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From the Maccabees to the Mishnah
by Shaye J. D. CohenIn this new edition of a best-selling classic, Shaye Cohen offers a thorough analysis of Judaism's development from the early years of the Roman Empire to the formative period of rabbinic Judaism. Cohen's synthesis of religion, literature, and history offers deep insight into the nature of Judaism at this key period, including the relationship between Jews and Gentiles, the function of Jewish religion in the larger community, and the development of normative Judaism and other Jewish sects. In addition, Cohen provides clear explanations concerning the formation of the biblical canon and the roots of rabbinic Judaism. Now completely updated and revised, this book remains the clearest introduction to the era that shaped Judaism and provided the context for early Christianity. The Library of Early Christianity is a series of eight outstanding books exploring the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts in which the New Testament developed.
From the Material to the Mystical in Late Medieval Piety: The Vernacular Transmission of Gertrude of Helfta's Visions
by Racha KirakosianThe German mystic Gertrude the Great of Helfta (c.1256–1301) is a globally venerated saint who is still central to the Sacred Heart Devotion. Her visions were first recorded in Latin, and they inspired generations of readers in processes of creative rewriting. The vernacular copies of these redactions challenge the long-standing idea that translations do not bear the same literary or historical weight as the originals upon which they are based. In this study, Racha Kirakosian argues that manuscript transmission reveals how redactors serve as cultural agents. Examining the late medieval vernacular copies of Gertrude's visions, she demonstrates how redactors recast textual materials, reflected changes in piety, and generated new forms of devotional practices. She also shows how these texts served as a bridge between material culture, in the form of textiles and book illumination, and mysticism. Kirakosian's multi-faceted study is an important contribution to current debates on medieval manuscript culture, authorship, and translation as objects of study in their own right.
From the Monastery to the City: Hildegard of Bingen and Francis of Assisi (Past Light on Present Life: Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality)
by Roger Haight, SJ, Alfred Pach III, and Amanda Avila KaminskiThis volume brings together texts of the twelfth-century Hildegard of Bingen and the early-thirteenth-century Francis of Assisi to represent religious spirituality after the Gregorian Reform and just prior to or simultaneous with the formation of universities in Western Europe. In an extraordinary way, Hildegard embodies monastic theology and spirituality and provides a contrast to the new thing that would be created with the study of theology in the new Aristotelian idiom of the universities. But equally in contrast to the Benedictine Hildegard, the thirteenth century witnessed a renewed enthusiasm for a more literal following of Christ in a life of penitence and poverty. This is a life of dependence, not on a superior and enclosed community but on the compassion of society at large. Francis would join this movement on his own terms, attract a following, and gradually formulate a spirituality that sent signals of the need to reform individual lives and the institutions of the Church. These two authors, then, are not joined here because of any shared similarity but to help illustrate two quite different spiritualities that animated the lively European twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
From the Monastery to the World: The Letters of Thomas Merton and Ernesto Cardenal
by Thomas Merton Ernesto CardenalThomas Merton and Ernesto Cardenal were both poets and priests, wholly committed to a life of spiritual contemplation which was never far from the gritty work that lead them to risk life and reputation in order to raise worldwide consciousness concerning issues of social justice and the abuse of human rights. From the Monastery to the World collects the complete correspondence between these spiritual men and dedicated activists, translated into English for the first time.The letters in this book, written between Merton and Cardenal from 1959–1968, give us fascinating insights into the early spiritual and political awakenings of eventual Sandinista and exponent of liberation theology Ernesto Cardenal, who was then a novice leaving the Trappist Monastery in Kentucky where he first met Merton. While making the long trip home to Nicaragua to build a utopian artist's commune on the Island of Solentiname, Cardenal rubs elbows with some of Latin America's greatest writers and artists of that time.In From the Monastery to the World, Cardenal is still a hungry pupil, years away from becoming the internationally renowned poet–statesman and Nicaraguan Minister of Culture. Here we see the poet and monk Thomas Merton as a wise, patient, and sometimes even humbled mentor, during the years when he was still shaping and collecting the raw materials for such writings as: "The Way of Chuang Tzu", "Raids on the Unspeakable", and "Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander".Merton and Cardenal's correspondence grants readers an audience to conversations between two men deeply connected by their vigorous endeavors toward spiritual freedom, voracious intellectual appetites, and artistic exploration despite the cultural differences, language barriers, and geographic distances which divide them.
