History of religion Books

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Trade Review. . . a unique three-year study . . . of such depth and breadth that it raises serious questions about how all U.S. Christians interpret and practice their faith.Kenneth L. Woodward, NewsweekTable of ContentsTable of Contents Foreword ix Introduction x Index of Selections xiii Table of Abbreviations xxiv The Faith of the Early Fathers 1 Index of Scriptural References 409 Doctrinal Index 413 General Index 433

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Book SynopsisThe Liturgy and TimeTable of Contentsv. 1. Principles of the liturgy / by Ir en ee Henri Dalmais ... [et al.] -- v. 2. The Eucharist / by Robert Cabi e. -- v. 3. The sacraments / by Robert Cabi e ... [et al.] -- v. 4. The liturgy and time / by Ir en ee Henri Dalmais, Pierre Jounel, and Aim e Georges Martimort.

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Book SynopsisTheir History and Theology

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Book SynopsisAn ExplorationTrade ReviewThe main text is accessible to a wide readership, while specialists or those whose interest has been aroused will find detailed argumentation and discussion in the densely packed notes. All together, a book highly to be recommended to the adventurous.Benedict T. Viviano, OP. . . a remarkably original and stimulating contribution to the study of Christian origins."Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, Weston Jesuit School of Theology

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Trade ReviewThis study of the ancient catechumenate in the first edition was already helpful to many people who were working for the initiation of new Christians because it provided a way to see the practical pastoral reality of their work from the point of view of another culture in another time. This revision has benefitted not only from many reviewers' comments about that first edition but also from more than twenty years of Bill's teaching, preaching, discussing, and celebrating the sacraments of initiation. -From the foreword by Allan Fitzgerald, OSA"Harmless has once more produced a very readable descriptive history with broad appeal that is of value to experts but deliberately written in a style that is accessible to nonspecialists."Paul R. Kolbet, Catholic Historical Review"This landmark book is a mini-course in why catechumenate remains so promising for the Church's future. It should be in the hands of all responsible for shaping initiation ministry."Michael Cameron, associate professor at the University of Portland, Pastoral Liturgy"Harmless has scourged the corpus of Augustine to find every scrap of evidence useful for understanding his catechumenate; these sources are summarized in a series of helpful charts, enabling the interested reader to delve easily into the original texts themselves. Bill was a master teacher; that skill is evident in this book not least of all in the clarity of his exposition and in the pedagogical care with which the material is presented."Mark DelCogliano, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, American Benedictine Review

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Book SynopsisThe letters of Eshinni (1182-1268?), a Buddhist nun and the wife of Shinran (1173-1262), the founder of the Shin school of Buddhism, were discovered in 1921. James C. Dobbins usesthese letters to shed new light on life and religion in medieval Japan.

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Trade Review"the compendium is brilliantly stimulating in the light it shines upon a little known phenomenon of mystical spirituality" Sufi, no.57 -- Neil. W. Johnston

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Book SynopsisAndrew Jotischky is Professor of Medieval History at Lancaster University, UK. He has published widely on aspects of medieval religious history; his principal publications include Crusading and the Crusader States (2004), and The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Bible Lands, with Caroline Hull (2009).Trade ReviewThis is a sparkling book, hugely informative about monasticism in general and hermits in particular with the addition of some surprisingly appetising recipes. Mortification and nettles turn out to be only one part of the story of how hermits battled with the devil; hospitality and humility were equally important as was a good knowledge of bread-making and a sound digestion. Tree bark is probably not to everyone's taste. -- Henrietta Leyser, St Peter's College, OxfordBy supplementing his material from monastic sources with contemporary secular ones, and by discussing the virtues and culinary properties of plants still used today, the author opens up a world of monastic cuisine to explore and enjoy. -- The GoodbookstallExtract Featured -- History TodayExtract featured in the Platelicker section -- The Big IssueFull page extract featured -- The Times‘What underlies this entertaining, informative account of monastic diet is the unexplored issue of food consumption as a means exercising individual and social control... this is a book that does more than it says on the tin.' -- Times Higher Educational SupplementAndrew Jotischky's book is a valuable addition to the literature on the monastic life and deserves more than a specialist readership. And it has many appetising monastic recipes. -- BBC History MagazineReviewed in The Church TimesTable of Contents1. Beginnings - who were the first monks?; 2. Desert fathers, pillarsaints and fasting; 3. The 'hermit craze' of the Middle Ages; 4. Gardens and growing; 5. The bigger picture - food, trade and money; 6.Herbs and health; Includes approximately 10 recipes; Further reading.

