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The Last Ta'ifa: The Banu Hud and the Struggle for Political Legitimacy in al-Andalus (Medieval Societies, Religions, and Cultures)
by Anthony H. MinnemaIn The Last Ta'ifa, Anthony H. Minnema shows how the Banu Hud, an Arab dynasty from Zaragoza, created and recreated their vision of an autonomous city-state (ta'ifa) in ways that reveal changes to legitimating strategies in al-Andalus and across the Mediterranean. In 1110, the Banu Hud lost control of their emirate in the north of Iberia and entered exile, ending their century-long rule. But far from accepting their fate, the dynasty adapted by serving Christian kings, nurturing rebellions, and carving out a new state in Murcia to recover, maintain, and grow their power. By tracing the Banu Hud across chronicles, charters, and coinage, Minnema shows how dynastic leaders borrowed their rivals' claims and symbols and engaged in similar types of military campaigns and complex alliances in an effort to cultivate authority. Drawing on Arabic, Latin, and vernacular sources, The Last Ta'ifa uses the history of the Banu Hud to connect the pursuit of legitimacy in al-Andalus to the politics of other emerging kingdoms and emirates. The actions of Hudid leaders, Minnema shows, echoed across the region as other kings, rebels, and adventurers employed parallel methods to gain power and resist the forces of centralization, highlighting the constructed nature of legitimacy in al-Andalus and the Mediterranean.
Last Temptation
by Michelle StimpsonLast Temptation by Michelle Stimpson was an excellent read. It is a story of temptation, love, lust, anger, and betrayal. Ms. Stimpson writes a fictional novel that is inspirational and full of hope. --Urban ReviewsSensible single mother Patricia "Peaches" Miller isn't about to follow in her mama's footsteps and become dependent on a man. But when she doesn't see eye to eye with the man she wants to marry, she knows that returning to a life of girls' nights out, retail therapy, and chocolate peanut clusters just won't do for her. Then Raphael, her son's father, steps back into the picture--and clearly his attraction to Peaches is stronger than ever. There's just one problem. Raphael has already pledged his heart to another woman. Peaches has been praying for a perfect family for a long time. Deep down she knows this can't be God's idea of an answer--but can you blame a girl for hoping? Now, as she battles with temptation, and with her faith, she's not sure which will win. . ."Michelle Stimpson will have you laughing, crying and relating to each of her vivid, vocal characters." --AAMBC Book Reviews"Michelle's characters always have their own vibrant personalities--this one will keep talking in your head long after the book is through!" --Kendra Norman-Bellamy
The Last Temptation of Christ
by Nikos KazantzakisThis provocative literary rendering of the life of Jesus Christ has courted controversy since its publication by depicting a Christ far more human than the one seen in the Bible—a holy figure who was nonetheless only a man like any other, subject to fear, doubt, and pain. In elegant, thoughtful prose Nikos Kazantzakis follows this Christ as he struggles to live out God’s will for him, powerfully suggesting that it was Christ’s ultimate triumph over his flawed humanity, when he gave up the temptation to run from the cross and willingly laid down his life for mankind, that truly made him the venerable redeemer of men. The basis for Martin Scorcese’s 1988 film of the same name, The Last Temptation of Christ stands alongside other frequently banned classics like The Satanic Verses as a brave and incisive reckoning between a religion’s founding tenets and their more difficult implications
The Last Testament: A Memoir by God