From the Occult to Christ: A Journey of Faith
by Pam ShellWe are living in the end times, and the greatest harvest known to man is fast approaching. The New Age Movement is infiltrating the American church at an alarming rate, and many Christians are turning away from God through deception and discouragement. This easy-to-read book talks about the deceptions of the New Age Movement and substantiates every fact with Scripture. It describes first-hand experience regarding a life free from the occult and persevering faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout this book, you will be given specific faith-building tools that are realistic, doable, and will prepare you to endure any trial.
From the other side of the moon
by Asma ElferkoussIt is always easy to feel misunderstood, to be out of step with your environment, and never to be in your place .Sometimes it takes time and a lot of experience to understand why this is so, why people do not feel the same feeling as us, why they do not perceive what seems obvious to us. It’s not because they don’t want it, It’s because they can’t do it because it’s "From the other side of the moon"
From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women between Religion and Culture
by Saba SoomekhGold Medalist, 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the Religion categorySaba Soomekh offers a fascinating portrait of three generations of women in an ethnically distinctive and little-known American Jewish community, Jews of Iranian origin living in Los Angeles. Most of Iran's Jewish community immigrated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the government-sponsored discrimination that followed. Based on interviews with women raised during the constitutional monarchy of the earlier part of the twentieth century, those raised during the modernizing Pahlavi regime of mid-century, and those who have grown up in Los Angeles, the book presents an ethnographic portrait of what life was and is like for Iranian Jewish women. Featuring the voices of all generations, the book concentrates on religiosity and ritual observance, the relationship between men and women, and women's self-concept as Iranian Jewish women. Mother-daughter relationships, double standards for sons and daughters, marriage customs, the appeal of American forms of Jewish practices, social customs and pressures, and the alternate attraction to and critique of materialism and attention to outward appearance are discussed by the author and through the voices of her informants.
From Theology to Theological Thinking (Richard Lectures)
by Jeffrey Bloechl Jean-Yves Lacoste W. Chris Hackett"Christian philosophy" is commonly regarded as an oxymoron, philosophy being thought incompatible with the assumptions and conclusions required by religious faith. According to this way of thinking, philosophy and theology must forever remain distinct.In From Theology to Theological Thinking, Jean-Yves Lacoste takes a different approach. Stepping back from contemporary philosophical concerns, Lacoste--a leading figure in the philosophy of religion--looks at the relationship between philosophy and theology from the standpoint of the history of ideas. He notes in particular that theology and philosophy were not considered separate realms until the high Middle Ages, this distinction being a hallmark of the modern era that is coming to an end. Lacoste argues that the intellectual task before us now is to work in the frontier region between or beyond these domains, work he identifies as "the task of thinking." With this argument, Lacoste resets our understanding of Western Christian thought, contending that a new way of thinking that is at once philosophical and theological will be the lasting discourse of Christianity.
From These Roots: Bringing Light, Hope, and Transformation to Atlanta's Inner City—A Journey of Two Brothers
by Jeff DeelPart memoir, part inspirational, Jeff Deel&’s From These Roots tells of his sometimes michievous childhood as the son of a holiness preacher and the change of heart and events that led him as an adult to work alongside his brother, ministering to the lost and forgotten people of Atlanta&’s inner city.Through Jeff&’s stories from his own past, along with those of the countless transformations he has witnessed at City of Refuge, readers will see how being a follower can be just as important as being a leader. Jeff Deel has lived in the shadow of his older brother, Bruce, for his entire life. He wouldn&’t have had it any other way. While being the sons of a holiness preacher, they still found ways to get into their fair share of mischief, with older brother Bruce taking on the role of &“leader&”—for better or worse. Yet Jeff never questioned his place as his brother&’s follower and supporter—for better or worse. Then came adulthood and Jeff&’s turbulent search to find himself. Through a series of failed occupations and the desire to avoid ministry at all costs, Jeff was predictably led right back to his brother&’s side. This time, instead of finding mischief, Jeff and Bruce worked together building the City of Refuge in Atlanta. Through their work, COR has welcomed thousands upon thousands of individuals who have found themselves in dire straits, whether as victims of abuse and sex trafficking, or as people whose own choices have thrust them to rock bottom. Jeff and Bruce have found their experience watching their parents minister to the least of these and teaching them what it means to offer a person dignity, love, and hope, prepared them more than they ever could have realized.
