Martin Cragg (Publisher & Parkinson's Disease Society Trustee) writes: "This is the story of a man who will never say die. It is a down-to-earth, no-holds-barred account of the life of a man who experienced the ordinary problems of everyday life, but then the mother of them, which sets him apart from the rest of us. "He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, an incurable, progressive and degenerative neurological illness affecting the motor area of the brain. And yet he has continued to pursue and participate in Ironman competitions, run marathons and generally try to live a very active life. Nominated by twolocal councils as Sportsperson of the Year 2009, he is an icon and example to all of us who struggle with the smallest of life's challenges. "This book will buoy your spirits and show you the spirit of a man who has lost everything (excpet the love of his family) but gained a level of commitment and passion that only those who have been there can full understand."

Death and rebirth was of vital importance to early Christians in late antiquity. In late antiquity, death was all encompassing. Mortality rates were high, plague and disease in urban areas struck at will, and one lived on the knife's edge regarding one's health. Religion filled a crucial role in this environment, offering an option for those who sought cure and comfort. Following death, the inhumed were memorialized, providing solace to family members through sculpture, painting, and epigraphy. This book offers a sustained interdisciplinary treatment of death and rebirth, a theme that early Christians (and scholars) found important. By analysing the theme of death and rebirth through various lenses, the contributors deepen our understanding of the early Christian funerary and liturgical practices as well as their engagement with other groups in the Empire.