The Haggadot commissioned by wealthy patrons in the Middle Ages are among the most beautifully decorated Hebrew manuscripts, and The `Brother' Haggadah - so-called because of its close relationship to The Rylands Haggadah in the collection of the John Rylands Library, Manchester - is one of the finest of these to have survived. Created by Sephardi - or southern - artists and scribes in Catalonia in the second quarter of the 14th century, it sets out the liturgy and sequence of the Passover Seder, a ritual feast by which Jewish families give thanks for the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus. This finely produced facsimile edition begins with an introduction by medieval scholar Professor Marc Michael Epstein, who sets out the background to the Passover and provides an analysis of the manuscript's iconographic scheme. Following are essays on the provenance of The `Brother' Haggadah by Ilana Tahan, head of the Hebrew and Christian collections at the British Library, and on the Shaltiel family, former owners of the manuscript, by Hebrew scholar Eliezer Laine. The book also contains a translation of the poems and commentary in the manuscript by the late Raphael Lowe, former Goldsmid Professor of Hebrew at University College London, and a translation of the Haggadah liturgy.

Revealing what is 'Islamic' in Islamic art, Shaw explores the perception of arts, including painting, music, and geometry through the discursive sphere of historical Islam including the Qur'an, Hadith, Sufism, ancient philosophy, and poetry. Emphasis on the experience of reception over the context of production enables a new approach, not only to Islam and its arts, but also as a decolonizing model for global approaches to art history. Shaw combines a concise introduction to Islamic intellectual history with a critique of the modern, secular, and European premises of disciplinary art history. Her meticulous interpretations of intertextual themes span antique philosophies, core religious and theological texts, and prominent prose and poetry in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu that circulated across regions of Islamic hegemony from the eleventh century to the colonial and post-colonial contexts of the modern Middle East.

From approximately the third century BCE through the thirteenth century CE, the remote mountainous landscape around the glacial sources of the Ganga (Ganges) River in the Central Himalayas in northern India was transformed into a region encoded with deep meaning, one approached by millions of Hindus as a primary locus of pilgrimage. Nachiket Chanchani's innovative study explores scores of stone edifices and steles that were erected in this landscape. Through their forms, locations, interactions with the natural environment, and sociopolitical context, these lithic ensembles evoked legendary worlds, embedded historical memories in the topography, changed the mountain range's appearance, and shifted its semiotic effect. Mountain Temples and Temple Mountains also alters our understanding of the transmission of architectural knowledge and provides new evidence of how an enduring idea of India emerged in the subcontinent. Art History Publication Initiative. For more information, visit http://arthistorypi.org/books/mountain-temples-and-temple-mountains

Seven-sacrament art -- the representation of all seven sacraments --first appeared in Europe as an occasional subject in the 14th century, but by the middle of the 15th it had become widely popular. In this interdisciplinary study, Ann Eljenholm Nichols provides an analysis of the iconography of the sacraments. The book begins with a comprehensive survey of all known continental work, some of it never before published, but it focuses on English work. Nichols argues that before 1450 there existed an international iconography of the sacraments, but that thereafter English work diverges so radically it is necessary to speak of a distinctive insular iconography. The explanation for that difference, she believes, is to be found in the peculiar religious climate created by the Lollard rejection of the sacramental system. The need to counter-attack, to make the sacred signs seeable, accounts for the theological character of the font iconography. Her book makes an important contribution to the cultural and social history of medieval England. ANN ELJENHOLM NICHOLS is Professor, Department of English, Winona State University. (East Anglia) Seven-sacrament art -- the representation of all seven sacraments --firstappeared in Europe as an occasional subject in the 14th century, but by the middle of the 15th it had become widely popular. In this interdisciplinary study Ann Eljenholm Nichols provides an analysis of the iconography of the sacraments, focusing in particular on the imaged baptismal fonts in East Anglia, the single best corpus of extant seven-sacrament art. Nichols argues that after 1450 English work diverges radically from the international iconography of the sacraments; the explanation for this distinctive insular tradition, she believes, is to be found in the peculiar religious climate created by the Lollard rejection of the sacramental system, a rejection vigorously pursued in East Anglia. Her careful use of literary evidence --theological, didactic and liturgical --to illu

