought to regulate the behaviour of their personnel, as well as the numerous communities and faiths which fell within their jurisdiction. This book provides a crucial reassessment of the seventeenth-century foundations of British imperial governance.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Introduction: ‘A Just Government’: Empire, Religion, Chaplains and the Corporation .- 2. The Virginia Company and the Foundations of Religious Governance in English Commercial Expansion .- 3. The Plymouth Company and Massachusetts Bay Company (1622–1639): Establishing Theocratic Corporate Governance .- 4. Apostasy and Debauchery (1601–1660): Behaviour, Passive Evangelism and the East India and Levant Company Chaplains .- 5. The Massachusetts Bay Company and New England Company (1640–1684): Exportation, Revaluation and the Demise of Corporate Theocratic Governance .- 6. The East India Company (1661–1698): Territorial Acquisition and the ‘Amsterdam of Liberty’ .- 7. Conclusion .- 8. Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThe Art of Orientation explores the mosque through 125 artefacts from across the Islamic world. It employs an original and contemporary approach by incorporating essays by leading Arab and international authors, which provide a fresh interpretation of the cultural history behind the shown objects by interweaving concepts, histories and ideas. The Publication is a tribute to the mosque and an exploration of its origins, meanings and functions through a careful selection of artifacts, including intricate and striking pulpits, prayer rugs, lamps and manuscripts. The book examines the progression from the humble mud-brick structure of the prophet’s first Mosque in Medina to the imposing stone mosques of Cairo and Istanbul. It includes contributions from a range of highly acclaimed international scholars. Personalized and insightful they present these masterpieces of Islamic Art in an entertaining and accessible way.Trade Review“The book should fill a real gap in contextual information, explaining the accoutrements of mosques and also their wide range of functions, as schools, hospitals, treasuries.” -- Jane Jakeman * The Art Newspaper *"As the subtitle, An Exploration of the Mosque through Objects, suggests, the volume proposes to re-examine the mosque through a close reading of the artistic and social histories of the objects that inhabited its spaces, examining the history and development of the mosque through these artifacts rather than through its architecture. To this end, the editors have compiled a series of essays by scholars, architects, and artists that contextualize a selection of the exhibited artifacts." * 21 Inquiries *

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Book Synopsis“With clarity and penetrating insight, Alex Ryvchin unravels the mystery of antisemitism… Mandatory reading for anyone concerned with the ethical fate of the human race.” ― Isaac Herzog, President of the State of IsraelThe 7 Deadly Myths traces antisemitism from its earliest origins to the present day and uncovers the dangerous conspiracy theories that have corrupted reasoning and led people and nations to diabolical acts. Exploring some of the most significant events in history and uncovering little-known villains, this book answers the questions of how antisemitism takes hold, how it is transmitted and how it inspires violence to the present day. Written in a clear and compelling style, this book is essential to understanding why this ancient hatred continues to plague society, inspiring pop stars, athletes and demagogues alike. It is a crucial resource for policy makers, students and the reading public seeking to understand racism and how it can be stopped.Trade Review“With clarity and penetrating insight, Alex Ryvchin unravels the mystery of antisemitism, distilling the roots of this most tenacious and pernicious conspiracy theory into seven fundamental myths. By shifting emphasis from the ‘why’ of this puzzling and dangerous phenomenon to the ‘how’ of the mechanics of its transmission, Ryvchin points to the possibility of actually confronting and diffusing it. This highly intelligent and well-written work should be on the mandatory reading list of anyone seeking to understand the age-old phenomenon of antisemitism, but moreso, of anyone concerned with the ethical fate of the human race.”— His Excellency Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel“[A] congenitally optimistic (or maybe just stubborn) Soviet-born Australian Jew has taken up the challenge of confronting this ever-present, baseless hatred. Endowed with both talent and passion, Alex Ryvchin… is well suited for the task. … With an easy, entertaining style devoid of ponderous didactics, his footnotes unintrusive, he fits a plethora of information into improbably few pages. Indeed, Ryvchin does a remarkable job of getting straight to the core, and he is truly masterful in unmasking the nonsensical prejudices without excessive rhetoric. … Intended as a resource for students, educators, and policymakers, this page-turner contains fascinating accounts of conspiracy theories, stunning in their absurdity. If calling the monstrous lies ‘myths’ seems overly generous, it does set the right tone for Ryvchin’s appeal to reason. … Only by exposing myths and lies is there any hope of healing, and the future of the Jewish people may become more tranquil. History has yet to prove whether this can occur, but miracles have been known to happen and may do so again.”— Juliana Geran Pilon, Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs“A smart, concise, and very up-to-date guide to the world’s oldest hatred.”— David Baddiel, author of Jews Don’t Count“Ryvchin is an invaluable resource in his knowledge of our challenges and what needs to be done to address them, as well as in his stalwart commitment to the future of Jewish community life. His book is clear, persuasive, and a pleasure to read. Ryvchin takes a complex and ancient hatred and shows us where it comes from, how it changes, and how it remains the same. Essential reading for educators, policy makers and anyone seeking to grapple with the dangerous rise in conspiracy theories and Jew hatred.”— Ronald S. Lauder, President, World Jewish Congress“Alex Ryvchin has made a significant contribution to the field of antisemitism studies. In a very readable narrative, he uses seven of the most powerful stereotypes about Jews to encompass the history of Jew hatred and in doing so lends perspective to what’s happening now. At this moment in history when antisemitism has found new life around the world, this is a timely and important work.”— Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director“Carefully researched and graphically expressed, Alex Ryvchin's The 7 Deadly Myths systematically demolishes those antisemitic tropes, deeply embedded in Western culture, that are once again surfacing with potentially deadly implications. A trenchant warning of the sort that was all too easily ignored in Germany in 1933.”— Victor Lieberman, Raoul Wallenberg Distinguished University Professor of History, University of Michigan“Hostility to Jews and Judaism dates back over centuries. In succinct, well-informed, and lucidly composed chapters, Alex Ryvchin focuses on seven of the most persistent and deadly myths that fuel such animosity. Readers interested in a brief but illuminating explanation of many of the causative factors behind antisemitism will benefit from Mr. Ryvchin’s vividly drawn presentation of age-old anti-Jewish stereotypes. For all of their irrationality, they hang on threateningly to this day.”— Alvin H. Rosenfeld, Professor of English and Jewish Studies and Irving M. Glazer Chair in Jewish Studies, Indiana University"Antisemitism is the oldest, longest, most enduring, toxic and lethal of hatreds. Alex Ryvchin wrote a timely and significant work which unmasks and exposes the deadly myths that have bred, nurtured and advanced with metastasizing hatred. An essential read for the understanding of traditional and contemporary antisemitism, and the moral imperative to combat it as a threat to our common humanity."— Irwin Cotler, Founder & International Chair, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human RightsTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionMyth 1—The Blood LibelMyth 2—Christ-KillersMyth 3—Global DominationMyth 4—ChosenMyth 5—MoneyMyth 6—Dual LoyaltiesMyth 7—Oppressed to OppressorsEpilogue

