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The First American Evangelical: A Short Life of Cotton Mather (Library of Religious Biography (LRB))
by Rick KennedyCotton Mather (1663-1728) was America's most famous pastor and scholar at the beginning of the eighteenth century. People today generally associate him with the infamous Salem witch trials, but in this new biography Rick Kennedy tells a bigger story: Mather, he says, was the very first American evangelical.A fresh retelling of Cotton Mather's life, this biography corrects misconceptions and focuses on how he sought to promote, socially and intellectually, a biblical lifestyle. As older Puritan hopes in New England were giving way to a broader and shallower Protestantism, Mather led a populist, Bible-oriented movement that embraced the new century -- the beginning of a dynamic evangelical tradition that eventually became a major force in American culture.Incorporating the latest scholarly research but written for a popular audience, The First American Evangelical brings Cotton Mather and his world to life in a way that helps readers understand both the Puritanism in which he grew up and the evangelicalism he pioneered.Watch a 2015 interview with the author of this book here:
The First Apostle
by James BeckerHIC VANIDICI LATITANT. "Here lie the liars." A mysterious inscription found on a slab of stone points to the darkest of secrets hidden for centuries by the Vatican--a secret for which countless innocent lives will be sacrificed. Police detective Chris Bronson is devastated when he learns that his best friend's wife--the woman he secretly loves--has died in a fall at her home. But when Bronson heads to Italy to console his friend, he finds evidence of a break-in and a strange Latin inscription on a stone above the fireplace. All his police instincts tell him that the death was no accident. To decipher the stone, Bronson enlists the help of his ex-wife, an antiques specialist. Her expertise leads them on a hunt across Europe that brings them to a truth so dangerous it could destroy the very foundations of the Christian faith.
The First Biography of Jesus: Genre and Meaning in Mark's Gospel
by Helen K. BondWhat difference does it make to identify Mark's gospel as an ancient biography?Reading the gospels as ancient biographies makes a profound difference to the way that we interpret them. Biography immortalizes the memory of the subject, creating a literary monument to the person&’s life and teaching. Yet it is also a bid to legitimize a specific view of that figure and to position an author and his audience as appropriate &“gatekeepers&” of that memory. Biography was well suited to the articulation of shared values and commitments, the formation of group identity, and the binding together of a past story, present concerns, and future hopes. Helen Bond argues that Mark&’s author used the genre of biography to extend the gospel from an earlier narrow focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus so that it included the way of life of its founding figure. Situating Jesus at the heart of a biography was a bold step in outlining a radical form of Christian discipleship patterned on the life – and death – of Jesus.
The First Biography of Jesus: Genre and Meaning in Mark's Gospel
by Helen K. BondWhat difference does it make to identify Mark's gospel as an ancient biography?Reading the gospels as ancient biographies makes a profound difference to the way that we interpret them. Biography immortalizes the memory of the subject, creating a literary monument to the person&’s life and teaching. Yet it is also a bid to legitimize a specific view of that figure and to position an author and his audience as appropriate &“gatekeepers&” of that memory. Biography was well suited to the articulation of shared values and commitments, the formation of group identity, and the binding together of a past story, present concerns, and future hopes. Helen Bond argues that Mark&’s author used the genre of biography to extend the gospel from an earlier narrow focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus so that it included the way of life of its founding figure. Situating Jesus at the heart of a biography was a bold step in outlining a radical form of Christian discipleship patterned on the life – and death – of Jesus.
The First Book of Adam and Eve
by Rutherford PlattThis book is a written history of what happened in the days of Adam and Eve after they were cast out of the garden. Although considered to be pseudepigraphic by some, it carries significant meaning and insight into events of that time.
