The three apostles Peter, Paul and John are the most important starting point for understanding the beginnings of Christianity. Each brings a different background and language: Peter's Old Testament imagery, Paul's connection with Greek culture, and John's independent lyricism. This fascinating book paints a vivid picture of the three, exploring what they had in common as well as their significant differences, and demonstrating their continuing relevance today. The authors start by discussing the pre-Christian context, and finish by tracing the esoteric streams of Petrine, Pauline and Johannine Christianity in the first few centuries after Christ. They show above all that all three are needed to truly approach the reality of Jesus Christ.

Are we condemned to remain spectators, watching the news with growing indignation, powerless as we are? Or is there a way to develop the presence of mind that is needed in facing our turbulent times? Manichaeism has offered a way for almost two thousand years to encounter evil in an existential way and thereby the light and darkness in ourselves. Christine Gruwez makes this christian initiation path of the future accessible for everyone who wants to position him- or herself in life as a contemporary.

The word Islam means surrender to God. In our secular Western culture, it is difficult to imagine what that means. Among other things, it indicates dependence and predestination. But is this really the case? Isn't this a superficial presumption? Allah calls on human beings to surrender in freedom to their God (Sura 96). Allah is merciful and forgiving. At the same time, however, Allah is the all-seeing one and the one who humbles. In Islam, free will and predestination have an uneasy relationship with each other-but isn't this true for every religion? In this collection of essays, three authors discuss various aspects of the tension between freedom and predestination in Islam from the perspective of Rudolf Steiner's works. This background enables them to throw sometimes surprising light on the freedom impulse of Islam. It is the authors' hope that this book may contribute to a more balanced view of Islam today. This timely book offers interested non-Muslims a rare opportunity to examine a frequently misunderstood aspect of one of the world's fastest growing religions.