Bernhard Lang, known for his contributions over several decades to biblical anthropology, offers in this volume a selection of essays on the life and literature of the ancient Hebrews. The subjects range from the Hebrew God, the world-view of the Bible, and the formation of the scriptural canon, to peasant poverty, women's work, the good life, and prophetic street theatre. The stories of Joseph, Samson, and the expulsion from Paradise are analysed, and in a departure from the Old Testament, the priestly origins of the Eucharist are considered. Insight into the Hebrew mentality is facilitated by the arrangement of the essays, reflecting the three strata of the ancient society: the peasants, with their common concerns of fertility and happiness; warriors, their martial pursuits, and the divine Lord of War; and the wise - prophets, priests, and sages.

Can renewable energy provide reliable power? Will it need extensive backup? The energy available from wind, waves, tides and the sun varies in ways that may not match variations in energy demand. Assimilating these fluctuations can affect the operation and economics of electricity networks, markets and the output of other forms of generation. Is this a significant problem, or can these new sources be integrated into the grid system without the need for extensive backup or energy storage capacity? This book examines the significance of the issue of variability of renewable electricity supplies, and presents technical and operational solutions to the problem of reconciling the differing patterns of supply and demand. Its chapters are authored by leading experts in the field, who aim to explain and quantify the impacts of variability in renewable energy, and in doing so, dispel many of the myths and misunderstandings surrounding the topic.

Bernhard Lang, known for his contributions over several decades to biblical anthropology, offers in this volume a selection of essays on the life and literature of the ancient Hebrews. The subjects range from the Hebrew God, the world-view of the Bible, and the formation of the scriptural canon, to peasant poverty, women's work, the good life, and prophetic street theatre. The stories of Joseph, Samson, and the expulsion from Paradise are analysed, and in a departure from the Old Testament, the priestly origins of the Eucharist are considered. Insight into the Hebrew mentality is facilitated by the arrangement of the essays, reflecting the three strata of the ancient society: the peasants, with their common concerns of fertility and happiness; warriors, their martial pursuits, and the divine Lord of War; and the wise - prophets, priests, and sages.

The biblical story of Joseph ranks in the history of world literature alongside "The Odyssey" and other ancient legends as a seminal canonical text and has provided rich material for later writers to imitate and elaborate. This book, by Bernard Lang, an internationally acclaimed biblical scholar, examines the many and varied ways that the story of Joseph has been interpreted in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. During that time, Joseph was heralded as an icon by many different writers and thinkers, among them Henry Fielding, Voltaire, Chateaubriand, and Goethe. Educators commended Joseph as a model of piety, moralists extolled him in defense of chastity, and political philosophers regarded him as an exemplary leader; historians debated variously whether he was a benefactor, tyrant, or merely a character in a well-told ancient oriental tale. Lang examines a range of texts--novels, stage plays, poems, children's books, and critical treatises--to illuminate the debt each owes to earlier versions of the Joseph story. In doing so, he presents a masterful, sensitive, and highly readable account of the early modern world.

Bernhard Lang presents the first readable translation of an early Christian novel dating from the time of the Roman empire. The novel creates fascinating scenes of Peter confronting an audacious opponent. This opponent, Simon Magus, pretends to be able to do miracles like Peter, and has already convinced many Christians. In Rome, Peter and Simon compete publicly. Peter is able to do greater miracles than Simon. With this victory, he wins back the congregation to Jesus Christ. But when Peter preaches chastity to married Roman women, he meets with strong opposition - and is crucified.

