Download or read book Messiah Complex written by Toby LeBlanc and published by . This book was released on 2004-11-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Katrina Ravel arrives incognito on the Greek island of Sifnos in a head-on collision with destiny. Consumed with passion for Sergei Smyrnoff, a Russian sculptor, Katrina barters her soul for Sergei's undying love but in an ironic twist she becomes enamored with the devil's disciple. As the yacht Atlantis plows through the Aegean toward Sifnos, Katrina reflects the past and brings to mind events that impelled her toward this fateful journey. She recalls her first encounter with Sergei. Katrina and Sergei meet unexpectedly at Sonia Alexander's birthday party. Sergei, handsome, charming and a man around town, sets out to conquer beautiful Katrina. Sonia, Katrina's life-long friend, aware of Sergei's shadowy reputation, tries desperately to deter Sergei's and Katrina's budding relationship. Paying no heed to her friend's warnings, Katrina becomes deeply involved with Sergei. Katrina has lost both parents at a young age and was brought up by Manos Xenakis, a close friend of the family. Manos is a wealthy shipowner who does not allow power and wealth to corrupt his principles. He offers Katrina love and compassion and takes full responsibility for her upbringing. However, Katrina gravitates toward Eleni, his housekeeper, who helps her overcome her intense sorrow at her parents' loss. Eleni is originally from the Greek Island of Sifnos. While the two women exchange confidences, Eleni relates a bizarre story that took place on her native Sifnos, years back. The yarn is about a humble chapel on a mountain overlooking the Aegean. A heinous murder within its walls desecrated the chapel and turned it into a place where only the devil can dwell. The legend is that the devil offers his favors to those who are desperate enough to seek him out and do his bidding. While attending a party at Manos's penthouse, Katrina meets with George Venetis. He engages her in conversation and she discovers that he belongs to a sect of devil worshipers. Venetis tries to lure Katrina into surrendering her soul and becoming one of Lucifer's followers. Meanwhile, Sonia flies to Crete seeking solace from an unfortunate love affair. Sonia meets the local doctor, marries him, and settles down in Crete. Katrina attends Sonia's wedding without Sergei. While in Crete she meets unexpectedly with Venetis, who is pursuing her. Aware of Katrina's obsession, Venetis tries to persuade her to sell her soul to the devil for Sergei's eternal love. Upon her return to New York, Katrina visits Sergei at his studio where she meets with a strange woman who is obviously very pregnant. The woman reveals that she is Sergei's fiancée and that the baby she is carrying is Sergei's child. Katrina flees in shock. Grief stricken and inconsolable, she broods and awaits Sergei's return. In time, she realizes that Sergei will not be back and she starts preparing for her journey to Sifnos and the devil's chapel. Olga Zornic, a longtime friend of the Smyrnoffs, calls on Katrina and confides the Smyrnoffs' decadent and lurid past. Though shocked and horrified, Katrina is not deterred by Olga's revelations. Obsessed and driven she flies across the Atlantic and enters the devil's domain. Having accomplished her mission, Katrina comes face to face with George Venetis. Venetis woos her into the Sifnian woods and seduces her. In a twist of fate, her obsession for Sergei dissipates and she becomes enamored with George. The two prepare to go away together into the unknown. But, in yet another twist, Katrina and George lose each other and she finds herself in the hospital with Eleni standing over her. Katrina confesses the barter of

Download or read book Messiah Complex written by Ed Brubaker and published by Marvel Comics Group. This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In the aftermath of House of M, Decimation and Endangered species, the future of mutants has never been bleaker. At the seeming end of their evolutionary cycle, a miracle arrives in the form of the first mutant birth since the tragic events of M-Day, when the Scarlet Witch obliterated the X-gene from virtually every mutant on the planet."--Page 4 of cover.

Download or read book Why I Believed written by Kenneth W. Daniels and published by Kenneth W Daniels. This book was released on 2008-06-28 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part auto-biography and part exposé of Ken Daniels' experience and long time belief in Christianity and the questions and answers he's had to ask about with regard to the validity of Christian theories.

