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A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith (Concise Encyclopedias)
by Peter SmithThis comprehensive and succinct encyclopedia traces the origins and development of the Bahá'í Faith from nineteenth-century Iran to the modern day, covering its central figures and major historical events.
A Concise Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion (Concise Encyclopedias)
by Anthony C. ThiseltonCovering thinkers from Plato to Freud, offering detailed explanations of key themes such as evil, and outlining clear definitions of complex ideas like'the doctrine of analogy,' this is a comprehensive reference tool for all those studying, or interested in, the philosophy of religion
A Concise Guide To Pastoral Planning (Concise Guide)
by William PickettDr. William Pickett brings over forty years of experience in administration and planning to A Concise Guide to Pastoral Planning, an essential guide for those charged with pastoral planning in the Catholic Church. Pickett gives clear direction and a range of options for addressing the multiple issues encountered in planning at three distinct levels of local church life: parish, deanery, and diocese. This book offers a wealth of information on creating effective and theologically, doctrinally, and pastorally sound planning
A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament
by William L. HolladayBased on the First, Second, and Third Editions of the Koehler-Baumgartner Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros, this abridgment--which eliminates bibliographical references and technical information intended for specialists and judiciously trims biblical citations--provides everything the student needs to translate an Old Testament passage.
A Concise History of Ancient Israel: From the Beginnings Through the Hellenistic Era (Critical Studies in the Hebrew Bible #11)
by Bernd U. SchipperThe history of biblical Israel, as it is told in the Hebrew Bible, differs substantially from the history of ancient Israel as it can be reconstructed using ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeological evidence. In A Concise History of Ancient Israel, Bernd U. Schipper uses this evidence to present a critical revision of the history of Israel and Judah from the late second millennium BCE to the beginning of the Roman period. Considering archaeological material as well as biblical and extrabiblical texts, Schipper argues that the history of "Israel" in the preexilic period took place mostly in the hinterland of the Levant and should be understood in the context of the Neo-Assyrian expansion. He demonstrates that events in the exilic and postexilic periods also played out differently than they are recounted in the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In contrast to previous scholarship, which focused heavily on Israel’s origins and the monarchic period, Schipper’s history gives equal attention to the Persian and early Hellenistic periods, providing confirmation that a wide variety of forms of YHWH religion existed in the Persian period and persisted into the Hellenistic age.Original and innovative, this brief history provides a new outline of the historical development of ancient Israel that will appeal to students, scholars, and lay readers who desire a concise overview.
A Concise History of Ancient Israel: From the Beginnings Through the Hellenistic Era (Critical Studies in the Hebrew Bible)
by Bernd U. SchipperThe history of biblical Israel, as it is told in the Hebrew Bible, differs substantially from the history of ancient Israel as it can be reconstructed using ancient Near Eastern texts and archaeological evidence. In A Concise History of Ancient Israel, Bernd U. Schipper uses this evidence to present a critical revision of the history of Israel and Judah from the late second millennium BCE to the beginning of the Roman period. Considering archaeological material as well as biblical and extrabiblical texts, Schipper argues that the history of “Israel” in the preexilic period took place mostly in the hinterland of the Levant and should be understood in the context of the Neo-Assyrian expansion. He demonstrates that events in the exilic and postexilic periods also played out differently than they are recounted in the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah. In contrast to previous scholarship, which focused heavily on Israel’s origins and the monarchic period, Schipper’s history gives equal attention to the Persian and early Hellenistic periods, providing confirmation that a wide variety of forms of YHWH religion existed in the Persian period and persisted into the Hellenistic age.Original and innovative, this brief history provides a new outline of the historical development of ancient Israel that will appeal to students, scholars, and lay readers who desire a concise overview.
A Concise History of Christian Doctrine
by Justo L. GonzalezAn introduction to the core Christian doctrines, the historical context in which they arose, and their ongoing importance to contemporary Christian belief and practice.Justo González has long been recognized as one of our best teachers and interpreters of the church’s belief and history. In this new volume he lays out the answers to three questions crucial to understanding the Christian tradition: First, what are the core Christian doctrines? What ideas and convictions form the heart of Christian identity? Second, Where did these doctrines come from? What are the historical contexts in which they first rose to prominence? How have they developed across the history of the church? Finally, what do these doctrines mean today? What claims do they continue to place on Christian belief and practice in the twenty-first century?Written with the clarity and insight for which González is famous, A Short History of Christian Doctrine will serve the needs of students in church history, historical theology, and systematic theology classes in college/university settings, as well as seminaries/theological schools.