by David JaverbaumOver the course of his long and distinguished career, god has literally seen it all. And not just seen. In fact, the multi-talented deity has played a pivotal role in many major events, including the Creation of the universe, the entirety of world history, the life of every human being who has ever lived, and the successful transitioning of American Idol into the post-Simon Cowell era. Now, as the earth he has godded so magnificently draws to a Mayan-induced close, God breaks his 1,400-year literary silence with his final masterpiece, The Last Testament. As dictated to his mortal amanuensis, 11-time Emmy Award-winning comedy writer David Javerbaum, God looks back with unprecedented candor on his time in the public sector. He takes us behind the scenes of Genesis, setting the record (un)straight on the real first couple, Adam and Steve, and challenging long-held notions about the viability of containing a phylogenetically complete double bestiary within a 450,000-cubic-cubit watercraft. For the first time, he breaks his silence on Jesus Christ, shedding light on a father-son relationship as heartwarming as Will and Jaden Smith's. And he reveals his true feelings about his third great faith, Islam, WHICH ARE NOTHING BUT POSITIVE AND RESPECTFUL. But The Last Testament doesn't just look back. It also offers God's perspectives on the perennial quagmires of love, marriage, and smiting. And he takes an 27.99 unfiltered look at contemporary society, addressing such hot-button topics as: * Why he loves America * What he listens for in a good prayer * Which sports teams he really roots for * Which celebrities are totally gay Sometimes preachy, sometimes holier-than-thou, but always lively, The Last Testament is a tale of courage, adversity, and triumph. It's the ultimate celebrity autobiography, sure to appeal to not only hardcore God fans and "worshipers," but to anyone who's ever had total omnipotence. If you place complete faith in the literal truth of one book written by God, make it The Last Testament.
The Last Things (Contours of Christian Theology)
by David HöhneThere is no shortage of books on eschatology—the study of the last things and the end-times. Many arise out of incoherent or superficial readings of the Bible that detract from the "once and for all" achievements of God through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Others fail to consider the manner in which God reveals himself through the Lord Jesus and by the power of his Spirit. Too many fail to distinguish sufficiently between the genuine hope provided by the gospel and the superficial aspirations of culture. In this final Contours of Christian Theology volume, David Höhne offers a trinitarian theological description of eschatology that is at once systematic, generated from the theological interpretation of Scripture, and yet sensitive to essential elements for Christian practice. His reading of the Bible is shaped by the gospel, informed by the history of Christian thought, and dedicated to serving the church in a world that is frustrated by sin, death, and evil, yet longing for the return of our Lord and Messiah. Contours of Christian Theology, edited by Gerald Bray, is a series of concise introductory textbooks focused on the main themes of Christian theology. The authors introduce the perennial questions and their time-tested solutions while moving forward to explore contemporary issues and rework evangelical formulations of the faith.
Last Things (Father Dowling Mysteries)
by Ralph McInernyFather Dowling is used to unsolicited knocks on the rectory door, having done more than his share of counseling and assisting in delicate situations during his long career. So when Eleanor Wygant comes to visit Father Dowling he receives her graciously, though she is a stranger. As it turns out, members of her family are longtime parishioners of St. Hillary's, and it soon becomes clear that with family trouble brewing, Eleanor doesn't know where else to turn. When she enlists Father Dowling's help in persuading her niece Jessica to scrap the tell-all family novel she is writing and concentrate on more earthly pursuits, the venerable priest has little idea how enmeshed he is about to become in the family's edgy interrelations. For in recent years, the family has had its share of melodrama, including a philandering patriarch, a son who left the priesthood to take up with an ex-nun, and an underachieving academic, and it's up to Dowling to piece together their shared history in the hopes of putting their demons-and a vicious, previously unknown murder-to rest. In the hands of Ralph McInerny, one of mystery fiction's most beloved authors, Last Things is as delightful as his legions of fans have come to expect from the charming Father Dowling series.
