A widespread early Palestinian Jewish saying was 'As the first redeemer of Israel, so the last redeemer of Israel': as Moses, so the Messiah. This was the major reason why the death, burial, and translation of Moses to heaven in primarily Palestinian early Jewish tradition greatly influenced the descriptions of numerous accounts in the Gospels. The most significant examples of this are Jesus' burial by Joseph of Arimathea in Mark 15:42-46, and the narrative of the empty tomb in 16:1-8. Striking new insights into the background and significance of these episodes are gained here through an analysis of early Jewish materials.

The Catholic Church on Marital Intercourse traces the development of the Church's theology of marital sexuality from New Testament times to the present day. The early ecclesial leaders promoted a theology of sexuality based on Stoicism's biological perception that sexual activity was solely for the purpose of reproduction. Only in the early twentieth century did a few theologians begin to move beyond discussing "the purposes of marital intercourse" to discussing the meaning that the marital act might have for the spouses themselves. With the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), a new and positive view of marital sexuality emerged recognizing the Pauline view that the couple's marital acts express their love for each other along the lines of Christ's love for his church (Ephesians 5). In sum, The Catholic Church on Marital Intercourse treats the way in which the Catholic Church has moved away from an attitude of conditional acceptance of marital intercourse on the basis of its utility to recognition that the dynamics of sexual union are both good and holy, not only because that is the way children are conceived, but also because the marital act enhances the love of husband and wife for each other.

What do Osama bin Laden, Adolph Hitler, David Koresh, Jim Jones, Gene Applewhite, and the slayers of abortion doctors all have in common? All of them based their dangerous and destructive actions, to a large extent, on a message they believed they received from God. The receipt of messages from God is known by many religions as "spiritual gifts theology." In his earlier book, Implicit Rhetoric: Kenneth Burke's Extension of Aristotle's Concept of Entelechy, author Stan Lindsay presented the concept of psychotic entelechy, which is based on Burke's writings. In this new work, Lindsay expands upon the concept of psychotic entelechy by analyzing the religious motives behind the dangerous behavior of some individuals and organizations. Psychotic Entelechy also illustrates the curative aspect of the Burkean methods and presents key indicators of psychotic entelechy. The hope, and ultimate goal, is that as readers learn to identify psychotic entelechy in their own lives and/or the lives of those whom they influence or who influence them, the dangers will be diminished.

This book assumes questions that perceptive readers of all persuasions might ask about the Bible. These questions pertain both to the nature of the text and the text itself. With regard to the former, its historical development is described in reverse order, back through 16th century England to the definitive Hebrew text from which all modern translations are made, the Leningrad Codex, dated 1008 CE. The development continues through prior centuries, importantly, to the Dead Sea Scrolls, which raise new questions about which text to translate. The Pentateuch throughout is discussed with the question in mind: Is it history or story? The great wealth of information, both material and literary, which archaeology has provided over the last one and half centuries as well as the intensive literary analysis of biblical scholars is brought to bear on the text. The attempt is made to provide information not commonly known to the general reader in searching for an answer to the question. The identification of literary traditions with their theological perspectives serves to show the diversity of the material amidst its overall unity. The traditions, which make up the Old Testament, did not end with our canon, whether Jewish, Catholic or Protestant. A group of these later books, known as Apocrypha, are included in some Bibles but not in others. A large number of other books, known as Pseudepigrapha, represent the continuation of the traditions. Those related to Genesis, as well as the ambivalent status of the Apocrypha, are discussed here.

Dalya Cohen-Mor examines the evolution of the concept of fate in the Arab world through readings of religious texts, poetry, fiction, and folklore. She contends that belief in fate has retained its vitality and continues to play a pivotal role in the Arabs' outlook on life and their social psychology. Interwoven with the chapters are 16 modern short stories that further illuminate this fascinating topic.