PaintingtheDivine explores New World images of the Virgin Mary that portray some of the events in her life, as well as examples of apparitions unique to various locales in the Americas. Iconography seen in these artworks tells a story that mixes religion, culture, and geography in ways unique to their regions. In addition, it examines pieces produced by New Mexican artists who developed a unique hybrid style with Spanish colonists, though they were separated by large geographic distances. It also explores the ways that contemporary Hispanic artists have adapted and infused Marian imagery with their own historical perspectives, stylistic traditions, and cultural values.

Few writers in the twentieth century were as creative and productive as Dorothy L. Sayers, the English playwright, novelist, and poet. Her justly renowned works include detective fiction featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, theological reflections, literary criticism, and her translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. Among the prominent themes of her work was the need for and challenges of developing community. Sayers, who was herself an active member of various writing groups throughout her lifetime, offers her readers visions of both fractured and harmonious communities. In this Hansen Lectureship volume, Christine Colon explores the role of community in Sayers's works. In particular, she considers how Sayers offers a vision of communities called to action, faith, and joy, and she reflects on how we also are called to live in community together. Based on the annual lecture series hosted at Wheaton College's Marion E. Wade Center, volumes in the Hansen Lectureship Series reflect on the imaginative work and lasting influence of seven British authors: Owen Barfield, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Dorothy L. Sayers, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams.

Puja and Piety celebrates the complexity of South Asian representation and iconography by examining the relationship between aesthetic expression and the devotional practice, or puja, in the three native religions of the Indian subcontinent. This stunning and authoritative catalogue presents some 150 objects created over the past two millennia for temples, home worship, festivals, and roadside shrines. From monumental painted temple hangings and painted meditation diagrams to portable pictures for pilgrims, from stone sculptures to processional bronzes and wooden chariots, from ancient terracottas to various devotional objects for domestic shrines, this volume provides much-needed context and insight into classical and popular art of India. Featuring an introduction by the eminent art historian and curator Pratapaditya Pal; accessible essays on each religious tradition by Stephen P. Huyler, John E. Cort, and Christian Luczanits; and useful guides to iconography and terms by Debashish Banerji, this richly illustrated catalogue will provide a lasting resource for readers interested in South Asian art and spirituality. Published in association with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Exhibition organized by Susan S. Tai, Elizabeth Atkins Curator of Asian Art Exhibition dates: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, April 17-July 31, 2016.

Following the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, a panoramic exploration of peoples, objects and beliefs from the celebrated author of A History of the World in 100 Objects and Germany 'Riveting, extraordinary ... tells the sweeping story of religious belief in all its inventive variety. The emphasis is not on our differences, but on shared spiritual yearnings' Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times, Books of the Year One of the central facts of human existence is that every society shares a set of beliefs and assumptions - a faith, an ideology, a religion - that goes far beyond the life of the individual. These beliefs are an essential part of a shared identity. They have a unique power to define - and to divide - us, and are a driving force in the politics of much of the world today. Throughout history they have most often been, in the widest sense, religious. Yet this book is not a history of religion, nor an argument in favour of faith. It is about the stories which give shape to our lives, and the different ways in which societies imagine their place in the world. Looking across history and around the globe, it interrogates objects, places and human activities to try to understand what shared beliefs can mean in the public life of a community or a nation, how they shape the relationship between the individual and the state, and how they help give us our sense of who we are. For in deciding how we live with our gods, we also decide how to live with each other. 'The new blockbuster by the museums maestro Neil MacGregor ... The man who chronicles world history through objects is back ... examining a new set of objects to explore the theme of faith in society' Sunday Times