The Last Train to London: A Novel
by Meg Waite ClaytonThe New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Exiles conjures her best novel yet, a pre-World War II-era story with the emotional resonance of Orphan Train and All the Light We Cannot See, centering on the Kindertransports that carried thousands of children out of Nazi-occupied Europe—and one brave woman who helped them escape to safety.In 1936, the Nazi are little more than loud, brutish bores to fifteen-year old Stephan Neuman, the son of a wealthy and influential Jewish family and budding playwright whose playground extends from Vienna’s streets to its intricate underground tunnels. Stephan’s best friend and companion is the brilliant Žofie-Helene, a Christian girl whose mother edits a progressive, anti-Nazi newspaper. But the two adolescents’ carefree innocence is shattered when the Nazis’ take control. There is hope in the darkness, though. Truus Wijsmuller, a member of the Dutch resistance, risks her life smuggling Jewish children out of Nazi Germany to the nations that will take them. It is a mission that becomes even more dangerous after the Anschluss—Hitler’s annexation of Austria—as, across Europe, countries close their borders to the growing number of refugees desperate to escape. Tante Truus, as she is known, is determined to save as many children as she can. After Britain passes a measure to take in at-risk child refugees from the German Reich, she dares to approach Adolf Eichmann, the man who would later help devise the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” in a race against time to bring children like Stephan, his young brother Walter, and Žofie-Helene on a perilous journey to an uncertain future abroad.
The Last Train to London: A Novel
by Meg Waite ClaytonThe New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Exiles conjures her best novel yet, a pre-World War II-era story with the emotional resonance of Orphan Train and All the Light We Cannot See, centering on the Kindertransports that carried thousands of children out of Nazi-occupied Europe—and one brave woman who helped them escape to safety.In 1936, the Nazi are little more than loud, brutish bores to fifteen-year old Stephan Neuman, the son of a wealthy and influential Jewish family and budding playwright whose playground extends from Vienna’s streets to its intricate underground tunnels. Stephan’s best friend and companion is the brilliant Žofie-Helene, a Christian girl whose mother edits a progressive, anti-Nazi newspaper. But the two adolescents’ carefree innocence is shattered when the Nazis’ take control. There is hope in the darkness, though. Truus Wijsmuller, a member of the Dutch resistance, risks her life smuggling Jewish children out of Nazi Germany to the nations that will take them. It is a mission that becomes even more dangerous after the Anschluss—Hitler’s annexation of Austria—as, across Europe, countries close their borders to the growing number of refugees desperate to escape. Tante Truus, as she is known, is determined to save as many children as she can. After Britain passes a measure to take in at-risk child refugees from the German Reich, she dares to approach Adolf Eichmann, the man who would later help devise the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” in a race against time to bring children like Stephan, his young brother Walter, and Žofie-Helene on a perilous journey to an uncertain future abroad.
Last Twilight in Paris
by Pam JenoffA Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff. <P><P>London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before, when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war. <P><P>Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France. Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. <P><P>Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours. <p> <b>New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Last Valentine
by James Michael Pratt[from inside flaps] "The Last Valentine is a love story with the power to transcend time. Beginning with a wife's farewell to her husband in World War II and continuing to the present day, James Michael Pratt weaves a tale of love and faith and devotion that you will never forget. Television reporter Susan Allison is looking for the perfect story about true love, but her heart of hearts tells her such a thing doesn't really exist. Writer Neil Thomas, Jr., wants only to share the powerful message of the "last Valentine," his parents' tragic yet triumphant fifty-year love story. On February 14, 1944, Caroline Thomas said good-bye to her beloved husband, a Navy pilot sent to the Pacific. For fifty years, she waited for him to return--until a miracle happens and she receives his last Valentine. In the present day, when Susan and Neil meet, neither of them expects the emotional outcome: that the story of Neil's parents will bring them together in a love as powerful as she dreams of and he remembers."
The Last Voyage of the Emir
by David RileyTemeros is a young man alone in the world and seeking his purpose in life. His father, Demetrius the silversmith of Ephesus, hated Paul and his rage led to tragedy leaving Temeros homeless, orphaned and scarred. Eventually, Temeros finds himself in the port of Myra where he joins the crew of an Egyptian grain ship, called The Emir, bound for Rome. During this voyage, he meets Paul and realizes he is not the monster his father believed him to be. He comes to faith in Christ and becomes Luke&’s apprentice in treating the medical needs of the passengers and crew.It is not all smooth sailing, however. Someone sneaks aboard intent on revenge against Paul, but within a few hours the ship is caught in a terrible storm that threatens the lives of everyone on board. Eventually, The Emir runs aground on the island of Malta. When Temeros discovers the identity of the attacker, he and his newfound friends must rush to save Paul.Come along on The Last Voyage of The Emir as we explore what happens in the storm and the ensuing shipwreck.
