Best of
Religion

1958

Life of Christ


Fulton J. Sheen - 1958
    Filled with compassion and brilliant scholarship, Fulton Sheen's recounting of the Birth, Life, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Christ is as dramatic and moving as the subject Himself.

Waiting on God


Andrew Murray - 1958
    Rather than having to depend on our own strength, it is our Christian privilege to enter into God’s presence. As we do, He will supply answers to our problems and give direction for our lives. In Waiting on God, Andrew Murray shares thirty-one heartfelt meditations, one for each day of the month, to help renew our vision and quicken our desire to turn to the Lord for His quiet, peaceful strength. Discover how God’s loving presence can refresh the weary heart that learns to wait on Him.

Around the Year with Emmet Fox: A Book of Daily Readings


Emmet Fox - 1958
    Each devotion in Around the Year with Emmet Fox works to remind us that our thoughts shape our reality, and helps us access the strength to overcome sorrows, frustrations, and challenges in our daily lives. The keen insights captured here speak as freshly to the everyday needs of humanity as they did the day Fox first wrote them.

The New Testament in Modern English


J.B. Phillips - 1958
    Phillips’ rendering of Holy Scripture into contemporary English is accessible and powerful to a modern audience. Easy to read and remarkable in its passionate depictions of Jesus and the Apostles, this book is a classic work of Christian literature perfect for anyone looking to supplement their understanding of the Bible and enrich their spiritual life.

Nature, Man and Woman


Alan W. Watts - 1958
    And all of them in some way underlie our exploitation of the earth, our distrust of emotion, and our loneliness and reluctance to love.Few books have challenged those assumptions as directly as this erudite and engaging work by the author of The Way of Zen. Drawing on the precepts of Taoism, Alan Watts offers an alternative vision of man and the universe -- one in which the distinctions between self and other, spirit and matter give way to a more holistic way of seeing. Nature, Man and Woman is a book of great elegance and far-reaching implication -- one of those rare texts that can change the way we think, feel, and love.

Inspired Talks


Vivekananda - 1958
    This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Basic Christianity


John R.W. Stott - 1958
    Who is Jesus Christ? If he is not who he said he was and if he did not do what he said he had come to do the whole superstructure of Christianity crumbles in ruins to the ground Is it plausible that Jesus was truly divine? And what might this mean for us? John Stott presents his clear classic statement of the gospel

Souls on Fire


Elie Wiesel - 1958
    Rather, Elie Wiesel has captured the essence of Hasidism through tales, legends, parables, sayings, and deeply personal reflections. His book is a testimony, not a study. Hasidism is revealed from within and not analyzed from the outside. "Listen attentively," Elie Wiesel's grandfather told him, "and above all, remember that true tales are meant to be transmitted—to keep them to oneself is to betray them." Wiesel does not merely tell us, but draws, with the hand of a master, the portraits of the leaders of the movement that created a revolution in the Jewish world. Souls on Fire is a loving, personal affirmation of Judaism, written with words and with silence. The author brings his profound knowledge of the Bible, the Talmud, Kabbala, and the Hasidic tale and song to this masterpiece, showing us that Elie Wiesel is perhaps our generation's most fervid "soul on fire."

Early Christian Doctrines


J.N.D. Kelly - 1958
    Dr. Kelly organizes an ocean of material by outlining the development of each doctrine in its historical context. He lucidly summarizes the genesis of Chrisitian thought from the close of the apostolic age to the Council of Chalcedon in the fifth century--a time teeming with fresh and competing ideas. The doctrines of the Trinity, the authority of the Bible and tradition, the nature of Christ, salvation, original sin and grace, and the sacraments are all extensively treated in these pages.This revised edition of Early Christian Doctrines includes:Sweepingly updated early chaptersRevised and updated bibliographiesA completely new chapter on Mary and the saints

The Letter to the Romans


William Barclay - 1958
    Barclay's fresh translation and clear exposition make Paul's very complicated letter to the church in Rome easier than ever to understand. Both in mood and in method Romans is entirely different from Paul's other writings. Here he is settling down in a systematic fashion the essence of his faith--bequeathing in a "theological least will and testament" the ideas which have most shaped Christian belief: the questions of righteousness, of the Jews as the Chosen People, and of how man is to live his daily life. Thanks to Dr. Barclay's singular gifts, Paul's deep meanings shine brilliantly here, answering fully every reader seeking the heart of his gospel.

Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn 'Arabi


Henry Corbin - 1958
    Corbin, like Scholem and Jonas, is remembered as a scholar of genius. He was uniquely equipped not only to recover Iranian Sufism for the West, but also to defend the principal Western traditions of esoteric spirituality." —From the introduction by Harold Bloom Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240) was one of the great mystics of all time. Through the richness of his personal experience and the constructive power of his intellect, he made a unique contribution to Shi'ite Sufism. In this book, which features a powerful new preface by Harold Bloom, Henry Corbin brings us to the very core of this movement with a penetrating analysis of Ibn 'Arabi's life and doctrines.Corbin begins with a kind of spiritual topography of the twelfth century, emphasizing the differences between exoteric and esoteric forms of Islam. He also relates Islamic mysticism to mystical thought in the West. The remainder of the book is devoted to two complementary essays: on "Sympathy and Theosophy" and "Creative Imagination and Creative Prayer." A section of notes and appendices includes original translations of numerous Sufi treatises.Harold Bloom's preface links Suufi mysticism with Shakespeare's visionary dramas and high tragedies, such as The Tempest and Hamlet. These works, he writes, intermix the empirical world with a transcendent element. Bloom shows us that this Shakespearean cosmos is analogous to Corbin's "Imaginal Realm" of the Sufis, the place of soul or souls.

The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity


Hans Jonas - 1958
    It includes both heresiological & original texts--Nag Hammadi only uncovered later. It holds useful material on Simon Magus, the Hermetic Poimandres (shown here to be equally a gnostic document), the Valentinians, Mandaeans, Manichaeans & the "Hymn of the Pearl". The existentialist bent--Jonas a student of Martin Heidegger--makes an interesting contrast to Pagel's more orthodox view of gnostic religion as theistic. This volume & the Nag Hammadi library will provide good coverage of the diverse teachings of gnostic & related movements.Introduction: East & West in Hellenism The Meaning of Gnosis & the Extent of the Gnostic MovementGnostic Imagery & Symbolic Language Simon Magus The "Hymn of the Pearl" The Angels that Made the World. The Gospel of MarcionThe Poimandres of Hermes Trismegistus The Valentinian Speculation Creation, World History & Salvation According to ManiThe Cosmos in Greek & Gnostic Evaluation Virtue & the Soul in Greek & Gnostic Teaching The Recent Discoveries in the Field of Gnosticism Epilogue: Gnosticism, Nihilism & Existentialism

Rites and Symbols of Initiation


Mircea Eliade - 1958
    Organizing data from cultures the world over, Eliade lays out the basic patterns of initiation: group puberty rites, entrance into secret cults, shamanic instructions, individual visions, and heroic rites of passage.

Guide to Thomas Aquinas


Josef Pieper - 1958
    Thomas Aquinas. Pieper provides a biography of Aquinas, an overview of the 13th century he lived in, and a wonderful synthesis of his vast writings. Pieper shows how Aquinas reconciled the pragmatic thought of Aristotle with the Church, proving that realistic knowledge need not preclude belief in the spiritual realities of religion. According to Pieper, the marriage of faith and reason proposed by Aquinas in his great synthesis of a theologically founded worldliness was not merely one solution among many, but the great principle expressing the essence of the Christian West. Pieper reveals his extraordinary command of original sources and excellent secondary materials as he illuminates the thought of the great intellectual Doctor of the Church.

The Gospel of Matthew: Vol. 2, Chapters 11-28


William Barclay - 1958
    Barclay clarifies these and many other interesting and perplexing matters in this second volume of The Gospel of Matthew. As usual in the series, the "lessons" are arranged for daily reading. The text comes first in Dr. Barclay's own translation, followed in each case by his commentary.