From This Day Forward: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage
by Amy Groeschel Craig GroeschelShouldn't there be more to marriage than flipping a coin to see if it will last? Is it possible to grow more in love with the person you've committed your life to? Would you like to guarantee that your marriage will last? Craig and Amy Groeschel offer singles pursuing marriage and couples at all stages of marriage five commitments to fail proof their marriage, From This Day Forward.
From This Day Forward
by Irene HannonIt was an offer she couldn’t refuse…After a frightening ordeal, Cara Martin needs a safe haven, and her estranged husband, Dr. Sam Martin, offers to share his home. Live with Sam? The man she’d married became a stranger long before their separation broke her heart. Yet when she arrives in his small Missouri town, Cara discovers the workaholic surgeon has become a general doctor who cares about people...cares about her. Can they possibly love, honor and cherish each other again, from this day forward? Originally published in 2007
From This Day Forward
by Irene HannonIt Was A Shocking Proposal. . . But Cara Martin had to say yes. After a frightening ordeal, she needed a safe haven, and her estranged husband, Dr. Sam Martin, offered to share his home. Live with Sam? The man she'd married had become a stranger long before their separation had broken her heart. Yet when she arrived in his small Missouri town, Cara discovered the workaholic surgeon had become a general doc who cared about people. . . cared about her. Could they possibly love, honor and cherish each other again, from this day forward?
From this Day Forward: Rethinking the Christian Wedding
by Kimberly Bracken LongWeddings have become a billion-dollar industry, with the average cost of a wedding estimated at $30,000. Taking into account dramatic shifts in attitudes toward marriage in recent years, many pastors are confused and frustrated about their role. This book offers a foundational understanding of marriage for today's North American church. Exploring current sociological analyses of marriage and the history of Christian marriage rites, Kimberly Bracken Long suggests that the church rethink its involvement in weddings and offers a distinctively Christian understanding of marriage. Today's church, Long contends, needs to reinterpret classic biblical metaphors and expand the range of scriptural sources that inform our understanding of marriage. Long also looks closely at each element of the wedding service and what makes a marriage liturgy faithful, inclusive, and sensitive to pastoral concerns. She provides practical suggestions for music and Scripture during wedding services as well as guidance on how to respond faithfully to those who are divorced or divorcing. Packed with constructive pastoral wisdom, From This Day Forward—Rethinking the Christian Wedding delivers a practical theology of marriage that will be of help to clergy, seminarians, and others interested in this topic.
From This Day Forward Study Guide: Five Commitments to Fail-Proof Your Marriage
by Craig GroeschelIs it possible to have a great marriage? Yes, but it is not likely if you treat marriage like everybody else does! In this five-session, video-based small group study, New York Times bestselling author and pastor Craig Groeschel gives you five commitments to make in order to fail-proof your marriage. You know the stats, and they are horrifying. 50% of marriages don’t make it. What other area of your life are you satisfied with 50% odds against you? The choices you make each and every day determine not only your relationship with God but also the quality of your marriage. The decisions you make today will determine the marriage you will have tomorrow. In this five-session study, you will discover five commitments that will absolutely fail-proof your marriage. If you make these commitments, you can and will have the marriage God wants you to experience. Seek God Fight Fair Have Fun Stay Pure Never Give Up If you and your spouse will earnestly choose to do all five of these things, you’ll discover a richer, deeper, more authentic relationship and a more rewarding, more passionate love life than you could have ever imagined. Don’t be a statistic. Don’t be average. Let’s get you that marriage that you always wanted. Starting right now—from this day forward.