The First Book of Jewish Jokes: The Collection of L. M. Büschenthal
by Elliott Oring Anastasiya Astapova Tsafi Sebba-Elran Dan Ben-Amos Larisa Privalskaya Ilze Akerbergs Michaela LangWorks on Jewish humor and Jewish jokes abound today, but what formed the basis for our contemporary notions of Jewish jokes? How and when did these perceptions develop? In this groundbreaking study and translation, noted humor and folklore scholar Elliott Oring introduces us to the joke collections of Lippmann Moses Büschenthal, an enlightened rabbi, and an unknown author writing as "Judas Ascher." Originally published in German in 1812 and 1810, these books include jokes and anecdotes that play on stereotypes. The jokes depict Jews dealing with Gentiles who are bent on their conversion, Jews encountering government officials and institutions, newly propertied Jews attempting to demonstrate their acquisition of artistic and philosophical knowledge, and Jews engaged in trade and moneylending—often with the aim to defraud. In these jokes we see the antecedents of modern Jewish humor, and in Büschenthal’s brief introduction we find perhaps the earliest theory of the Jewish joke. Oring provides helpful annotations for the jokes and contextualizing essays that examine the current state of Jewish joke scholarship and the situation of the Jews in France and Germany leading up to the periods when the two collections were published. Intended to stimulate the search for even earlier examples, Oring challenges us to confront the Jewish joke from a genuine historical perspective.
The First Book of Smauel (The\new International Commentary On The Old Testament Ser.)
by David Toshio TsumuraDavid and Goliath, the call of Samuel, the witch of Endor, David and Bathsheba — such biblical stories are well known. But the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, where they are recorded, are among the most difficult books in the Bible. The Hebrew text is widely considered corrupt and sometimes even unintelligible. The social and religious customs are strange and seem to diverge from the tradition of Moses. In this first part of an ambitious two-volume commentary on the books of Samuel, David Toshio Tsumura sheds considerable light on the background of 1 Samuel, looking carefully at the Philistine and Canaanite cultures, as he untangles the difficult Hebrew text.
The First Christian
by Timothy KellerThe Gospels are full of encounters that made a profound impact on those who spoke with Jesus Christ. In the fifth part of his Encounters with Jesusseries, Timothy Keller, pastor of New York's Redeemer Presbyterian Church and New York Times-bestselling author of The Reason for God, shows how those encounters can still have a deep effect on us today. By examining an encounter between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, one of his most beloved disciples, Keller clarifies the Christian understanding of faith, and explains its role in answering the big questions of life. This and the other nine in the series make up the complete Encounters With Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life's Biggest Questions.
The First Christian Communities, 32 - 380 CE: Quiet Christians, Visible Martyrs, and Compelling Texts
by Joyce E. SalisburyThis concise history of how the Christian Church grew between 32 and 380 focuses on the anonymous Christians who formed diverse congregations as they guided their communities through the age of the Apostles, violent martyrdoms, and to the establishment of the Roman Church. Readers will understand why people converted to Christianity in the first three centuries and learn about the rich diversity of the early church as people interpreted the new religion in different ways. This book explores how Christian interactions with the Roman empire led to violent persecutions and martyrdoms, and eventually the fourth-century establishment of the top-down Roman Church. Readers also become familiar with Christian texts during this period – some became Scripture and some were rejected, but all were written to make sense of the Jewish and Christian experience in the Roman Empire. These written memories shaped the future of the church. It also explores how early Christian lives were shaped by the religious rituals and preaching of their new and changing faith. In addition, maps, illustrations, and charts of Christian texts help tell this fascinating story. The First Christian Communities, 32 - 380 CE is an accessible and valuable resource suitable for students working on Christian history, and Roman and Late Antique social, political and religious history, as well as general readers who are interested in the origins of Christianity.
The First Christian: The Encounters With Jesus Series:5
by Timothy KellerThe Gospels are full of encounters that made a profound impact on those who spoke with Jesus Christ. In the fifth part of his Encounters with Jesusseries, Timothy Keller, pastor of New York's Redeemer Presbyterian Church and New York Times-bestselling author of The Reason for God, shows how those encounters can still have a deep effect on us today. By examining an encounter between Jesus and Mary Magdalene, one of his most beloved disciples, Keller clarifies the Christian understanding of faith, and explains its role in answering the big questions of life.This and the other nine in the series make up the complete Encounters With Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life's Biggest Questions.