Saint John of Damascus: Writings (The Fathers of the Church, 37)


John of Damascus - 1958
    John of Damascus (ca. 675-749) is generally regarded as the last great figure of Greek Patrology. Outstandingly important for his support of images in the Iconoclastic Controversy, this priest-monk of St. Sabbas near Jerusalem is known also for his treatment of Christian morality and asceticism (the Sacred Parallels), for a small but precious group of powerful sermons, and even for verse contributions to the Greek liturgy. His reputation rests mainly, however, on one of his latest writings, the Fount of Wisdom. This relatively brief work is called by the late Fr. Chase, its new translator, ""the first real Summa Theologica""; and its most significant section was in fact known, in Latin translation, to Peter Lombard and St. Thomas Aquinas. The first part of the Fount of Wisdom, ""Philosophical Chapters"" (""Dialectica""), goes back to Aristotle mainly and, through Maximus the Confessor, to Plato. Epiphanius is the chief source of Part Two, with its exposition of 103 heresies. The third and most important section of the work, ""On the Orthodox Faith,"" is a comprehensive presentation of the teaching of the Greek Fathers on the main doctrines of Christianity, especially the Trinity, Creation, and the Incarnation. But what emerges is not a compilation but rather a synthesis, marked by originality in the mode of treatment and by a remarkable clarity of expression. In all three of its parts the Damascene's Fount of Wisdom is ""an indispensable aid to the study of the Greek Christian tradition.""

Sacred Science: The King of Pharaonic Theocracy


R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz - 1958
    Schwaller de Lubicz (1887-1961), one of the most important Egyptologists of this century, links the sacred science of the Ancients to its rediscovery in our own time. Sacred Science represents the first major breakthrough in understanding ancient Egypt & identifies Egypt, not Greece, as the cradle of Western thought, theology & science.

Orthodox Theology: An Introduction


Vladimir Lossky - 1958
    Can we know God? What is the relation of creation to the Creator? How did man fall, and how is he saved? Lossky demonstrates the close relationship between the Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity and the Orthodox understanding of man.

The Interlinear NASB-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek & English


Alfred Marshall - 1958
    It sets the New American Standard Bible with its "literal correspondence" approach side by side with the New International Version and its "dynamic equivalency" approach, allowing you to easily compare the two translations. It directly relates Greek words in the Nestle's Greek text to their corresponding translations in the NASB and NIV texts. And it allows easier reading of the Greek New Testament. These advantages offer you a better understanding of the Bible. This proven study tool uses Alfred Marshall's interlinear English text -- the standard, widely used literal translation of the Nestle's Greek text, 21st edition. A generation of students, pastors, and scholars has relied on Marshall's renowned contribution to biblical study. The Interlinear NASB - NIV Parallel New Testament brings it to you in a parallel format that will bring new depth, perspective, and insight to your Bible studies.

The Religions of Man


Huston Smith - 1958
    It is not a history; it is not a critique. Instead it explains, simply and sympathetically, the basic tenets of each religion and the reasons why it attracts millions of devout followers. As the author writes in the first chapter, "This is a book about religion that exists...not as a dull habit but as an acute fever. It is about religion alive. And whenever religion comes to life it displays a startling quality; it takes over. All else, while not silenced, becomes subdued and thrown without contest into a supporting role."Thoroughly researched, "The Religions of Man" carries its scholarship lightly. It is a dependable, informative, fascinating presentation of both the differences and similarities in the major religious traditions. And it is essential for anyone who would understand peoples of other lands, other cultures, other religions.

The Letters of John and Jude


William Barclay - 1958
    Dr. Barclay describes the various forms in which Gnosticism appeared in 1 John, pointing out that some of its postions, such as the notion that the material world, including the human body, is evil, still infect the thinking of some Christians.

Mormon Doctrine


Bruce R. McConkie - 1958
    Since it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance of God and his laws, and since man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation, it follows that men are obligated at their peril to learn and apply the true doctrines of the gospel. This gospel compendium will enable men, more effectively, to "teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom"; to "be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient" for them "to understand." (D. & C. 88:77-78.)

Eight Upanishads, with the Commentary of Sankara, Vol. II


Adi Shankaracharya - 1958
    Volume Two covers the Aitareya, Mundaka, Mandukya, Karika and Prasna Upanishad. Each verse has the Devanagri Sanskrit, with English translation and commentary, with further commentary by Sankaraca. Also included is an Index to texts in Devanagri Sanskrit.

