History of religion Books

Book SynopsisThis biography traces the dramatic life of William Tyndale, the first person to translate the Bible into English from the original Greek and Hebrew. It discusses the profound religious, literary, intellectual and social implications of his immense achievement.Trade Review"Daniell has given us the first substantial book on Tyndale in over fifty years."—Patrick Collinson, Times Literary Supplement"A massive contribution to the history of the Reformation in England. It is novel and important in its focus upon the language of the English scriptures in the formative period and in its long-range perspective."—J. Enoch Powell, Times Higher Education Supplement "An important work for all those interested in the history of Biblical translation."—International Review of Biblical Studies"If you read one biography in the next six months, read this one. It stresses not so much the individual as his times and the impact he had upon them and yet never lessens its grip upon the reader. In the end one comes to admire Daniell as well as Tyndale."—Chronique"Daniell's work is no mere biography; rather, it is a masterly edition of the scant details of Tyndale's life and an important critique of his numerous literary achievements. Enriched by appendices, chapter notes, an excellent bibliography, and a number of black-and-white illustrations, the book should occupy a very special place on the scholar's bookshelf for many years to come."—Larry W. Usilton, History"A valuable contribution to a forgotten episode of English radicalism."—New Statesman & Society"This book should be read by every student of the biblical text and every would-be translator."—Reverend Dr. Kenneth B. Wilson, Principal, Westminster College, Methodist Recorder"At the end of the book, it seems like a good idea to pick up one of Professor Daniell's modern-spelling editions of Tyndale's Scripture and savor Tyndale's marvelous language neat."—Marc M. Arkin, Wall Street Journal - Europe"This is a splendid life, to be read and to be enjoyed."—Manuela Cardosa, The Expository Times"Daniell demonstrates extraordinary patience in gathering evidence, good judgment in weighing evidence, and writes with clarity and wit. His book is a fundamental contribution to our knowledge of the Tudor period and a model for other biographers. I can think of no better introduction to the life and work of one of humanity's heroes and benefactors than this book."—Warren Hope, The Elizabethan Review"A gutsy, pioneering book; 'definitive' would not be an overstatement. . . . Sensitive and thorough, enthusiastic and readable—a spur as well as a foundation for many kinds of scholarship. Professor Daniell merits our congratulations and our gratitude."—Anne Richardson, Moreana"An excellent study which is both readable and scholarly—a fitting tribute to the scholar whom it honours."—Rudolph Heinze, Theology"A fitting tribute to a remarkable Englishman 500 years on!"—Peter Newman Brooks, Journal of Theological Studies"A superb book about this important and neglected figure. . . . What gives the book its special power is the passion with which Daniell writes about Tyndale the man and his cause. . . . Reformation scholars will welcome this book and learn from it, as will those interested in translation and the English language."—Stephanie Martin, Snell Library, Northeastern University

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Book SynopsisShows how our debates are rooted in the many controversies surrounding the birth of the religion and the earliest attempts to resolve them. This title explores the ambiguities and contradictions that underlay Christian theology and the unavoidable compromises enforced in the name of doctrine.Trade Review"Freeman has a gift for crafting a compelling story out of the messy details of history, painting nuanced portraits of key figures through compelling quotations and precise historical observation."—Steve Young, Library Journal"This book will help us to new understandings and insights . . . It makes the events of this early period clear and accessible, and succeeds in showing how the Church developed its character and identity."—John Binns, Church Times"[Freeman] has found a fresh approach to the subject, from the birth of Christ to the death of the Roman Empire . . . Freeman gives one of the best explanations of the Arian controversy . . . that I have come across. And it is the way Freeman explores such issues that gives this book its modern relevance."—Nigel Nelson, Tribune"This [book] brilliantly evokes the intellectual excitement and spiritual ferment when a sect of enthusiasts was turning itself into a church."—Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman"Freeman writes well and his narrative is clear and swift with fine flashes of insight."—Eric Ormsby, Standpoint"Freeman writes very well and he always takes the trouble to read deeply in the scholarly literature. This book is a rattling good read and you’ll encounter all sorts of fascinating facts and stories."—Jonathan Wright, Catholic Herald"Charles Freeman’s splendid and wide-ranging account of the birth of Christianity came out to rave reviews a couple of years ago. This paperback edition should make this important book available to more people."—Catholic Herald"This new and fascinating account shows how a distinct but diverse and exceptionally vibrant movement was brought into line with a unifying theology and what was lost in the process."—Good Book Guide"A History of Early Christianity is a masterful book, and a pleasure to read. Freeman narrates the development, diversity, and spread of Christianity with originality and verve. It is a story that brims over with fascinating accounts, intriguing quotations from figures in the ancient Mediterranean, and illuminating historical analysis. It is also a crucial resource for our understanding of ongoing cultural negotiations of religious and political spheres, all those theologico-political paradoxes that face us now more than ever. I do not think there exists a more engaging and illuminating history of early Christianity than this one."—Ward Blanton, University of Glasgow"Even those who are adherents to Christianity may be puzzled by the tensions which exist in its primary sources, and this meticulous attempt to probe its origins and development is to be welcomed. Charles Freeman embraces the different kinds of approaches and positions which are found in the ancient texts, Christian and otherwise, painting a vivid picture of the nature of Christianity in all its diversity in the earliest centuries of its existence."—Christopher Rowland, author of Christian Origins "This is a bold and imaginative historical synthesis which fills an important need. For the first time, Freeman makes the complex story of Christianity's birth and early development available in concise, lively, eminently readable form. A tragic story in many ways, but a great pleasure to read."—Richard Rubenstein, author of When Jesus Became God

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Book SynopsisA path-breaking scholar's insightful reexamination of the resurrection of the body and the construction of the self When people talk about the resurrection they often assume that the bodies in the afterlife will be perfect. But which version of our bodies gets resurrectedyoung or old, healthy or sick, real-to-life or idealized? What bodily qualities must be recast in heaven for a body to qualify as both ours and heavenly? The resurrection is one of the foundational statements of Christian theology, but when it comes to the New Testament only a handful of passages helps us answer the question What will those bodies be like? More problematically, the selection and interpretation of these texts are grounded in assumptions about the kinds of earthly bodies that are most desirable. Drawing upon previously unexplored evidence in ancient medicine, philosophy, and culture, this illuminating book both revisits central textssuch as the resurrection of Jesusand mines virtually ignored passages Trade Review"[An] excellent new book"—The Catholic Herald“In this informed, witty, and provocative study… Professor Moss presents a timely challenge to modern sense and sensibilities.”—John Saxbee, Church Times“There is a tremendous wealth of learning and reflection in the short 200 pages of this book…Definitely one to read.”—Matthew V. Novenson, Journal for the Study of the New Testament“Why does Christianity see bodily resurrection as salvation? How do ideas about embodied eternity encode time-bound cultural values concerning health, wealth, beauty, sex, and self? Candida Moss’s lithe essay investigates all these questions with lively erudition, with humor and with insight. Divine Bodies is divine reading.”—Paula Fredriksen, author of When Christians Were Jews“With enormous learning and gentle sensitivity Candida Moss explores the intricate pathways of the Christian imagination. In the process she skillfully and insightfully reveals the complex ironies of a hoped for future life and the ways it often mirrors an unexamined present.”—Harold W. Attridge, Yale Divinity School“Are our bodies ourselves? Candida Moss shows how culturally constructed notions of human perfection and beauty have shaped New Testament passages about the resurrected body—and modern biblical scholarship as well. A thought-provoking work of intellectual and cultural history.“—David Brakke, The Ohio State University“This fresh, careful study will change our classical images of bodily resurrection. Shining new light on both well-known texts and more neglected sources, Candida Moss shows how earthly disabilities are an integral part of resurrected, glorified bodies.”—Christoph Markschies, Humboldt-University Berlin“In this thought-provoking book, Candida Moss invites readers to rethink our views about the resurrection and critically question our (often implicit) assumptions of the perfect and impaired bodies.”—Ismo Dunderberg, University of Helsinki

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Book SynopsisThe relationship between Jews and Muslims has been a flashpoint that affects stability in the Middle East and has consequences around the globe. This book challenges the standard media portrayal and presents an account of hope, opportunity, fear, and terror that have characterized these two people through the 1,400 years of their history.Trade Review"'... a nonstop barrage of compelling facts from a breathtakingly wide collection of archives, to build up an overwhelming portrait of a people's suffering.' (Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times) 'A valuable, balanced contribution.' (Iain Finlayson, The Times) 'Gilbert's scholarship is meticulous, his tone balanced, and he takes care to include painstaking details.' (Marina Benjamin, London Evening Standard) 'Gilbert fluently recounts the ups and downs of Jewish-Arab relations over the centuries.' (Adam LeBor, Literary Review) 'Gilbert's book is an illuminating and a moving account of the history of the Jews in Arab lands.' (Avi Shlaim, Financial Times) 'Hard-hitting and frequently harrowing' (Simon Griffith, Mail on Sunday)"

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Book SynopsisOffering an introduction to the New Testament, the author presents an historical study of the origins of Christianity by analyzing the literature of the earliest Christian movements. Focusing mainly on the New Testament, he also considers non-Biblical Christian writings of the era.Trade Review"This is a good introduction for students and a valuable aid to help those who studied some years ago to bring their knowledge of New Testament scholarship up to date."—Church of England Newspaper

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Book SynopsisHow did a community that was largely invisible in the first two centuries of its existence go on to remake the civilizations it inhabited, culturally, politically and intellectually? Beginning with the life of Jesus, this title narrates the dramatic spread and development of Christianity over the first thousand years of its history.Trade ReviewPraise for The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: "Magnificently learned [and] deeply felt. . . . An attentive reader of Wilken, whether believer or nonbeliever, will be touched anew by his survey of Christian intellectual life."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World"Brilliant . . . a riveting story."—Publishers Weekly"Robert Wilken has written the best kind of authoritative historical survey. Its treatment is learned, thorough, but also accessible for all aspects of early Christian history, and especially for the great significance of Islam to the entire Christian world from the seventh century forward."—Mark Noll, author of The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield, and the Wesleys"A marvelous and unique survey, learned and authoritative, yet also a perfect introduction to the early history of Christianity. Robert Wilken redraws many boundaries, expanding horizons, summarizing and analyzing with consummate skill. This beautifully written book sets new standards on multiple levels, and should stand for a long time as the benchmark by which all other surveys are measured."—Carlos Eire, author of Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy"This is a rich and wonderful book, not only because of Robert Wilken's narrative gifts, but because of his immense scholarly range and sympathies. His is one of the few treatments of Christianity's first millennium for Anglophone readers that embraces the faith's whole history, cultural and geographical, Eastern and Western, Chalcedonian and Non-Chalcedonian, European, Asian, and African. It is a pure joy to read."—David Hart, author of Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies"Christianity is a historical religion, yet much of its actual life from the New Testament until early modern times remains largely unknown. Robert Wilken, one of our best historians, provides here a fascinating account of Christianity’s first millennium, the undivided church which is the patrimony of all Christians. Written with elegance, grace, and insight."—Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School"A lively, engaging, and highly enjoyable tour of the church’s first millennia."—Jacob Sweeney, Semper Reformanda (blog)

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Medieval Europe is a remarkably detailed and readable book, and, at only 250 pages in length it is, unlike the Middle Ages, both brief and clear.”—Dominic Green, Minerva “Shoemaker makes his case with admirable clarity, and objectivity” — Guy de Gaynesford, Faith

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewChosen for a Spirituality & Practice Book Award as one of the 50 Best Spiritual Books of 2018"The most accessible, most beautifully wrought collection of Sufi love poetry I have ever read. Omid Safi has given the world an invaluable gift."—Reza Aslan, author of God: A Human History“Radical Love is a passionate distillation of the Islamic mystical tradition. Omid Safi has assembled a marvelous collection of texts, which will be admired by anyone drawn to Sufism or the poetry of love.”—Carl Ernst, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"Omid Safi has given his deep and devout attention to this work. Radical Love is a beautiful collection."—Coleman Barks, author of The Essential Rumi"If 'one reads poetry with one’s nerves', as Wallace Stevens suggests, you will find your nerves tingling as did mine when I read Omid Safi’s Radical Love, an unparalleled account of human/divine engagement."—Bruce B. Lawrence, author of The Koran in English: A Biography“Omid Safi is a master translator and a poet in his own right. With power, vision, inspiration, and staggering radiance, Safi introduces a cosmos of Islamic mystical poetry to an audience so very much in need of expanding our horizon and understanding of the rich aesthetic traditions of Islam.” —David Kyuman Kim, author of Melancholic Freedom