A one-volume introduction to and overview of Christian art, from its earliest history to the present day. Diane Apostolos-Cappadona begins by examining how art and Christianity have intersected throughout history, and charts this tumultuous relationship that has yielded some of the greatest outpourings of human creativity. To introduce readers to the way a painting can be read Apostolos-Cappadona begins with an analysis of a painting of the Adoration of the Magi, helping readers to see how they can interpret for themselves the signs, symbols and figures that the book covers. In the more-than 1000 entries that follow Apostolos-Cappadona gives readers an expert overview of all the frequently used symbols and motifs in Christian art as well as the various saints, historical figures, religious events, and biblical scenes most frequently depicted. Readers are introduced to the ways in which religious paintings are often "coded'" such as what a lily means in a picture of Mary, how a goldfinch can be "Christological", or how the presence of an Eagle means it is likely to be a picture of St John. The entries are organized by topic, so that students and beginners can easily find their way to discussion of the themes and motifs they see before them when looking at a painting.

A sumptuous, illustrated guide to the symbolism of heavy metal, told through 300 of its greatest album covers Metal music has consistently offered some of the most gnarly artwork to accompany it's equally hardcore music, this book is a celebration of just that! More than any other genre of music, metal is steeped in a rich world of symbolism. From death and the devil to mythology and fantasy, its record covers are awash with iconography that carries a complex deeper meaning. In Codex Metallum, more than 80 of these visual themes are explored and explained, accompanied by 300 of metal's most incredible album covers, including Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Motoerhead, Black Sabbath, Rammstein and more. With bespoke illustrations from Rammstein collaborators Fortifem, this unique guide decodes the genre's imagery, ranging from serpents and demons to sigils, castles, zombies, dragons and more. Packaged in a stunning leather-effect case with foil finishes, Codex Metallum is a beautiful object in its own right, and essential reading for any metalhead.

I love to read.
I hate to read.

I don't have time to read.
I only read Christian books.

I'm not good at reading.
There's too much to read.

Chances are, you've thought or said one of these exact phrases before because reading is important and in many ways unavoidable.

Learn how to better read, what to read, when to read, and why you should read with this helpful guide from accomplished reader Tony Reinke. Offered here is a theology for reading and practical suggestions for reading widely, reading well, and for making it all worthwhile.

This study examines the narrative paintings of the Passion of Christ created in Italy during the thirteenth century. Demonstrating the radical changes that occurred in the depiction of the Passion cycle during the Duecento, a period that has traditionally been dismissed as artistically stagnant, Anne Derbes analyzes the relationship between these new images and similar renderings found in Byzantine sources. She argues that the Franciscan order, which was active in the Levant by the 1230s, was largely responsible for introducing these images into Italy.

Shamanism--the practice of entering a trance state to experience visions of a reality beyond the ordinary and to gain esoteric knowledge--has been an important part of life for indigenous societies throughout the Americas from prehistoric times until the present. Much has been written about shamanism in both scholarly and popular literature, but few authors have linked it to another significant visual realm--art. In this pioneering study, Rebecca R. Stone considers how deep familiarity with, and profound respect for, the extra-ordinary visionary experiences of shamanism profoundly affected the artistic output of indigenous cultures in Central and South America before the European invasions of the sixteenth century.

Using ethnographic accounts of shamanic trance experiences, Stone defines a core set of trance vision characteristics, including enhanced senses, ego dissolution, bodily distortions, flying, spinning and undulating sensations, synaesthesia, and physical transformation from the human self into animal and other states of being. Stone then traces these visionary characteristics in ancient artworks from Costa Rica and Peru. She makes a convincing case that these works, especially those of the Moche, depict shamans in a trance state or else convey the perceptual experience of visions by creating deliberately chaotic and distorted conglomerations of partial, inverted, and incoherent images.