Liturgy, a complex interweaving of word, text, song, and behavior is a central fixture of religious life in the Jewish tradition. It is unique in that it is performed and not merely thought. Because liturgy is performed by a specific group at a specific time and place it is mutable. Thus, liturgical reasoning is always new and understandings of liturgical practices are always evolving. Liturgy is neither preexisting nor static; it is discovered and revealed in every liturgical performance.
Jewish Liturgical Reasoning is an attempt to articulate the internal patterns of philosophical, ethical, and theological reasoning that are at work in synagogue liturgies. This book discusses the relationship between internal Jewish liturgical reasoning and the variety of external philosophical and theological forms of reasoning that have been developed in modern and post liberal Jewish philosophy. Steven Kepnes argues that liturgical reasoning can reorient Jewish philosophy and provide it with new tools, new terms of discourse and analysis, and a new sensibility for the twenty-first century.
The formal philosophical study of Jewish liturgy began with Moses Mendelssohn and the modern Jewish philosophers. Thus the book focuses, in its first chapters, on the liturgical reasoning of Moses Mendelssohn, Hermann Cohen, and Franz Rosenzweig. However, it attempts to augment and further develop the liturgical reasoning of these figures with methods of study from Hermeneutics, Semiotic theory, post liberal theology, anthropology and performance theory. These newer theories are enlisted to help form a contemporary liturgical reasoning that can respond to such events as the Holocaust, the establishmentof the State of Israel, and interfaith dialogue between Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

The author writes: "Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook (5635-5695/1865-1935) was one of the greatest Jewish leaders of recent history. He was steeped in Jewish knowledge of all kinds, a master of halacha, Talmud, and Jewish philosophy, and he also had a good knowledge of the general philosophy and science of his day." Rav Kook was also a prolific writer and complex thinker who developed a system of understanding the events that were happening to the Jewish people. It was a time of change, HerzI convened the Zionist Congress in Basel, irreligious Zionists were moving to Israel and establishing settlements and kibbutzim. There was a negative reaction from many religious leaders to the young men and women. Darwin's theory and Freud I s new science were gaining popularity and many Jews were drawn further away from a traditional lifestyle. Rav Kook was able to perceive the inner yearnings that accompanied these revolutionary changes. They represented a deep yearning within these young Jews for morality, equality, and justice. They realized that the world was not static but evolved and moved in a positive direction. Rav Kook embraced both Zionism and the young irreligious Zionists. He developed a philosophy that was based on the kabbalistic concept of fusion. The world appears divided; there is a break between heaven and earth, physical and spiritual, politics and religion. But at the heart of it all, everything is fused into a cohesive unit. This is true for the individual, the nation, and all of existence. Rav Kook set about publicizing his theories and spreading his teachings to young thinkers, both religious and secular. This represents the bulk of his voluminous writings. Rav Kook never wrote a book of commentary on the Torah, but he did create a lens through which we can perceive and better understand the Torah. That is the basis for this book.

For teens who make God an integral part of their lives, teens who are sorting through doubts about whether God really cares about them, and teens who don't know God at all, Chicken Soup for the Christian Teenage Soul may be one of the most influential books they'll ever read.

Sefer Yetzira is a sacred book of great antiquity and power, and one of Judaism's oldest texts after the Bible. In this new translation and commentary, Rabbi Worch leads us step-by-step through innermost chambers of Jewish mysticism. We are allowed to listen in to the arguments between Moses and God, to the whispered dialogue between Rabbis Akiba and Ishmael, and to those fervid and passionate practitioners of whose ecstasies these pages remain redolent. In the beginning was God's desire for us. Sefer Yetzira describes the process whereby desire materializes in the Breath of God and thence into the Ten Sephirot and twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Commentaries to the Sefer Yetzira, through the ages, have reflected the spirit and yearning of those times, the genius and romance of the zeitgeist, be it philosophical, mathematical or contemplative. This commentary reflects the strikingly mystical qualities of Hasidism and the post-modern approach to text. In this book, we read how to listen for the breath of the Living God, how to hear it and breathe it back, in the mystery of our sacred kisses.

Moses' Staff and Aeneas' Shield uses two emblems to symbolize the important differences between the tragic but triumphant heroism of Virgil's Aeneid and the kenotic heroism of Moses in the Exodus story of Aeneas' shield and Moses' staff. The shield of Aeneas represents Rome's imperial destiny to rule the earth's peoples by strength, and Aeneas' personal destiny to end in triumph as a warrior. In contrast, the staff of Moses represents the saving wonders the Lord works through him to save the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt and bind them to himself in covenant, and his mission to go beyond being simply a wonder worker to "a man of words" who preaches the Lord's Torah.

