Salonica, located in northern Greece, was long a fascinatingcrossroads metropolis of different religions and ethnicities, whereEgyptian merchants, Spanish Jews, Orthodox Greeks, Sufi dervishes,and Albanian brigands all rubbed shoulders. Tensions sometimesflared, but tolerance largely prevailed until the twentieth centurywhen the Greek army marched in, Muslims were forced out, and theNazis deported and killed the Jews. As the acclaimed historian MarkMazower follows the city’s inhabitants through plague, invasion,famine, and the disastrous twentieth century, he resurrects afascinating and vanished world.

While in the service of India’s Nizam of Hyderabad, MarmadukePickthall converted to Islam and, with the help of Muslimtheologians and linguists, produced this clear and lovingly preciseEnglish interpretation of the Holy Koran. His work is honored bybeliever and non-believer alike for its unique combination ofpiety, scholarly rigor in its translation and explanatory notes,and deep feeling for the poetic beauty and moral grandeur of itsArabic original.

After-death communications, or "ADCs, " occur when someone iscontacted spontaneously and directly by a deceasedfamily member or friend, without the help of any medium. Theauthors' research shows that these spiritual experiences offerhope, love, and comfort for thousands of people. Included are morethan 350 first-hand accounts of those whose lives have been changedand even protected by messages or signs from the deceased.

David Mamet's interest in anti-Semitism is not limited to themodern face of an ancient hatred but encompasses as well the waysin which many Jews have internalized that hatred. Using themetaphor of the Wicked Son at the Passover seder (the child whoasks, "What does this story mean to you?") Mamet confronts what hesees as an insidious predilection among some Jews to excludethemselves from the equation and to seek truth and meaninganywhere--in other religions, political movements, mindlessentertainment--but in Judaism itself. He also explores the ways inwhich the Jewish tradition has long been and still remains theWicked Son in the eyes of the world. Written with the searinghonesty and verbal brilliance that is the hallmark of Mamet's work,The Wicked Son is a powerfully thought-provoking look at one of themost destructive and tenacious forces in contemporary life.

This classic book grew out of the fascination that Germanjournalist, Werner Keller, developed when he began to learn thatthe work of archaeologists and historians corroborated Biblicalaccounts which he had hitherto dismissed as mere "pious tales.

The mythologies and cosmology of Amazonian shamanismmaterialize in fantastic color and style in this unique,large-format volume, representing the fruit of several years ofcollaboration between a Peruvian folk artist/shaman and a Colombiananthropologist/filmmaker.

In this revelatory exploration of one of our most revered icons,a critically acclaimed author and professor takes us back to earlyChristianity to ask how a box of handwritten scrolls became theBible, and forward to see how the multibillion-dollar business thathas brought us Biblezines and Manga Bibles is selling down theBible's sacred capital. Showing us how a single official text wascreated from the proliferation of different *s, Beal tracesits path as it became embraced as the word of God and Book ofbooks. Among his surprising insights: * Christianity thrived for centuries without any Bible--there wasno official canon of *ures, much less a book big enough tohold them all. Congregations used various collections of scrollsand codices. * There is no "original" Bible, no single source text behind thethousands of different Bibles on the market today. The farther wego back in the Bible's history, the more versions we find. * The idea of the Bible as the literal Word of God is relativelynew--only about a century

Constructing their essays around specific cultural artifactsthat were created in the period and locale under study, thecontributors describe the cultural interactions among differentJews–from rabbis and scholars to non-elite groups, includingwomen–as well as between Jews and the surrounding non-Jewish world.What they conclude is that although Jews have always had their ownautonomous traditions, Jewish identity cannot be considered thefixed product of either ancient ethnic or religious origins.Rather, it has shifted and assumed new forms in response to thecultural environment in which the Jews have lived. Mediterranean Origins , the first volume in Cultures ofthe Jews , describes the concept of the “People” or “Nation” ofIsrael that emerges in the Hebrew Bible and the culture of theIsraelites in relation to that of neighboring Canaanite groups. Italso discusses Jewish cultures in Babylonia, in Palestine duringthe Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods, and in Arabia during theformative ye

A journey through the ecclesiastical year with Christianitysmost eloquent and inspiring spokesman. A potent anthology (LosAngeles Times). Edited and with a Preface by Walter Hooper.

