Although biblical texts were known in Church Slavonic as early as the ninth century, translation of the Bible into Russian came about only in the nineteenth century. Modern scriptural translation generated major religious and cultural conflict within the Russian Orthodox church. The resulting divisions left church authority particularly vulnerable to political pressures exerted upon it in the twentieth century. Russian Bible Wars illuminates the fundamental issues of authority that have divided modern Russian religious culture. Set within the theoretical debate over secularization, the volume clarifies why the Russian Bible was issued relatively late and amidst great controversy. Stephen Batalden's study traces the development of biblical translation into Russian and of the 'Bible wars' that then occurred in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Russia. The annotated bibliography of the Russian Bible identifies the different editions and their publication history.

Although biblical texts were known in Church Slavonic as early as the ninth century, translation of the Bible into Russian came about only in the nineteenth century. Modern scriptural translation generated major religious and cultural conflict within the Russian Orthodox church. The resulting divisions left church authority particularly vulnerable to political pressures exerted upon it in the twentieth century. Russian Bible Wars illuminates the fundamental issues of authority that have divided modern Russian religious culture. Set within the theoretical debate over secularization, the volume clarifies why the Russian Bible was issued relatively late and amidst great controversy. Stephen Batalden's study traces the development of biblical translation into Russian and of the 'Bible wars' that then occurred in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Russia. The annotated bibliography of the Russian Bible identifies the different editions and their publication history.

The authors of the 1993 bestseller The Newly Independent States of Eurasia, have updated their work to address the most current issues now facing the 15 new countries that emerged after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Some have nuclear weapons, many have severe economic problems, a few have world-class ecological problems, and many have internal ethnic conflicts - all potentially international issues. In a straightforward manner, the handbook describes the regional and ethnic diversity of the Eurasian states, while examining the elements of continuity that inevitably link these new countries with their shared Soviet past. In this second edition, the authors devote a chapter to each state, beginning with an updated statistical profile for the featured republic followed by an analytical discussion of the state's political history and current issues. A map of each republic and general maps of various regions are also included. The handbook should be accessible to students, librarians, teachers, scholars and anyone else with an interest in world affairs.