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Book SynopsisAn enthralling account of paganism in Britain, from the Paleolithic Age to the arrival of ChristianityTrade ReviewShortlisted for the 2015 Hessell-Tilman Prize'At last, a balanced, well-written and original review of Britain's pre-Christian religions that treats the complex and enduring legacy of prehistory with due respect. It is also full of unexpected insights. A delight.' - Francis Pryor, author of Britain BC: Life in Britain and Ireland Before the Romans"A well-written and thoroughly researched study of a most important subject. The book is informed, fair minded and extremely readable. Nothing like this has been done before.'"—Richard Bradley, author of The Prehistory of Britain and Ireland

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Book SynopsisThe first account of the dissolution of the monasteries for fifty years—exploring its profound impact on the people of Tudor EnglandTrade Review“The most important book on the subject for two generations. . . . Clark’s achievement is unmistakable. . . . Carefully researched, beautifully structured, and courageously argued, The Dissolution of the Monasteries is precise, polemical, and sweeping. It should be instantly recognized as a classic.“—Crawford Gribben, Wall Street Journal“Deeply researched . . . steeped in primary sources, scrupulously polite and anti-sensational. . . . The result may well be the most important book on the English Reformation since Eamon Duffy’s The Stripping of the Altars.”—Dan Jones, Sunday Times“Clark . . . builds up a huge mosaic of life on the eve of the Reformation, taken from letters and law cases, wills and account books.”—Christopher Howse, Daily Telegraph“This is a book about people, though, not ideas, and as a detailed account of an extraordinary human drama with a cast of thousands, it is an exceptional piece of historical writing.”—Lucy Wooding, Times Literary Supplement“A terrific work of scholarship and profoundly dispiriting with it. . . . The big narrative is enlivened by riveting accounts of individuals caught up in the great events.”—Melanie McDonagh, Catholic Herald, “Books of the Year”“James Clark’s absorbing and formidable study presents much that is refreshingly new. . . . It was easy to misread Henry VIII . . . in the 1530s. This is where Clark’s account is at its most rewarding. . . . For there is no sign until the very last twelve months of monastic life that there was any masterplan for complete suppression.”—Diarmaid MacCulloch, London Review of Books“Important and original . . .; it will deservedly become the standard textbook for the next generation of scholars.”—Hugh Willmott, BBC History Magazine“This book is a considerable achievement, absorbing in its detail, not easy to do justice in a short review. Among many striking discussions, there is vivid, wide-ranging treatment of monastic life in late medieval England and Wales.”—Ann Hughes, Times Higher Education Supplement“An impressively detailed study that yields a rich harvest. Clark has unearthed a wealth of overlooked details to challenge centuries of controversy and misconception, and provides a welcome new perspective on Henry VIII, his ‘henchman’ Thomas Cromwell and other powerful members of the court.”—Tracy Borman, BBC History Magazine, “Books of the Year”“One of the most interesting elements of James Clark’s excellent, substantial new book is the epilogue on the afterlife of the religious houses and indeed of the religious themselves—right into Jacobean England.”—Melanie McDonagh, The Tablet“Clark’s epic work fills the gap for a modern readership: he provides a massive account, the first dedicated one in half a century, which, unfortunately for many historians, will mean that an additional such book will hardly be needed again for another 50 years.”—Sean McGlynn, Spectator“It has been decades since we last had a history of the Dissolution and Clark has made excellent use of recent research, including archaeological reports, alongside his own exceptional and extensive work in the archives. . . . This is quite simply the best history yet written on English monasticism in the 16th century, and it will surely remain so for years to come.”—Mathew Lyons, History Today“Invaluable. . . . A major addition to our understanding of the whole process of the Henrician Reformation [and] the fullest account of the Dissolution ever written.”—Eamon Duffy, The Tablet“Most studies with ‘a new history’ in their title have their obsolescence built in. Newness is a quality rarely long retained. Clark’s book is something different: the product of that most impressive of conjunctions—fine historical writing, high analytical intelligence, and Stakhanovite labours in the archives—it takes its subject to a new level. It looks set to be the authoritative account of the dissolution of the monasteries for decades to come.”—John Adamson, Catholic Herald“Direct quotations of records, complete with the original spellings, involves a bit of enjoyable light work to decipher what the subjects are discussing; it is totally engaging as a motif, and enables Clark to draw the reader deep into his narrative.”—Serenhedd James, The Critic“This is an immersive and thought-provoking read that looks at the social changes from all perspectives.”—Family Tree Magazine“A starting point for all future students of the Dissolution. . . . The book’s strongest point is its back-story. . . . You will not read this book for its account of government policy: rather, for its view of how that policy looked and felt to the communities that were destroyed by it.”—Alec Ryrie, Church Times“Immense scholarship . . . an enjoyable and essential read.”—Susan Doran, Journal of Religious History“By any standards this is a remarkable book. . . . It sets the standard for the kind of work that is needed to clarify the process of Reformation.”—Raymond Gillespie, Search“It is hard to see how Clark’s account could be improved upon: it is to be admired not only for its scholarship and attention to detail, but also for the understanding that it generates. . . . Clark has achieved much in this extensive study and it will, in time, become the leading examination of this complex subject.”—Paul Flux, Albion Magazine“A wonderfully researched and engaging account of this terrible calamity.”—Barney White Spunner, Aspects of History“This extraordinary and impressive piece of scholarship, delivered in marvellously clear prose, offers a forensic investigation of how and why, under Henry VIII, monasticism in England was brought to such a swift and merciless end, and charts, as no other work has done, the profound social consequences of this seismic change. This long-awaited study is required reading.”—Suzannah Lipscomb, author of The King Is Dead“Exceptional. . . . The author’s extensive research has unearthed a wealth of previously overlooked details that challenge centuries of controversy, rumour and misconception. As well as providing a fresh perspective on well known characters such as Henry VIII and his ‘henchman’ Thomas Cromwell, the narrative brings the people who lived and worked in the monasteries vividly to life. A stunning achievement.”—Tracy Borman, author of Thomas Cromwell“Establishes Professor Clark as the leading authority on Tudor monasticism and the experience of its end; and it is therefore now the main text in that major field.”—Ronald Hutton, author of The Making of Oliver Cromwell“This is a landmark book. Clark has swept away many old generalisations and assumptions in favour of a much more detailed and nuanced account of this social (as well as religious) revolution. The end result is nothing short of magnificent—yet also intricate, intimate, touchingly human and endlessly fascinating.”—Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England

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Book SynopsisThe West and Islam--the sword and the scimitar--have clashed since the mid-seventh century, when, according to Muslim tradition, the Byzantine emperor rejected Prophet Muhammad''s order to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam, unleashing a centuries-long jihad on Christendom.Sword and Scimitar chronicles the significant battles that arose from this ages-old Islamic jihad, beginning with the first major Islamic attack on Christian land in 636, through the occupation of the Middle East that prompted the Crusades and the far-flung conquests of the Ottoman Turks, to the European colonization of the Muslim world in the 1800s, when Islam largely went on the retreat--until its reemergence in recent times. Using original sources in Arabic, Greek, Latin, and Turkish, preeminent historian Raymond Ibrahim describes each battle in vivid detail and explains the effect the outcome had on larger historical currents of the age and how the military lessons of the battle reflect the cultural faultlines between Islam and the West.The majority of these landmark battles are now forgotten or considered inconsequential. Yet today, as the West faces a resurgence of this enduring Islamic jihad, Sword and Scimitar provides the needed historical context to understand the current relationship between the West and the Islamic world, and why the Islamic State is merely the latest chapter of an old history.

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Book SynopsisPacked with expert insight into the customs, culture, and literature of Bible times, the NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible brings difficult passages of Scripture into sharp focus. Discover new dimensions of insight to even the most familiar Bible passages as you take a behind-the-scenes tour into the ancient world.

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Book SynopsisGospel-Centered Theology for TodayEvangelical Theology, Second Edition helps today''s readers understand and practice the doctrines of the Christian faith by presenting a gospel-centered theology that is accessible, rigorous, and balanced. According author Michael Bird the gospel is the fulcrum of Christian doctrine; the gospel is where God meets us and where we introduce the world to God. And as such, an authentically evangelical theology is the working out of the gospel in the various doctrines of Christian theology.The text helps readers learn the essentials of Christian theology through several key features, including: A What to Take Home section at end of every part that gives readers a run-down on all the important things they need to know. Tables, sidebars, and questions for discussion to help reinforce key ideas and concepts A Comic Belief section, since reading theology can often be dry and cerebral, so thatTrade Review'Evangelical Theology is a gift to God's people. The revised edition offers the biblical foundations and extensive historical perspectives of its original publication, along with a more substantive incorporation of theologians from the global south. This robust theological exposition produces the intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth that fuels the personal and public witness of the church.' * WALTER R. STRICKLAND II, associate vice president for kingdom diversity initiatives and assistant professor of systematic and contextual theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary *'For years, I have frequently and enthusiastically recommended this book to students for its comprehensive and fair treatment of key issues in Christian doctrine and practice. Now with more diverse dialogue partners and even more robust treatments of key issues in the ever developing world of theology, I have even more reasons to do so. Bird simply keeps readers' attention on the gospel, as he exhaustively equips us to learn it well so we can live it well.' * AMY PEELER, associate professor of New Testament, Wheaton College *'I warmly welcome this second edition of Mike Bird's Evangelical Theology. The gospel both generates and governs Christian faith, but systematic theologies sometimes smother it under the weight of conceptual schemes, confessional traditions, or social agendas. Not on Bird's watch. The gospel is front and center in all eight parts of this thoroughly revised, wiser, wider, and wittier work. With its persistent focus on the meaning and significance of the gospel of Jesus Christ, this book may be the tonic we need to rescue the term evangelical from being either drained of meaning altogether or linked to something less than the cause of Jesus and his coming kingdom.' * KEVIN VANHOOZER, research professor of systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School *'Michael Bird seeks to place evangelical theology on surer footing by engaging with the best in the Christian tradition, and he succeeds admirably. This new edition incorporates conversations with the global church. Its conversational style makes it highly readable and unique for a systematic theology. I will not hesitate to recommend it as a course textbook.' * SIMON CHAN, Trinity Theological College, Singapore *'Mike Bird's second edition of the already potent Evangelical Theology has gained impressive horsepower. With the first edition I had at last found a text that could engage and excite the theologically apathetic. I'm even more enthusiastic for students to dive into the second edition. The updated sources strengthen an already well-researched text in Bird's always engaging style. His treatment of theological method provides long-overdue correctives for evangelicals. As he then models that method, he demonstrates how a gospel-driven approach to theology unleashes the power of theology across the loci. This text will benefit thoughtful Christians in both congregation and classroom, anchoring theological novices while stretching those whose theology has become domesticated.' * DON J. PAYNE, associate professor of theology, Denver Seminary *'My friend Michael Bird is a gift to the evangelical church. His sheer brilliance and witty humor is breath of fresh air. Reading Evangelical Theology is an adventure. It's really, really good. I believe it is so because Bird-man writes, 'I unabashedly believe that the good news of Jesus Christ is the most important doctrine.' This book must be in your theological library. You will return to it again and again.' * DERWIN L. GRAY, founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches about Finding True Happiness *'Students of evangelical theology should welcome this second, revised-and-expanded version of Michael Bird's widely read text. In his inimitable style, with wide-ranging engagement with sources old and new, as well as impressive clarity and verve, Bird here offers a fetching and substantive account of Christian theology. Those looking to find their way through the thickets of contemporary evangelical teaching will be well-served by Bird's guidance.' * PHILIP G. ZIEGLER, professor of Christian dogmatics, University of Aberdeen *'This second edition is a timely, thorough, and accessible text for students and for all who desire to deepen their understanding of the Christian faith. Without losing theological rigor, Bird navigates a host of pressing contemporary questions with precision and care. This new edition engages a wide variety of conversation partners and offers opportunities for sustained conversation.' * JUSTIN MCLENDON, associate professor of theology, Grand Canyon University, managing editor, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies *'You need this ecumenical systematic theology on your bookshelf--one that begins at, centers on, and ends with the gospel. This is the lens that both laypeople and academics need to bring into focus what God is revealing to us in his Word. Not only does Mike Bird give that, but he makes it both fun and challenging to read as he humbly interacts with theologians past and present on the content of our faith. He is the fun uncle that has crashed the stodgy family party, showing what is real and exciting about our heritage in Christ.' * AIMEE BYRD, author of Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Why Can’t We Be Friends? *

