Knossos is one of the most important sites in the ancient Mediterranean. It remained amongst the largest settlements on the island of Crete from the Neolithic until the late Roman times, but aside from its size it held a place of particular significance in the mythological imagination of Greece and Rome as the seat of King Minos, the location of the Labyrinth and the home of the Minotaur. Sir Arthur Evans’ discovery of ‘the Palace of Minos’ has indelibly associated Knossos in the modern mind with the ‘lost’ civilisation of Bronze Age Crete. The allure of this ‘lost civilisation’, together with the considerable achievements of ‘Minoan’ artists and craftspeople, remain a major attraction both to scholars and to others outside the academic world as a bastion of a romantic approach to the past. In this volume, James Whitley provides an up-to-date guide to the site and its function from the Neolithic until the present day. This study includes a re-appraisal Bronze Age palatial society, as well as an exploration of the history of Knossos in the archaeological imagination. In doing so he takes a critical look at the guiding assumptions of Evans and others, reconstructing how and why the received view of this ancient settlement has evolved from the Iron Age up to the modern era.

This volume discusses crucial aspects of the period between the two revolts against Rome in Judaea that saw the rise of rabbinic Judaism and of the separation between Judaism and Christianity. Most contributors no longer support the 'maximalist' claim that around 100 CE, a powerful rabbinic regime was already in place. Rather, the evidence points to the appearance of the rabbinic movement as a group with a regional power base and with limited influence. The period is best seen as one of transition from the multiform Judaism revolving around the Second Temple in Jerusalem to a Judaism that was organized around synagogue, Tora, and sages and that parted ways with Christianity.

**The mesmerising retelling from the woman at the heart of one of Ancient Greece's most famous myths.** 'I absolutely adored this book and am encouraging everyone I know to buy a copy.' REAL READER REVIEW 'The last few pages will easily become tear soaked. I loved every minute of this book' REAL READER REVIEW 'A lyrical, insightful re-telling' - Daily Mail 'If you like Madeline Miller's Circe and Song of Achilles, you will eat up Ariadne [. . .] Saint makes it a page-turner' - Glamour 'Exquisitely written and exceptionally moving, this is a mythical retelling to savour.' - Elodie Harper, author of THE WOLF DEN 'ARIADNE gives voice to the misused Princess of Crete who betrayed her father to save Theseus from the Minotaur. Relevant and revelatory.' - Stylist Ariadne, Princess of Crete and daughter of the fearsome King Minos, grows up hearing stories of gods and heroes. But beneath the golden palace something else stirs, the hoofbeats and bellows echoing from the Labyrinth below. Every year its captive, the Minotaur - Ariadne's brother - demands blood. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne sees in him her chance to escape. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that drawing the attention of the mercurial gods may cost her everything. In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne's decision to risk everything for love ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover's ambition? ARIADNE gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this exceptional debut novel is perfect for fans of CIRCE, A SONG OF ACHILLES, and THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS. 'With her wonderfully executed debut that reimagines the classic tale of Theseus, Adriane and the Minotaur, Jennifer Saint joins the likes of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker in forging mesmerising retellings of ancient Greek myths from a female perspective.' - Waterstones.com 'Saint's immersive novel thrusts the reader straight into the heart of Greek mythology with this wonderful reimagining of the story of Ariadne.' - iPaper 'What happens after the monster is defeated and the princess leaves with the hero? Jennifer Saint's ARIADNE is a shimmering tapestry of two sisters bound by deceit and the shadows of family history. . .With a fresh voice and keen insight, Saint adds flesh and bone to an ancient myth, drawing the reader into an uneasy world of ever-afters.' - Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of THE NIGHT TIGER WHAT THE READERS ARE SAYING... 'Stunning writing, fabulous storytelling and surprisingly real characters who you could empathise with' 'This is an essential book in the new and rising volume of retelling from the women's point of view - so revealing and questioning. The ending 5 pages of this book killed me.' 'So real, so matter of fact, like a good chat on a girls' night out.'

Rumi's great book of wisdom-infused poetry contain myriad lessons on the importance of faith, with the culture and lessons of spiritual, Biblical and Islamic teachings featuring strongly. In authoring his masterwork, Rumi quoted the Qu'ran, the Bible and several spiritual forebears. Wishing to align his poetry in order to tell tales of man and man's place in the world, Rumi drew upon a variety of religious and spiritual sources to create a poetic compendium of supreme profundity and depth. The Masnavi was praised as one of the finest works of mystical literature ever seen. It is in the Masnavi that Persia's place between the spiritual cultures of Asia and the Middle East is evidenced. Rumi himself, while undoubtedly an Islamic scholar of great ability, did not feel confined to the faith; he saw spiritual value in a range of disciplines, and asserted that the light of Mohammed's prophecy does not leave faithful Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians or other denominations behind.

The First Comprehensive Summary, for the English Reader, of the Teaching of the Talmud and the Rabbis on Ethics, Religion, Folk-lore and Jurisprudence. Cohen does an excellent job of presenting the origins of Talmudic literature and summarizing in a meaningful way the many doctrines it contains.