Last War, The
by Jim Fletcher David Allen LewisExclusive interview with Ariel Sharon! A probing look at the war on terrorism. Conflict in the Middle East has simmered and boiled for decades. Now, war and terrorism are global in scope. The Last War contains supremely relevant information for all concerned: Why do Islamic radicals hate the West? What is the radical Moslem's world view? Who are Osama bin Laden's allies? Who are the "Little Satan" and the "Great Satan"? Are we being told the whole truth about our enemies? Tragically, a decade of intense diplomacy and negotiation has given way to widespread violence: some analysts, aware of the real potential for catastrophic war in the region, openly wonder if this will all lead to a "last war" of sorts. After seven years of "confidence-building" measures that are the framework of the Oslo Accords - an ambitious attempt to bring Israelis and Palestinians to a final peace agreement - the whole affair is unraveling. Violence in the West Bank has accelerated dramatically since Yitzak Rabin and Yasser Afarat signed the Declaration of Principles on the White House lawn in 1993. In this indepth study of the peace process, the reader will learn little-reported facts about the peace process and the people involved, and will be able to see clearly that the latest confrontations are a prelude to a devastating conclusion.
The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach about Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem
by Marcus J. Borg John Dominic CrossanTwo Christian scholars examine the gospel stories, particularly Mark, closely to see what they reveal about Jesus's ministry, giving a fresh perspective to the Christian Holy Week.
The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem
by John Dominic Crossan Marcus J. BorgTop Jesus scholars Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan join together to reveal a radical and little-known Jesus. As both authors reacted to and responded to questions about Mel Gibson's blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, they discovered that many Christians are unclear on the details of events during the week leading up to Jesus's crucifixion. Using the gospel of Mark as their guide, Borg and Crossan present a day-by-day account of Jesus's final week of life. They begin their story on Palm Sunday with two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The first entry, that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate leading Roman soldiers into the city, symbolized military strength. The second heralded a new kind of moral hero who was praised by the people as he rode in on a humble donkey. The Jesus introduced by Borg and Crossan is this new moral hero, a more dangerous Jesus than the one enshrined in the church's traditional teachings. The Last Week depicts Jesus giving up his life to protest power without justice and to condemn the rich who lack concern for the poor. In this vein, at the end of the week Jesus marches up Calvary, offering himself as a model for others to do the same when they are confronted by similar issues. Informed, challenged, and inspired, we not only meet the historical Jesus, but meet a new Jesus who engages us and invites us to follow him.
The Last Witness: A Thriller
by Glenn MeadeAfter a massacre at a Bosnian prison camp, a young girl is found alone, clutching a diary, so traumatized she can&’t even speak. Twenty years later, the last witness to the prison guards&’ brutal crimes must hunt down those responsible to learn what happened to her family in this fast-paced, heart-pounding thriller from the bestselling author of The Second Messiah. Twenty years ago, after the fall of Yugoslavia, the world watched in horror as tens of thousands were killed or imprisoned in work camps during an &“ethnic cleansing&” in Bosnia. Carla Lane has little knowledge of what went on halfway around the world when she was a child. She is living a near perfect life in New York City, married and soon to have a family of her own. But when her husband is murdered by a group of Serbian war criminals, strange memories start coming back, and she discovers that she underwent extensive therapy as a girl to suppress her memories. She is given her mother&’s diary, which reveals that she was, along with her parents and young brother, imprisoned in a war camp outside Sarajevo. As her memories come back, it becomes clear that she is the last witness to a brutal massacre in the prison and that her brother may still be alive. She sets out to find her brother, but first she must hunt down the war criminals responsible for destroying her life. But these killers will stop at nothing to protect their anonymity and their deadly pasts...and are determined to silence the last witness to their crimes. From the &“estimable storyteller&” (Kirkus Reviews) who gave us The Second Messiah, Glenn Meade serves up another captivating and nail-biting thriller that will keep you holding your breath right to the end.