A True Story of Art, Angels and Miracles
When Reverends Keith and his wife Francesca Richardson opened their angel themed gift store, Things From Heaven, in 1995 they had only $5,000 in working capital; everyone thought they would fail. Against all odds their store flourished and became the world's most important art gallery for internationally famous angel artist Andy Lakey. Keith and Francesca were even more surprised when they found that Lakey's art opened their customers spiritually and allowed them to receive miraculous healings and messages from deceased loved ones on the other side.
Doorways to Heaven recounts the Richardson's amazing journey of opening their improbable angel themed gift store (which has now been in business for over fifteen years). It also describes the medical miracles and spiritual communications they and others have experienced when they touch and pray with Andy Lakey's art.
Andy Lakey is the world's most famous angel artist. His art is in the Vatican as well as collections of movie stars, political leaders and European royalty. What makes Lakey's art unique is that its paint is raised so the blind can appreciate it. Lakey donates many of his artworks to organizations for the blind throughout the world. His favorite charity is The Blind Children's Center in Los Angeles, California.
In 1990, Andy Lakey received a formal request for a painting from then Pope John Paul II. The Pope wanted a piece of art at the Vatican that blind people could appreciate. The painting Lakey donated is now visited and described during many tours of the Vatican.
Andy Lakey's art continues to be popular with art collectors throughout the world. It has been featured on numerous television programs including ABC's Good Morning America, Fox Television's Miracles in the Making, NBC'sAngels the Mysterious Messengers, TNN's The Life and Times of Angel Encounters and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Some of Andy Lakey's most famous collectors include: Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Princess Margaret of Great Britain, King Hussein of Jordan, Kelsey Grammar, Patty Duke, Naomi Judd, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Micky Mantel, Arnold Palmer and General Chuck Yeager.
Along with being internationally famous, Lakey's art is also considered to be quite spiritual. Many people who come in contact with this art initially feel a heat or tingling sensation. When actress/singer Shari Belafonte touched one of Andy Lakey's paintings on the television program Life Styles, she claimed she had felt a sensation go up her arm which felt like a burst of energy; she said she then knew there was something special about Lakey and his art. Shari went on to say that it was enduring and enlightening to see that one of the stories portrayed on TV was real.

An attractive new edition of Khalil Gibran's "Sand and Foam" as well as many other poems.

Every Catholic saint, local and liturgical, is honoured on a particular day of the year. In many cases, an order of precedence has been worked out to determine which saints are most important. In "Saints", Rosa Giorgi has chosen up to three saints for every day of the year, along with representations of those saints ranging from world-famous works of art to more modern depictions. From a wide variety of sources, Giorgi has composed a short explanation of each saint to accompany the illustration, including etymology of names, historical background, occupations, cities and countries of patronage. Although many well-known saints are depicted, including Francis of Assisi, Joan of Arc and Thomas Aquinas, some relatively obscure saints are pictured as well.

The Heroic Milton collects John Milton's three epic poems, Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and the poem-play Samson Agonistes. Also included are the illustrations for Paradise Lost by Gustave Dor.

The contributors to this 1992 book examine various aspects of the relationship among Christianity and the visual arts, architecture and music in Russia. Within this broad area the book concentrates on specific topics rather than attempting a broad survey. Nonetheless, the range of material extends from the earliest stages of the introduction of Byzantine art forms in Kievan Russia to the relation between Christian and folk decorative/iconographic motifs to the use of religious imagery in the work of contemporary filmmaker Andrei Tarkovskii. The related interests of the contributors create a concentration of topics in certain periods such as the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Some of the chapters are academically specialized, others are easily accessible to a general audience; but all are based on thorough and careful scholarship. Christianity and the Arts in Russia is based on, but not limited to, a symposium held at the Library of Congress in 1988 to mark the millennium of Russian Christianity.