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Book SynopsisJoin a cold-case detective as he uncovers the truth about Jesus using the same approach he employs to solve real murder cases.Detective J. Warner Wallace was skeptical of the Bible''s claims about Jesus. But he''d investigated several no-body homicide cases in which there was no crime scene, no physical evidence, and no victim''s body. He wondered if the truth about the historical Jesus could be investigated in the same way.In Person of Interest, cold-case detective and bestselling author J. Warner Wallace describes his own personal investigative journey from atheism to Christianity as he carefully sifts through the evidence from history alone, without relying on the New Testament.In this book, you''ll: Understand like never before how Jesus—the most significant person in history—changed the world and why he still matters today. Learn how to think like a cold-case detective by using an innovative Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1: Events Preceding Jesus 1. The prophecies predicting the coming of the Messiah 2. The first century expectations of a Messiah 3. The pre-existing mythologies that resemble Jesus Part 2: Facts Surrounding the Life and Ministry of Jesus 4. The historical reliability of his existence 5. The reliability of the gospel eyewitness accounts describing him 6. The nature of Jesus based on his statements 7. The nature of Jesus based on his actions 8. The nature of Jesus based on the response he received Part 3: Events Following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus 9. The response of non-Christian authors in the first and second century 10. The response of the eyewitnesses and their students 11. The response of non-canonical authors 12. The rapid growth of the early Church 13. The continuing impact of Jesus in the lives of believers

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Book SynopsisExplores the ways in which food practices enabled women to exert control within the family and to define their religious vocations. This title describes what women meant by seeing their own bodies and God's body as food and what men meant when they too associated women with food and flesh.Table of ContentsForeword Note on the Text Author's Note The Boston Poems Cups 1-12 The Park The Faerie Queene The Moth Poem Image-Nations -4 Les Chimeres Charms Great Companion: Pindar Image-Nations 5-14 and Uncollected Poems Streams I Syntax Pell Mell Great Companion: Robert Duncan Streams II Exody Notes Great Companion: Dante Alighiere Wanders So Oh! Afterword Index of Titles and First Lines

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This carefully researched book provides a thorough analysis . . . [as well as] a new perspective on the study of Muhammad and makes a significant contribution to the scholarly literature. Recommended." * CHOICE *"This book should be required reading for any scholar or graduate student of early Islam or Late Antiquity." * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments The Caliphs, 632–809 Introduction: The Making of the Historical Muhammad PART I. BEFORE THE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE 1. The Earliest Evidence Three Early Non-Muslim Testimonies to Muhammad Revisiting the Doctrina Iacobi The “Keys to Paradise” in Late Antique Religious Discourse The “Keys to Paradise” in Early Islamic Preaching The Doctrina Iacobi and the Historical Muhammad 2. Muhammad the Merchant The Earliest Depictions of Muhammad as a Merchant Muhammad’s Occupation in the Hadīth and Sīrah-Maghāzī Literature Muhammad as a Trader in Arabic Sources Muhammad and the Monk The Merchants of Mecca PART II. THE BEGINNINGS OF HTE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE 3. The Beginnings of the Corpus The Umayyads and the Beginnings of the Sīrah-Maghāzī Tradition `Abd al-Malik ibn Marwān and `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr 4. The Letters of `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr The Chains of Transmission for `Urwah’s Letters A Translation of the Letters Attributed to `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr Letter 1. From the Persecutions in Mecca to the Hijrah to Yathrib Letter 2. Khadījah’s death and the Prophet’s marriage to `A'ishah Letter 3. The Battle of Badr Letter 4. On al-Hudaybiyah, a Gloss on Q. Mumtahinah 60:10–12 Letter 5. The Conquest of Mecca and al-Tāʾif Letter 6. On the Hums Letter 7. `A'ishah’s Accusers Letter 8. On Khuwaylah, the wife of Aws ibn al-Sāmit, a Gloss on Q. Mujādalah 58:1–4 Letter 9. On the Prophet’s Marriage to a Sister of al-Ash`ath ibn Qays 5. The Court Impulse Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī and the Umayyads The Corpus of Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī Ibn Ishāq and the Abbasids The Corpus of Ibn Ishāq PART III. LOCATING THE SIRAH-MAGHAZI LITERATURE IN LATE ANTIQUITY 6. Prophecy and Empires of Faith Prophecy and the Rhetoric of Empire The Vision of Heraclius Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī’s Christian Source Translatio Imperii in the Early Sīrah-Maghāzī Literature 7. Muhammad and Cædmon Cædmon’s Call and The Iqraʾ Narrative From Muhammad’s Call to Cædmon’s Call Mechanisms of Narrative Influence The Iqra' Narrative—Early, but not Historical Excursus: Alternative Accounts of Muhammad’s First Revelation Epilogue: The Future of the Historical Muhammad Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisCan people coexist in peace when their basic beliefs are irreconcilable? Kaplan responds by taking us back to early modern Europe, when the issue of religious toleration was no less pressing than it is today. This compelling story reveals that toleration has taken many guises in the past and suggests that it may well do the same in the future.Trade ReviewDivided by Faith is a work of erudition and broad vision that may best be compared to a large canvas of vivid scenes, a textual Brueghel. It offers us historical lessons for our own age, threatened with the rising clamor of intolerance. -- Ronnie Hsia, Pennsylvania State UniversityDivided by Faith is an original, brilliant, and utterly compelling account of the origins of religious tolerance. For divided communities or civilizations on the brink, it bears a timely and reassuring message from history: living tolerably with an irreconcilable enemy is a far lesser burden than war. -- Steven Ozment, Harvard UniversityA refreshing new interpretation of the problems of religious conflict and coexistence that troubled Europe after the unity of western Christendom was broken by the Protestant Reformation. Well constructed, convincingly argued, and beautifully written, this book speaks to many current questions about the origins and nature of religious tolerance and the prospects for peaceful coexistence among competing faiths. -- Barbara Diefendorf, Boston UniversityKaplan examines the sometimes lurid and always remarkable history of religious conflict and tolerance in Europe during the period between the Reformation and the French Revolution (from the 16th to the late 18th centuries). Conceding this is a thoroughly plowed field of inquiry and eschewing the establishment of new facts, Kaplan's detail-laden yet thoroughly accessible text acknowledges the roles of contemporary philosophers, theologians, and leaders (e.g., Oliver Cromwell, John Locke, and Voltaire) in quieting a continent contorted by religious conflict. Kaplan's major contribution, however, is to redirect the level of analysis to "peasants and craftsmen, women and minorities" who developed the ability to get along on a day-to-day, shoulder-to-shoulder basis despite religious toleration at the time often having been considered heresy in and of itself. -- James R. Kuhlman * Library Journal *At this moment, there may be no more important story than the one Europeans and Americans proudly tell themselves about the rise of religious toleration. So please take note of Benjamin J. Kaplan's argument that the story may be dangerously flawed...Contrary to the once-popular notion that religious toleration rose steadily from the Middle Ages through the Protestant Reformation and on to the Enlightenment, Mr. Kaplan maintains that religious toleration declined from around 1550 to 1750...Divided by Faith ends with five words that sum up its message and could serve as a motto for historical studies generally: "the possibility of other options." -- Peter Steinfels * New York Times *[A] splendid book...The book is worth a look merely for its fascinating vignettes of religious life in [Switzerland, the Low Countries, and the German principalities that made up the Holy Roman Empire]. One striking discovery is that there was more religious freedom in the 16th century than after the wars of religion ended a century later...It would be a long time before Europe's Christians rediscovered such a spirit of religious tolerance. That is something critics of today's Islamic world should remember, as should unquestioning believers in the virtue of the European Enlightenment. As well as its fine story-telling, Mr. Kaplan's book has the great merit of reinstating religion and quarrels about religious practice at the heart of the modern European history--where they clearly belong. * The Economist *Kaplan creates a brilliant survey of that most fraught of religious eras, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and ranges with engaging humor and perception across Europe. -- Diarmaid MacCulloch * Times Higher Education Supplement *Kaplan argues convincingly that the breakdown of the religious consensus made toleration less rather than more likely. Before the Reformation, some devotional diversity had existed under the Catholic umbrella, but from the late sixteenth century onwards, Christian denominations demonized one another in a desperate attempt to shore up their versions of religious truth: tensions were created where none had existed before...Kaplan demonstrates that religious violence continued well into the age of Enlightenment...His employment of facts on the ground is an effective way of countering myths about the early modern period, and his objection to the notion that “ideas have autonomous power, separate from the human beings who generate, transmit, accept, or reject them” is an appropriate response to previous studies of toleration which have lifted the ideas of Locke and Bayle out of their historical context. -- Eliane Glaser * Times Literary Supplement *In this remarkable book, Kaplan challenges the generally accepted narrative that modern tolerance arose out of the crucible of the religious wars of the early modern period and triumphed during the Enlightenment as reason replaced religion's hold over people...This is a masterful synthesis, engagingly written and compellingly argued, that will appeal both to scholars and those concerned about current religious tensions. -- J. Harrie * Choice *Table of ContentsList of Maps and Illustrations Introduction I. Obstacles 1. A Holy Zeal Christian piety in the confessional age 2. Corpus Christianum The community as religious body 3. Flashpoints The events that triggered violence 4. One Faith, One Law, One King How religion and politics intersected II. Arrangements 5. The Gold Coin Ecumenical experiments 6. Crossing Borders Traveling to attend services 7. Fictions of Privacy House chapels 8. Sharing Churches, Sharing Power Official pluralism III. Interactions 9. A Friend to the Person Individual and group relations 10. Transgressions Conversion and intermarriage 11. Infidels Muslims and Jews in Christian Europe IV. Changes 12. Enlightenment? The "rise of toleration" reconsidered Notes Further Reading Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisOffers a vision of how Islam first evolved. This title argues that the origins of Islam lie in what we may call the Believers' movement begun by the prophet Muhammad - a movement of religious reform emphasizing strict monotheism and righteous behavior in conformity with God's revealed law.Trade ReviewDonner is one of the leading scholars of early Islam in the world. No other book I know of distills the often highly arcane and dispersed stuff of scholarship on the first century of Islamic history into such an accessible narrative account that, in addition, offers a compelling new interpretation on the formation of Islamic confessional identity. A tremendous achievement. -- Ahmet Karamustafa, Washington University in St. LouisThis is an invaluable book. Not only does it provide a sane and lucid guide to the origins of Islam, a topic that is currently more mired in controversy than any other in the entire field of ancient history, but it is also a stimulating and original work of scholarship in its own right. -- Tom Holland, author of MillenniumDonner presents the intriguing view that the early Islamic movement, as presided over by Muhammad, actively included Jews and Christians in the flock as part of a general monotheistic community. It was only later, after Muhammad's death, that a new generation of Muslims began ritualizing Islam with its own distinctive practices, such as the hajj (pilgrimage) and the five daily prayers...He raises many original points, gleaning evidence from everything from coinage to original source documents. Questioning longstanding stereotypes, he argues (and proves) that Muslims are not, by nature, anti-Jewish and also that, based on archeological evidence, Muslims did not routinely tear down churches. The early Muslims, though brutal in war, created a sophisticated and organized civil system. For those curious about Islam's beginnings, no book is as original and as evenhanded as this succinct read. * Publishers Weekly *In Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam, Donner takes a fresh look at the heart and soul of Islamic history. -- Joseph Richard Preville * Saudi Gazette *A learned and brilliantly original, yet concise and accessible study of Islam's formative first century...Donner's explanation of the process by which Muslims came to define themselves is both fascinating and enlightening. -- Max Rodenbeck * New York Times *It is an excellent introduction to how and why the faith was born, and explains its proliferation in the Middle East and beyond...Donner uses the original text of the Qur'an and other source materials dating from the same period to piece together the history of the faith. What quickly becomes clear is that Islam, and what it means to be a "Muslim," have both changed dramatically since the early days...Muhammad and the Believers is full...of intriguing questions and challenges readers to reconsider what they think they know about Islam...[It's] a rewarding read. -- Dan Sampson * culturemob.com *Donner is to be commended for posing questions that many mainstream scholars have chosen to leave aside. -- Malise Ruthven * New York Review of Books *Provocative and accessible...Donner's vision of an "ecumenical Islam" is thought-provoking...Donner's overarching thesis in Muhammad and the Believers is convincing. It sheds light on a world far more fluid and confused than the one we have come to expect from the usual storyline. -- Christian C. Sahner * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisThe transformation of the Roman world from polytheistic to Christian is one of the most sweeping ideological changes of premodern history. At the center was sex. Kyle Harper examines how Christianity changed the ethics of sexual behavior from shame to sin, and shows how the roots of modern sexuality are grounded in an ancient religious revolution.Trade ReviewOnly in the last generation have we realized the sheer, tingling drop of the canyon that lies between us and a world that we had previously tended to take for granted as directly available to our own categories of understanding. ‘Revealing Antiquity,’ the Harvard University Press series edited by Glen Bowersock, has played its part in instilling in us all a healthy sense of dizziness as we peer over the edge into a fascinating but deeply strange world. Kyle Harper’s book From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity is a scintillating contribution to this series. Not only does it measure the exact nature of the tension between the familiar and the deeply unfamiliar that lies behind our image of the sexual morality of Greeks and Romans of the Roman Empire of the classical period. It also goes on to evoke the sheer, unexpected strangeness of the very different sexual code elaborated in early Christian circles, and its sudden, largely unforeseen undermining of a very ancient social equilibrium in the two centuries that followed the conversion of Constantine to Christianity in 312… What Harper has done with this peremptory material is remarkable. He has imposed a firm narrative structure, based on the progress of the laws, on the history of sex in late antiquity… I wish that I had had a book as clear, as cogent, and as intellectually responsible as Harper’s From Shame to Sin before me when I began to write on similar topics in the early 1980s, some third of a century ago. One can only envy the good fortune of those who can now embark on their own work with such a book in hand. -- Peter Brown * New York Review of Books *[A] remarkably rich book… Harper traces the revolution in sexual morality from the class-ridden, exploitative ethic of the pagan Roman empire, to the claims of equal dignity and the promise of redemption in early Christianity. -- Matthew J. Franck * First Things *Kyle Harper’s examination of the traditional narrative of the Christian prudish revolution of late antiquity is a compellingly written book about sex and shame… His interest lies both in undermining various popular and academic stereotypes; that Christianity restrained and confined human sexuality with ponderous religiosity or that the Romans were consummate prudes—and in shaping a new understanding of the course of this sexual transformation. -- Candida R. Moss * Times Higher Education *Harper brings a classicist’s expertise to this rich, provocative account of early Christian attempts to transform Roman sexual culture and the understandings of the body, property, sexuality, and the cosmos that formed its basis. This important contribution contextualizes Christian Scripture in a more exhaustive and extensive way than most theological and biblical studies treatments do. The author shows how Christian preaching and teaching responded to social customs and understandings. He indicates the ways in which Christians both borrowed and transformed notions of fate, fortune, and self-control found in classical novels and other Christian literature. Harper also traces the arc of development of Christian sexual ethics into the first few centuries of the church, showing that not only Paul but other Christian writers and theologians as well were deeply shaped by cultural debates over the sexual role of slaves and the value of virginity. Students of classics, Christian ethics, and the New Testament will find this outstanding book indispensable. -- A. W. Klink * Choice *Harper puts together materials in ways that highlight some of the important changes in sexual morality that Christianity wrought. In particular, he challenges the tendency set in motion by Veyne, Foucault, and followers that emphasized the similarities between the ‘restraint’ and ‘moderation’ counseled by Roman-era philosophers (‘gloomy Stoics’) and literary men, and the more drastic renunciation preached by (some) Christians. -- Elizabeth Clark, Duke University

