Bestselling biblical historian, Jean-Pierre Isbouts, weaves the origin stories of Christianity and the Lord's Prayer into a reinvigorating and urgent rallying cry for unity in the modern church Modern Christianity is in the midst of a veritable schism along the fault lines of society's culture wars. Only if we understand the origins of this split can we find our way to unity. Though few may realize it today, Jesus’s ministry unfolded in a crisis very similar to the one society is now battling. In fact, were it not for the truly catastrophic conditions in early 1st century Galilee, his reimagining of the three quintessential virtues of the Torah – social justice; compassion toward one another; and an abiding love of God – would have likely failed to attract a wide following. Brilliantly tracing Jesus’s vision for the “Kingdom of God� from its origin up through modern times, Dr. Isbouts leads us to a possible antidote for the fiercely partisan moment in which we find ourselves: the Our Father. Then taking readers on a historically exhilarating tour of the Lord’s Prayer, The Fractured Kingdom shows us why the only doctrine Christians agree on might be our last hope for forging a more equal, compassionate, and loving society. What results is an eminently readable and undeniably essential work that addresses some of the most pressing issues now confronting communities of faith around the world.

For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death comes an immersive journey through five centuries of history to define the Leonardo mystique and uncover how the elusive Renaissance artist became a global pop icon. Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. It was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark. But how did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today, with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper the most visited artworks in the world, attracting nearly a billion visitors each year, and Salvator Mundi selling as the most expensive artwork of all time, for nearly half a billion dollars? This extraordinary volume, lavishly illustrated with 130 color images, is the first book to unravel these mysteries by diving deep into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. It gives illuminating context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo’s fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history.

Follow the fascinating threads of human history in this monumental volume, amply illustrated with maps, archival imagery, and revealing photographs. History comes to life in this comprehensive overview of humankind, from earliest times to the present day. Each page is filled with stunning visuals and thought-provoking text that make this book an instant classic. From the Babylonian Empire to the Persian Gulf War, from the Xia and Shang Dynasties of Bronze Age China to the new space race, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to the digital age-here, in vivid color and crisp narrative, is the sweeping story of the history of civilization. Every chapter includes: Notable dates Salient quotations from the time Explanatory maps Fascinating sidebar stories Photographs of artifacts & landscapes Art works depicting dramatic scenes Visually driven, rich and far-reaching yet friendly and browsable, with iconic National Geographic maps, illustrations, and images enhancing the pages, this new book is a history-lover's dream. You can complete your collection of recent National Geographic history books with National Geographic History at a Glance and More Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar -- and you will treasure earlier National Geographic titles by this author, including The Biblical World, In the Footsteps of Jesus, and Archaeology of the Bible.

A pivotal era of history comes to life in this fascinating biography of Jesus of Nazareth. The scrupulous account of Jesus' life spans his birth in Bethlehem to his trial and death in Jerusalem along with an emphasis on the characters and events that shaped his journey and his enduring legacy. This revised and updated edition features new images from Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the latest information from the groundbreaking work to expose the original surface of Jesus' tomb. Renowned religious historian and best-selling author Jean-Pierre Isbouts combines the latest historical and archaeological discoveries with enthralling storytelling to illustrate what is known and speculated about Jesus' youth, life, and work. This expert text is presented in an enjoyable, reader-friendly format sure to inspire both newcomers to biblical history as well as the devoted.

Chapters, beginning with the dawn of human civilization and ending with present day and the future of archaeology, chronicle hundreds of sites and artefacts found in Sumer, Babylon, the Second Temple, along the route of the Exodus, and in many other regions across the Middle East. Timelines bridge hundreds o years and several empires, maps give readers a visual sense of location, while hundreds of photos and illustrations of rare artefacts and ancient places add to the visual splendour. It concludes with details of what remains to be found and the evolving dynamic of biblical faith in an increasingly scientific world in which archaeologists make daily breakthroughs.