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Book SynopsisThis text examines the theological framework within which St Patrick presented his experience and at how the Celtic lands of Ireland and Wales developed a distinctive view of sin, reconciliation and Christian law.Trade ReviewThis is an important book. It counters the overly sentimental and unhistorical view of Celtic religious and situates Cetlic theology squarely within the institutional medieval Christian Church." --Richard J. Hauser, S.J., Theological Studies, December 2001"The author's intention is to probe into certain areas of Celtic faith and practice between the fifth and thirteenth centuries,...with the emphasis on Ireland, so as to uncover the theology which informs them and to which they give expression. This programme should appeal to many people, not least to those who have come to feel uneasy about popular presentations of 'Celtic spirituality'...This is a learned, conveniently organised, and attractively written book. Well worth reading."--Anvil"This is not just another book on Celtic Christianity presenting a romantic view of a long lost and recently discovered well of spiritual refreshment...It is of course not without joy and refreshing insights and spiritual uplift but these are circumspect and solidly based on the Christian literature which comes from the church in Celtic lands...Dr O'Loughlin takes us on a fascinating tour of the great landmarks of Celtic Christian literature between the 6th and the 9th centuries."--Search, Spring 2001"In his study of the texts he has selected, O'Loughlin has combined high academic standards with pastoral thrust to give us a volume that will be of great interest to those with the genuine 'Celtic Theology' that can be discovered in early Irish documents." --Irish Theological Quarterly 2002

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Book SynopsisA history of the doctrines of the Early Church, this text describes the development of the principal Christian doctrines from the close of the first century to the middle of the fifth, from the end of the apostolic age to the Council of Chalcedon.

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Trade Review"'Liturgy for Dom Gregory Dix is no branch of arch/aeological study, it is in all its srtages and forms the living Body of Christ upon earth. His account is alive and absorbing' Church Times; 'The Shape of the Liturgy changed not only the shape of liturgical study but also p[ropfopundly inflienced worship itself. Half a century after its publication, we are perhaps beginning to discover the debt we owe to Dom Gregory Dix' The Biographer."

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Book SynopsisCranmer's career set within the intellectual and theological context of 16c England.Fascinating collection of essays - Cranmer's career is set within the context of European politics and religion and his contributions to English liturgy and theology. The scope of the various essays is wide, encompassing his intellectual relations with Erasmus and Luther, his period of ambassadorial service on the Continent, his remarkable command of the English language at one of the most important periods in its development as a vehicle for intellectualand religious debate, and his extensive redrafting of a new code of law in place of the old ecclesiastical canon law. NOTES AND QUERIESDr PAUL AYRIS is Director of Library Services at University College London; Dr DAVID SELWYN is Reader in Ecclesiastical History, University of Wales, Lampeter.Table of ContentsPart 1 The ideological background: Cranmer's relations with Erasmianism and Lutheranism, B. Hall; Cranmer's library - its potential for Reformation studies, D.G. Selwyn. Part 2 Thomas Cranmer's career as archbishop and reformer: setting forth the Word of God - Archbishop Cranmer's early patronage of preachers, S. Wabuda; Cranmer as humanist reformer, M. Dowling; God's viceregent and Christ's vicar - the relationship between the Crown and the archbishopric of Canterbury, 1533-53, P. Ayris; Thomas Cranmer and John Dudley - an uneasy alliance, 1549-53. Part 3 Cranmer and the reform of worship and spirituality: treasures old and new - a look at some of Thomas Cranmer's methods of liturgical compilation, B.D. Spinks; Cranmer's marriage vow - its place in the tradition, K.W. Stephenson; Cranmer and popular religion, E. Duffy; Cranmer, the Eucharist and foreign divines in the reign of Edward VI, B. Hall; Excursus, B. Hall. Part 4 The martyrdom: "I pray to God to grant that I may endure to the end" - a new look at the martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer. Appendices: Thomas Cranmer, 1489-1556; Thomas Cranmer's writings - a bibliographical survey, D.G. Selwyn; Thomas Cranmer's register, Paul Ayris; Cranmer's commonplace books, D.G. Selwyn and Paul Ayris; canon law studies, Paul Ayris.