There were fifteen important prophets in Israel, whose lives covered nearly four centuries, beginning about 750 B.C.E. Known as the literary prophets because they wrote down their prophecies, they were chosen by God at a time of social and political crisis in the community. Their task was to warn, criticize the morals and ethics of their day, and counsel and comfort the Israelite people. This book presents an overview of the literary prophets and the nature of their prophecies. They include Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Joel, Obadiah, Nachum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, and Jonah. In addition to the so-called literary prophets, there were other people in the Bible referred to as prophets as well. Gideon, in the Book of Judges, was referred to as a prophet, Deborah is called a prophetess in the Book of Judges. Moses was twice called a prophet in the Bible and even Abraham is once referred to as a prophet in the Book of Genesis. Messengers of God: A Jewish Prophets Who's Who explores these prophets as well. Topics in this volume include: what is a prophet; varieties of prophets; commissioning of the prophet; preliterary prophets; false prophets; Moses; Deborah; prophetic signs and visions; values of the prophets; prophecy in the Talmud, philosophers and prophets, and prophets in the liturgy and rabbinic sources. Messengers of God: A Jewish Prophets Who's Who will enable the reader to have a better understanding of the nature of the prophets and their works.

In Midrash for Beginners, Rabbi Edwin Goldberg presents English readers with an easily accessible entrance into the fascinating and insightful world of Midrash. Instead of trying to explain or define the Midrash and the midrashic process, Rabbi Goldberg gives beginning students the opportunity to explore and study Midrash themselves by focusing exclusively on the biblical character of Joseph. The story of Joseph is one of the best-known and most-loved tales in the Bible. From his rivalry with his brothers, and his father's apparent favoritism, to his being sold into slavery and rising up to become the second most powerful man in Egypt, Joseph's story contains lessons and symbolism that are as relevant to Jews today as they were to the rabbinic commentators of more than a thousand years ago

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This attractive FIRST MASS BOOK for girls was carefully written to enable children to take a more active part in the Mass. It features beautiful, full-color illustrations of the Mass and the Life of Christ as well as a complete Prayer Section.

""I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved." Given in Rome by Pope Francis on November 24, 2013, the Solemnity of Christ the King, The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) encourages all members of the faithful to a renewed personal encounter with Christ and to a greater evangelization. In his first apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis delves more deeply into the new evangelization, building on the foundation laid by Benedict XVI and John Paul II. The document discusses evangelization in the context of both the pulpit and the world. Pope Francis expresses a desire for "a 'missionary option', that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything..."(#27) Referencing Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, the Second Vatican Council, and many other Church documents, Pope Francis calls the Church to a greater evangelization that is empowered by a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. "

Saint Leander, Archbishop of Seville describes the life of Leander, who brought the Catholic faith to Spain in the late sixth century, becoming a saint after his death in c. 600 AD. Despite inheriting great wealth and his sister's exposure to high society, Leander became a monk and persuaded his sister to give up wealth and opportunities for marriage in order to become a nun. Detailing how he persuaded her to join a convent and his celebration of his country's acceptance of the true faith, this book provides a new perspective of Leander's Byzantine parents and two brothers, Fulgentius and Isidore. When besieged by the Arian king, Liuvigild, Leander's parents and sister escaped to Carthage. Later in life, Leander taught Isidore to take over after him in Seville.