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Book SynopsisMaximos the Confessor is one of the most challenging and original Christian thinkers of all time. The Ambigua is his greatest philosophical and doctrinal work, in which daring originality, prodigious talent for speculative thinking, and analytical acumen are on lavish display. The result is a labyrinthine map of the mind’s journey to God.

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Book SynopsisMaximos the Confessor is one of the most challenging and original Christian thinkers of all time. The Ambigua is his greatest philosophical and doctrinal work, in which daring originality, prodigious talent for speculative thinking, and analytical acumen are on lavish display. The result is a labyrinthine map of the mind’s journey to God.

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Book SynopsisEusebius, Bishop of Caesarea from about AD 314, was the most important writer in the age of Constantine. His history of the Christian church from the ministry of Jesus to AD 324 is a treasury of information, especially on the Eastern centers.

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Book SynopsisHistorical works by Bede (672 or 673–735) include his Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Lives of the Abbots of Bede’s monastery, accounts of Cuthbert, and the Letter to Egbert, Bede’s pupil.

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Book SynopsisEusebius, Bishop of Caesarea from about AD 314, was the most important writer in the age of Constantine. His history of the Christian church from the ministry of Jesus to AD 324 is a treasury of information, especially on the Eastern centers.

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Book SynopsisThe writings of the Apostolic Fathers (first and second centuries AD) give a rich and diverse picture of Christian life and thought in the period immediately after New Testament times. Some were accorded almost Scriptural authority in the early Church.Trade ReviewEhrman’s new Loeb Library edition of The Apostolic Fathers (a title unknown before the 17th century) presents a scholarly edition, with a lively translation, of Christian writings that circulated before the Biblical canon was established. -- Tom D’Evelyn * Christian Science Monitor *

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Book SynopsisThe "I Ching" originated in China as a divination manual more than three thousand years ago. In 136 BCE the emperor declared it a Confucian classic. This title tells the extraordinary story of how this cryptic and once obscure book became one of the most widely read and extensively analyzed texts in all of world literature.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2012 "Smith's book succeeds admirably in making the history and importance of this esoteric and enigmatic classic accessible and understandable to a wide audience. A must read for anyone interested in fathoming 'the Way' (Tao/Dao) in ancient China."--Choice "Smith's book demonstrates that if the Book of Changes is anything, it is alive."--James Carter, Los Angeles Review of Books "His biography is, at every turn, full of scholarship."--Jon Sweeney, Tablet "One of the advantages to this book is Smith's prose; not only is it clear and accessible, but he writes in a way that brings the material to life. He is an engaging writer... This 'biography' of the Yijing is an attractive and thorough resource. It should prove to be a useful addition to any library (academic or not) and a valuable help in any high school or college courses that incorporate study of the Yijing in any classroom context."--Robert Steed, Education About Asia "[N]ever before in English has the substance of this vital text been explicated with such transparency, lucidity, and--on balance--objectivity. However, even in charitably demystifying it, Smith has simultaneously retained and even enhanced the compelling attraction of this ever-tantalizing essentialist work for the would-be initiated. Such is a balancing act deftly executed, for which we should commend the author lavishly."--Don J. Wyatt, Journal of Chinese Religions "Smith's biography does what an introduction should do: encourage the reader to want to know more and provide a smooth over-arching conceptual framework, in economic fashion, through which one may understand the details. It would, therefore, be a helpful tool in a university course on Eastern or World religions and is highly recommended."--Stephanie L. Derrick, Relegere "Smith offers an unparalleled biography of the most revered book in China's entire cultural tradition, and he shows us how this enigmatic ancient classic has become a truly global phenomenon."--RSR, Buddhism Now "This work serves both as a sinologically sound exposition of East Asia's Yijing, and a fearless foray into the West's endless fixations on the Yi's malleable meanings."--Russell Kirkland, Religious Studies Review "To all [I Ching] aficionados and many others, Richard J. Smith's book, The I Ching: A Biography, will be usefully informative."--Yu Liu, European LegacyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix The Hexagrams xi Chronology of Chinese Dynasties xvii Preliminary Remarks and Acknowledgments xix Introduction 1 Part One The Domestic Evolution of the Yijing 15 Chapter 1 Genesis of the Changes 19 Chapter 2 The Making of a Classic 48 Chapter 3 Interpreting the Changes 75 Part Two The Transnational Travels of the Yijing 125 Chapter 4 The Changes in East Asia 129 Chapter 5 The Westward Travels of the Changes 170 Concluding Remarks 211 Notes 225 Bibliography 251 Index 265