The Last Word
by Kathy HermanWhen Vanessa Jessup returns home from her sophomore year of college, her mother, Police Chief Brill Jessup, is stunned to see that she's pregnant--by one of her professors. Brill is glad Vanessa rejected the father's abortion ultimatum, but hurt that she ignored her upbringing and angry that the professor has disappeared without a trace.But that's not all Brill's got on her plate. One of her detectives has been killed, and the attacker has threatened to come for her next. When a second cop is wounded, public criticism mounts as Brill attempts to stay alive long enough to catch the perp. And she's trying to find that deadbeat dad as Vanessa struggles to make decisions about her future. The killer seems to be everywhere and nowhere. How can a police chief--and a mother--do her job with her life on the line?
The Last Word (Sophie Trace Trilogy, Book #2)
by Kathy Herman"Police Chief Brill Jessup is back! Discover high-tension suspense that will tug at your heart." Lorena McCourtney, author of The Ivy Malone Mysteries. A family crisis ... a murderer on the loose ... And heart-pounding suspense. When Vanessa Jessup returns home from her sophomore year of college, her mother, police chief Brill Jessup, is stunned to see that she's pregnant-- by one of her professors. While Brill is glad her daughter rejected the father's abortion ultimatum, she's also hurt that Vanessa ignored her upbringing and that the professor has disappeared without as so much as a nickel of child support. But that's not all Brill's got on her plate. One of her detectives has been killed, and the attacker has threatened to come for her next. When a second cop is wounded, public criticism mounts as Brill attempts to stay alive long enough to catch the perp. And she's trying to find that deadbeat dad, while Vanessa struggles to make decisions about her future. The killer seems to be everywhere and nowhere. How can a police chief-- and a mother-- do her job with her life on the line? In a show of grace under pressure, Brill will manage to have the last word, even if it kills her.
The Last Word
by Kathy HermanWhen Vanessa Jessup returns home from her sophomore year of college, her mother, Police Chief Brill Jessup, is stunned to see that she's pregnant--by one of her professors. Brill is glad Vanessa rejected the father's abortion ultimatum, but hurt that she ignored her upbringing and angry that the professor has disappeared without a trace.But that's not all Brill's got on her plate. One of her detectives has been killed, and the attacker has threatened to come for her next. When a second cop is wounded, public criticism mounts as Brill attempts to stay alive long enough to catch the perp. And she's trying to find that deadbeat dad as Vanessa struggles to make decisions about her future. The killer seems to be everywhere and nowhere. How can a police chief--and a mother--do her job with her life on the line?
The Last Word
by N. T. WrightWhile showing how both evangelicals and liberals misread Scripture, a leading Bible scholar and Anglican bishop shows how to restore the Bible's authority today for guiding the church through its many controversies.
The Last Word and the Word after That
by Brian D. MclarenFor all those seeking more authentic ways to hold and practice Christian faith, Brian McLaren has been an inspiring, compassionate--and provocative--voice. Starting with the award-winning A New Kind of Christian, McLaren offered a lively, wide-ranging fictional conversation between Pastor Dan Poole and his friend Neil Oliver as they reflected about faith, doubt, reason, mission, leadership, and spiritual practice in the emerging postmodern world. That conversation widened to include several intriguing new characters in the sequel, The Story We Find Ourselves In, as Dan and friends continued to explore faith-stretching themes from evolution to evangelism, from death to the meaning of life. Now, in this third installment of their adventures, Dan and his widening circle of friends grapple with conventional Christian teachings about hell and judgment and what they mean for our relationship with God and each other. Is there an alternative to the usual polar views of a just God short on mercy or a merciful God short on justice? Could our conflicted views of hell be symptoms of a deeper set of problems - misunderstandings about what God's justice and mercy are about, misconceptions about God's purpose in creating the world, deep misgivings about what kind of character God is and what the Christian gospel is for?