From This Life to the Next: Everything You Want to Know About Heaven
by Judson CornwallUnfortunately heaven has become more of an enigma than an anticipated destination. Although you may have seen many depictions of glorious heavenly scenes in movies and heard awe-inspiring testimonials of near- and after-death experiences, you may still be apprehensive about the afterlife.Heaven is no longer a mystery Culled from Cornwall&’s extraordinary teachings over years of ministry, From this Life to the Next challenges many preconceived ideas about heaven. It claims that the moment of stepping from this life into the next should not be one we dread or fear because Jesus said that He would be there to meet us, and His presence will be our joy. Your pressing questions about heaven will be answered such as:Is heaven a real place?What is heaven like?Where is heaven, and how do we get there?What will my body look like?Will I recognize loved ones?REMOVE THE FEAR OF DEATH and the afterlife and rekindle the excitement to one day meet Jesus and dwell in His presence for eternity.
From This Moment: A Novel
by Kim Vogel SawyerA lost ring brings together two wounded souls—a youth minister haunted by the past and a spunky church custodian—in this heartwarming romance from the bestselling author of The Librarian of Boone&’s Hollow. &“Kim Vogel Sawyer is an amazing storyteller who crafts each of her stories with page-turning excitement and rich character development.&”—Tracie Peterson, bestselling author of the Golden Gate Secrets seriesGrowing up in the foster care system, Jase Edgar always dreamed of one day starting his own family. But his fiancée's untimely death shattered his plans. Moving to Kansas and serving as a youth minister should be a fresh start, but he can't seem to set aside his doubts about God's goodness long enough to embrace his new life. Newly-appointed church custodian, Lori Fowler is battling her own challenges. Her strained relationship with her father and her struggles with overeating convince her she's not worthy enough for love. When an Amish weaver enlists their help locating the owner of a ring found among the donated clothing she uses as fabric, Jase and Lori find themselves drawn to each other. But will they be able to release the past and move forward from this moment into a joyful future?
From Times Square to Timbuktu: The Post-Christian West Meets the Non-Western Church
by Wesley Granberg-MichaelsonIn the last century, amazingly, world Christianity's center of gravity has effectively moved from Europe to a point near Timbuktu in Africa. Never in the history of Christianity has there been such a rapid and dramatic shift in where Christians are located in the world.Wesley Granberg-Michaelson explores the consequences of this shift for congregations in North America, specifically for the efforts to build Christian unity in the face of new and challenging divisions. Centers of religious power, money, and theological capital remain entrenched in the global, secularized North while the Christian majority thrives and rapidly grows in the global South. World Christianity's most decisive twenty-first-century challenge, Granberg-Michaelson argues, is to build meaningful bridges between faithful churches in the global North and the spiritually exuberant churches of the global South.Watch the trailer:
From Topic to Thesis: A Guide to Theological Research
by Michael KibbeWhile courses in Bible and theology typically require research papers, particularly at the graduate level, very few include training in research. Professors have two options: use valuable class time to teach students as much as they can, or lower their standards with the understanding that students cannot be expected to complete tasks for which they have never been prepared. From Topic to Thesis: A Guide to Theological Research offers a third option. This affordable and accessible tool walks students through the process, focusing on five steps: finding direction, gathering sources, understanding issues, entering discussion and establishing a position. Its goal is to take students directly from a research assignment to a research argument―in other words, from topic to thesis.
From Topic to Thesis: A Guide to Theological Research
by Michael KibbeWhile courses in Bible and theology typically require research papers, particularly at the graduate level, very few include training in research. Professors have two options: use valuable class time to teach students as much as they can, or lower their standards with the understanding that students cannot be expected to complete tasks for which they have never been prepared. From Topic to Thesis: A Guide to Theological Research offers a third option. This affordable and accessible tool walks students through the process, focusing on five steps: finding direction, gathering sources, understanding issues, entering discussion and establishing a position. Its goal is to take students directly from a research assignment to a research argument—in other words, from topic to thesis.