The Jewish practice of bar mitzvah dates back to the twelfth century, but this ancient cultural ritual has changed radically since then, evolving with the times and adapting to local conditions. For many Jewish-American families, a child's bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah is both a major social event and a symbolic means of asserting the family's ongoing connection to the core values of Judaism. Coming of Age in Jewish America takes an inside look at bar and bat mitzvahs in the twenty-first century, examining how the practices have continued to morph and exploring how they serve as a sometimes shaky bridge between the values of contemporary American culture and Judaic tradition. Interviewing over 200 individuals involved in bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies, from family members to religious educators to rabbis, Patricia Keer Munro presents a candid portrait of the conflicts that often emerge and the negotiations that ensue. In the course of her study, she charts how this ritual is rife with contradictions; it is a private family event and a public community activity, and for the child, it is both an educational process and a high-stakes performance. Through detailed observations of Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, and independent congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area, Munro draws intriguing, broad-reaching conclusions about both the current state and likely future of American Judaism. In the process, she shows not only how American Jews have forged a unique set of bar and bat mitzvah practices, but also how these rituals continue to shape a distinctive Jewish-American identity.

This study revisits one of the most extensive examples of the spread of ideas in the history of civilization: the diffusion of Indian religious and political ideas to Southeast Asia before the advent of Islam and European colonialism. Hindu and Buddhist concepts and symbols of kingship and statecraft helped to legitimize Southeast Asian rulers, and transform the political institutions and authority of Southeast Asia. But the process of this diffusion was not accompanied by imperialism, political hegemony, or "colonization" as conventionally understood. This book investigates different explanations of the spread of Indian ideas offered by scholars, including why and how it occurred and what were its key political and institutional outcomes. It challenges the view that strategic competition is a recurring phenomenon when civilizations encounter each other.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the focus of love and devotion for one fifth of humanity. Even outsiders cannot deny his political genius and great statesmanship as the founder of a new world order and the stimulus for a succession of brilliant and progressive civilisations. But a study of his life in these terms overlooks arguably his most essential qualities - his mercy and benevolence. Internationally renowned Islamic scholar, Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has produced a work unrivalled in its comprehensive treatment of the subject matter, illustrating the merciful character of the Prophet in all its aspects, towards humans and more generally towards all beings. Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has reproduced a solid corpus of references from the Qur'an, along with reliable Hadith, specially selected for authenticity and relevance. All sources are meticulously referenced in Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri's characteristic style. This book shows how in spite of immense hardships and painful ordeals, the mercy and compassion of the Prophet remained to the fore, even towards those who opposed and persecuted him. For Muslims, this book will be a means to celebrate the magnanimous personality of the Prophet and an incentive to instil the great qualities of the Prophet in their own lives, while non-Muslims and academics will discover how these qualities as described in the Islamic literature have caused the Prophet to occupy his preeminent position in the religious consciousness of Muslims.

A study of the life and background of 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, putative founder of the Qadiriyya order, investigating the sources for his life and attributed works. The book seeks to elucidate the ideas of al-Jilani, and to formulate a picture of the most prominent trends of pious and mystical thought in Baghdad during the twelfth century, providing a cultural and geographical angle to the study of Islamic mysticism and piety.

Virtuous Bodies breaks new ground in the field of Buddhist ethics by investigating the diverse roles bodies play in ethical development. Traditionally, Buddhists assumed a close connection between body and morality. Thus Buddhist literature contains descriptions of living beings that stink with sin, are disfigured by vices, or are perfumed and adorned with virtues. Taking an influential early medieval Indian Mahayana Buddhist text-Santideva's Compendium of Training (Siksasamuccaya)-as a case study, Susanne Mrozik demonstrates that Buddhists regarded ethical development as a process of physical and moral transformation.
Mrozik chooses The Compendium of Training because it quotes from over one hundred Buddhist scriptures, allowing her to reveal a broader Buddhist interest in the ethical significance of bodies. The text is a training manual for bodhisattvas, especially monastic bodhisattvas. In it, bodies function as markers of, and conditions for, one's own ethical development. Most strikingly, bodies also function as instruments for the ethical development of others. When living beings come into contact with the virtuous bodies of bodhisattvas, they are transformed physically and morally for the better.
Virtuous Bodies explores both the centrality of bodies to the bodhisattva ideal and the corporeal specificity of that ideal. Arguing that the bodhisattva ideal is an embodied ethical ideal, Mrozik poses an array of fascinating questions: What does virtue look like? What kinds of physical features constitute virtuous bodies? What kinds of bodies have virtuous effects on others? Drawing on a range of contemporary theorists, this book engages in a feminist hermeneutics of recoveryand suspicion in order to explore the ethical resources Buddhism offers to scholars and religious practitioners interested in the embodied nature of ethical ideals.

Did the universe begin to exist? If so, did it have a cause? Or could it have come into existence uncaused, from nothing? These questions are taken up by the medieval-though recently-revived-kalam cosmological argument, which has arguably been the most discussed philosophical argument for God's existence in recent decades. The kalam's line of reasoning maintains that the series of past events cannot be infinite but rather is finite. Since the universe could not have come into being uncaused, there must be a transcendent cause of the universe's beginning, a conclusion supportive of theism. This anthology on the philosophical arguments for the finitude of the past asks: Is an infinite series of past events metaphysically possible? Should actual infinites be restricted to theoretical mathematics, or can an actual infinite exist in the concrete world? These essays by kalam proponents and detractors engage in lively debate about the nature of infinity and its conundrums; about frequently-used kalam argument paradoxes of Tristram Shandy, the Grim Reaper, and Hilbert's Hotel; and about the infinity of the future.