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Book SynopsisA guide to the history of relations between Jews and Muslims around the world from the birth of Islam to today. It features more than 150 authoritative and accessible articles by an international team of leading experts in history, politics, literature, anthropology, and philosophy.Trade ReviewOne of the Outstanding Reference Sources for 2014, Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), American Library Association One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2014 "Although contemporary media may portray Muslim-Jewish relations from only the perspective of the Palestinian-Israeli lens, and view Muslims and Jews as monolithic, this book presents a far deeper and richer relationship between Muslims and Jews in areas that go beyond politics and religion... The essays presented here provide the general reader with a flavor of the rich Muslim-Jewish relationship since early Islam. An excellent reference for high-school students, general readers looking for more depth than current media coverage, and undergraduates looking for a starting point in their research."--Booklist, starred review "At more than 1,000 pages of text, illustration and scholarly apparatus, A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations is, quite literally, a solid work of scholarship. Thanks to its eye-catching visual elements, it also presents itself as a coffee-table book of a superior kind. Above all, it is a serious and timely effort to repair a relationship between kindred peoples who have never been fully at ease with each and yet, thanks to the accidents of history, are fated to live in close proximity."--Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal "This work marks a milestone... It is a true act of faith in the ability of history, and, more broadly, the social sciences, to mediate between past and present and between extremes."--Frederic Abecassis, Lectures "Organized thematically and chronologically, this indispensable reference provides critical facts and balanced context for greater historical understanding and a more informed dialogue between Jews and Muslims."--RELMIN newsletter "[T]he work contains a wealth of information that will appeal to varied constituencies. It certainly deserves a place on the bookshelf of any individual or institution concerned with this contentious subject."--Philip Chrimes, International Affairs "[T]his is a very beautiful book. It is also a very important and timely one... I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in Jewish-Muslim relations. I can easily imagine using it as the principal textbook for a college course on the subject, and I am sure that others will do just that."--Michael McGaha, Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online "The chapters are concise and accessible, adequately referenced, and stunningly illustrated... It will be indispensable for scholars and teachers seeking perspective or planning courses or research."--Choice "This collection of scholarly yet accessible articles by dozens of Jewish and Muslim experts is the definitive source for understanding a complex relationship between Muslims and Jews from the seventh century to the present day... [T]he richness of this fantastic and exciting book lies also in its descriptions of how Jews and Muslims have learned from each other in the arenas of philosophy, science, art, literature, and mysticism."--Tikkun "A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations is an essential book for anyone who seeks truly to understand the history and context of modern relationships between the two descendants of Abraham."--Charles H Middleburgh, Charles Middleburgh Blog "A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations, is a resource that should be in the library of every person who cares about peace in the Middle East and reconciliation among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."--Joseph V. Montville, Abrahamic Family Reunion "I found the book fascinating. I learned a great deal from it--about the culture of these two groups, about their conflicts, about the areas where they have some commonality. The level of research is quite deep. The inclusion of art and items from the writings of each tradition simply add to the richness of the volume."--Mary Jarvis, Reference ReviewsTable of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. 1*Contents, pg. 5*Foreword, pg. 7*Editorial Committee, pg. 9*Introduction, pg. 13*Transcriptions, pg. 25*Prologue. The "Golden Age" of Jewish-Muslim Relations: Myth and Reality, pg. 28*The Jews of Arabia at the Birth of Islam, pg. 39*Islamic Policy toward Jews from the Prophet Muhammad to the Pact of 'Umar, pg. 58*Jews and Muslims in the Eastern Islamic World, pg. 75*The Jews of al- Andalus, pg. 111*The Conversion of Jews to Islam, pg. 136*The Legal Status of the Jews and Muslims in the Christian States, pg. 145*Jews and Muslims in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, pg. 156*Prologue. Jews and Muslims in Ottoman Territory before the Expulsion from Spain, pg. 164*Jews and Muslims in the Ottoman Empire, pg. 171*The Jews of Palestine, pg. 203*The Jews in Jerusalem and Hebron during the Ottoman Era, pg. 211*In Emergent Morocco, pg. 223*The Jews in Iran, pg. 239*Jews of Yemen, pg. 248*Jews and Muslims in Central Asia, pg. 258*Judaism and the Religious Denominational Community in the Near East, pg. 269*Prologue. The Cremieux Decree, pg. 286*The Invention of the Holy Land, pg. 292*From Coexistence to the Rise of Antagonisms, pg. 297*The Balfour Declaration and Its Implications, pg. 320*"The Arabs" as a Category of British Discourse in Palestine, pg. 329*Zionism and the Arab Question, pg. 340*The Diverse Reactions to Nazism by Leaders in the Muslim Countries, pg. 349*Al- Nakba: A Few Keys to Reading a Catastrophe, pg. 375*From the Judeo- Palestinian Conflict to the Arab- Israeli Wars, pg. 384*Israel in the Face of Its Victories, pg. 393*The Mobilization of Religion in the Israeli- Arab Conflict, pg. 403*The Emigration of the Jews from the Arab World, pg. 415*The Case of Lebanon: Contemporary Issues of Adversity, pg. 436*Muslim- Jewish Relations in Israel, pg. 445*The Arabs in Israel, pg. 452*Shari'a Jurisdiction in Israel, pg. 458*Judeo- Arab Associations in Israel, pg. 471*In the Territories, pg. 479*Survival of the Jewish Community in Turkey, pg. 490*Iranian Paradoxes, pg. 495*In the Shadow of the Republic: A Century of Coexistence and Conflict, pg. 501*Muslim Arab Attitudes toward Israel and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict: Variable and Contingent, pg. 521*Perceptions of the Holocaust in the Arab World: From Denial to Acknowledgment?, pg. 533*Muslim Anti- Semitism: Old or New?, pg. 546*Relations between Jews and Muslims in Hebrew Literature, pg. 559*Jewish Figures in Modern Arabic Literature, pg. 566*Figures of the Israeli in Palestinian Literature, pg. 573*Writing Difference in French- Language Maghrebi Literature, pg. 582*Looking at the Other: Israeli and Palestinian Cinemas, pg. 594*Prologue Recapitulating the Positives without Giving in to Myth, pg. 606*Qur'an and Torah: The Foundations of Intertextuality, pg. 611*Arabic Translations of the Hebrew Bible, pg. 628*Hebrew Translations and Transcriptions of the Qur'an, pg. 640*Hebrew, Arabic: A Comparative View, pg. 653*Semitism: From a Linguistic Concept to a Racist Argument, pg. 676*Comparison between the Halakha and Shari'a, pg. 683*Rituals: Similarities, Infl uences, and Processes of Differentiation, pg. 701*Prayer in Judaism and Islam, pg. 713*Shabbat and Friday in Judaism and Islam, pg. 720*Jewish and Muslim Charity in the Middle Ages: A Comparative Approach, pg. 726*Jewish and Muslim Philosophy: Similarities and Differences, pg. 737*The Andalusian Philosophical Milieu, pg. 764*The Karaites and Mu'tazilism, pg. 778*Judaism and Islam According to Ibn Kammuna, pg. 788*From Arabic to Hebrew: The Reception of the Greco- Arab Sciences in Hebrew (Twelfth-Fifteenth Centuries), pg. 796*Shi'ism and Judaism: A Relation Marked by Paradox, pg. 816*European Judaism and Islam: The Contribution of Jewish Orientalists, pg. 828*Embodied Letter: Sufi and Kabbalistic Hermeneutics, pg. 837*Respectful Rival: Abraham Maimonides on Islam, pg. 856*Jews, Islamic Mysticism, and the Devil, pg. 869*Biblical Prophets and Their Illustration in Islamic Art, pg. 891*Images of Jews in Ottoman Court Manuscripts, pg. 902*Synagogues in the Islamic World, pg. 911*The Contribution of Jewish Architects to Egypt's Architectural Modernity, pg. 928*James Sanua's Ideological Contribution to Pan- Islamism, pg. 934*Arabic Ars Poetica in Biblical Hebrew: Hebrew Poetry in Spain, pg. 943*The Figure of the Jew in A Thousand and One Nights, pg. 955*Judeo- Persian Literature, pg. 962*The Music of al- Andalus: Meeting Place of Three Cultures, pg. 970*The Jews of the Maghreb: Between Memory and History, pg. 985*Jewish Pilgrimages in Egypt, pg. 1005*Aspects of Family Life among Jews in Muslim Societies, pg. 1017*Citizenship, Gender, and Feminism in the Contemporary Arab Muslim and Jewish Worlds, pg. 1025*"Muslim Body" versus "Jewish Body": The Invention of a Division, pg. 1042*Flavors and Memories of Shared Culinary Spaces in the Maghreb, pg. 1052*General Bibliography, pg. 1063*Index of Names, pg. 1101*Index of Places, pg. 1123*Illustration Credits, pg. 1135*Contents, pg. 1139

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Book SynopsisJohn Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a defining book of the Reformation and a pillar of Protestant theology. First published in Latin in 1536 and in Calvin's native French in 1541, the Institutes argues for the majesty of God and for justification by faith alone. The book decisively shaped Calvinism as a major religious and intelleTrade Review"Bruce Gordon provides an essential biography of Calvin's influential and enduring theological masterpiece, tracing the diverse ways it has been read and interpreted from Calvin's time to today."--Worcester Telegram "A compelling argument."--Brian Bethune, Maclean's "This is an excellent volume. I warmly commend it to anyone with an interest in Calvin's Institutes, and the way it has been understood through the centuries."--Tony Lane, Gospel Coalition "While Gordon's book will contribute to scholarship on the Reformation in general, and Calvin and the Reformed tradition in particular, it will be particularly beneficial to students and non-specialists who are interested in Calvin but have never read his opus magnum in its entirety. Gordon's biography of the Institutes is a welcome addition to the scholarship and I highly recommend it."--Inseo Song, Reading Religion "Bruce Gordon's short book is worth reading... As an introduction to the complex legacy of one of the magisterial Reformers, Gordon's book is an excellent place to begin."--Judith Maltby, Church Times "Eminent Reformation historian Gordon presents an exceptionally interesting and readable account of the 'life' of Calvin's great theological classic Institutes of the Christian Religion."--Choice "While there have been scores of studies tracking the legacy of John Calvin and his theological vision in the history of Christianity and the western world, this new study of the Rezeptionsgeschichte of Calvin's magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, is unique. Gordon ... ably shows that this work well deserves a place in a series devoted to the 'Lives of Great Religious Books.'"--Michael A.G. Haykin, Church History and Religious CultureTable of ContentsPreface xi Acknowledgments xvii Note on the Translation Used xix Introduction Remembering a Man and His Book 1 Chapter 1 A Book Emerges 13 Chapter 2 1559: The Year of the Book 35 Chapter 3 The Inheritors 48 Chapter 4 Enlightenment Ambivalence 68 Chapter 5 Fashioning a Reformer 89 Chapter 6 America's Calvins 110 Chapter 7 "A Very Calvinist Professor" and His Dutch Friends 122 Chapter 8 Titans: Barth and Brunner 133 Chapter 9 Prophet of Modernity-Prince of Tyrants 148 Chapter 10 Oppression and Liberation: South Africa 166 Chapter 11 Change and Dissent: China 183 Chapter 12 Contemporary Voices 198 Afterword 219 Appendix 1 Burning a Man and His Books: Michael Servetus and John Calvin 223 Appendix 2 Calvin's Editions of Institutes of the Christian Religion 227 Notes 229 Index 255

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of the Financial Times' Best Books of the Year: Critics' Picks""One of Asian Review of Books' Books of the Year (Biography & Memoir)""In Robert Irwin, Ibn Khaldun has finally found a biographer and interpreter almost as versatile and learned as he was himself."---Eric Ormsby, Wall Street Journal"A compelling new account of the 14th-century Arab historian and polymath. . . . Irwin has produced an exemplary work."---Gavin Jacobson, Financial Times"As an introduction to Ibn Khaldun’s fascinating life and times, his ideas, and how they have been understood and misunderstood over the centuries, you could hardly wish for something better."---Thomas Small, Times Literary Supplement"Irwin wears his immense erudition lightly and gives an often very funny account of how orientalists, historians and modern Arab nationalist have interpreted Ibn Khaldun’s most famous work. . . . Irwin offers his readers a superb work of intellectual recovery, one which presents Ibn Khaldun as a creature of his time. . . . He has resurrected for us the medieval Muslim mind."---Francis Ghilès, The Spectator"Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography is both an introduction to his work and an intervention into Ibn Khaldun studies."---Sameer Rahim, Prospect"The great merit of Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography is that it encourages us to treat the intellectual history of the Islamic world not as a battleground for contemporary ideological struggles but as a subject worthy of investigation in its own right."---Fitzroy Morrissey, Standpoint"Irwin’s book lives up to its name. . . . [It is] a work that will be of interest not only to students of Islamic intellectual history, but also to students of historiography, sociology, and anthropology. Irwin’s writing is accessible to all levels of readership. Well suited for seminar discussions, as it offers much to debate."---T.M. May, Choice"Irwin’s portrait of the philosopher is beautifully written, intriguing, stimulating and movingly intimate."---Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society"In his highly readable appraisal of Ibn Khaldun’s life and work, Robert Irwin sets out to demythologize and, at the same time, remystify a man whose mind was formed far from the seminar rooms of 20th-century social science. . . . [C]oncise and compelling."---Nile Green, Los Angeles Review of Books"I did enjoy this style of biography as Irwin brought the mind of Ibn Khaldun into focus and showed the genius that [is] worthy of standing with other ‘well-regarded’ thinkers of the past."---Gaele Hince, I am, Indeed blog"The book is entertaining and thought-provoking in itself; it is not the last word but provides a fascinating guide to further reading."---Patrick Manning, Connections"Irwin's book is very informative and well-argued in addressing the life and works of Ibn Khaldun in both historical and intellectual contexts."---Fadi Zatari, Insight Turkey"This book engages the mind in a positive way and provides an academic but highly accessible introduction to a complex topic."---Abdullah Drury, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations"A noteworthy contribution to this ever-growing literature about Ibn Khaldun’s life, ideas and scholarly influence."---Prof Dr Oktay F. Tanrisever, Rest Journal"Irwin’s book is useful, engaging, commendable, and important. Given how Ibn Khaldun used to be misread, Irwin’s is a necessary book."---Ephraim Nissan, Quaderni di Studi Indo-Mediterranei

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A work distinguished by deep scholarship, clear exposition and comprehensive coverage. . . . A smooth narrative covering nearly five centuries of Jesuit history in just over 800 pages. . . . The Jesuits is the best single-authored book on the subject I have seen."---Ronnie Hsia, Times Literary Supplement"This is a magisterial book, massive in its compass, its erudition, and its attention to detail. The history of the Jesuit order has usually been written by one of the members of the Society of Jesus, and yet here is a book of amazing scholarship, written by an outsider and, arguably, all the better for that; for the author brings a freshness of outlook to his task."---Lavinia Byrne, Church Times""[A] comprehensive history. . . . A remarkably fair assessment of the complex history of the Jesuits."---Peter Davidson, Literary Review"A comprehensive and unbiased history of the Society of Jesus. . . . Friedrich doesn’t shy away from controversial topics (such as the Jesuits’ roles in colonization and American slavery), nor does he attempt to either apologize for or demonize the people who are his object of study." * Christian Century *"A fast-paced and richly researched history. . . . Friedrich’s sweeping chronicle has much to offer." * Publishers Weekly *"However scholarly this magnum opus is, it can be read and enjoyed by anyone interested in the topic. The translation from the German original, published in 2016, is exceptionally gratifying."---Cornelius Michael Buckley, S.J., Catholic World Report"Friedrich tells this story with an exceptional command of a wide variety of sources in several languages. He’s assisted by John Noel Dillon in a graceful and very readable English translation. The result is a book that will be of benefit not only to scholars, but also to general readers."---Timothy Walch, Catholic News Service"A fine accomplishment. . . . Friedrich writes in a clear and organized manner that makes for something of a ‘page turner’ experience; whereas some histories of the Jesuits sacrifice readability for density of detail, Friedrich achieves a good balance."---Doug Jones, Jesuit Post"[An] immensely readable history of the order that will appeal to an audience beyond the Catholic tradition."---Thomas Filbin, Arts Fuse

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Book SynopsisA classic NKJV Bible that looks and feels like the majestic heritage it comes from, with historically rich design details including elegant drop caps, line-matched text, and traditional covers.

