On October 18, 1972, the famous Wilmington Ten were wrongly convicted of having incited race riots. Benjamin Chavis spent four years in jail-and it was in the flames of that injustice that these psalms were forged.
Originally published in 1983 after the convictions of the Wilmington Ten were overturned, Psalms from Prison was updated and re-released in 1994. Now in its third edition, this update to Psalms from Prison includes autobiographical reflections from Benjamin Chavis about the unjust imprisonment of the Wilmington Ten and the struggle for equal rights. On October 18, 1972, Benjamin Chavis and nine others (the famous Wilmington Ten) were wrongly convicted of having incited race riots. Chavis spent four years in jail—and it was in the flames of that injustice that these psalms were forged. The deep and abiding faith that sustains Chavis today can be found in these powerful prayers, now accompanied by autobiographical reflections in this third edition. Chavis’ psalms spoke to the issues of the African American struggle then . . . and they speak to those same issues today.
Savonarola s exposition or meditation on Psalm 51 (the Miserere) and Psalm 31 (In te, Domini, speravi) have not been printed in English during the twentieth century. This book makes that text available in modern English. The translator found the Loeb series, which printed the text and translation of classical Roman authors on facing pages, which is the best single help to acquire facility in reading Latin. Few such volumes exist to help students of post-classical Latin.
When Jonathan Aitken was in prison, he experienced a religious conversion. When he emerged into the light of day, he headed for Oxford where he read for and obtained a degree in theology. The Psalms have assumed a quite exceptional importance in his life. The Psalms are at the very heart of the Christian life and its liturgy - in them is found the whole range of human emotion, of triumph and despair. In this new book, Aitken expounds his own view of the Psalms, the fruit of much prayer, study and reflection. He has busy, stressed modern men and women and the forefront of his mind as he writes. Aitken was a successful businessman and financier before he ever entered government as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He is fully aware of the enormous pressures on people in countless walks of life - as speed of communication increases and more and more people are obliged to live with targets hanging over them like the sword of Damocles. Aitken writes 'out of the depths': he has experienced as profoundly as any of us the heights of adulation and the depths of disgrace and shame and he understands the meaning of repentance. This is an account of the Psalms tried and tested in raw human emotion. This book is designed to be kept in the top drawer of a businessman's desk, the satchel of a student, or the briefcase of a top flight lady executive.
Sixth and final volume of the long-awaited translation of one of Augustine's classics and a great work in Christian literature. Newly translated by Maria Boulding, O.S.B., whose masterful translation of Augustine's Confessions in the same series has been praised as being "of a different level of excellence from practically anything else in the market" (Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.) The Expositions recapitulate and focus the experiences of Augustine's personal life, his theological reflections, and his pastoral concerns as Bishop of Hippo.