Religions of the Silk Road looks behind the romantic notions of the colonial era and tells the story of how cultural traditions, especially in the form of religious ideas, accompanied merchants and their goods along the overland Asian trade routes in pre-modern times. As early as three thousand years ago Hebraic and Iranian religious ideas and practices traveled eastwards in this way, to be followed centuries later by the great missionary traditions of Buddhism, Christianity, Manichaeism, and Islam. But the Silk Road was more than just a conduit along which these religions hitched rides East; it was a formative and transformative rite of passage, and no religion emerged unchanged at the end of the journey.

    The original work was begun, carried on, and, in its first form, completed during Renan's stay in Palestine, in the midst of the scenes in which the tragic story it relates had taken place. Partial Contents: Place of Jesus in the history of the world; Childhood; Education; First sayings; John the Baptist; Jesus at Capernaum; Disciples; Preaching; First attempts on Jerusalem; Miracles; Institutions of Jesus; Opposition to Jesus; Last Journey; Last Week of Jesus; Arrest, Trial and Death; Essential nature of the work of Jesus.

    Jordan details life as an Air Force Mortuary Non Commissioned Officer. In his stunning debut Jordan forces the reader to walk beside him on his journey in this gruesome world. Jordan holds nothing back, and shares in graphic detail how he honored Americas heroes, both at deployed locations and stateside. This book will pry your eyes wide open as you gasp from the sheer horror he faced daily, from dealing with the families of the fallen, to witnessing the embalming and preparations of the deceased. Jordan also shares how this job taxed his mental well being, as he suffered in silence, longing not to care. Jordan is still serving on Active Duty and suffers from the crippling effects of PTSD, his story will enlighten you, it will touch you, and yes, you will cry.

    Drawing upon evidence from the gnostic exegesis of Paul, including several Nag Hammadi texts, the author examines how gnostic exegetes cite and interpret key passages in the letters they consider Pauline-1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Hebrews. Besides offering new insight into controversies over Paul in the second century, this analysis of gnostic exegesis suggests a new perspective for Pauline study, challenging students and scholars to recognize the presuppositions-hermenuetical and theological-involved in their own reading of Paul's letters. Elaine H. Pagels is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. She is the author of The Gnostic Gospels, which won the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Johannie Gospel in Gnostic Exegesis, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, and the best-selling Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas.

    The Desert Fathers is the perfect introduction to the stories and sayings of these heroic pioneers of the contemplative tradition. Selected and translated by Helen Waddell, The Desert Fathers opens a window onto early Christianity while presenting us with touchingly human models of faith, humility, and compassion. With a new Preface by the Cistercian monk, writer, and revered teacher of contemplative prayer M. Basil Pennington, author of O Holy Mountain and Challenges in Prayer."God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land.  The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."--Archbishop Desmond Tutu

    Who their authors, the evangelists, were cannot now be determined; the Gospels themselves probably reached their final form between thirty-five and sixty-five years after Jesus' death. The essential "riddle of the New Testament" is the problem of deciding which portions of the Gospels refer authentically to the career and teaching of Jesus, and which, on the other hand, are subsequent additions or inventions by the evangelists.... Here Michael Grant looks at these Gospels with an historian's eye, treating them in exactly the same way as he would any other works of ancient literature capable of yielding historical information. The picture of Jesus which emerges is in some respects a new and unfamiliar one. There was no "gentle Jesus, meek and mild," says Dr. Grant--nor was Jesus a political revolutionary, as is often claimed. Jesus, although readily touched to compassion and anger by the sufferings he witnessed, ruthlessly subordinated his every act and thought to the success of his great mission. His admonishments to turn the other cheek, love thy neighbor, welcome sinners, and render unto Caesar did not so much indicate a love of peace or a sentimental affection for humanity, or a respect for the imperial government, as a desire to deal quickly with what he considered to be matters that were subordinate and secondary to the main issue, thus enabling his disciples to concentrate wholly on the dawning and imminent realization of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' mission to the Jews in Galilee, followed by his very brief ministry in Jerusalem, was a complete failure, as he evidently knew and admitted. But Michael Grant ends his book with an explanation of the strange course of events by which this failure was converted, after Jesus' death, into triumph.---------------------Michael Grant, author of St Paul & numerous earlier works on the ancient Mediterranean world, set out to write a secular historian's account of Jesus using "methods that make belief & unbelief irrelevant." Any such study is something of an imaginative reconstruction. This one comes across as very middle-of-the-road, skeptical of the sources & of the skeptics, touching base unobtrusively with recent literature & building a picture of background & event in the life of a man whose models were Hebrew prophets, rather wild Galilean holy men, & (to an extent) the Qumran community memorialized by the Dead Sea scrolls. His conviction that he was especially required to inaugurate a new era of obedience to God among fellow Jews ("the Kingdom") led inevitably to Roman execution. When Grant comes to account for the subsequent influence of this "most important person who ever lived," he points to resurrection talk in the air in those times & to Jesus' overwhelming personality. It doesn't sound much more convincing than the alternatives. But overall this is the best recent book of its kind, accessible to the general reader, with no traces of condescension or "biography under church bells."--Kirkus (edited)

    In our "societies of depression" where individuals confront their own loneliness, this theme has recently regained its intensity.In these dense and luminous pages, he is not content merely to show how much this feeling is profoundly inscribed in the heart and the word of God?from the Psalms to the Gospels?but he enters into intimate dialogue with contemporary thought and in particular its existentialist expression. For Balthasar, the Christian faith does not offer a ready made response, but is simultaneously a journey through the torment of the cross and the liberation from fear by the gift of grace. In the wake of a Bernanos, or a Péguy, Balthasar emphasizes how much confidence in God leads to a hope which is inexhaustible.