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Book SynopsisThis elegant Bible edition honors the beauty and richness of the New King James Version in a convenient portable size with essential study tools and traditional red-letter text for the Words of Christ.The New King James Version in the Sovereign Collection reflects the legacy and majesty of the King James Version Bible produced more than 400 years ago, but in language updated for today. This beautiful Bible, which contains design flourishes that pay tribute to the Bible produced in 1611, comes in a convenient portable size with essential study tools and traditional red-letter text for the Words of Christ.The Sovereign Collection continues Thomas Nelson''s long history and stewardship publishing Bibles, featuring elegant letter illustrations leading into each chapter combined with clear and readable Comfort Print®, connects you to the legacy of faith, and inspires your time in the Word to be enjoyable and fruitful.Features i

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Book SynopsisSatan is both a revealing study of the compelling figure of the Devil and an imaginative and persuasive inquiry into the forces that shape a concept and ensure its survival.Trade ReviewDrawing extensively on earlier scholarly literature, as well as his own original research in complex source materials, Russell has offered a coherent account of the development of a tradition in Christian thought that should be of great interest to specialists and nonspecialists alike. Although Russell would be the very last to claim that he can draw out leviathan with a hook, he has competently and diligently drawn out an image of leviathan that takes a respectable place in the literature of early church history. * American Historical Review *Russell has complete mastery of his material, and the book's sweep is grand: a tour of the first five centuries of Christian intellectual history with the spotlight on the villain instead of the hero.... Satan is a valuable introduction to the theological portion of the Western Devil tradition. * Speculum *Table of ContentsPreface1. The Devil2. The Apostolic Fathers3. The Apologetic Fathers and the Gnostics4. Human Sin and Redemption: Irenaeus and Tertullian5. Mercy and Damnation: The Alexandrians6. Dualism and the Desert7. Satan and Saint Augustine8. Conclusion: Satan TodayEssay on the SourcesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisMephistopheles is the fourth and final volume of Jeffrey Burton Russell's critically acclaimed history of the concept of the Devil, continuing in this volume the story from the Reformation to the present.Trade ReviewAn excellent and important intellectual history. * Library Journal *It is more than the history of demonological imagination as it has been displayed for half a millennium in theological controversies, in poetry, novels, paintings, and witch trials: it is the history of European man trying to cope with the terrifying riddle of radical evil.... Both an extremely rich scholarly work and an exiquisite exercise in a topic that is unlikely ever to die off in our civilization. -- Leslek Kolakowski * Journal of Modern History *Jeffrey Burton Russell is not only a conscientious historian, he is also an introspective essayist who acknowledges his own continuing struggle to understand the nature and the source of evil. -- Robert Coles * New York Times Book Review *No few sentences can adequately convey the book's richness of content and seriousness of purpose. Russell has without doubt bequeathed us a magnificent synthesis of Western culture's modern, tortuous grappling with the ideas of radical evil and the devil. -- Brian Easlea * American Historical Review *This book moves with sustained seriousness and brilliance across five centuries, from Luther's time to our own... and, although it has all the virtues of great intellectual history, it is explicitly rooted in a profound moral analysis of our own era. -- M. D. Aeschliman * National Review *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Evil2. The Reformed Devil3. The Devil between Two Worlds4. Satan Expiring5. The Romantic Devil6. The DeviI's Shadow7. The Devil in a Warring World8. God and DevilBibliography Index

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Book SynopsisScience and religion have always been at each other’s throats, right?Trade Review'This book, though, is surely [Spencer's] magnum opus. It is astonishingly wide-ranging… and richly informed… So much complex history, theology and science could be heavy. What lightens the book is its clarity and the effervescent writing.' —The Sunday Times'With patience, balance and deep learning, Spencer… dismantles the myths that have accumulated around Galileo Galilei, Charles Darwin and other scientific figures… Filled with wit and wisdom.' —Philip Ball, TLS'Fascinating… prepare to read something genuinely fresh in what can be an extremely hackneyed debate.' —New Scientist'Magisterial and brilliant.' —Professor John Milbank‘Easily the best exploration of the complex relation between science and religion I have ever read. As exemplary in his even-handedness as in his patient research… I suspect it will become the classic work on its subject.' —Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and his Emissary'Spencer knows his history of science. He recounts the set pieces of any such story – the trial of Galileo, Huxley vs Wilberforce, the Scopes monkey trial – with bravura.' —Spectator‘A must-read for anyone interested in this vital topic, and outstanding for its destruction of old myths about “the war between religion and science”, and for showing how complex, and various, and often positive relations have actually been.’ —Church Times, BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR'[Spencer] has a lot of interesting things to say about how exactly the often fraught relationship between science and faith has fared over the centuries… Mr. Spencer carefully reconstructs what actually happened. It’s interesting to read how the stories have become simplified and exaggerated over time… Mr. Spencer’s most important corrective is to show that Galileo’s theory raised scientific and theological questions that had not been answered at the time… a fascinating tour through a history of a difficult relationship, the fate of which is still unclear.' —Wall Street Journal'This page-turner of a book compellingly tracks the relation between science and religion, eternally bickering siblings, across two millennia. The ironies of the collaborations and oppositions between the two are brilliantly set out. You don’t have to have religious belief to recognise that science doesn’t always have the right answers. The real question: who has the authority to make statements about the natural world? Nicholas Spencer well shows that this authority – formerly in the hands of religious authorities, now usually scientific ones – has been effortfully constructed and disagreed over across time.' —Chris Wickham, author of The Inheritance of Rome'This sweeping and comprehensive look at the "war" between religion and science lays it bare as a nineteenth-century myth. Studying God’s Works – what we call "science" – was historically as important to Christianity as studying his Word. The battles we’ve mythologised – from the ancient mathematician Hypatia’s murder by a Christian mob, to Galileo kneeling before the Inquisition, to the 1925 Scopes “monkey” trial – were not about ideology, but authority. A compelling act of myth-busting.' —Nancy Marie Brown, author of The Abacus and the Cross'Illuminating… Even (or especially) those readers inclined to disagree with him will find his narrative refreshing… [Spencer] is one of Britain’s most astute observers of religious affairs… He offers an engaging tour of the intersection of religious and scientific history… Mr Spencer insightfully revisits the dust-ups involving Galileo, Darwin and John Scopes (prosecuted in Tennessee in 1925 for teaching evolution). He traces the interaction of the two disciplines in often fascinating detail.' —Economist'Highly readable... Spencer convincingly shows how, until the modern period, religion largely supported the sciences of the day.' —Financial Times'Tremendous… [Spencer's] survey of more than two millennia to the present day is consistently well-informed, witty and merciless to those wanting easy headlines. Every journalist would benefit from reading this substantial but very useful text, but all its readers will emerge better informed—and perhaps even saner.’ —Diarmaid Macculloch, Prospect'Books that attempt to encompass the whole history of science and religion within a single volume are rare. This is one of them, and it is a good one… clearly written, with plenty of humour... this superb volume... is likely to become the standard work on the subject for the general reader for many years to come, and deservedly so.' —Tablet'Nicholas Spencer is always worth reading. In this new book he brilliantly synthesises a mass of scholarly research to provide an authoritative, lucid and, at times, surprising account of the historical relations between Western science and religion. This is easily the most comprehensive and accessible history of these two "magisteria" presently available.' —Peter Harrison, author of The Territories of Science and Religion 'Spencer’s historical portrait is erudite and wide-ranging…[a] necessary [book].' —Literary Review

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"What [this] edition does with On the Freedom of a Christian is unique. It places one of Luther's most famous writings into its theological, political, and social context. [Helfferich's] goal is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of Luther's ideas and what his contemporary opponents thought about them; in this effort the editor/translator is successful. But this collection of texts is also successful on another level—it provides students with a case study of the importance of establishing and understanding context in the study of history. "Helfferich has done a fine job in compiling, editing and introducing this collection of texts. It has several strengths for use as primary source material in a class. First, it is focused. Students will see how the texts are interrelated. Second, it provides some unique selections. The Eck and Muntzer selections are rare finds. Third, the introductory material is clearly written and will be a great help to student learning. Fourth the translations are rendered very well into readable English. . . . This book is worthy of consideration as a textbook adoption. Hackett is to be commended for bringing into print another unique primary source for research and teaching." —Sixteenth Century Journal"On the one hand, [the related texts] introduce readers to the key theological concepts taught by Luther, the Catholic theologians, and the radical reformers. On the other hand, they disclose the social, cultural, and economic aspects—topics that are of paramount interest in recent Reformation scholarship. The introductory essay in each section is crisp, clear, and concise. The success of this work is the ability to distill complicated theological controversies and divergent contents into nuances that are accessible to a wider audience." —Dennis Ngien, Tyndale University College & Seminary, in Renaissance and Reformation"With a few key primary sources, [Helfferich] introduces the Reformation in all its complexity. While emphasizing the centrality of religion and belief in the Reformation movement—including key theological concepts of Luther and the mainstream Reformation, of Catholic theologians, and of Müntzer and the more radical elements in the Reformation—the texts collected in this volume also introduce readers to its social, cultural, and economic aspects, topics of so much of the recent scholarship on the Reformation. The work includes an excellent general Introduction that, in a lucid and systematic manner, presents the reader with those key aspects of the period's Christian thought and practice against which Luther would react in On the Freedom of a Christian. And although individually brief, the cumulative effect of the various introductions [to each related text] is to provide the reader with a broad range of information about the Reformation in general." —Robert J. Christman, Luther College"The translations are accurate and clear, and the introductory essay does a wonderful job of distilling complicated theological controversies into terms that are comprehensible by an undergraduate audience. The edition's greatest asset, though, is the range of texts that it includes. By including works by Luther's Catholic opponents and his erstwhile allies, this edition demonstrates that On the Freedom of a Christian represented not only a high point in Luther's thought, but also a starting point in a debate that spanned Christendom and had massive social and political implications." —Philip Haberkern, Boston University"An excellent introduction to both Luther's thought and the theological controversies that tore apart sixteenth century Europe. Like all good historical introductions should aspire to do, Helfferich's collection concisely displays the contingency and complexity of this epoch. [T]he selected texts . . . all contribute to the understanding of the period by serving as representations of crucial positions. The cumulative effect is an invitation to the reader to delve deeper into the primary material and to gain a better view of this strange and strangely familiar world." —Kye Barker, UCLA, in ComitatusTable of ContentsIntroduction; Martin Luther, On the Freedom of a Christian; Johann Eck, Selection from Enchiridion of Common-Places Against Luther & Other Enemies of the Church; Bishop John Fisher, Sermon Against Luther; The Twelve Articles (1525) of the German Peasants; Luther, Against the Thieving, Murdering Horde of Peasants.

