Download or read book Dictionary of Christian Lore and Legend written by John C. Metford and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 1991-08-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Original publication and copyright date: 1983.
Download or read book Dictionary of Jewish Lore Legend written by Alan Unterman and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 1991-07-17 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A clear and well-illustrated guide to the main characters and legends of Judaism This book captures the richness and vitality of traditional Jewish culture: a web of legend, folklore and superstition that is crucial to understanding Judaism. Topics include Jewish law, literature and poetry; the festivals of the Jewish year; the languages and sub-groups within the Jewish community; and the many countries that Jews have lived in. The book also reveals another side of Judaism, a world populated by angels and demons, sages and Kabbalists, and creatures unknown to zoologists.
Download or read book Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols written by J. C. Cooper and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 1987-03-17 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In nearly 1500 entries, many of them strikingly and often surprisingly illustrated, J. C. Cooper has documented the history and evolution of symbols from prehistory to our own day. With over 200 illustrations and lively, informative and often ironic texts, she discusses and explains an enormous variety of symbols extending from the Arctic to Dahomey, from the Iroquois to Oceana, and coming from systems as diverse as Tao, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Tantra, the cult of Cybele and the Great Goddess, the Pre-Columbian religions of the Western Hemisphere and the Voodoo cults of Brazil and West Africa.
Download or read book Saints written by Edward Mornin and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Combines brief biographies of 137 popular saints with sculpture, fresco, marble and stone relief, stained glass, woodcut, prayer card, plaster, and mosaic images.
Download or read book A Guide to Christian Art written by Diane Apostolos-Cappadona and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-05-14 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A one-volume introduction to and overview of Christian art, from its earliest history to the present day. Diane Apostolos-Cappadona begins by examining how art and Christianity have intersected throughout history, and charts this tumultuous relationship that has yielded some of the greatest outpourings of human creativity. To introduce readers to the way a painting can be read Apostolos-Cappadona begins with an analysis of a painting of the Adoration of the Magi, helping readers to see how they can interpret for themselves the signs, symbols and figures that the book covers. In the more-than 1000 entries that follow Apostolos-Cappadona gives readers an expert overview of all the frequently used symbols and motifs in Christian art as well as the various saints, historical figures, religious events, and biblical scenes most frequently depicted. Readers are introduced to the ways in which religious paintings are often "coded'" such as what a lily means in a picture of Mary, how a goldfinch can be "Christological", or how the presence of an Eagle means it is likely to be a picture of St John. The entries are organized by topic, so that students and beginners can easily find their way to discussion of the themes and motifs they see before them when looking at a painting.
Download or read book Sophia written by Caitlin Matthews and published by Quest Books. This book was released on 2013-09-20 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anyone interested in the feminine face of God throughout the ages will find Sophia an illuminating experience. Caitlin Matthews' scholarship connects us to past, present, and future in the very depths of our femininity. ----Marion Woodman, Jungian analyst and author of Bone: Dying into Life. Sophia, or "wisdom" in Greek, has been revered in many forms throughout history--from the Dark Goddess of ancient Anatolia; to her Egyptian, Greek, Celtic, and Cabalistic manifestations; to her current forms as Mary and the orthodox St. Sophia. In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, Sophia sits with God until the creation. Then she falls into matter and becomes manifest in every atom, permeating all things "like the sparks that run through charcoal," as Matthews says. While God is "out there," the Goddess is "in here"-- the mother-wit of practical inspiration and compassion at the heart's core. This definitive work comprehensively establishes a realistic Goddess theology for Westerners in the twenty-first century: grounding spirituality in daily life and the natural world; learning to work playfully and play seriously; ending the gender war to enjoy sacred marriage.
Download or read book The Book of Angels written by Stephen Miller and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2019-06-04 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Both collectively and individually we have a deep and abiding fascination with angels. This book explores depictions of angels in the visual arts and in scripture and associated apocryphal and mystical writings, specifically in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles and Islamic, Zoroastrian and other ancient and latter-day accounts. It examines the visual clues, artistic conventions and attributes that have been set down to help us to recognise angels in their particular roles and functions. Certain writings have had a particularly influential bearing on our understanding of angels. This text focuses on the hierarchies and orders proposed by the likes of Pseudo-Dionysius, St. Thomas Aquinas and others. In a new age of fascination with the metaphysical and supernatural (in film, television, popular mythology and literature), are we cementing or losing our connection with the authentic meaning and purpose that such vibrant and energised beings bring to our table? This book contains more than 30 illustrations in a central colour plates section. It also includes a useful glossary of terms and will prove a rich and enduring reference resource for libraries, as well as a stimulating go-to source for those interested in the world of angels and how human sensibilities and imaginative reasoning have enriched the subject, as a starting point for interreligious dialogue.