A Concise History of Confucianism
by Chunsong GanThis book is a readable and insightful analytical work that steadily traces and analyzes the historical development of Confucianism in China. This book is structured chronologically and discusses the developing positions of Confucianism across different periods in the Chinese history. Each chapter focuses on a number of key questions and perspectives pertaining to Confucian thoughts and ideas, for example, &‘Benevolence&’ and &‘Propriety&’ in Pre-Qin Confucianism, studies of Mencius and Xunzi, and Dong Zhongshu of the Han Dynasty . In addition, this book pays special and extensive attention to ideas of New Confucianism, its concepts, and formation. This book is written in a simple yet comprehensible style. It aims to broaden and deepen studies of Confucianism via its stage-by-stage discussion about the historical development of Confucian thoughts. Both academic specialists and ordinary readers will find the book helpful and inspiring in its clear and vivid delineation, analysis, and debate about the essence, function, and role of Confucianism in traditional and modern societies alike.
A Concise History of the Catholic Church
by Thomas BokenkotterA Concise History of the Catholic Church, first published by Image Books in 1979, has been one of the bestselling religious histories of the past two decades. Long a mainstay for scholars, students, and others looking for a definitive, accessible history of Catholicism, it has now been meticulously expanded and updated for the new millennium. With a clarity and conciseness that will appeal to the general reader, Thomas Bokenkotter divides his study into five parts that correspond to the major historical and epochal developments in Catholicism. His authoritative, thorough approach takes readers from the Church's triumph over paganism, through "the sound and fury of renewal," to a new section devoted to such topics as dissent, current developments in the ecumenical movement, and liberation theology. Informative illustrations throughout the book, new to this edition, enrich the reader's experience, and the addition of a wide-ranging bibliography increases its value as a sourcebook. A reviewer called the previous edition ofA Concise History of the Catholic Church"a tract for the times, an attempt to help bewildered Roman Catholics and others get some sense of the origins of all the change that has streamed through the windows by Vatican II. " This new edition reaffirms its importance in the library of ecumenical studies and confirms its place among the classics.
A Concise History of the Christian World Mission: A Panoramic View of Missions from Pentecost to the Present
by Herbert J. KaneAn excellent introductory survey of Christian missions from A.D. 30 to the twentieth century.
A Concise History of the Middle East
by Lawrence Davidson Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.The ninth edition of this widely acclaimed text by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson has been extensively revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East.<P><P> As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope, and balanced treatment. It focuses on the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, the modernization efforts of Middle Eastern governments, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the issues surrounding the Palestinian Question, and the roles of Iraq and Iran in the post-9/11 Middle East. Nine maps newly commissioned for the ninth edition highlight key aspects of Middle East history. Two popular study aids, the chronology and the glossary, have been extensively revised, and the superlative bibliographic essay, an essential guide to further reading, has been thoroughly rewritten to reflect current scholarship.
A Concise Introduction To World Religions
by Alan Segal Amir Hussain Willard Oxtoby Roy AmoreBased on the bestselling two-volume World Religions: Eastern and Western Traditions, A Concise Introduction to World Religions, Third Edition, is ideal for single-semester courses. Renowned contributors trace the origins and evolution of the major traditions, explain their essential teachings, outline their practices, and examine their interactions with modern culture and society, while insightful introductory and concluding essays suggest countless avenues for further reflection and study.
A Concise Reader of Chinese Culture (China Insights)
by Chunsong GanThis book uses the mutual interactions between Chinese and Western culture as a point of departure in order to concisely introduce the origins and evolution of Chinese culture at the aspects of constitution, thinking, values and atheistic. This book also analyzes utensil culture, constitution culture and ideology culture, which were perfected by absorbing classic arguments from academia. As such, the book offers an essential guide to understanding the development, civilization and key ideologies in Chinese history, and will thus help to promote Chinese culture and increase cultural awareness.
A Concise guide to Adult Faith Formation (The Concise Guide Series)
by Neil A. ParentParent articulates his view that learning about the faith in adulthood is not merely an extension of basic childhood religious education, but is rather a continuous, lifelong process. Drawing from years of experience leading the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, Parent combines Church teaching and adult learning theory to make this a must-read for pastors, catechists, and students in faith formation ministries.