The First Christians: The Acts Of The Apostles For Children
by Marigold HuntGathered from many lands and times, here are delightful tales for children: some true, others improbable, and many simply fantastic. You'll meet the saint who spent seven Easters on a whale's back and the amiable lion who was St. Jerome's friend. You'll see St. George fight the dragon, and you'll read about the fierce wolf St. Francis of Assisi converted. But many of these stories have in them scarcely a wave of the fairy wand. So you'll also find here true tales of great saints such as St. Louis of France, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Elizabeth of Hungary -- souls marked by courage, kindness, and piety. These marvelous legends and exciting true stories of Christian saints and heroes will provide many hours of delightful reading to believers and non-believers alike!
The First Christmas
by Eliane Pinheiro Maura HurleyThis is the story of the birth of Jesus and the first Christmas ever.
The First Christmas
by John Dominic Crossan Marcus J. BorgIn The First Christmas, two of today's top Jesus scholars, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, join forces to show how history has biased our reading of the nativity story as it appears in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. As they did for Easter in their previous book, The Last Week, here they explore the beginning of the life of Christ, peeling away the sentimentalism that has built up over the last two thousand years around this most well known of all stories to reveal the truth of what the gospels actually say. Borg and Crossan help us to see this well-known narrative afresh by answering the question, "What do these stories mean?" in the context of both the first century and the twenty-first century. They successfully show that the Christmas story, read in its original context, is far richer and more challenging than people imagine.
The First Christmas (Early Reader Ser.)
by Georgie Adams Anna Cynthia LeplarEarly Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey. The story of the birth of Jesus and the first Christmas retold with delightful simplicity, and illustrated with charming soft watercolours. Both text and pictures are designed to make this the perfect introduction to the Christmas story for very young children.
The First Christmas (Early Reader)
by Georgie AdamsEarly Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.The story of the birth of Jesus and the first Christmas re-told with delightful simplicity, and illustrated with charming soft watercolours. Both text and pictures are designed to make this the perfect introduction to the Nativity story for very young children.
The First Christmas Ever
by Dennis JonesThrough easy-to-understand text and vibrant and engaging artwork from The Read with Me Bible creator Dennis Jones, readers 4-8 can experience the timeless story of Jesus&’ birth and God&’s amazing love through simple words and expressive pictures they clearly understand.A clear retelling of the Christmas story, from the journey to Bethlehem to the shepherds&’ joyful praise of the newborn Jesus, this paperback of The First Christmas Ever is sure to be popular with young readers each holiday season.This picture book is perfect for:family reading during Advent or on Christmas DayStocking stuffers and Christmas gifts for grandchildren, nieces and nephews, or any boy or girl on your listClassroom gifts and Sunday school giveaways, thanks to its low price point and high valueAnd if you enjoy The First Christmas Ever, check out The First Easter Ever by Dennis Jones as well!