In 1975, when political scientist Benedict Anderson reached Wat Phai Rong Wua, a massive temple complex in rural Thailand conceived by Buddhist monk Luang Phor Khom, he felt he had wandered into a demented Disneyland. One of the world's most bizarre tourist attractions, Wat Phai Rong Wua was designed as a cautionary museum of sorts; its gruesome statues depict violent and torturous scenes that showcase what hell may be like. Over the next few decades, Anderson, who is best known for his work, Imagined Communities, found himself transfixed by this unusual amalgamation of objects, returning several times to see attractions like the largest metal-cast Buddha figure in the world and the Palace of a Hundred Spires. The concrete statuaries and perverse art in Luang Phor's personal museum of hell included, \u201cside by side, an upright human skeleton in a glass cabinet and a life-size replica of Michelangelo's gigantic nude David, wearing fashionable red underpants from the top of which poked part of a swollen, un-Florentine penis,\u201d alongside dozens of statues of evildoers being ferociously punished in their afterlife. In The Fate of Rural Hell, Anderson unravels the intrigue of this strange setting, endeavoring to discover what compels so many Thai visitors to travel to this popular spectacle and what order, if any, inspired its creation. At the same time, he notes in Wat Phai Rong Wua the unexpected effects of the gradual advance of capitalism into the far reaches of rural Asia. Both a one-of-a-kind travelogue and a penetrating look at the community that sustains it, The Fate of Rural Hell is sure to intrigue and inspire conversation as much as Wat Phai Rong Wua itself.

C. S. Lewis is generally thought of as a commonsense Christian, one who offers theology that is understandable and morality that is practical. And yet, when writing about Narnia to a class of fifth graders who asked if it were possible to visit Aslan's country, Lewis replied that the only way he knew of was through death but then added this curious qualifier: "Perhaps some very good people get just a tiny glimpse before then." This simple sentence suggests a side of Lewis that most commentators have overlooked. If one takes another look at Lewis, one can find a sense of the mystical all through his writings, from his memoir Surprised by Joy to Perelandra, from his nonfiction essays to his Narnia stories. In this book David C. Downing explores the breadth of Lewis's writing, introducing us to Christian mysticism as Lewis knew it and to the contemplative writers who most influenced him. Though he showed a lifelong interest in mysticism, Lewis was not an uncritical admirer. As Downing highlights, Lewis had areas of concern and points of departure with some mystical thought. Lewis's comments about misguided forms mysticism are especially pertinent in our own era of faddish or eclectic religious thought. Exploring Lewis's sense of the mystical can help us safeguard ourselves from false mysticisms even as it opens the way to a deep and full experience of God's very presence with us. In the end we too may find ourselves drawn--as Lewis put it--"into the region of awe."

Striking hand-painted illustrations and enlightening commentary bring this bestselling classic to life. Penned from Bunyan's jail cell, The Pilgrim's Progress evocatively depicts a story of struggle, faith, and perseverance. This new illustrated edition of the classic allegory uniquely features annotations throughout the text, offering clarity and a nuanced interpretation of this beloved masterpiece.

Visually engaging and intellectually stimulating, this illustrated edition of this Christian classic is the perfect gift for the curious reader. Originally published in 1678 England, The Pilgrim's Progress has never been out of print, inspiring millions of people to persevere in their Christian walk and hold fast to truth. Beautiful illustrations mark the start of every chapter, and reader-friendly commentary illuminates the richness of the allegory and biblical allusions like never before. The Pilgrim's Progress is a staple for any home library, and these fresh, innovative elements breathe new life into this classic text.

Die vorliegende Studie widmet sich dem Salzburger Dioezesanpriester Dr. Joseph Anton Schoepf, der in der zweiten Halfte des 19. Jahrhunderts die Salzburger Lehrkanzeln fur Kirchengeschichte und Kirchenrecht massgeblich pragte. Der Autor legt eine ausfuhrliche Biografie sowie eine Darstellung seines wissenschaftlichen und allgemein-schriftstellerischen Wirkens vor. Schoepf prasentiert sich als vielschichtige Person: Er war rund 36 Jahre als akademischer Lehrer fur Kirchengeschichte und Kirchenrecht tatig, wirkte aber daruber hinaus in zahlreichen unterschiedlichen Feldern im akademischen, sozialen, journalistischen, pastoralen sowie politischen Bereich.