Download or read book American Messiahs False Prophets of a Damned Nation written by Adam Morris and published by Liveright Publishing. This book was released on 2019-03-26 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history with sweeping implications, American Messiahs challenges our previous misconceptions about “cult” leaders and their messianic power. Mania surrounding messianic prophets has defined the national consciousness since the American Revolution. From Civil War veteran and virulent anticapitalist Cyrus Teed, to the dapper and overlooked civil rights pioneer Father Divine, to even the megalomaniacal Jim Jones, these figures have routinely been dismissed as dangerous and hysterical outliers. After years of studying these emblematic figures, Adam Morris demonstrates that messiahs are not just a classic trope of our national culture; their visions are essential for understanding American history. As Morris demonstrates, these charismatic, if flawed, would-be prophets sought to expose and ameliorate deep social ills—such as income inequality, gender conformity, and racial injustice. Provocative and long overdue, this is the story of those who tried to point the way toward an impossible “American Dream”: men and women who momentarily captured the imagination of a nation always searching for salvation.

Download or read book The Last Testament written by Jonas Bendiksen and published by Aperture. This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagined as a sequel to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, The Last Testament features visual accounts and stories of seven men around the world who claim to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Building on biblical form and structure, chapters dedicated to each Jesus include excerpts of their scriptural testaments, laying out their theology and demands on mankind in their own words. Jonas Bendiksen takes at face value that each one is the true Messiah returned to Earth, to forge an account that is a work of apocalyptic journalism and compelling artistic imagination.

Download or read book The Seed Thieves written by Robert Fanning and published by . This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection from a popular Detroit-area poet that investigates a wide spectrum of themesdeath, love, loss, redemption.

Download or read book Are You the One Who Is to Come written by Michael F. Bird and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2009-08-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Did Jesus claim to be the long-awaited "messiah"? Going against much contemporary scholarship, Australian scholar Michael Bird argues that he did. He begins by exploring the messianic expectations in the Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literature. Next, Bird points out weaknesses in current arguments that "Messiah," or "Christ," was a title given to Jesus by the early church but not used by Jesus himself. Bird then examines the Gospels and related literature, finding in Jesus's words and actions evidence that he saw himself as the messiah described in the Scriptures of Israel and believed that Israel's restoration hinged on the outcome of his ministry.

Download or read book Enoch and the Messiah Son of Man written by Gabriele Boccaccini and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Distinguished in the field of Enochic studies, Gabriele Boccaccini led the way in June 2005 at the Third Enoch Seminar, entirely devoted to the Book of Parables in light of Second Temple Judaism and Christian origins. The unusual and compelling collection of essays found here reflects the spirit of sharing and dialogue that has made these seminars so popular and intriguing to scholars throughout the world.This third collection of essays from these historic meetings contains the observations and contemplations of forty-four scholars, includes a helpful introduction by Boccaccini detailing the history of the movement, and ends with likely prospects for future research and an extensive bibliography compiled by associate editor Jason von Ehrenkrook for further study.Enoch and the Messiah Son of Man will be a significant contribution for the understanding and discussion of ancient Judaism.

Download or read book Skeptics Answered written by Dr. James Kennedy and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2011-10-05 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: D. James Kennedy takes on some of the most-asked questions regarding the validity of the Christian faith in Skeptics Answered In clear, unassuming language, Dr. Kennedy examines the reliability of the Bible, the nature of God, and Christian faith in the face of life's harsh realities. Skeptics Answered uses factual, well-reasoned arguments to affirm the faith of Christians everywhere. Ideal for both personal and group study, it makes an excellent gift for any non-believer who, as a matter of intellectual integrity, is willing to consider the clear evidence for the Christian faith.

Download or read book The Third Messiah written by Christopher West and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anzhuang Wang, a detective in the Beijing police department, starts investigating a cult - the New Church of the Heavenly Kingdom - when his sister-in-law "Julie" gets involved with the group. The church has ties that lead back to the 19th century Taiping Rebellion and maintains a strictly non-political stance. Still, given the current climate in Beijing, the recent crackdown on the Fa Lun Gong, and the current initiation from above against nuisance crime, there is much about the situation to make Wang nervous. As a cloud of death and danger begins to surround the church, Wang must now find a way to protect his family, defy the pressure from somewhere high above him in the party structure, and uncover the truth before it is too late.

Download or read book God s Messiah in the Old Testament written by Andrew T. Abernethy and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two respected Old Testament scholars offer a fresh, comprehensive treatment of the messiah theme throughout the entire Old Testament and examine its relevance for New Testament interpretation. Addressing a topic of perennial interest and foundational significance, this book explores what the Old Testament actually says about the Messiah, divine kingship, and the kingdom of God. It also offers a nuanced understanding of how New Testament authors make use of Old Testament messianic texts in explaining who Jesus is and what he came to do.