Professionalisation of Journalism has been a subject under global scrutiny since the nineteenth century. Contemporary studies show how journalism profession grapples with the implementation of standard journalism education and practices across the globe. The author discovered that the development of journalism has remarkable link with the advent of Christianity, however, an apparent decline of ethical values in higher education and professional practices abound thereby revealing the type of quality of education provided and the substandard nature of journalistic Professionalisation. Empirical research conducted in this regard geared towards assessing the socio-ethical relevance of Professionalisation as beneficial to democratic development, and the challenges journalists encounter that hinder the implementation of professional ethics and cultural values as a contribution to human dignity, rights, justice, solidarity and the common good. To critically examine these phenomena, this research study is anchored of scientific materials. It adopted the "see-judge-act" (A Theological methodology approach used in appraising socio-ethical situations) as well as qualitative and quantitative methods. The researcher conducted thirteen semi-standardised interviews as well as analysed 200 data samples (twenty-three questions) with Mayring model and (SPSS) was used to evaluate the quantitative data. The research results showed the thirteen different interview partners unanimously consented that "journalism in Nigeria must be professionalised" and "there is need to integrate Christian social ethics and culture driven values into the training curriculum" if journalists are to regain their credibility and integrity. The tested hypotheses showed statistical significance (p<0,05) among several others tested. Data interpreted illustrate huge consensus from the samples that 46,5% (agree) 29% strongly agree while, 11,5% (disagree), 2,5% (strongly disagree) and 10,5% responded with neutrality to the above statements. Founded on this, the author proposes integrating Christian social ethics and culture driven values in journalism to reinforce its social responsibilities, to serve as guidelines for the practical handling of low Professionalisation in Nigeria and across the globe

In the brutal fight that has raged in recent years over the reputation of Pope Pius XII_leader of the Catholic Church during World War II, the Holocaust, and the early years of the Cold War_the task of defending the Pope has fallen primarily to reviewers. These reviewers formulated a brilliant response to the attack on Pius, but their work was scattered in various newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals_making it nearly impossible for the average reader to gauge the results. In The Pius War, Weekly Standard's Joseph Bottum has joined with Rabbi David G. Dalin to gather a representative and powerful sample of these reviews, deliberately chosen from a wide range of publications. Together with a team of professors, historians, and other experts, the reviewers conclusively investigate the claims attacking Pius XII. The Pius War, and a detailed annotated bibliography that follows, will prove to be a definitive tool for scholars and students_destined to become a major resource for anyone interested in questions of Catholicism, the Holocaust, and World War II.

African religion is ancestor worship; it revolves around the dead, now thought to be alive and well in heaven (the Samanadzie) and propitiated by the living on earth. For the Akan, the ancestors' stool is the emblem of the ancestors (Nananom Nsamanfo). Led by their kings and queen mothers as living ancestors, the Akan periodically propitiate the ancestors' stools housing their ancestors. In return, the ancestors and deities influence the affairs of living descendants, making ancestor worship as tenably viable as any other religion. This second edition updates the scholarship on ancestor worship by demonstrating the centrality of the ancestors' stool as the ultimate religious symbol. In addition, all chapters have been expanded. A new chapter has been added to show how ancestor worship is pragmatically integrative, theologically sound, teleological as well as soteriological, with a highly trained clerical body and elders as mediators.

This learned, highly personal, and blunt devotional commentary on selected passages in the four gospels is intended for both devotional and educational purposes. It showcases a number of archetypal images of Jesus found in the gospels, including Jesus as Wildman; Jesus as feminine man; Jesus as wounded healer; Jesus as fiery prophet; and Jesus as Trickster. Contemporary readers, churched and unchurched, will find The Gospels with Salt very informative and stimulating.

Awaken your heart and mind to see your own capacity for wisdom, compassion and kindness. "When we awaken to our own light, it becomes possible to develop real wisdom about our life. As wisdom allows us to see clearly, our hearts break open with compassion for the struggles of our own lives and the lives of all beings. Awakened with wisdom and compassion, we are impelled to live our lives with kindness, and we are led to do whatever we can to repair the brokenness of our world." —from the Introduction At last, a fresh take on meditation that draws on life experience and living life with greater clarity rather than the traditional method of rigorous study. Based on twenty-five years of bringing meaningful spiritual practice to the Jewish community, well-known meditation teacher and practitioner Rabbi Jeff Roth presents Jewish contemplative techniques that foster the development of a heart of wisdom and compassion. This contemporary approach to meditation—accessible to both beginners and experts alike—focuses on using the distilled wisdom of Buddhism and Judaism as a way to learn from life experience. By combining these two traditions, he presents a model that allows westerners—both Jews and non-Jews—to embrace timeless Eastern teachings without sacrificing their birth traditions.