Ponder This II is the second "adult primer" concerning our nation. It will allow a quick glance at our vulnerabilities and our readiness, or the lack thereof, in case of national emergencies. Are we ready to defend our homes and country from internal and external forces? Are we ready to live through manmade and natural disasters? We had better be ready because there is a possibility that our nation will experience one or more of these problems in the future. Maybe soon, maybe in the distant future. We had better prepare to face many and varied enemies that lay in wait. There could be all sorts of attacks aimed at our homes, businesses and farms. Or there might be epidemics or pandemics on a national course that could be damaging to our population. The bigger the loss, the more enticing it is to lose our freedom by leaders wanting to take over the nation. We have had freedom for 230 years and we think it will never be lost. It can be, and rapidly. Will our leaders guide us through the problems of tomorrow and the future? Or will they have the opportunity to tell us what to do and when? Will national problems open the door to our loss of freedom due to inside or outside pressures? We have to make sure that the leaders we chose will be strong and honest. Can you decide what are lies and what is right and what is wrong? Will you vote for the politician that promises peace and prosperity but give you weakness and economic disaster? This could be the policy of a Democratic, Republican or Independent party. But remember, a vote for a third party will only be a vote for a "Big Two." Learn how to judge and be sure that you are not lulled into the future by the party you have always favored. We must have leaders that are smart, moral and ethically correct and with common sense, all based upon the judgement of our Founding Fathers. Democracies are scarce around the world. Don't let ours get away.

Essays intended as a companion to a reading of the works of the Gawain poet: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Cleanness and Patience The essays collected here on the Gawain-Poet offer stimulating introductions to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Cleanness and Patience, providing both information and original analysis. Topics includetheories of authorship; the historical and social background to the poems, with individual sections on particularly important features within them; gender roles in the poems; the manuscript itself; the metre, vocabulary and dialect of the poems; and their sources. A section devoted to Sir Gawain investigates the ideas of courtesy and chivalry found within it, and explores some of its later adaptations from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries. Afull bibliography completes the volume. DEREK BREWER was Emeritus Professor of English Literature, University of Cambridge; JONATHAN GIBSON has worked as a lecturer in the Universities of Exeter and Durham. Contributors: DEREK BREWER, MALCOLM ANDREW, A.C. SPEARING, JANE GILBERT, MICHAEL J. BENNETT, DAVID AERS, RALPH ELLIOTT, MICHAEL THOMPSON, FELICITY RIDDY, ANNE ROONEY, MICHAEL LACY, A.S.G. EDWARDS, H.N. DUGGAN, ELISABETH BREWER, RICHARD NEWHAUSER, HELEN COOPER, NICHOLAS WATSON, PRISCILLA MARTIN, NICK DAVIS, DEREK PEARSALL, GILLIAN ROGERS, BARRY WINDEATT, DAVID J. WILLIAMS

`Provides an excellent one-volume guide to the works of the anonymous Gawain-poet.' CHOICE The essays collected here on the Gawain-Poet offer stimulating introductions to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Cleanness and Patience, providing both information and original analysis. Topics includetheories of authorship; the historical and social background to the poems, with individual sections on particularly important features within them; gender roles in the poems; the manuscript itself; the metre, vocabulary and dialect of the poems; and their sources. A section devoted to Sir Gawain investigates the ideas of courtesy and chivalry found within it, and explores some of its later adaptations from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries. Afull bibliography completes the volume. The late DEREK BREWER was Emeritus Professor of English Literature, University of Cambridge; JONATHAN GIBSON has worked as a lecturer in the Universities of Exeter and Durham.

Paul's writings are laced with vivid images from the bustling New Testament world. To understand these metaphors, David J. Williams delves into that Greco-Roman world and uses ancient sources to explore a wide variety of topics such as architecture, law, commerce, health care, and education. Williams studies this world in chapters with titles such as "Life in the City," "Family Life," "Slavery and Freedom," "Citizens and Courts of Law," "Travel," and "Warfare and Soldiering."
Paul's metaphors, set apart in bold type, are examined in the light of this background information and restored to their original vitality. Well-known metaphors--the Christian as a slave of Christ, the church as a body, Paul's two natures being at war within him, the Christian as an athlete striving toward the prize, Jesus' return as a thief in the night, Christians as adopted heirs of God--and lesser-known metaphors come to life for the modern reader through Williams's careful exposition.
The main text is accessible to the general reader; scholars will appreciate footnotes that discuss the Greek text and provide resources for further study. Appendix 1 lists a select chronology of the Roman Empire and appendix 2 provides dates and descriptions of significant ancient authors and tests. Scripture, ancient source, and modern author indexes add to the usefulness of this work.