A Confession (Hesperus Classics Ser.)
by Leo Tolstoy Aylmer MaudeDespite having written War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, at the age of 51, looked back on his life and considered it a meaningless, regrettable failure. A Confession provides insight into the great Russian writer's movement from the pursuit of aesthetic ideals toward matters of religious and philosophical consequence.Authentic and genuinely moving, this memoir of midlife spiritual crisis was first distributed in 1872 and marked a turning point in the author's career as a writer: in subsequent years, Tolstoy would write almost exclusively about religious life, especially devotion among the peasantry.Generations of readers have been inspired by this heartfelt reexamination of Christian orthodoxy and subsequent spiritual awakening. Ranked among the best books on the subject, this timeless work is for anyone who has ever worried about the fleeting nature of life and speculated about the value of existence.
A Confession (Penguin Great Ideas)
by Leo TolstoyDescribing Tolstoy's crisis of depression and estrangement from the world, A Confession is an autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty. It describes his search for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss but giving bliss on earth'. Although the Confession led to his excommunication, it also resulted in a large following of Tolstoyan Christians springing up throughout Russia and Europe. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves – and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives – and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.
A Confession and Other Religious Writings
by Leo Tolstoy Jane KentishDescribing Tolstoy's crisis of depression and estrangement from the world, A Confession(1879) is an autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty. By the time he was fifty, Tolstoy had already written the novels that would assure him of literary immortality; he had a wife, a large estate and numerous children; he was 'a happy man' and in good health - yet life had lost its meaning. In this poignant confessional fragment, he records a period of his life when he began to turn away from fiction and aesthetics, and to search instead for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss but giving bliss on earth'. His searingly honest search for spiritual fulfilment also inspires the three other works collected here: Religion and Morality(1893), What is Religionand of What Does Its Essence Consist?(1902) and The Law of Love and the Law of Violence(1908).
A Confession and Other Religious Writings
by Leo TolstoyDescribing Tolstoy's crisis of depression and estrangement from the world, A Confession (1879) is an autobiographical work of exceptional emotional honesty. By the time he was fifty, Tolstoy had already written the novels that would assure him of literary immortality; he had a wife, a large estate and numerous children; he was 'a happy man' and in good health - yet life had lost its meaning. In this poignant confessional fragment, he records a period of his life when he began to turn away from fiction and aesthetics, and to search instead for 'a practical religion not promising future bliss, but giving bliss on earth'.
A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles
by Thomas SowellIn this classic work, Thomas Sowell analyzes the two competing visions that shape our debates about the nature of reason, justice, equality, and power. The "constrained" vision, which sees human nature as unchanging and selfish, and the "unconstrained" vision, in which human nature is malleable and perfectible. He describes how these two radically opposed views have manifested themselves in the political controversies of the past two centuries, including such contemporary issues as welfare reform, social justice, and crime. Updated to include sweeping political changes since its first publication in 1987, this revised edition of A Conflict of Visions offers a convincing case that ethical and policy disputes circle around the disparity between both outlooks.
A Confucian Constitutional Order: How China's Ancient Past Can Shape Its Political Future (The Princeton-China Series #4)
by Jiang QingWhat a Confucian constitutional government might look like in China's political futureAs China continues to transform itself, many assume that the nation will eventually move beyond communism and adopt a Western-style democracy. But could China develop a unique form of government based on its own distinct traditions? Jiang Qing—China's most original, provocative, and controversial Confucian political thinker—says yes. In this book, he sets out a vision for a Confucian constitutional order that offers a compelling alternative to both the status quo in China and to a Western-style liberal democracy. A Confucian Constitutional Order is the most detailed and systematic work on Confucian constitutionalism to date.Jiang argues against the democratic view that the consent of the people is the main source of political legitimacy. Instead, he presents a comprehensive way to achieve humane authority based on three sources of political legitimacy, and he derives and defends a proposal for a tricameral legislature that would best represent the Confucian political ideal. He also puts forward proposals for an institution that would curb the power of parliamentarians and for a symbolic monarch who would embody the historical and transgenerational identity of the state. In the latter section of the book, four leading liberal and socialist Chinese critics—Joseph Chan, Chenyang Li, Wang Shaoguang, and Bai Tongdong—critically evaluate Jiang's theories and Jiang gives detailed responses to their views.A Confucian Constitutional Order provides a new standard for evaluating political progress in China and enriches the dialogue of possibilities available to this rapidly evolving nation. This book will fascinate students and scholars of Chinese politics, and is essential reading for anyone concerned about China's political future.