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Book SynopsisYou have just discovered the literary masterpiece that answers your questions about God, life in the inhabited universe, the history and future of this world, and the life of Jesus. The Urantia Book harmonizes history, science, and religion into a philosophy of living that brings new meaning and hope into your life. If you are searching for answers, read The Urantia Book!The world needs new spiritual truth that provides modern men and women with an intellectual pathway into a personal relationship with God. Building on the world''s religious heritage, The Urantia Book describes an endless destiny for humankind, teaching that living faith is the key to personal spiritual progress and eternal survival. These teachings provide new truths powerful enough to uplift and advance human thinking and believing for the next 1000 years.A third of The Urantia Book is the inspiring story of Jesus'' entire life and a revelation of his original teachingTable of ContentsThe central and superuniverse; the local universe; the history of Urantia; the life and teachings of Jesus

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Book SynopsisThis accessible textbook describes Christianity, the world''s largest religion, in all of its historical and contemporary diversity. No other publication includes so much information or presents it so clearly and winsomely. This volume employs a religious studies approach that is neutral in tone yet accommodates the lived experiences of Christians in different traditions and from all regions of the globe. The World''s Christians is a perfect textbook for either public university classrooms or liberal arts campuses. Divided into three parts, the text first describes the world''s four largest Christian traditions (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal) which together account for roughly 98 percent of all Christians worldwide. A second section focuses on Christian history, explaining the movement''s developing ideas and practices and examining Christianity''s engagement with people and cultures around the world. The third and longest portion of theTable of ContentsList of Illustrations xi Voices of World Christianity xix Introduction to World Christianity xxi Part I Who They Are: F our Christian Mega-Traditions Introduction 1 What Christians Hold in Common 1 Christian Traditions 4 1 The Orthodox Tradition 7 Spirituality 7 Salvation 11 Structure 13 Story 14 Notes 19 Suggestions for Further Reading 19 2 The Catholic Tradition 21 Spirituality 21 Salvation 25 Structure 28 Story 30 Notes 33 Suggestions for Further Reading 34 3 The Protestant Tradition 35 Spirituality 36 Salvation 38 Structure 41 Story 44 Note 47 Suggestions for Further Reading 47 4 The Pentecostal Tradition 49 Spirituality 50 Salvation 54 Structure 56 Story 59 Notes 60 Suggestions for Further Reading 60 Part II How They Got There: A Glob al History of Christianity Introduction 63 Christianity’s Pre-History and Relationship with Judaism 63 Christian History and Globalizations 65 5 The Ancient Tradition 67 Convictions 68 Encounters 77 Notes 91 Suggestions for Further Reading 91 6 The Great Division and the Age of the East 93 Convictions 95 Encounters 102 Notes 117 Suggestions for Further Reading 118 7 The Rise of the West and Decline of the East 119 Convictions 120 Encounters 131 Notes 143 Suggestions for Further Reading 143 8 Christianity in a Global Era 145 Convictions 146 Encounters 156 Notes 172 Suggestions for Further Reading 172 Part III Where They Are: Chris tianity in Nine World Regions Introduction 175 Immigrants, Missionaries, and the Changing Shape of World Christianity 175 Mapping World Christianity 177 9 The Middle East and North Africa 181 Description of the Region 183 Christian Profile 186 Faith and Ethnicity 188 Weariness and Decline 189 Spirituality and Survival in Egypt 191 Turkey and Armenia 193 Israel and the Palestinian Territories 195 Hope? 197 Notes 198 Suggestions for Further Reading 199 10 Eastern Europe 201 Description of the Region 201 Current Christian Profile 202 The Crucible of Communism 205 The Balkans: Blending Ethnicity and Faith 206 Catholic Central Europe 209 Orthodoxy in the Russian Sphere of Influence 214 Notes 221 Suggestions for Further Reading 221 11 Central and South Asia 223 Description of the Region 224 Christian Profile 225 Overview of Christianity in South Asia 228 Religion and Nation-Building in India 231 The Varieties of Indian Christianity 234 Christianity and Dalits 239 Jesus, Christianity, and Indian Culture 240 Notes 241 Suggestions for Further Reading 242 12 Western Europe 243 Description of the Region 244 Christian Profile 246 Catholic Western Europe 249 Scandinavia’s Protestant Turf 255 Religiously Mixed Western Europe 256 Notes 263 Suggestions for Further Reading 263 13 Sub-Saharan Africa 265 Description of the Region 266 Christian Profile 268 The Crucible of Colonization 270 The Postcolonial Era 272 Challenges 274 Nigeria: Christianity, Islam, and the Evangelization of the World 277 Church and Politics in South Africa 279 Ethiopia: The Last Christian Empire 281 Notes 283 Suggestions for Further Reading 284 14 East Asia 285 Description of the Region 286 Christian Profile 290 Asian Spirituality and Christian Faith 290 Faith and Politics in the Philippines 292 Christianity’s Changing Public Image in South Korea 295 Indonesia: Politics and Religion in Changing Times 297 The Complexities of Christianity in China 299 Notes 304 Suggestions for Further Reading 305 15 Latin America 307 Description of Region 307 Christian Profile 309 A Complex History of Church, State, and Economy 310 Popular Catholicism: The Importance of Mary 313 Non-Catholic (Evangélico) Christianity 317 Pentecostalism and Catholic Renewal 318 The New Religious Economy in Brazil 319 Holding the Line in Mexico 321 The Caribbean Difference 324 Notes 326 Suggestions for Further Reading 326 16 North America 327 Description of the Region 328 Christian Profile 329 Denominationalism: The Protestant Diversity that Freedom Produced 331 Simplifying Protestant Diversity: Mainline and Evangelical 333 Historically Black Churches 337 The Fuzzy Boundaries of Pentecostalism 340 Catholicism in Transition 342 Orthodoxy in the United States 344 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 346 Notes 347 Suggestions for Further Reading 347 17 Oceania 349 Description of the Region 350 Christian Profile 352 A Complex Conversion History 352 Mapping the Pacific: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia 354 Religion, Ethnicity, and Politics in Fiji 357 Christianity and the Relaxed Spirituality of Australia 359 Notes 365 Suggestions for Further Reading 366 Appendix: Counting Christians 367 Index 369

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Book SynopsisGreen Mass is a meditation on—and with—twelfth-century Christian mystic and polymath Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Attending to Hildegard's vegetal vision, which greens theological tradition and imbues plant life with spirit, philosopher Michael Marder uncovers a verdant mode of thinking. The book stages a fresh encounter between present-day and premodern concerns, ecology and theology, philosophy and mysticism, the material and the spiritual, in word and sound. Hildegard's lush notion of viriditas, the vegetal power of creation, is emblematic of her deeply entwined understanding of physical reality and spiritual elevation. From blossoming flora to burning desert, Marder plays with the symphonic multiplicity of meanings in her thought, listening to the resonances between the ardency of holy fire and the aridity of a world aflame. Across Hildegard's cosmos, we hear the anarchic proliferation of her ecological theology, in which both God and greening are circular, without beginning or end. Introduced with a foreword by philosopher Marcia Sá Cavalcante Schuback and accompanied by cellist Peter Schuback's musical movements, which echo both Hildegard's own compositions and key themes in each chapter of the book, this multifaceted work creates a resonance chamber, in which to discover the living world anew. The original compositions accompanying each chapter are available free for streaming and for download at www.sup.org/greenmassTrade Review"Michael Marder brings Hildegard's creativity to light and to life, highlighting what is unique about her and, especially, what makes her such a needed voice that should be heard today."—Willemien Otten, University of Chicago Divinity School"A brilliant meditation on viriditas, where materiality and spirituality meet, and truly a 'resonance chamber' of themes that explore the full range of Hildegard's thinking, from roots to flowers."—Charles M. Stang, Harvard Divinity School"The wordviriditas is important to understand here. The author explains that it literally means 'the greening green,' and figuratively it means 'a self-refreshing vegetal power of creation ingrained in all finite things.' That's a mouthful, but it's also rich and beautiful. Take a moment to ponder such a world. This is St. Hildegard of Bingen's vision of what we inhabit, whether we realize it yet or not... Michael Marder points to the transformational quality of such teachings, for Christians and everyone who seeks to integrate the physical and the spiritual in their lives."—Jon M. Sweeney, Spirituality & Practice"I consider this to be one of the—if not the—most significant books of ecotheology to have appeared in recent years... Rather than attempt to explain Hildegard's many-layered analogies between divine spirit and vegetal mattering, Marder seeks to narrate the conditions under which those analogies could be true. The result is a book that is at once faithful to Hildegard's words (Green Mass is a close reading that cites source texts in detail, and dispenses with footnotes) and promiscuous in hermeneutic."—Simone Kotva, Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology"This is an extraordinary work of ecotheology. Not only is it a book, it is also a meditation at the meeting point of materiality and spirituality, a resonance chamber of Peter Schuback's musical compositions, and an invitation to encounter the present world through medieval mindsets."—Luke Penkett, The WayTable of ContentsPrelude Verges Analogies Resonances Missives Ardencies Anarchies Kisses Postlude

