This respected graduate-level textbook provides comprehensive and accessible coverage of the basic and clinical aspects of the mucosal immune system, addressing the major components of the mucosal barrier gastrointestinal, upper and lower respiratory, ocular, and genitourinary mucosal immune systems in a highly user-friendly style. The editors of and contributors to the book, all internationally-recognized leaders, present the current principles, concepts, and basic processes involved in mucosal immunology, mucosal diseases, and host defense at mucosal surfaces. Topics discussed include the development and structure of the mucosal immune system and its cellular constituents, host-microbe relationships, infection, mucosal diseases, and vaccines. The second edition has been carefully updated throughout to reflect the latest developments from clinical research and key literature has been fully updated.

This respected graduate-level textbook provides comprehensive and accessible coverage of the basic and clinical aspects of the mucosal immune system, addressing the major components of the mucosal barrier gastrointestinal, upper and lower respiratory, ocular, and genitourinary mucosal immune systems in a highly user-friendly style. The editors of and contributors to the book, all internationally-recognized leaders, present the current principles, concepts, and basic processes involved in mucosal immunology, mucosal diseases, and host defense at mucosal surfaces. Topics discussed include the development and structure of the mucosal immune system and its cellular constituents, host-microbe relationships, infection, mucosal diseases, and vaccines. The second edition has been carefully updated throughout to reflect the latest developments from clinical research and key literature has been fully updated.

Jesus's words of wisdom can become a companion on your own spiritual journey. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are not the only record we have of the words spoken by Jesus. Designed to challenge, enlighten and inspire, they are also quoted in a wide variety of other ancient sources—including the Qur’an, writings by early Christian church fathers, and fragments of lost gospels only recently discovered. Some of these sayings are familiar; many are surprising; all expand our conventional understanding of the scope and essence of Jesus’s original teachings. More than a "Christian" compilation, this collection of more than three hundred sayings reveals a Jesus whose words encapsulate spiritual truths that resonate across religious boundaries. From the encouraging “I am hope for the hopeless,” to the wise and practical “Love those who hate you and you will not have an enemy,” to the candid “Give no opportunity to the evil one,” these pointed sayings not only reveal how Jesus was understood and portrayed across a wide variety of cultures long ago—they will also penetrate to your heart, challenge your assumptions, and energize your own spiritual quest. Now you can experience the wisdom and power of Jesus’s sayings even if you have no previous knowledge of these little-known texts.

This ancient Gnostic text can be a companion for your own spiritual quest. The Gospel of Philip is one of the most exciting and accessible of the Gnostic texts found at Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. The source of Dan Brown's intriguing speculations about Mary Magdalene in his best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code, the Gospel of Philip draws on ancient imagery—the natural world, the relationships between women, men and family, the ancient distinctions between lord and servants, free people and slaves, and pagans, Jews and Christians—to offer us insight into the spiritual interpretation of scripture that is at the foundation of Christianity. The Gospel of Philip: Annotated and Explained unravels the discourses, parables and sayings of this second-century text to explore a spiritual, non-literal interpretation of the Bible. Along with his elegant and accurate new translation from the original Coptic, Andrew Phillip Smith probes the symbolism and metaphors at the heart of the Gospel of Philip to reveal otherwise unrecorded sayings of Jesus, fragments of Gnostic mythology and parallels to the teachings of Jesus and Paul. He also examines the joyful imagery of rebirth, salvation and mystical union in the bridal chamber that was the pursuit of Christian Gnosticism. Now you can experience this ancient Gospel even if you have no previous knowledge of early Christianity or Gnostic thought. This SkyLight Illuminations edition provides important insights into the historical context and major themes of the Gospel of Philip, and gives you a deeper understanding of the Gospel’s overarching message: deciphering our own meaning behind the symbols of this world increases and enriches our understanding of God.

The inspiration and insight of these Gnostic writings can become a companion on your own spiritual journey. Just what is a soul, exactly? Where did the idea come from? How do we experience our souls? Two ancient Gnostic texts—The Exegesis on the Soul and The Hymn of the Pearl, both presented here in all-new translations—hold important clues to the development of the soul as a concept and reveal inspiring ways your own soul can remember and return to its unique, divine purpose. The Exegesis on the Soul depicts the soul as a feminine figure who has fallen into the corrupted world and must find her way back to the Divine. It is the story of the soul’s struggle and redemption that will embolden your own spiritual pilgrimage. The Hymn of the Pearl is an allegorical story about a prince sent to retrieve a precious pearl but who soon forgets his purpose and falls asleep. It is a moving tale of the importance of remembering your soul’s identity and calling—and knowing that only you can fulfill your destiny. Accessible facing-page commentary explains the Gnostic writings for you even if you have no previous knowledge of Gnosticism or early Christianity. Additional material draws on ancient religions, Platonism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam and modern philosophical and psychological notions of the soul to place the Gnostic teachings in a clear historical context. By following the development of this concept through time, you will more clearly perceive—and respond to—the divine spark found in your own soul.

From gifted storyteller Julia Phillips Smith comes a darkly seductive tale of vampire horror, where creatures of the darkness are engaged in a bloody battle for supremacy in a Dark Age world... It is a time when only an elite brotherhood of immortal warriors stands between humans and vampires, preventing the complete annihilation of the human race. Who are called to this service? Only those warriors who curse God with their dying breath.... Bold and courageous Welsh warrior Peredur is one such man. He falls to a spear on a raging battlefield before he can claim his beloved Tanwen for his bride. In those final moments Peredur utters the curse that seals his fate and leads him to another life. Using the power of a saint whose bone makes up an amulet, Peredur takes on the trials to become a true member of the brotherhood-and wage war against the dangerous prowling creatures of the night. Yet his need for Tanwen still burns.... Tanwen resists her father's command to take a husband. The only one who understands her sorrow is Cavan, the wise woman's son. When he promises to use dark forces to reunite her with her beloved, she agrees to his terms. But does Tanwen truly understand the depth of the price that must be paid?

No one is safe when the dragon glides low over the Eighth Dominion. Not the high born who plot and spill blood. Not the low born who serve with one eye to the sky and the other glancing back. Young Scorpius is fetched from the estate nursery, once raised to live among the nobility--claimed finally not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice. Scorpius soon learns that a noble hides his monstrous appetites beneath velvet and jewels, while the leathery-winged dragon is honest about his own. His master does his best to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer is merely a servant who must obey his own masters. An attempt on the life of a young lord while on a hunt sends the falconer's apprentice on an abruptly different path, bringing Scorpius into the service of the House of Pruzhnino. Court intrigue sinks its talons into everyone, even Scorpius--especially a former falconer's apprentice once raised to be a lord in his own right.