This wide-ranging volume looks at the reception history of the Bible's many texts; Part I surveys the outline, form, and content of twelve key biblical books that have been influential in the history of interpretation. Part II offers a series of in-depth case studies of the interpretation of particular biblical passages or books.
Gnosis means knowledge. But we are not referring to just any knowledge. Gnosis is knowledge which produces a great transformation in those who receive it. Knowledge capable of nothing less than waking up man and helping him to escape from the prison in which he finds himself. That is why Gnosis has been so persecuted throughout the course of history, because it is knowledge considered dangerous for the religious and political authorities who govern mankind from the shadows. Every time this religion, absolutely different from the rest, appears before man, the other religions unite to try to destroy or hide it again. Primordial Gnosis is the original Gnosis, true Gnosis, eternal Gnosis, Gnostic knowledge in its pure form. Due to multiple persecutions, Primordial Gnosis has been fragmented, distorted and hidden.
The national directory addresses the dimensions and perspectives in the formation of deacons and the model standards for the formation, ministry, and life of deacons in the United States. It is intended as a guideline for formation, ministry, and life of permanent deacons and a directive to be utilized when preparing or updating a diaconate program in formulating policies for the ministry and life of deacons. This volume also includes Basic Standards for Readiness for the formation of permanent deacons in the United States, from the bishops' Committee on the Diaconate, and the committee document Visit of Consultation Teams to Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Formation Programs.
In Emotion and Devotion Miri Rubin explores the craft of the historian through a series of studies of medieval religious cultures. In three original chapters she approaches the medieval figure of the Virgin Mary with the aim of unravelling meaning and experience. Hymns and miracle tales, altarpieces and sermons – a wide range of sources from many European regions – are made to reveal the creativity and richness which they elicited in medieval people, women and men, clergy and laity, people of status and riches as well as those of modest means. The first chapter, "The Global 'Middle Ages'," considers the current historiographical frame for the study of religious cultures and suggests ways in which the Middle Ages can be made more global. Next, "Mary, and Others" examines the polemical situations around Mary, and the location of Muslims and Jews within them. The third chapter, "Emotions and Selves," tracks the sentimental education experienced by Europeans in the late Middle Ages through devotional encounters with the figure of the Virgin Mary in word, image and sound. Each year one scholar of world fame is invited to present lectures in the framework of the Natalie Zemon Davis Annual Lecture Series at the Central European University, Budapest. This is the second volume in the series of published lectures.
"From 1983 to 1990 the Lutheran/Roman Catholic dialogue in the United States of America discussed the topic 'The One Mediator, the Saints, and Mary.' This, the eighth round of theological dialogue, has tested the doctrinal implications of the fundamental affirmation and material convergences of the seventh round, the topic of which was 'Justification by Faith'. . . . In testing the rule contained in the common christological affirmation of the seventh round, the dialogue has made an earnest search for further areas of convergence. . . ." "We now submit this document to the authorities, theologians, pastors, and people of our supporting churches for their reflection and judgment. We await their reaction to our findings and recommendations toward unity." -from the Preface by J. Francis Stafford and H. George Anderson J. Francis Stafford is the archbishop of Denver and the Catholic Co-chairman of the dialogue. H. George Anderson is the president of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, and served as the Lutheran Co-chairman of the eighth round of the dialogue. Joseph A. Burgess is a Lutheran member of the dialogue.
The Power of Forgiveness, Pope Francis on Reconciliation calls the reader to explore the mercy of God, received in a profound way by turning toward God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This heartfelt collection of the Pope's reflections on the need for repentance, awareness of sin, God's divine mercy, forgiveness of others, and confession and absolution, is a transformative read for Catholics of all vocational states!
Fabritio Caroso was dancing master to some of the greatest princely families of Italy, and Nobiltà di dame, his sumptuous collection of ballroom dances and their music, reflects an age that believed that the person of high rank should be a work of art, uniting strength and beauty. Caroso's detailed instructions (including rules for steps, style and etiquetter, and forty-eight actual choreographies) are unequalled by any contemporary manual in their specificity and clarity. Most dances are preceeded by an engraving showing the opening position and illustrating many aspects of dress, posture, and gesture. A full scholarly apparatus, giving new information unavailable elsewhere, makes the book even more valuable to dancers and to students of dance and music at the junction of the Renaissance and Baroque eras.
An inspiring and provocative exploration of an alternative to traditional religion Questions about the role of God and religion in today's world have never been more relevant or felt more powerfully. Many of us are searching for a place where we can find not only facts and scientific reason but also hope and moral courage. For some, answers are found in the divine. For others, including the New Atheists, religion is an "enemy." But in Good Without God, Greg Epstein presents another, more balanced and inclusive response: Humanism. He highlights humanity's potential for goodness and the ways in which Humanists lead lives of purpose and compassion. Humanism can offer the sense of community we want and often need in good times and bad—and it teaches us that we can lead good and moral lives without the supernatural, without higher powers . . . without God.