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Book SynopsisAncient monuments, legends and folklore interpreted to illuminate the realities of prehistoric Irish belief.The myths and legends of prehistoric Ireland have inspired writers through the ages, down to W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney in our own century, but what do we know of the realities of ancient Irish belief? Daithi O hOgain's book approaches the question by studying archaeological remains such as tumuli, stone henges and circular enclosures and analysing the rich materials that have been handed down both in the great cycles of Irish heroic tales and the humblebut significant survivals of modern folklore, for instance the traditions associated with wells and springs. Drawing evidence from these varied sources, he arrives at a balanced picture of a society and its beliefs which have alltoo often been the subject of conjecture and fancy. CONTENTS Pre-Celtic Cultures . Basic Tenets in the Iron Age . The Druids and their Practices . The Teachings of the Druids . The Society of the Gods . The Rites of Sovereignty . The Triumph of Christianity. DAITHI O HOGAIN was Professor of Folklore at University College Dublin.Trade ReviewAn excellent book... a highly accessible and lively assessment of c ontinuity and change in belief and religion from pre-Celtic times through to the arrival of St Patrick. ...A fine book and to be recommended to a wide readership, especially to all those who think that Irish history started in 1601. * IRISH STUDIES REVIEW *The focus of this book is the evidence for pagan cult systems in ancient Ireland, particularly the period 500BC to AD600...on the whole a thoroughly researched and rigorously referenced study... a useful reference work. * ZEITSCHRFT FUR CELTISCHE PHILOLOGIE *Table of ContentsPre-Celtic cultures; basic tenets in the Iron Age; the Druids and their practices; the teachings of the Druids; the society of the gods; the rites of sovereignty; the triumph of Christianity.

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Book SynopsisYear 2000 is a Jubilee year for the Catholic church and very large numbers are expected to make the pilgrimage to Rome.Debra Birch's lively account of pilgrimage to Rome throughout the medieval period is well-documented and clearly presented. HISTORY TODAY [Emma Mason]Well researched, clearly written, and, quite apart from the eternal city, provides an excellent introduction to pilgrimage as a whole. CHURCH TIMES [Nicholas Orme] Rome was one of the major pilgrim destinations in the middle ages. The belief that certain objects and places were a focus of holiness where pilgrims could come closer to God had a long history in Christian tradition; in the case of Rome, the tradition developed around two of the city's most important martyrs, Christ's apostles Peter and Paul. So strong were the city'sassociations with these apostles that pilgrimage to Rome was often referred to as pilgrimage `to the threshold of the apostles'. Debra Birch conveys a vivid picture of the world of the medieval pilgrim to Rome - the Romipetae, or `Rome-seekers' - covering all aspects of their journey, and their life in the city itself. DEBRA BIRCH is assistant secretary at the Institute of Historical Research. CONTENTS The Cult of Saints and Pilgrimage to Rome. The Journey to Rome . Obligations and Privileges . Rome of the Pilgrim I . Rome of the Pilgrim II . Welfare Provisions for Pilgrims in Rome . The Popularity of Pilgrimage to Rome in the 12th Century . The 13th-Century Revival.Table of ContentsThe Cult of Saints and Pilgrimage to Rome . The Journey to Rome . Obligations and Privileges . Rome of the Pilgrim I . Rome of the Pilgrim II . Welfare Provisions for Pilgrims in Rome . The Popularity of Pilgrimage to Rome in the 12th Century . The 13th-Century Revival.

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Book SynopsisThe Christian rosary is a devotion in which a set of beads is used to keep tally of the prescribed prayers while pondering with Mary, the Mother of the Lord, on the significant events in the life of her son, Jesus Christ. The most popular of all Catholic devotions rosaries are also well known in other religious traditions beining in ancient times. A detailed and readable study of the Rosary in its various forms has long been needed. [Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is at an all time high, judging by the popularity of parish Rosary groups, pilgrimages to Marian shrines and the many alleged apparitions of Our Lady around the world.] Dr. Miller''s book will fill a real need for the many who wish to take their devotion and theirprayer life to new depths, to understand the perennial importance of Christian meditation, and to understand more fully the tradition to which they belong.Trade ReviewA detailed and readable study of the rosary in its various forms has long been needed. Dr Miller's book will satisfy a real need for the many who wish to take their devotion and their prayer life to new depths, to understand the perennial importance of Christian meditation, and to comprehend more fully the tradition to which they belong. * Catholic Life *Table of ContentsChronology of the Development of the Rosary 1 Introduction 2 Origins of the Rosary 3 The Hail Mary 4 The Our Father 5 The Sign of the Cross, the Gloria Patri and the Creed 6 The Pre-Christian Origin of Prayer Beads 7 The Use of Beads in the Christian Tradition 8 The Use of Prayer Beads in England 9 The Rosary in Ireland 10 The Marian Movement and the Twentieth Century 11 Marian Apparitions and the Promotion of the Rosary 12 The Symbolism of the Rose, Rose Garland and Rose Garden 13 The Rosary in Papal Documents 14 A Method for Praying the Rosary 15 Mediating on the Rosary 16 Other Rosaries and Chaplets 17 The Jesus Clause 18 Indulgences Associated with the Rosary Appendix 1: The Salve Regina Appendix 2: The Angelus and Memorare Appendix 3: The Liturgy of the Hours Appendix 4: The Rosary and the Blessed Sacrament Appendix 5: Rosaries in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Bibliography Index

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