Last Words of Jesus: First Steps to a Richer Life
by Stu Epperson Jr.Readers will experience a fresh encounter with Jesus Christ thorough examination of what Jesus said, why He said it, and how His powerful words continue to change lives forever.
Last Works
by Bruce Rosenstock Moses MendelssohnMoses Mendelssohn (1729-1786) was the central figure in the emancipation of European Jewry. His intellect, judgment, and tact won the admiration and friendship of contemporaries as illustrious as Johann Gottfried Herder, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and Immanuel Kant. His enormously influential Jerusalem (1783) made the case for religious tolerance, a cause he worked for all his life. Last Works includes, for the first time complete and in a single volume, the English translation of Morning Hours: Lectures on the Existence of God (1785) and To the Friends of Lessing (1786). Bruce Rosenstock has also provided an historical introduction and an extensive philosophical commentary to both texts. At the center of Mendelssohn's last works is his friendship with Lessing. Mendelssohn hoped to show that he, a Torah-observant Jew, and Lessing, Germany's leading dramatist, had forged a life-long friendship that held out the promise of a tolerant and enlightened culture in which religious strife would be a thing of the past. Lessing's death in 1781 was a severe blow to Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn wrote his last two works to commemorate Lessing and to carry on the work to which they had dedicated much of their lives. Morning Hours treats a range of major philosophical topics: the nature of truth, the foundations of human knowledge, the basis of our moral and aesthetic powers of judgment, the reality of the external world, and the grounds for a rational faith in a providential deity. It is also a key text for Mendelssohn's readings of Spinoza. In To the Friends of Lessing, Mendelssohn attempts to unmask the individual whom he believes to be the real enemy of the enlightened state: the Schwärmer, the religious fanatic who rejects reason in favor of belief in suprarational revelation.
Last Works: Lessons in Leaving
by Mark C. TaylorA powerful consideration of the lessons imparted in the final works of essential writers and philosophers For many today, retirement and the leisure said to accompany it have become vestiges of a slower, long-lost time. In a world where the sense of identity is tied to work and careers, to stop working often is to become nobody. In this deeply perceptive and personal exploration of last works, Mark C. Taylor poignantly explores the final reflections of writers and thinkers from Kierkegaard to David Foster Wallace. How did they either face or avoid ending and leaving? What do their lessons in ending teach us about living in the time that remains for us? Some leavings brought relief, even joy, while others brought pain and suffering. Whether the cause was infirmity, impending death, or simply exhaustion and ennui, the ways these influential voices fell silent offer poignant examples of people withdrawing from the world’s stage. Throughout this learned and moving book, Taylor probes how the art of living involves learning to leave gracefully.
Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love
by Rebecca St. James Cubbie FinkMarried couple and award-winning musical artists Rebecca St. James and Cubbie Fink share powerful stories of faith from their family's journey to encourage you and draw you closer to God. With authentic storytelling and hard-won wisdom, Rebecca St. James and Cubbie Fink illuminate the heartaches and triumphs that have shaped their story as a married couple, as parents, as musicians, and—most of all—as Jesus followers. Journey with Cubbie and Rebecca and discover hope for your own story as they wrestle through questions like: How does God redeem life&’s big losses, like miscarriage, betrayal, and other traumatic experiences? How do we find true and healthy identity outside of what we do and what people think of us? How can we best honor our marriage and love our family well through seasons of great hardship? On the mountaintops and in the valleys, how do we discover an unwavering commitment to God that is lasting ever? Through honest conversations about singlehood, marriage, the purity movement, and living in the spotlight, Lasting Ever offers hope to all of us who face challenges but long to embrace life with a heart attuned to God&’s grace.