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Book SynopsisReceived wisdom has it that Buddhism disappeared from India, the land of its birth, between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, long forgotten until British colonial scholars re-discovered it in the early 1800s. Its full-fledged revival, so the story goes, only occurred in 1956, when the Indian civil rights pioneer Dr. B.R. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with half a million of his Dalit (formerly "untouchable") followers. This, however, is only part of the story. Dust on the Throne reframes discussions about the place of Buddhism in the subcontinent from the early nineteenth century onwards, uncovering the integral, yet unacknowledged, role that Indians played in the making of modern global Buddhism in the century prior to Ambedkar's conversion, and the numerous ways that Buddhism gave powerful shape to modern Indian history. Through an extensive examination of disparate materials held at archives and temples across South Asia, Douglas Ober explores Buddhist religious dynamics in an age of expanding colonial empires, intra-Asian connectivity, and the histories of Buddhism produced by nineteenth and twentieth century Indian thinkers. While Buddhism in contemporary India is often disparaged as being little more than tattered manuscripts and crumbling ruins, this book opens new avenues for understanding its substantial socio-political impact and intellectual legacy.Trade Review"This is the first comprehensive study in any language of the revival of interest in Buddhism in nineteenth and twentieth-century India. It transforms the way we view modern Indian religious and political life. Through careful archival investigation, Douglas Ober uncovers numerous sources and topics that have been ignored or dealt with in piecemeal fashion. He uses this array of materials to create a compelling argument for the vital of importance of Buddhism in modern Indian religious life, politics, intellectual history, and culture. By highlighting the contributions of Indian scholars, advocates, and practitioners to the revival of Buddhism in twentieth-century India, Ober gives us a much more accurate picture of modern global Buddhism. This is a major, foundational contribution to religious and Buddhist history."—Richard Jaffe, author of Seeking Sakyamuni: South Asia in the Formation of Modern Japanese Buddhism"This is a book I've been waiting for—a powerful account of the contestations and challenges that marked the return of Buddhism to the public sphere. It forces us to think of the role of human agency in shaping the present and future in India—perhaps even in the world."—Uma Chakravarti, author of The Social Dimensions of Early Buddhism"It is a fantastic read, almost like a detective novel in parts, and you turn the page wondering how Buddhism was discovered, how it fared in various contexts. Douglas Ober's mastery of sources, his adept linking of various geographies, ideas, and events are so effortlessly done that they belie the immense labor and reading and writing that have no doubt gone into the making of this book."—V Geetha, author of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and the Question of Socialism in India "This splendid book overturns the standard but faulty story of Buddhism's supposed disappearance from India by the thirteenth century. It completely recasts our understanding of modern Buddhism and its role in nineteenth and twentieth-century India. A marvelous combination of history, philosophy, and story-telling, Dust on the Throne is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand Buddhism in our world today."—Evan Thompson, author ofWaking, Dreaming, Being andWhy I Am Not a Buddhist"An engrossing and lively account of how modern India 'rediscovered' and re-engaged with Buddhism in the last two centuries, featuring a cast of compelling historical characters.Going far beyond standard assumptions and understandings about the decline and revival of Buddhism in India,Dust on the Throne is a must-read for all who are interested in south Asian history, both recent and ancient."—Tony Joseph, author of Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From"Dust on the Throne offers a new perspective on the history of Buddhism in India during the colonial period and early years of Independence. Marshalling an array of evidence that foregrounds the role of individuals and institutions (some known, some forgotten) in the context of subcontinental and global networks, it dispels many long-cherished notions about Buddhism's decline and revival in its homeland, offering a convincing alternative narrative."—Upinder Singh, author of History of Ancient and Early Medieval India"Douglas Ober's Dust on the Throne weaves a fascinating history of individuals, institutions, and events that animated modern Buddhism. The book provides rare insights into a range offorgotten Indianswhose contributions were as impressive as those of better-known colonials.Its exploration of the footprint of Buddhist discourses among the masses is equally captivating. This will remain a definitive study on the many streams that constituted the quest for Buddhism inModern India."—Nayanjot Lahiri, author of Ashoka in Ancient India"[Dust on the Throne] is vast and dense, shining light on many of the Indian historians, scholars, translators, ethnographers, and laborers whose engagement with ancient and modern Buddhism galvanized 19th- and 20th-century public discourse. Rather than fragmented, however, the confluence of geographies, perspectives, and demographics demonstrate how dynamic and complex local expertise and agency in the resurgence of Buddhism within India have been."—Liesl Schwabe, Los Angeles Review of Books"Ober's exhaustive survey assembles Buddhism's disparate histories from different regions of modern India and contextualizes the formation of its multiple stands. He effectively dismantles the idea of European discovery of Buddhism and challenges the overemphasis on the contribution of Dharmapala and Ambedkar's scholarship."—Abishek Singh Amar, Tricycle"Dust on the Throne: The Search for Buddhism in Modern India, an erudite study by the historian Douglas Ober, is an exception to the brahmin-centric trend, and an outstanding intervention for many reasons. Right from its thoughtful title – which captures the deep history and 'revival' of the region's Buddhist past – the book tells us a different story than the brahmin-centric narratives of so much other scholarship. Ober shows how the widespread notion that Buddhism in the Subcontinent had died by the thirteenth century or earlier, and showed no trace of life into the modern period, is at most a 'useful fiction', if not a foolish conclusion outright."—Gajendran Ayyathurai, Himal SouthasianTable of Contents0. Introduction 1. The Agony of Memory 2. Dispelling Darkness 3. Banyan Tree Buddhism 4. Brahmanizing Buddhism 5. The Snake and the Mongoose 6. When the Buddha met Marx 7. The Buddha Nation Conclusion: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisIn The Darkening Age, Catherine Nixey tells the little-known - and deeply shocking - story of how a militant religion deliberately tried to extinguish the teachings of the Classical world, ushering in unquestioning adherence to the 'one true faith'.The Roman Empire had been generous in embracing and absorbing new creeds. But with the coming of Christianity, everything changed. This new faith, despite preaching peace, was violent, ruthless and intolerant. And once it became the religion of empire, its zealous adherents set about the destruction of the old gods. Their altars were upturned, their temples demolished and their statues hacked to pieces. Books, including great works of philosophy and science, were consigned to the pyre. It was an annihilation.A Book of the Year in the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator, the Observer, and BBC History MagazineA New York Times Book Review Editors' ChoiceWinner of the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award for NonfictionTrade ReviewThis book uncovers what was lost when Christianity won…. a delightful book about destruction and despair. Nixey combines the authority of a serious academic with the expressive style of a good journalist. She’s not afraid to throw in the odd joke amid sombre tales of desecration. With considerable courage, she challenges the wisdom of history and manages to prevail. Comfortable assumptions about Christian progress come tumbling down. * The Times *Catherine Nixey has written a bold, dazzling and provocative book that challenges ideas about early Christianity and both how – and why – it spread so far and fast in its early days. Nixey is a witty and iconoclastic guide to a world that will be unfamiliar, surprising and troubling to many. -- Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk RoadA searingly passionate book . . . Nixey writes up a storm. Each sentence is rich, textured, evocative, felt . . . Nixey delivers this ballista-bolt of a book with her eyes wide open and in an attempt to bring light as well as heat to the sad story of intellectual monoculture and religious intolerance -- Bettany Hughes * New York Times *Superb -- Richard DawkinsWith passion, wit and thunderous eloquence, Nixey throws everything she has against the bishops, monks and Christian emperors of late antiquity ... ‘The Darkening Agerattles along at a tremendous pace, and Nixey brilliantly evokes all that was lost with the waning of the classical world. * Sunday Times *A book for the 21st century ... Nixey has a great story to tell, and she tells it exceptionally well. As one would expect from a distinguished journalist, every page is full of well-turned phrases that leap from the page ... finely crafted, invigorating ... [The Darkening Age] succeeds brilliantly. -- Tim Whitmarsh * Guardian *As Catherine Nixey points out in her vivid and important new book, the idea of the widespread persecution of Christians is a product of the Church’s marketing and recruitment techniques… Nixey is a funny, lively, readable guide through this dark world of religious oppression. She wisely insists at the start of her book that this account of cultural violence should not be read as an attack on those who are “impelled by their Christian faith to do many, many good things”. It is instead a reminder that “monotheism” (or, one could say, religion in general and Christianity in particular) can be used for “terrible ends”. -- Emily Wilson * New Statesman *Clever, compelling ... Readers raised in the milky Anglican tradition will be surprised to learn of the savagery of the early saints and their sledgehammer-swinging followers ... exceptionally well written. -- Thomas W. Hodgkinson * Spectator *Nixey has done an impressive job of illuminating an important aspect of late-antique Christianity. -- Levi Roach * Literary Review *Engaging and erudite, Catherine Nixey's book offers both a compelling argument and a wonderful eye for vivid detail. It shines a searching spotlight on to some of the murkiest aspects of the early medieval mindset. A triumph. -- Edith Hall, author of The Ancient Greeks: Ten Ways They Shaped the Modern WorldNixey's elegant and ferocious text paints a dark but riveting picture of life at the time of the 'triumph' of Christianity, reminding us not just of the realities of our own past, but also of the sad echoes of that past in our present. -- Dr Michael ScottCaptivating and compulsive, Catherine Nixey's debut challenges our whole understanding of Christianity's earliest years and the medieval society that followed. A remarkable fusion of captivating narrative and acute scholarly judgment, this book marks the debut of a formidable classicist and historian. -- Dan Jones, bestselling author of The PlantagenetsA devastating book, written in vivid, yet playful prose. Catherine Nixey reveals a level of intolerance and anti-intellectualism which which echoes today's headlines but is centuries old. -- Anita AnandPugnacious and energetically written * The Tablet *Sizzling, scintillating -- Book of the Year * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisWinner of The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2022Shortlisted for The Wolfson History Prize 2022A The Times Books of the Year 2022Three thousand years ago, in the Southwest Asian lands we now call Israel and Palestine, a group of people worshipped a complex pantheon of deities, led by a father god called El. El had seventy children, who were gods in their own right. One of them was a minor storm deity, known as Yahweh. Yahweh had a body, a wife, offspring and colleagues. He fought monsters and mortals. He gorged on food and wine, wrote books, and took walks and naps. But he would become something far larger and far more abstract: the God of the great monotheistic religions.But as Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou reveals, God’s cultural DNA stretches back centuries before the Bible was written, and persists in the tics and twitches of our own society, whether we are believers or not. The Bible has shaped our ideas about God and religion, but also our cultural preferences about human existence and experience; our concept of life and death; our attitude to sex and gender; our habits of eating and drinking; our understanding of history. Examining God’s body, from his head to his hands, feet and genitals, she shows how the Western idea of God developed. She explores the places and artefacts that shaped our view of this singular God and the ancient religions and societies of the biblical world. And in doing so she analyses not only the origins of our oldest monotheistic religions, but also the origins of Western culture.Beautifully written, passionately argued and frequently controversial, God: An Anatomy is cultural history on a grand scale.'Rivetingly fresh and stunning' – Sunday Times'One of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today' – Dan SnowTrade ReviewA learned but rollicking journey through every aspect of Yahweh's body. A book that will offend some but delight more. * Economist Best Books of the Year *Lively . . . [with] a wealth of scholarly detail and much gusto -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *Rivetingly fresh and stunning . . . I rather like this inexhaustibly powerful, shouting, bearded giant of a God, a fiery, fierce and startlingly “pagan” God, alive to his very fingertips, laughing at human hubris and singing with unbridled joy. -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *A marvelous conspectus of references to the divine body in ancient southwest Asian texts. But more than this, it is about recalibrating our understanding of these difficult texts to better understand ourselves. -- Simon Yarrow * Literary Review *Professors of Theology are imagined to be dull, gentle souls. This book, however, is a great rebel shout . . . A book that aims to upend the notion of a cloudy, spiritualised creator . . . instructive, vivid and frequently hilarious. * Economist *Stavrakopoulou is no literalist — indeed, she’s an atheist — but she maintains that her reading makes far more sense than the traditional ones, and her confident tone never falters. -- Dan Hitchens * The Times *God: An Anatomy is a tour de force. Stavrakopoulou has created not just an extraordinarily rich and nuanced portrait of Yahweh himself, but an intricate and detailed account of the cultural values and practices he embodied, and the wider world of myth and history out of which he emerged . . . Stavrakopoulou has taken to heart the biblical injunction to seek the face of God, and what emerges is a deity more terrifyingly alive, more damaged, more compelling, more complex than we have encountered before. More human, you might say. -- Mathew Lyons * New Humanist *A detailed and scrupulously researched book . . . packed with knowledge and insight -- Karen Armstrong * The New York Times *Boldly simple in concept, God: An Anatomy is stunning in its execution. It is a tour de force, a triumph, and I write this as one who disagrees with Stavrakopoulou both on broad theoretical grounds and one who finds himself engaged with her in one narrow textual spat after another . . . A stunning book. -- Jack Miles * Catholic Herald *The sheer amount of primary evidence examined is staggering . . . Stavrakopoulou’s argumentation is intellectually penetrating, analytically robust, and sophisticated . . . Stavrakopoulou’s book, and her public-facing scholarship, demonstrate what makes an outstanding biblical scholar. * Church Times *Good Lord, Stavrakopoulou touches that sweet spot that is scholarly, funny, visceral and heavenly. A revelation. -- Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived and How to Argue with a RacistOne of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today. -- Dan SnowIn both Judaism and Christianity God is conceived as non-physical. In God: An Anatomy Francesca Stavrakopoulou shows that this was not yet so in the Bible, where God appears in a much more corporeal form. This provocative work will surprise and may shock, but it brings to light aspects of the biblical account of God that modern readers seldom appreciate. -- John Barton, Emeritus Professor at Oriel College, Oxford and author of A History of the BibleIn Stavrakopoulou's stunning dissection of historical religious texts, the real back-story and context of the God of Judaism and Christianity is revealed . . . Where pious theologians have abstracted him into emptiness, Stavrakopolou gives him back his substance, and he’s so much more interesting in this bodily form! Both scholarly and accessible, and full of fascinating stories - I guarantee you’ll never think of this God the same way again. -- Professor Alice RobertsMarvelous and stimulating . . . scholarly and beautifully illustrated . . . an exciting read! * Methodist Recorder *This is an extraordinary book. It’ll rewire your thinking, and it’s so readable you won’t notice till it’s too late. -- Tim Whitmarsh, author of Battling the GodsWell-researched . . . A refreshing look at ancient Scripture and the people behind it, reminding readers that the concept of ‘God’ in the 21st century is a world away from that of the earliest people of Israel. A challenging, engaging work of scholarship that sheds new light on ancient Hebrew conceptions of the divine. * Kirkus Reviews *

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