Download or read book Teach Us to Number Our Days written by Barbara Dee Baumgarten and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 1999-09 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes historical explanations of various Christian symbols, full-sized patterns, and detailed step-by-step instructions on how to create your own calendar out of a variety of materials.
Download or read book Santa Claus Is He for Your Child written by John L. Hoh and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who or what is Santa Claus? What is his relationship to Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, and other Christmas-time gift bearers? What is the message of Santa? This book traces the lineage of the "child's saint" back to the alleged historical bishop of Myra up to the jolly saint in red garb that graces our modern Christmases. The book paints a stark contrast to the Gospel message of forgiveness freely given. "This book gives a very interesting history of how the myth of St. Nicholas/Santa Clause compares with the gospel message of Jesus Christ. I was amazed at the similarities but truly wonder if the two confuses children or one is to overshadow the other in this commercial world." Doris Costagliola for BookIdeas.com
Download or read book Original Bible Truth written by Ernie Hasler and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2018-09-21 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible today has been corrupted. The sacred names of Yahweh have been replaced with pagan names, and ancient religions (as well as their rituals and sacred days of observance) have infiltrated the Christian calendar. In Original Bible Truth, author Ernie Hasler offers a brief but powerful summary of his exhaustive research into the origins of Christianity and how it has been drastically influenced—and adulterated—by various pagan religions over the centuries. With discussions on the establishment of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, the Ten Commandments as the basis of the Torah, and much more, Hasler presents a compelling case for how the world has been deceived by both Jewish and Christian traditions. Yahweh ultimately desires a personal relationship with all of us, and we can become part of His spiritual Israel if we willingly accept and follow His Son’s instructions to keep the commandments as presented in the Torah. Who is Messiah Yeshua? What is the origin of the Christian symbol of the cross? What is Yahweh’s plan of salvation? For biblical scholars and laymen alike, this book is an essential tool for anyone seeking answers to these questions and much more.
Download or read book God Guns and Israel written by Jill Hamilton and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2009-04-01 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was the Old Testament-inspired theology of Nonconformist British politicians which created the state of Israel, just as much as the longings of Zionists for a homeland. Looking into the backgrounds and actions of Lloyd George's War Cabinet, Hamilton establishes that these ten Britons created the conditions for the emergence of Israel.
Download or read book Santa Claus Is He For Your Child written by John L. Hoh, Jr. and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2001-04-05 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who is Saint Nicholas? Who is Santa Claus? How are the two related? This book looks at the history of the legends of St. Nicholas and how he evolved in America to Santa Claus. Primarily, this book seeks to point out the anti-Christian message of St. Nick/Santa Claus. Christmas is a celebration of the Lord of the universe coming to earth to take our place in death to pay for our sins. Scripture records that our salvation is “by faith, not by works, lest anyone should boast.” Meanwhile, Santa waddles onto the Yuletide scene by warning children that they better be good, or they will not get any presents. Throughout the ages St. Nick has been used as a political pawn, as a spokesperson for a particular product or service and as a model of what the Church and any well-meaning Christian must do for others. However, St. Nicholas of legend is recorded as uttering legalistic advice to those he meets. He never comforts or assures with the rich Gospel message, nor does he give glory to God for any “miracles” he performs. This book sets out to teach parents about the truth of this jolly elf. In educating parents, the message may help them determine to what extent they play the “Santa game” with their children. Like Virginia O’Hanlon, we live in a cynical age. Santa has lost much of his luster. In the movies we have a serial-killer Santa and Santa ́s that curse and swear. We see Santas that are impatient with the young charges who come to sit on their lap and request their presents. Tim Burton’s T’was the Nightmare Before Christmas portrays a Santa who scares and frightens young children. On college campuses and in many workplaces, A Visit From Saint Nicholas is reworked and reworded to portray an alcoholic oaf who barges in on Christmas Eve. In song, Santa ́s uncontrollable reindeer run down grandma. Teenagers rework Rudolph the red-nose reindeer as—surprise-an alcoholic. Regional groups often have humorous songs at Santa’s expense that often put the jolly elf in a bad light. The legends and myths of Santa are seen as fraudulent. The expectations of the elf for us “mortals” are seen as unapproachable. The promises and threats are seen as empty and hollow. The cynicism of this caricature is certainly in place. Read the review at BookIdeas.com.