Fifteen-year-old varsity cheerleader Alysia Jayne, a beautiful California blonde with the lithe body of an Olympic gymnast, is in an escalating spiral of drug abuse, truancy and deception. One morning in 2003, she is roused from her bed by strangers, handcuffed, and rushed across the Mexican border. Here, she is incarcerated in a disciplinary school for delinquents, called Casa by the Sea, hidden behind whitewashed walls near the resort town of Ensenada. For the next six weeks, she undergoes a brutal treatment right out of "A Clockwork Orange," designed to crush the spirit and self-confidence of its young inmates. Growing rumors of abuse and violence at the Casa facility soon prompt a full-scale raid by the Mexican Federales and the FBI, an event that forces Alysia to acknowledge the still precarious fragility of her sense of self. She voluntarily submits to another severe treatment program at Ivy Ridge Academy in Upstate New York. Clinging to her tenuous relationship with other girls in the program (though forbidden to speak), Alysia gradually develops the courage to confront the roots of her destructive behavior, and win her way back into the loving arms of her family. Candid, humorous and shocking at times, "Wild Thing" is a remarkably mature memoir of a teenager lost in the temptations of America's public schools.

Following the announcement of another Mona Lisa portrait by Leonardo da Vinci, held in a Swiss bank vault for over 40 years, this book is the first to analyze the meaning of this astonishing discovery, and how it radically changes our understanding of the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. By tracing Leonardo's movements in Florence on an almost day-to-day basis, Drs. Isbouts and Brown are able to reconstruct the fascinating chronology of the Mona Lisa portrait, and show how the subject ultimately became an obsession in the latter part of Leonardo's life. The authors posit that whereas the Swiss Mona Lisa is clearly a portrait drawn from life of a young Florentine woman, the Louvre Mona Lisa is the culmination of Leonardo's lifelong quest for the mystery of motherhood, as expressed in his more than ten paintings of the Madonna motif. Written as narrative history, yet grounded in modern scholarship, The Mona Lisa Myth not only shatters the portrait's mythology, but also offers a bold new interpretation of the world's most famous painting that will revolutionize our understanding of Leonardo life and work.

FLANDERS, March 1914. Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm, both avid members of the British Motor Gypsy Club, volunteer for service in the Flying Ambulance Corps, created by Major Hector Munro to spirit the wounded from the Flanders battlefields to field hospitals in the rear. The two young women are joined by Lady Dorothy Fielding, the wife of the Earl of Denbigh, and a beautiful, 22-year old American nurse, Helen Gleason. But mere weeks after their deployment to Flanders, they discover the awful truth: what's killing the soldiers is not their injuries, but the horrendous, three-mile drive over unpaved, rutted roads to the rear. When the British Army Medical Corps refuses to acknowledge the problem, the four women take matters into their own hands - by setting up their own, unauthorized dressing station right on the front line. For the next three years, they battle not only German artillery and gas attacks, but also the British military establishment itself, determined to "put these women in their place" and shut down their post. Only by virtue of their heroism do the "Four Angels of Pervyse" persevere, aided by a local nobleman, Baron de T'Serclaes, who has deeply and irrevocably fallen in love with Elsie. Inspired by true characters and events, ANGELS IN FLANDERS is a riveting and deeply moving saga of love, passion and bravery in the midst of some of the worst carnage the world has ever seen. Angels in Flanders is written by best-selling author and award-winning screenwriter Jean-Pierre Isbouts. His most recent books include National Geographic's The Biblical World (2007) and Young Jesus (2008).

"From Moses to Muhammad" explores the shared literary and cultural origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the context of the Babylonian, Egyptian, Greco-Roman and pre-Islamic civilizations. Among others, the author describes the use of Mesopotamian literary motifs by the Torah; the adoption of Greco-Roman iconography, as well as the Roman basilica form, by early Christianity; and the retention of pre-Islamic practices by early Islam, such as the circumambulation around the Ka'bah, the holy shrine in Mecca. In addition, Dr. Isbouts compares a number of narratives that all three traditions have in common, including the stories of Abraham, Joseph and Moses; and in the case of the Qur'an, the narratives about Jesus and his mother, Mary. What's more, this second edition includes over 100 maps, photographs and archaeological objects photographed throughout the Middle East. "From Moses to Muhammad" has received numerous favorable reviews. Prof. Bruce Chilton ("Rabbi Jesus") wrote, "With sweeping narrative and vivid analysis, Jean-Pierre Isbouts shows that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are rooted in common sources of revelation." NYU's Prof. Francis E. Peters ("The Children of Abraham") calls the book "an exciting and scrupulously fair book," and a "trustworthy guide throughout a perennial minefield." And Rabbi David Rosen said that the book "makes a most important contribution to help overcome negative stereotypes."