Saint Elizabeth's Three Crowns


Blanche Jennings Thompson - 1958
    Instead of living in poverty like St. Francis of Assisi, she lived most of her life in a castle surrounded by incredible wealth. She was born Princess Elizabeth of Hungary, the daughter of King Andrew. By the age of four she was already engaged to be married and was sent far away from her home to live with Louis, her husband-to-be, who was only 10 years old. From the beginning of her life in her new castle, Elizabeth was ridiculed by all of those people who were jealous of her. They noticed that she was always trying to be holy. As she would play games with other children, she would contrive little ways to sneak into the chapel and have a visit with Jesus. Although Elizabeth was a princess, she longed to live the kind of poverty she heard about through the Franciscans. She became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and she constantly gave her jewels and best clothes to the poor. Sometimes she gave everything away and had nothing nice to wear, but Jesus always provided for her at the last minute. When she emptied the castle store-houses of grain for the poor, Jesus would miraculously fill them up again. Her subjects were never able to grow accustomed to the queen who lived the life of a saint, but they always appreciated her generosity and saw in her such simplicity and holiness. Only four years after her death she was canonized a saint.

From Paradise Lost To Paradise Regained


Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society - 1958
    

The Will to Doubt


Bertrand Russell - 1958
    These deal primarily with the silliness of conventional wisdom.

Lunacy and Letters


G.K. Chesterton - 1958
    

A Book Of Angels: Stories Of Angels In The Bible


Marigold Hunt - 1958
    So that children will come to know and learn to revere angels, Marigold Hunt explains what angels are (and are not!) and gathers here in one volume most of the stories of angels in the Bible, including exciting tales of: The fallen angels, beginning with the devil himself, tempting Adam and Eve The angel who barred the gates of Eden so Adam and Eve could never enter again. The angels who announced that Sara, Abraham’s aged wife, would have a baby. The angels who tried to save Lot from destruction with the city of Sodom. The angel who stayed Abraham’s hand as he was about to sacrifice his son Isaac The angels in Jacob’s dream who climbed the stairway to Heaven The angels who saved Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago from the fiery furnace The angel Raphael, who shielded Tobias from death, and protected his wife Sara The angels at the Ascension who chided the apostles for staring at the sky The angel Gabriel, who foretold the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist The choirs of angels who sang above Bethlehem when Jesus was born The angel who carried food to Daniel when he was imprisoned in the lion’s den The angel who freed Peter from prison, and, of course: The countless angels who fill the marvelous pages of the Book of Revelation Children will be charmed by these exciting tales.

Crown of Glory: The Life of Pope Pius XII


Alden R. Hatch - 1958
    Yet, although he has led the Church through some of the most turbulent years in the history of mankind - including World War II, the postwar menace of Communism, the Korean War, the unrest in the Soviet satellites - very little is known by most people, whether Catholic or non-Catholic, about his life, his full career, and his many earlier achievements.There have been many books about Pius XII, but none seem to have told his story in terms the general reader might appreciate and enjoy. Here, for the first time, is a truly popular biography of the Pope. Written by Alden Hatch, an American Protestant famous for his biographies of the Eisenhowers, Clare Booth Luce, and other public figures, and Seamus Walshe, an Irish Catholic who has taught for many years at the Notre Dame International School in Rome and has close connections in Vatican circles, Crown of Glory is an intimate portrait of a great man.The result of two years of research in Rome itself among people who have known the Pope all his life, as well as in newspaper and magazine files and in libraries, this warmly sympathetic portrait brings new light to our knowledge of one of the most important figures of the century. From Eugenio's early days to enter the priesthood to Pius' vision during his recent illness, his story unfolds in detail which will interest readers of all faiths and contribute much to our understanding of this unique figure in modern history.

The Amplified New Testament


Anonymous - 1958
    

Zen and Japanese Buddhism


D.T. Suzuki - 1958
    The interest of the Japanese people in culture, with all its manifold efflorescence, have increased with the Zen- a form of Buddhism.

History of Magic and Experimental Science: Seventeenth Century, Volume 7


Lynn Thorndike - 1958
    

Sacred Art in East and West


Titus Burckhardt - 1958
    Defining the meaning and spiritual use of sacred art through its symbolic content and dependence on metaphysical principles, this work is wide in scope, covering Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, and Taoist art.