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Book SynopsisThe Reformation which engulfed England and Europe in the sixteenth century was one of the most highly-charged, bloody and transformative periods in their history, and has remained one of the most contested. In this dazzling book, Diarmaid MacCulloch explores a turbulent and endlessly fascinating era. ''A masterly take on the Reformation ... absorbing and compelling, full of insights'' Linda Hogan, Irish Times''One of our very best public historians ... as this collection triumphantly confirms, MacCulloch writes authoritatively and engagingly on a remarkably diverse range of topics in the history of Christian culture'' Peter Marshall, Literary Review''Written with elegance and sometimes donnish wit ... he wears his learning lightly'' Robert Tombs, The Times''Dazzling ... prodigiously learned ... MacCulloch has a gift for explaining complicated things simply'' Jack Scarisbrick, Catholic HeraldTrade ReviewMacCulloch not only brings a lifetime's learning to bear on his subject, but writes with vigour, empathy and wit ... about identity and memory, about the importance of myths and why historians need to challenge them. -- Malcolm Gaskill * Financial Times *All Things Made New is a serious book on a serious subject. It is written with elegance and sometimes donnish wit -- Robert Tombs * The Times *MacCulloch is ... able to write authoritatively and engagingly on a remarkably diverse range of topics in the history of Christian culture and thought. -- Peter Marshall * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisA complete history of the Papacy - one of the most enduring and influential of all human institutions.Few human institutions have survived so long and played a continuously important role in world history and affairs than the Papacy. From the time of St Peter to the present day, this establishment has sought to make sense of contemporary issues. Its story is a long and complicated one, full of incident, ideas and the interplay of personalities.In this masterful single volume, eminent scholar Roger Collins offers an account of the entire arc of papal history, describing how its authority was acquired and exercised, and in turn, challenged and threatened; how it faced and overcame crises - both from within and without; its relationship with Rome; the tradition of artistic patronage; and the character and policies of individual popes.KEEPERS OF THE KEYS OF HEAVEN is a vivid and revealing portrait of an enduring body, chronicling two thousand years of ambiTrade ReviewFew historians write as engagingly and wittily as Roger Collins. This is a wonderful, magnificent account of an institution that has touched the lives of millions and still does. - Alexander McCall Smith.Always accessible...impeccably fair and even detached when it comes to analysing controversial actions...[A] vast and admirable tome. - Sunday Times.

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