The First Christmas and Other Bible Stories From the New Testament
by Enid BlytonA beautiful cloth-bound gift edition containing 16 of the best-known New Testament stories retold for children, by Enid Blyton, one of the world's best-loved storytellers. The perfect Christmas gift.'Enid Blyton's retelling of Christ's own stories and the meaning of His time on Earth is full of love - Christ's love for us, our love for each other - and Enid's caring and timeless love for children everywhere' - from the introduction by Pam Rhodes.Enid Blyton has been delighting readers for more than seventy years. Find more retold religious stories in Noah's Ark and Other Bible Stories and The Land of Far Beyond. Enid's best-loved characters include Noddy the wooden boy, Timmy the dog from The Famous Five and the mischievous twins Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan from the much-loved boarding school series St Clare's. The stories in this collection previously appeared in magazines and anthologies from the 40s and 60s. Illustrated in black and white, the collection contains the following stories, which are episodes in the life of Christ:The First Christmas, The Shepherds in the Night, The Three Wise Men, The Angel's Warning, The Little Boy Jesus, Twelve Years Old, The Twelve Disciples, The Nobleman's Son, The Loaves and the Fishes, The Good Samaritan, The Boy Who Left Home, The Last Supper, The Capture of Jesus, The Story of Easter, Jesus on the Cross, Jesus Rises Again
The First Christmas and Other Bible Stories From the New Testament: New Testament - gift edition
by Enid BlytonA beautiful cloth-bound gift edition containing 16 of the best-known New Testament stories retold for children, by Enid Blyton, one of the world's best-loved storytellers. The perfect Christmas gift.'Enid Blyton's retelling of Christ's own stories and the meaning of His time on Earth is full of love - Christ's love for us, our love for each other - and Enid's caring and timeless love for children everywhere' - from the introduction by Pam Rhodes.Enid Blyton has been delighting readers for more than seventy years. Find more retold religious stories in Noah's Ark and Other Bible Stories and The Land of Far Beyond. Enid's best-loved characters include Noddy the wooden boy, Timmy the dog from The Famous Five and the mischievous twins Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan from the much-loved boarding school series St Clare's. The stories in this collection previously appeared in magazines and anthologies from the 40s and 60s. Illustrated in black and white, the collection contains the following stories, which are episodes in the life of Christ:The First Christmas, The Shepherds in the Night, The Three Wise Men, The Angel's Warning, The Little Boy Jesus, Twelve Years Old, The Twelve Disciples, The Nobleman's Son, The Loaves and the Fishes, The Good Samaritan, The Boy Who Left Home, The Last Supper, The Capture of Jesus, The Story of Easter, Jesus on the Cross, Jesus Rises Again
The First Christmas: A Story of New Beginnings
by Stephen Mitchell“I love The First Christmas. What a charming way Stephen Mitchell has found to tell my favorite story of all, the Nativity, character by character (I love the donkey and the ox), with wise and thrilling interludes about God, reality, truth.” –Anne Lamott In The First Christmas, Stephen Mitchell brings the Nativity story to vivid life as never before. A narrative that is only sketched out in two Gospels becomes fully realized here with nuanced characters and a setting that reflects the culture of the time. Mitchell has suffused the birth of Jesus with a sense of beauty that will delight and astonish readers. In this version, we see the world through the eyes of a Whitmanesque ox and a visionary donkey, starry-eyed shepherds and Zen-like wise men, each of them providing a unique perspective on a scene that is, in Western culture, the central symbol for good tidings of great joy. Rather than superimposing later Christian concepts onto the Annunciation and Nativity scenes, he imagines Mary and Joseph experiencing the angelic message as a young Jewish woman and man living in the year 4 BCE might have experienced it, with terror, dismay, and ultimate acceptance. In this context, their yes becomes an act of great moral courage. Readers of every background will be enchanted by this startlingly beautiful reimagining of the Christmas tale.
The First Crown
by Georgiana Bulancea Alexander CopperwhiteThis story might be a sensitive issue for most religious people. In 66 AD Judas of Galilee led an uprising against the Romans and claimed the kingdom of Judea. It was then that he decided to send his trusted man in search of the relic with which he would be crowned king. The first crown. The young Daniel will face his values and discover a truth hidden between mysteries and legends. The true story of Christ. From the deepest Roman alleys, to the most hidden places of Judea, the adventure of discovering the origin and power of the longed-desired relic will change perspective and understand that we are all part of history ... one way or another.
