Rituals transform citizens into presidents and princesses into queens. They transform sick persons into healthy ones, and public space into prohibited sanctuary. Shamanic rituals heal, legal rituals bind, political rituals ratify, and religious rituals sanctify. But how exactly do they accomplish these things? How do rituals work? This is the question of ritual efficacy, and although it is one of the very first questions that people everywhere ask of rituals, surprisingly little has been written on the topic. In fact, this collection of 10 contributed essays is the first to explicitly address the question of ritual efficacy. The authors do not aspire to answer the question 'how do rituals work?' in a simplistic fashion, but rather to show how complex the question is. While some contributors do indeed advance a particular theory of ritual efficacy, others ask whether the question makes any sense at all, and most show how complex it is by referring to the sociocultural environment in which it is posed, since the answer depends on who is asking the question, and what criteria they use to evaluate the efficacy of ritual. In his introduction, William Sax emphasizes that the very notion of ritual efficacy is a suspicious one because, according to a widespread 'modern' and 'scientific' viewpoint, rituals are merely expressive, and therefore cannot be efficacious. Rituals are thought of as superficial, 'merely symbolic,' and certainly not effective. Nevertheless many people insist that rituals 'work,' and the various positions taken on the question tell us a great deal about the social and historical background of the people involved. One essay, for example, illuminates a dispute between 'materialist' and 'enlightenment' Catholics in Ecuador, with the former affirming the notion of ritual efficacy and the latter doubting it. In other essays, contributors address instances in which orthodox religious figures (mullahs, church authorities, and even scientific positivists) discount the efficacy of rituals. In several of the essays, 'modern' people are suspicious of rituals and tend to deny their efficacy, confirming the theme highlighted in Sax's introduction.

"The Messianic Aleph Tav Scriptures" (MATS) is a study bible which focuses on the study of the Aleph Tav character symbol used throughout the old testament (Tanakh) by both Moses and the Prophets and is the most exhaustive and unique rendition of its kind in the world. Over 5 years in the making, this English rendition reveals every place the Hebrew Aleph Tav symbol was used as a "free standing" character symbol believed to express the "strength of the covenant" in its original meaning. The Aleph Tav was believed also to be the "mark" of the "divine hand" for thousands of years by such famous rabbis as Nahum of Gimzo, Akiva, and R. S. Hirsch as well as the Apostle John. Also revealed in MATS is the use of the Aleph Tav as it is incorporated into the creation of hundreds of Hebrew words used thousands of times throughout the Tanakh and how the "mark" incorporates Y'shua haMashiach (Jesus the messiah), as well as all mankind and creation, which substantiates and expresses its divinity, thus taking our understanding of the scriptures to a whole new level. MATS comes in your choice of either Paleo or Modern Hebrew editions in a trim size of the regular 6"x9" or the large print edition 8.5"x11."

About the Author William H. Sanford is a licensed Minister of Bet Ami, a Messianic Congregation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has been studying and preaching the gospel for over 40 years. William has several videos about "The Messianic Aleph Tav Scriptures" (MATS) on YouTube, and he may be contacted through his website www.AlephTavScriptures.com or on Facebook at Aleph Tav Scriptures.

The English Standard Version is an "essentially literal" translation of the Bible in contemporary English. It is ideally suited for personal reading, for public worship, for in-depth study, and for Scripture memorization. ESV Compact Bible combines classic portability and improved readability. This Bible will be a favorite of anyone who likes to take God's Word wherever they go: from daily commuters to faithful students, world travelers to busy moms.

Appealing to anyone who uses a mobile phone or tablet, the Filament Bible Collection is a line of lightweight print Bibles featuring a first-in-market app that connects readers to extensive content related to any page they are reading. Readers simply scan a page number of the Filament Bible with the simple-to-use free Filament Bible app on their mobile device to instantly access study notes; devotionals from authors such as Chris Tiegreen, Nancy Guthrie, Colin S. Smith, and Harold Myra; interactive maps; articles; teaching videos (The Bible Project); and worship music (The Worship Initiative) related to the verse or passage of Scripture being read.

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In ancient Israelite literature Exile is seen as a central turning point within the course of the history of Israel. In these texts "the Exile" is a central ideological concept. It serves to explain the destruction of the monarchic polities and the social and economic disasters associated with them in terms that YHWH punished Israel/Judah for having abandoned his ways. As it develops an image of an unjust Israel, it creates one of a just deity. But YHWH is not only imagined as just, but also as loving and forgiving, for the exile is presented as a transitory state: Exile is deeply intertwined with its discursive counterpart, the certain "Return". As the Exile comes to be understood as a necessary purification or preparation for a renewal of YHWH's proper relationship with Israel, the seemingly unpleasant Exilic conditions begin, discursively, to shape an image of YHWH as loving Israel and teaching it. Exile is dystopia, but one that carries in itself all the seeds of utopia. The concept of Exile continued to exercise an important influence in the discourses of Israel in the Second Temple period, and was eventually influential in the production of eschatological visions.

Modern Israel and its relations with its Arab neighbors has been conspicuously in the daily news ever since World War II. Until that time, the concept of Israel and a continuing Jewish people had been hovering in the distant background of Christian thought and doctrine since the post-apostolic era. In this important work, Dr. Diprose demonstrates the uniqueness of Israel and its special place in the divine plan. By carefully reviewing relevant New Testament and post-apostolic writings, the author traces the origin and development of Replacement Theology--the concept that the Church has completely and permanently replaced ethnic Israel in the outworking of God's plan throughout history--challenging its origin and role in the development of Christian thought on the future of ethnic Israel.