The late author Arysio Santos was a highly regardedclimatologist, geologist, and nuclear physicist. He was also ascholar of history, folklore, languages, and the occult. In thisgroundbreaking study of Atlantis, he draws on all thesedisciplines, as well as ancient maps, Plato’s dialogues, andfolkloric narratives, to provide the most compelling case yet ofthe disappearance of an entire civilization. Professor Santos demonstrates that Plato’s dating of Atlantis’sdisappearance in 11,600 BP (before present) precisely correspondsto the catastrophic end of the Pleistocene Ice Age, as well as ahistoric flood event of cataclysmic proportions. The rising of thesea level by nearly 500 feet, he argues, submerged continent-sizedlands—including Atlantis, which he connects with the biblicalGarden of Eden. Provocative chapters cover such topics as thecontinent’s appearance in ancient maps, Indonesia as the true siteof Eden, American interpretations of Atlantis, the four rivers ofparadise, and more, giv

Rabbi Steinberg identifies seven strands that weave togetherto make up Judaism: God, morality, rite and custom, law, sacredliterature, institutions, and the people. A classic work directedto both the Jewish and the non-Jewish reader.

In this meticulously researched, unflinching, and reasonedstudy, National Book Award finalist David I. Kertzer presentsshocking revelations about the role played by the Vatican in thedevelopment of modern anti-Semitism. Working in long-sealed Vaticanarchives, Kertzer unearths startling evidence to undermine theChurch’s argument that it played no direct role in the spread ofmodern anti-Semitism. In doing so, he challenges the Vatican’srecent official statement on the subject, We Remember. Kertzer tells an unsettling story that has stirred up controversyaround the world and sheds a much-needed light on the past.

The I Ching is the most ancient and profound of the Chineseclassics, venerated for over three thousand years as an oracle offortune, a guide to success, and a dispensary of wisdom. This newtranslation, with commentary by Confucius, emphasizes applyingpractical wisdom in everyday affairs. Complete instructions forconsulting the I Ching are included.

An examination of the influence of the Bible on Western artand literature and on the Western creative imagination in general.Frye persuasively presents the Bible as a unique text distinct fromall other epics and sacred writings. No one has set forth soclearly, so subtly, or with such cogent energy as Frye the literaryaspect of our biblical heritage (New York Times Book Review).Indices.

Scattered over much of the world throughout most of theirhistory, are the Jews one people or many? How do they resemble andhow do they differ from Jews in other places and times? What havetheir relationships been to the cultures of their neighbors? Toaddress these and similar questions, some of the finest scholars ofour day have contributed their insights to Cultures of the Jews, awinner of the National Jewish Book Award upon its hardcoverpublication in 2002. Constructing their essays around specific cultural artifacts thatwere created in the period and locale under study, the contributorsdescribe the cultural interactions among different Jews–from rabbisand scholars to non-elite groups, including women–as well asbetween Jews and the surrounding non-Jewish world. What theyconclude is that although Jews have always had their own autonomoustraditions, Jewish identity cannot be considered the fixed productof either ancient ethnic or religious origins. Rather, it hasshifted and assumed new forms

In this provocative must-read, the preeminent scientist—andworld’s most prominent atheist—Richard Dawkins asserts theirrationality of belief in God and the grievous harm religion hasinflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11. The God Delusionmakes a compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong, butpotentially deadly. It also offers exhilarating insight on theadvantages of atheism to the individual and society, not the leastof which is a clearer, truer appreciation of the universe’s wondersthan any faith could ever muster. With rigor and wit, Dawkinseviscerates the major arguments for religion and demonstrates thesupreme improbability of a supreme being. He shows how religionfuels war, foments bigotry, and abuses children, buttressing hispoints with historical and contemporary evidence. This is a bookthat challenges all of us to test our beliefs, no matter whatbeliefs we hold.

The author of the runaway bestseller How the Irish SavedCivilization has done it again. In The Gifts of the Jews ThomasCahill takes us on another enchanting journey into history, onceagain recreating a time when the actions of a small band of peoplehad repercussions that are still felt today. The Gifts of the Jews reveals the critical change that madewestern civilization possible. Within the matrix of ancientreligions and philosophies, life was seen as part of an endlesscycle of birth and death; time was like a wheel, spinningceaselessly. Yet somehow, the ancient Jews began to see timedifferently. For them, time had a beginning and an end; it was anarrative, whose triumphant conclusion would come in the future.From this insight came a new conception of men and women asindividuals with unique destinies--a conception that would informthe Declaration of Independence--and our hopeful belief in progressand the sense that tomorrow can be better than today. As ThomasCahill narrates this momentous shift,

Here is the unparalleled account of the most awesome and awfulchapter in the moral history of humanity. Lucid, chilling andcomprehensive, Lucy S. Dawidowicz’s classic tells the completestory of the Nazi Holocaust–from the insidious evolution of GermanAnti-Semitism to the ultimate tragedy of the Final Solution.