When contemporary Christians worship (be they Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox or Pentecostal), they engage in a variety of ritual acts whose diversity and complexity may at first puzzle the observer. A closer look reveals that worship incorporates a limited number of major components which, repeated, form the backbone of the ceremonies Christians enact when they meet on Sundays. The refined typology of ritual acts described here focuses on six elementary forms: praise, prayer, sermon, sacrifice, sacrament and spiritual ecstasy. 'Sacred Games' argues that the essential meaning of Christian ritual is embodied in these six elements, all of which have their roots in ancient, pre-Christian ritual life. Each has its own constituents, dynamics, meaning and distinct story. Accordingly, this book is divided into six interpretative sections which, using French, German and English sources and contrasting past experience with the present, European with American, and Catholic with Protestant, explain the meanings of each. Lang uncovers their ancient biblical roots and follows their course through history with special emphasis on biblical, historic and contemporary forms.This is a pioneering book and a major scholarly achievement: the first full-scale history and interpretation of a collective spiritual act fraught with meaning. Well-illustrated, written in a highly readable style and geared to the informed general reader as well as to students and scholars, it should become an indispensable additon to the broader study of Christianity. Bernhard Lang is Professor of Religion at the University of Paderborn, Germany and has taught in Tubingen, Mainz, Philadelphia (Temple University) and Paris (the Sorbonne). He has written many books, including (with Colleen McDannell) 'Heaven: A History', published by Yale University Press and translated into seven languages.

Originally worshipped by the people of a small and politically insignificant eastern Mediterranean community, the Hebrew God rose to become the monotheistic deity of the entire Western tradition. Indeed, the God of Israel ranks as the most distinguished deity in human history. In this absorbing book, well-known biblical scholar Bernhard Lang provides for the first time a full portrait of the ancient Hebrew God. Drawing on all available evidence, including ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian texts and art, Lang offers a comprehensive view of the Hebrew God that is both fascinating and surprising. Lang's portrait shows the Hebrew God in five images. He appears as lord of wisdom, lord of war, lord of the animals, lord of the individual and lord of the harvest - a God whose rule extends to all areas of life. Lang illuminates the completeness of this God's leadership with insights derived from modern religious, anthropological, and cultural studies, and he argues that Israel's monotheistic God, far from being simply opposed to other gods, actually echoes and incorporates much of the ancient polytheistic experience of the divine. The worldview of the ancient Semites did not differ from that of the Indo-European peoples as dramatically as others have assumed, Lang contends. Written in an accessible and non-technical style, this appealing volumes stores a wealth of information for general reader and religious historian alike. Bernhard Lang is professor of Old Testament and religious studies at the universities of St. Andrews, Scotland and Paderborn, Germany. He is the author of 'Sacred Games: A History of Christian Worship' and 'Heaven: A History', both published by Yale University Press.

Der judische Schriftsteller Philo von Alexandrien (gest. ca. 50 n. Chr.) hat ein umfangreiches Werk in griechischer Sprache hinterlassen. Einer groesseren Zahl bibelexegetischer Werke steht eine kleinere Zahl philosophischer Abhandlungen gegenuber. Bibelexegese und Philosophie kann er auch verbinden. Das geschieht in dem kleinen Traktat Das Leben eines Politikers oder uber Josef. Philo bietet eine philosophische Nacherzahlung der biblischen Josefsgeschichte, in der Josef als eine Art hellenistischer Herrscher erscheint. In die Nacherzahlung stellt er drei Exkurse ein; sie bilden eine mit der Nacherzahlung nur lose verknupfte Abhandlung uber Ethos und Selbstverstandnis des Politikers in einer demokratisch verfassten antiken Polis. Auf diese Weise entsteht eine staatsphilosophische Schrift uber die beiden Typen des antiken Politikers des Herrschers uber ein Territorium und des in der Polis tatigen, sich mit Fragen der Justiz und der Verwaltung beschaftigenden Beamten. Tatsachlich ist Philos Josefsschrift das einzige antike Werk, das diese beiden Typen des Politikers gleichzeitig behandelt. Auf diese Weise leistet Philo einen profilierten Beitrag zur antiken politischen Philosophie.Die einzige deutsche UEbersetzung von Philos Josefsschrift stammt aus dem Jahr 1909. Lang bietet eine ausfuhrliche Einleitung, ein Glossar philonischer Grundbegriffe, eine neue, in lesbarer Sprache gehaltene UEbersetzung sowie den ersten Kommentar zu diesem Werk. Philos Josefsschrift wird hier erstmals umfassend erschlossen sowohl fur den interessierten Leser als auch fur den Kenner antiker Literatur.