Download or read book Messiah Complex written by Michael Olin-Hitt and published by Middle Creek Publishing and Audio. This book was released on 2017-02-02 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eleven kinetic stories from Michael Olin-Hitt in the bildungsroman genre, narrated in conversational rhythms reminiscent of Raymond Carver's work. These quick, crisp stories are extracted in a near surgical manner from life's tangle of loose ends. A master of the soft ending, Olin-Hitt ends these stories pitch-perfectly and make you feel somethin

Download or read book The Messiah of Stockholm written by Cynthia Ozick and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A small group of Jews weave a web of intrigue and fantasy around a book reviewer's contention that he is the son of Borus Schultz, the legendary Polish writer killed by the Nazis before his magnum opus, THE MESSIAH, could be brought to light.

Download or read book The Jerusalem Syndrome written by Marc Maron and published by Crown Archetype. This book was released on 2002-03-05 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the author of Attempting Normal and host of the podcast WTF with Marc Maron, The Jerusalem Syndrome is The Gospel according to Maron: a spiritual memoir of your average hyperintelligent, ultraneurotic, superhip Jewish standup comedian and seeker. The Jerusalem Syndrome is a genuine psychological phenomenon that often strikes visitors to the Holy Land_the delusion that they are suddenly direct vessels for the voice of God. Marc Maron seems to have a distinctly American version of the Jerusalem Syndrome, which has led him on a lifelong quest for religious significance and revelation in the most unlikely of places. Maron riffs on Beat phenomena with its sacred texts, established rituals, and prescribed pilgrimages. He spends some time exploring the dark side of things, as his obsessions with cocaine (known to Maron as “magic powder”), conspiracy theories, and famous self-destructive comedians convince him that the gates of hell open beneath Los Angeles. As his quest matures, he reveals the religious aspects of Corporate America, pontificating on the timeless beauty of the Coca-Cola logo and even taking a trip to the Philip Morris cigarette factory, where the workers puff their own products with a zealot-like fervor. The culmination of Maron’s Jerusalem Syndrome comes during his own tour of the Holy Land, where, with Sony camcorder glued to his eye socket, he comes face-to-face with his own ambiguous relationship to Judaism and reaches the brink of spiritual revelation_or is it nervous breakdown? Marc Maron has considerably adapted and expanded his praised one-man show to craft a genuine literary memoir. Whether he’s a genuine prophet or a neurotic mess, he’ll make you laugh as you question the meaning of life. “Marc Maron is blazingly smart, rapid-fire, and very funny . . . A brilliant and relentless screed.” –David Rakoff, author of Fraud “Marc Maron is the first crazy person I’ve ever envied. In his brainiac-memoir-meets-hilarious-travelogue, he demonstrates the ability to tell a story with an extraordinary provocative intelligence that is regrettably shared by few.” _ Janeane Garofolo, comedian

Download or read book The Three Christs of Ypsilanti written by Milton Rokeach and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2011-04-19 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On July 1, 1959, at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan, the social psychologist Milton Rokeach brought together three paranoid schizophrenics: Clyde Benson, an elderly farmer and alcoholic; Joseph Cassel, a failed writer who was institutionalized after increasingly violent behavior toward his family; and Leon Gabor, a college dropout and veteran of World War II. The men had one thing in common: each believed himself to be Jesus Christ. Their extraordinary meeting and the two years they spent in one another’s company serves as the basis for an investigation into the nature of human identity, belief, and delusion that is poignant, amusing, and at times disturbing. Displaying the sympathy and subtlety of a gifted novelist, Rokeach draws us into the lives of three troubled and profoundly different men who find themselves “confronted with the ultimate contradiction conceivable for human beings: more than one person claiming the same identity.”

Download or read book Messiah Complex written by and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Caesar s messiah the Roman conspiracy to invent Jesus written by Joseph Atwill and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Caesar's Messiah," a real life "Da Vinci Code," presents the dramatic and controversial discovery that the conventional views of Christian origins may be wrong. Author Joseph Atwill makes the case that the Christian Gospels were actually written under the direction of first-century Roman emperors. The purpose of these texts was to establish a peaceful Jewish sect to counterbalance the militaristic Jewish forces that had just been defeated by the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 A.D. Atwill uncovered the secret key to this story in the writings of Josephus, the famed first-century Roman historian. Reading Josephus's chronicle, "The War of the Jews," the author found detail after detail that closely paralleled events recounted in the Gospels. Atwill skillfully demonstrates that the emperors used the Gospels to spark a new religious movement that would aid them in maintaining power and order. What's more, by including hidden literary clues, they took the story of the Emperor Titus's glorious military victory, as recounted by Josephus, and embedded that story in the Gospels - a sly and satirical way of glorifying the emperors through the ages.