John Cort explores the narratives by which the Jains have explained the presence of icons of Jinas (their enlightened and liberated teachers) that are worshiped and venerated in the hundreds of thousands of Jain temples throughout India. Most of these narratives portray icons favorably, and so justify their existence; but there are also narratives originating among iconoclastic Jain communities that see the existence of temple icons as a sign of decay and corruption. The veneration of Jina icons is one of the most widespread of all Jain ritual practices. Nearly every Jain community in India has one or more elaborate temples, and as the Jains become a global community there are now dozens of temples in North America, Europe, Africa, and East Asia. The cult of temples and icons goes back at least two thousand years, and indeed the largest of the four main subdivisions of the Jains are called Murtipujakas, or "Icon Worshipers." A careful reading of narratives ranging over the past 15 centuries, says Cort, reveals a level of anxiety and defensiveness concerning icons, although overt criticism of the icons only became explicit in the last 500 years. He provides detailed studies of the most important pro- and anti-icon narratives. Some are in the form of histories of the origins and spread of icons. Others take the form of cosmological descriptions, depicting a vast universe filled with eternal Jain icons. Finally, Cort looks at more psychological explanations of the presence of icons, in which icons are defended as necessary spiritual corollaries to the very fact of human embodiedness.

Richard Bauckham explores the historical and literary contexts of the Epistle of James, discussing the significance of James as the brother of Jesus and leader of the early Jerusalem church. He gives special attention to the aphorisms which encapsulate James' wisdom, and to the way that James' teaching closely resembles that of Jesus.

Reading the New Testament is the lead volume to the successful New Testament Readings Series. It analyzes the many ways in which the New Testament can be read and interpreted.
Rather than prescribing one 'correct' way of reading, this study offers an overview of and introduction to the most influential theories of recent scholarship, discussing the background against which such theories are developed. It shows the advantages of combining methods of reading, thus stimulating an interaction between various approaches, illustrated by the individual volumes in the series.
This is an important addition to New Testament literature, offering the student of religion a comprehensive overview of the methods and approaches used by scholars in the field.

Rather than prescribing one "correct" way of reading, "Reading the New Testament" analyzes the many ways in which the New Testament can be read and interpreted. This study offers an overview of and introduction to the most influential theories of recent scholarship, discussing the background against which such theories are developed. It shows the advantages of combining methods of reading, thus stimulating an interaction between various approaches, illustrated by the individual volumes in the series.
This is an important addition to New Testament literature, offering the student of religion a comprehensive overview of the methods and approaches used by scholars in the field. As such, it will make invaluable reading not just for the student, but for anyone interested in an introduction to this fascinating area of religious and literary thought.
Reading the New Testament is intended as a companion volume to the successful "New Testament Readings" series.

There are places where we dare not go, sights that we dare not gaze upon. This collection of short stories is your introduction to this world. The debut collection of short stories from David Court, this book features the short tales "The Shadow Cast by the World," "The (pen)ultimate solution," "The Evil at the edge of the woods," "The Glorious Quest," "Sigma Six," "Into the Great Wide Open," "UpDownLeftSelectLeftLeftStart," "The Button," "Now You See Me," "OhBlong," "Death Walked Into a Bar," "The Great Day of the Unveiling" and "Tiredness Kills" and the poems "The Lantern" and "Hide and Squeak."