Download or read book Why God written by Rodney Stark and published by Templeton Foundation Press. This book was released on 2017-03-30 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why is it that the majority of people, from all socio-economic, education, and ethnic backgrounds, ascribe to some sort of faith? What draws us to religion? What pushes us away? And what exactly is religion anyway? Defining religion over the past century has, ironically, led to theories that exclude belief in God, proposing that all systems of thought concerning the meaning of life are religions. Of course, this makes it impossible to distinguish the village priest from the village atheist, or Communism from Catholicism. Worse yet, it makes all religious behavior irrational, presuming that, for example, people knowingly pray to an empty sky. Renowned sociologist of religion Rodney Stark offers a comprehensive, decisive, God-centered theory of religion in his book, Why God: Explaining Religious Phenomena. While his intent is not to insist that God exists, Stark limits religions to systems of thought based on belief in supernatural beings—to Gods. With this God-focused theory, Stark explores the entire range of religious topics, including the rise of monotheism, the discovery of sin, causes of religious hostility and conflict, and the role of revelations. Each chapter of Why God? builds a comprehensive framework, starting with the foundations of human motivations and ending with an explanation of why most people are religious. Stark ultimately settles what religion is, what it does, and why it is a universal feature of human societies. Why God? is a much needed guide for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of religion and our relationship to it, as well as a firm refutation to those who think religion can exist without the divine.
Download or read book About the Harrowing of Hell written by Irene Rima Makaryk and published by CIUS Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book One True God written by Rodney Stark and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Western history would be unrecognizable had it not been for people who believed in One True God. There would have been wars, but no religious wars. There would have been moral codes, but no Commandments. Had the Jews been polytheists, they would today be only another barely remembered people, less important, but just as extinct as the Babylonians. Had Christians presented Jesus to the Greco-Roman world as ''another'' God, their faith would long since have gone the way of Mithraism. And surely Islam would never have made it out of the desert had Muhammad not removed Allah from the context of Arab paganism and proclaimed him as the only God. The three great monotheisms changed everything. With his customary clarity and vigor, Rodney Stark explains how and why monotheism has such immense power both to unite and to divide. Why and how did Jews, Christians, and Muslims missionize, and when and why did their efforts falter? Why did both Christianity and Islam suddenly become less tolerant of Jews late in the eleventh century, prompting outbursts of mass murder? Why were the Jewish massacres by Christians concentrated in the cities along the Rhine River, and why did the pogroms by Muslims take place mainly in Granada? How could the Jews persist so long as a minority faith, able to withstand intense pressures to convert? Why did they sometimes assimilate? In the final chapter, Stark also examines the American experience to show that it is possible for committed monotheists to sustain norms of civility toward one another. A sweeping social history of religion, One True God shows how the great monotheisms shaped the past and created the modern world.
Download or read book Evangelical News written by Anja-Maria Bassimir and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2022-05-24 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This work is an innovative treatise on the evangelical magazine market during the 1970s and 1980s and how it sustained religious community and ideology. Bassimir argues that community can be produced in discourse, especially when shared rhetoric, concepts, and perspectives signal belonging. The 1970s and 1980s were a tumultuous period in United States history. In suit with a dramatic political shift to the right, evangelicalism also entered the public discourse as a distinct religious movement and was immediately besieged by cultural appropriations and internal fragmentations. This was also a time when Americans in general and evangelicals in particular grappled with issues and ideas such as feminism and legal abortion, restructuring traditional roles for women and the family. The Watergate Crisis and the newly emerging Christian Right also threw politics into turmoil. During this time, there was a surge of readership for evangelical magazines such as Christian Today, Moody Monthly, Eternity, and Post-Americans/Sojourners. While each of these magazines-and many other publications-contributes to and participates in the overall dissemination of evangelical ideology, they all also have their own outlooks and political leanings when it comes to hot-button issues. Evangelical Visions, through a thoroughly researched lens, makes important correctives to common understandings of evangelical discourse, particularly regarding the key political initiatives of the religious right. Bassimir demonstrates that within the pages of these periodicals, evangelicals hashed out a number of competing views on feminism, abortion, reproductive technologies, and political involvement itself. To accomplish this, Evangelical Visions traces the emergence of evangelical social and political awareness in the 1970s to the height of its power as a political program. The chapters in this monograph also delve into such topics as how evangelicals re-envisioned gender norms and relations in light of the feminist movement and the use of childhood as a symbol of unspoiled innocence and the pure potential of humanity. Presently, most accounts of evangelicalism cite evangelical magazines only very selectively, and virtually no studies make substantive use of those magazines as objects of investigation. Bassimir's Evangelical Visions makes a much needed contribution to our understanding of evangelicalism in the late twentieth century by providing a nuanced picture of a religious subculture that is too often reduced to caricature. This study is located at the intersection of history, religious studies, and media studies and will appeal to scholars and students of all of these fields"--
Download or read book The Sins of Madame Eglentyne and Other Essays on Chaucer written by Richard Rex and published by University of Delaware Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays in this single-author collection are principally concerned with Madame Eglentyne, the demure and elegant prioress depicted in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Richard Rex contends that how we think about Chaucer as a Christian depends largely on our interpretation of the Prioress's Tale, which in turn is linked to the brilliant portrait of Madame Eglentyne in the General Prologue.