A Conspiracy Of Goodness: Contemporary Images Of Christian Mission
by Donald E. MesserDescribes the biblical mandates for the mission of ministry and calls church leaders to understand the world as God's body.
A Constellation of Authority: Castilian Bishops and the Secular Church During the Reign of Alfonso VIII (Iberian Encounter and Exchange, 475–1755)
by Kyle C. LincolnDuring the long reign of Alfonso VIII, Castilian bishops were crusaders, castellans, cathedral canons, and collegiate officers, and they served as powerful intermediaries between the pope and the king of Castile. In A Constellation of Authority, Kyle C. Lincoln traces the careers of a septet of these bishops and uses this history to fill in much of what really happened in thirteenth-century Castile.The relationships that local prelates cultivated with Alfonso VIII and the Castilian royal family existed in tension with how they related to the reigning pope. Drawing on diocesan archives, monastic collections, and chronicles, Lincoln reconstructs the complex negotiations and navigations these bishops undertook to maintain the balance among the papal and royal agendas and their own interests. Lincoln examines the bishops' ties to crusades and political influence, the growth of canon and Roman law, religious and church reform, and the canonization of local leaders. In the process, he makes the case that the medieval past is best illuminated by the combined luminescence of a “constellation of authority” represented, at least in part, by a conglomerate of bishops.Through seven case studies, each examining a prelate in his individual historical context, A Constellation of Authority improves our understanding of the politics of thirteenth-century Castile and provides an important foundation for further consideration of the ties between Castile and the broader European medieval world. It will appeal to medieval Hispanists and historians of the medieval church and episcopacy.
A Contemporary Handbook for Weddings & Funerals and Other Occasions: Revised and Updated
by Aubrey MalphursGuidance, advice, and ready-to-use sermons and services for the busy pastorWeddings and funerals are some of the most meaningful events in people's lives, and also some of the most challenging for the pastor to perform. Written with the needs of the busy pastor in mind, this popular and newly updated handbook includes everything necessary to conduct a variety of weddings and funerals, along with other common events such as Communion, baptisms, dedications, and ordinations.Helpful aids for weddings include services, vow renewals, messages, prayers, guidelines for vows, information on marriage laws, and, new in this edition, a service and message for second marriages. Guidance for funerals covers orders of service, quotations and reflections, and eulogies for a variety of circumstances, incorporating those with evangelistic appeal, untimely deaths, and suicide. New to this edition are funerals for service members, victims of violence, accidental deaths, cancer, and community tragedies.Additional new resources include blessing services for a home or special event and guidance for speaking at fraternal organizations.Pastors of all denominations will benefit from the services, advice, and resources in this sought-after handbook.
A Contemporary Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts
by David M. Carr Colleen M. ConwayExplore a timely introduction to the formation of the Bible in its historical and modern contexts In the newly revised Second Edition of A Contemporary Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts, accomplished scholars and authors Colleen M. Conway and David M. Carr deliver a rigorous, accessible, and up-to-date introduction to the Bible. The textbook places the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament in the broader context of world history, with a special focus on the empires that influenced the Bible’s formation. Readers are introduced to the academic study of the Bible through a range of scholarly approaches. Readers benefit from the inclusion of: A thorough introduction to the Bible in its ancient contexts, from the emergence of Israel’s earliest traditions to the writing and reshaping of the Bible amidst Assyrian Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic and Roman empires. The most up-to-date work in the field, seamlessly integrated into every chapter A wealth of pedagogical features including study questions, bibliographies, timelines, and illustrations An unparalleled coverage of both fundamental topics and cutting-edge issues, resulting in a truly outstanding textbook. Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students studying religion, history, sociology, and philosophy, A Contemporary Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts, Second Edition will also earn a place in the libraries of religious scholars and researchers seeking a one-stop reference to the Bible in its ancient and modern context.
A Contemporary Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts
by Colleen M. Conway and David M. CarrExplore a timely introduction to the formation of the Bible in its historical and modern contexts In the newly revised Second Edition of A Contemporary Introduction to the Bible: Sacred Texts and Imperial Contexts, accomplished scholars and authors Colleen M. Conway and David M. Carr deliver a rigorous, accessible, and up-to-date introduction to the Bible. The textbook places the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament in the broader context of world history, with a special focus on the empires that influenced the Bible’s formation. Readers are introduced to the academic study of the Bible through a range of scholarly approaches.