The First Crusade: The Call from the East
by Peter Frankopan“The most significant contribution to rethinking the origins and course of the First Crusade for a generation.”—Mark Whittow, Times Literary Supplement“Filled with Byzantine intrigue, in every sense this book is important, compellingly revisionist and impressive. It refocuses the familiar western story through the eyes of the emperor of the east and fills in the missing piece of the puzzle of the Crusades.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem: The Biography“Highly readable…its presentation of political machinations, compromises, and betrayals seems utterly convincing.”—Michael Dirda, Washington Post“A dazzling book, perfectly combining deep scholarship and easy readability. The most important addition to Crusading literature since Steven Runciman.”—John Julius Norwich, author of Byzantium“Fluent and dramatic…Frankopan rightly places the Emperor Alexios at the heart of the First Crusade, skillfully adding a dimension frequently missing from our understanding of this seminal event.”—Jonathan Phillips, author of Holy WarriorsIn 1096, an expedition of extraordinary scale and ambition set off from western Europe on a mass pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Three years later, after a journey that saw acute hardship, the most severe dangers, and thousands of casualties, the knights of the First Crusade found themselves storming the fortifications and capturing the Holy City. Against all odds, the expedition had returned Jerusalem to Christian hands.In this groundbreaking book, Peter Frankopan paints a vivid picture of this infamous confrontation between Christianity and Islam. Basing his account on long-ignored eastern sources, he gives a provocative and highly original explanation of the world-changing events that followed. The Vatican’s victory cemented papal power, while Constantinople, the heart of the still-vital Byzantine Empire, never recovered. Frankopan’s revolutionary work shows how the taking of Jerusalem set the stage for western Europe’s dominance and shaped the modern world.
The First Crusade: The Chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres and Other Source Materials (2nd Edition)
by Edward PetersThe First Crusade received its name and shape late. To its contemporaries, the event was a journey and the men who took part in it pilgrims. Only later were those participants dubbed Crusaders--"those signed with the Cross." In fact, many developments with regard to the First Crusade, like the bestowing of the cross and the elaboration of Crusaders' privileges, did not occur until the late twelfth century, almost one hundred years after the event itself. In a greatly expanded second edition, Edward Peters brings together the primary texts that document eleventh-century reform ecclesiology, the appearance of new social groups and their attitudes, the institutional and literary evidence dealing with Holy War and pilgrimage, and, most important, the firsthand experiences by men who participated in the events of 1095-1099. Peters supplements his previous work by including a considerable number of texts not available at the time of the original publication. The new material, which constitutes nearly one-third of the book, consists chiefly of materials from non-Christian sources, especially translations of documents written in Hebrew and Arabic. In addition, Peters has extensively revised and expanded the Introduction to address the most important issues of recent scholarship.
The First Desire
by Nancy Reisman1929. Buffalo, New York. A beautiful July day, the kind one waits for through the long, cold winters. Sadie Feldstein, née Cohen, looks out her window at the unexpected sight of her brother, Irving. His news is even more unexpected, and unsettling: their elder sister, Goldie, has vanished without a trace. With Goldie’s disappearance as the catalyst, The First Desire takes us deep into the life of the Cohen family and an American city, from the Great Depression to the years immediately following World War II. The story of the Cohens is seamlessly told from the various perspectives of siblings Sadie, Jo, Goldie, and Irving—each of whose worlds is upended over the course of the novel, the smooth veneer of their lives giving way to the vulnerabilities and secrets they’ve managed to keep hidden—and through the eyes of Lillian, the beautiful woman their father, Abe, took as a lover as his wife was dying. But while Abe’s affair with Lillian stuns his children, they are even more shocked by his cold anger in the wake of Goldie’s disappearance. The First Desire is a book of great emotional power that brings to life the weave of love, grief, tradition, and desire that binds a family together, even through the tumultuous times that threaten to tear it apart.
The First Detect-Eve
by Robert T. Jeschonek Ben BaldwinEve, the first woman in the world, wants one thing. To find who killed her son, Abel, and make them pay. Down on her luck since she got thrown out of Eden, Eve combs the darkest corners of a godless no man's land on the trail of a killer. Could her own flesh and blood hold the key? Or has her own worst enemy slithered back into her life to finish what he started in the Garden? When Eve becomes the first detective in history, she might end up dead before she can solve the first murder mystery of all time. And snakeskin might be the last thing that flashes before her eyes. Don't miss this exciting tale by award-winning storyteller Robert T. Jeschonek, a master of unique and unexpected fantasy and mystery tales that really pack a punch.