From Victims to Suspects: Muslim Women Since 9/11
by Shakira HusseinDrawing on interviews and examples from across the globe, this book tackles the shifting narratives surrounding Muslim women Once regarded as passive victims waiting to be rescued, Muslim women are now widely regarded as arbiters of "terror" and a potential threat to be kept under control. Drawing on interviews and examples from around the world including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Europe, and North America, Shakira Hussein shows how this shift in attitude has taken place and how it impacts feminism, multiculturalism, race, and religion on a global scale. She argues that alongside the fear of Islamic terrorism is a growing fear of Islam as a cultural hazard that is undermining Western society from within. Muslim women, the transmitters of cultural practices, are frequently seen to play a key role in this. Hussein’s work makes for a compelling read, offering a unique perspective on what it means to be a Muslim woman post-9/11.
From Violence to Wholeness: A Ten-Part Process in the Spirituality and Practice of Active Nonviolence
by Ken Butigan Patricia BrunoThis is the workbook to accompany a ten-part "process" on nonviolence, designed by the Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service. The book can be used by both group leaders and participants. The program comes from a Christian framework, but emphasizes respect for all people and religions. Each session includes a series of exercises and topics for discussion designed to deepen participants' thinking about the violence in the world - both global and personal - and nonviolent alternatives. Suplemental readings include work by Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., St. Francis of Assissi, and the feminist antinuclear activist Shelley Douglas, among others.
From Viracocha to the Virgin of Copacabana: Representation of the Sacred at Lake Titicaca
by Verónica Salles-ReeseSurrounded by the peaks of the Andean cordillera, the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca have long provided refreshment and nourishment to the people who live along its shores. From prehistoric times, the Andean peoples have held Titicaca to be a sacred place, the source from which all life originated and the site where the divine manifests its presence. <P><P> In this interdisciplinary study, Verónica Salles-Reese explores how Andean myths of cosmic and ethnic origins centered on Lake Titicaca evolved from pre-Inca times to the enthronement of the Virgin of Copaca-bana in 1583. She begins by describing the myths of the Kolla (pre-Inca) people and shows how their Inca conquerors attempted to establish legitimacy by reconciling their myths of cosmic and ethnic origin with the Kolla myths. She also shows how a similar pattern occurred when the Inca were conquered in turn by the Spanish.
From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities That Can Bring Out the Best in Your Leadership
by Scott Sauls Joni Eareckson Tada Scotty SmithIn this honest book, pastor and author Scott Sauls exposes the real struggles that Christian leaders and pastors regularly face. Sauls shares his own stories and those of other leaders from Scripture and throughout history to remind us that we are human, we are sinners, and we need Jesus to help us thrive as people and leaders. For Christian leaders—both inside and outside of the church—weaknesses that are left unchecked can lead to a downfall that is both public and painful. They want to lead with character and live like Jesus, but ambition, isolation, criticism, envy, anticlimax, opposition, restlessness, and insecurity can get in the way. From Weakness to Strength provides leaders with tools to draw near to Jesus and stay encouraged and hopeful, even (and especially) when sin and struggle get in the way.
From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms
by Walter BrueggemannThe Psalms express the most elemental human emotions, representing situations in which people are most vulnerable, ecstatic, or driven to the extremities of life and faith. Many people may be familiar with a few Psalms, or sing them as part of worship. Here highly respected author Walter Brueggemann offers readers an additional use for the Psalms: as scripted prayers we perform to help us reveal ourselves to God.
From Widows to Warriors: Women's Stories From The Old Testament
by Lynn Japinga<p>For too long the women of the Bible have been depicted in one-dimensional terms. On one side are saints, such as Mary, while on the other are "bad girls," such as Eve and Jezebel. Just as often, the female characters of the Bible are simply ignored. However, the women of the Bible are complex, multidimensional individuals whose lives are inspiring, funny, and tragic in ways too many of us never hear.</p><p>In this first of two volumes, Lynn Japinga acquaints us with the women of the Old Testament. From flawed heroes like Ruth and Rahab to fierce fighters like Deborah and Jael to tragic characters like Jephthah's daughter and the unnamed concubine of the book of Judges, readers will encounter a wealth of foremothers in the faith in all their messy, yet redeemable, humanity. This Bible study introduces and retells every female character who contributes to one or more Old Testament stories, diving deeply into what each woman's story means for us today with questions for reflection and discussion.</p>