    In those heady early days of computing, Britannia very much ruled the digital waves.Electronic Dreams looks back at how Britain embraced the home computer, and at the people who drove the boom: entrepreneurs such as Clive Sinclair and Alan Sugar seeking new markets; politicians proclaiming economic miracles; bedroom programmers with an unhealthy fascination with technology; and millions of everyday folk who bought into the electronic dream and let the computer into their lives. It is a history of home computers such as the Commodore VIC20, BBC Micro, and ZX Spectrum; classic computer games like Manic Miner and Elite; the early information networks that first put the home online; and the transformation of the computer into an everyday object in the British home.Based on interviews with key individuals, archive sources, and study of vintage hardware and software, and with a particular focus on the computer's place in social history, Electronic Dreams is a nostalgic look at how a depressed 1980s Britain got over its fear of microchips and embraced the computer as a “passport to the future.”

    The Gospel of Mary and The Secret Book of John, for example, illustrate the variety of early Christianities and are witness to the struggle of Christians to craft an identity in the midst of the culturally pluralistic Roman Empire. King shows how historians have been misled by ancient Christian polemicists who attacked Gnostic beliefs as a "dark double" against which the new faith could define itself. Having identified past distortions, she is able to offer a new and clarifying definition of Gnosticism. Her book is thus both a thorough and innovative introduction to the twentieth-century study of Gnosticism and a revealing exploration of the concept of heresy as a tool in forming religious identity.

    Ferree offers a unique resource for women struggling with sexual addiction. Taking her book's title from the parable where Jesus extends grace to the woman caught in adultery, Ferree bravely shares her own story of sexual addiction, recalling her years of shame from living a double life and the moment when she ultimately had to tell the truth. But more than just offering her story as a hopeful example of God's transforming power, Ferree distills her clinical expertise on female sexual addiction accessibly and gently, providing a much-needed resource for women struggling with any degree of relational or sexual addiction. Ferree details the roots of addiction in family trauma and offers clear-eyed advice as both a counselor and a grateful recovering sex addict on how to achieve sobriety and healing. Written by a counselor who understands the condition from the inside out, No Stones offers practical help for those battling sexual addiction. It also includes a specific chapter for anyone in close relationship with an addict, whether a spouse, family member, or friend, who wants to come alongside women as they seek help. Important for pastors and church leaders, this book will also be a much sought-after resource for Christian counselors and therapists counseling women who grapple with this type of addiction.

    During a ride in a forest he meets and falls in love with Princess Padmavati of Kanchi. According to tradition, Purushottam Dev sweeps the chariot of Jagannath during the Car Festival. Padmavati's father is furious when he hears of this and refuses to marry his daughter to one who wields a broom. He humiliates Purushottam Dev who vows to take revenge despite his love for the princess. Padmavati despairs and is ready to end her life. But things suddenly take a turn for the better after Lord Jagannath himself assures Purushottam of his support.This Amar Chitra Katha is based on a legend from Orissa.

    . . a story of redemption' Tony ParsonsMichael Maisey was excited the day he was locked up in the notorious Feltham Young Offenders Institute. He was going to be a legend to all his mates. The sixteen year old was in for attempted murder. He was innocent of this particular crime but amongst the violent and dangerous young men on his wing he was about to learn exactly how far he’d go to survive.In Young Offender we see what turned a good kid into a wanted criminal. Abused by his uncle, bullied at school, at the age of twelve he found the safety he craved in the ranks of a local gang in West London. He graduated from shoplifting to armed robbery and for five years Michael was in and out of Feltham, on a downward spiral of crime and drug and alcohol addiction. At rock bottom, he began attending AA meetings. But the road to recovery would mean changing himself in the deepest possible ways. Could Michael finally learn what it meant to be a good man?Honest and inspiring, this is a powerful story of redemption. Today Michael is a successful businessman and a loving father who spends time helping others find their way.

    [Vigor's] practical wisdom gives you the know-how and confidence to prepare your boat for the sea.--Cruising World. Here is the book that answer the sailor's fundamental question--Can my boat take me offshore safely?--then shows how to make it happen.

    Includes The Good Samaritan, The Lost Sheep, The Laborers in the Vineyard, and The Prodigal Son.

    How can you effectively communicate to the Mormons that their gospel does not match up with the Bible? One of the best ways is to ask penetrating questions.Cult experts Ron Rhodes and Marian Bodine will help you understand the main points of Mormonism and discover where it falls short of God’s truth. They then equip you to ask strategic questions that challenge…the Mormon claim to be the only true churchthe reliability of Mormon prophetsthe authenticity of the Book of MormonJesus’ supposed visit to ancient Americathe Mormon view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spiritand much moreYou’ll find Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons a valuable guide to responding to Mormons with confidence!