Religion

One of the World's Foremost Bible Experts Offers a Groundbreaking Presentation of the Five Books of Moses

In The Bible with Sources Revealed, Richard Elliott Friedman offers a new, visual presentation of the Five Books of Moses -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy -- unlocking the complex and fascinating tapestry of their origins. Different colors and type styles allow readers to easily identify each of the distinct sources, showcasing Friedman's highly acclaimed and dynamic translation.

...a milestone in American religious publishing. The Catholic World. In one series, the original writings of the universally acknowledged teachers of the Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish and Islamic traditions have been critically selected, translated and introduced by internationally recognized scholars and spiritual leaders. Birgitta of Sweden-Life and Selected writings edited, with a preface by Marguerite Tjader Harris translation and notes by Albert Ryle Kezel introduction by Tore Nyberg I am a sinner unworthy to say such things; nevertheless, know that Jesus Christ appeared to me at prayer. Birgitta of Sweden (c. 1303-1373) The Catholic history of Scandinavia is rich in its legacy of saints and blesseds: Canute, Eric, Hallvard, Henry, Olaf, Sigfrid, Thorlac and many others. One Swedish saint has achieved worldwide fame: Birgitta Birgersdotter, born into wealth and aristocracy, a happily married mother, a religious foundress, a mystical visionary and the fines Scandinavian writer of the Middle Ages. Like Joan of Arc, Birgitta experienced a repeated and insistent visionary call to public action. Her task was to reawaken the Church's attention to the essential things of God; and, in her vividly colorful writings, she has left to the world an exemplary record of her own perseverance in prayer. Knut Westman, a major authority on St. Birgitta, says of her: "Birgitta is of another kind of religion: personal, vocational, mystical, recognized by its strong ethical attitude, its visions of God's work through history, and the consciousness of being called to task...Such a life cannot be explained as a product of known factors." Contained in this volume are four key documents of Birgittine literature: the eyewitness Life of Blessed Birgitta, the complete Fifth and Seventh books of her Revelations, and her Four Prayers. Of the present volume, Birger Bergh, prominent Birgittine textual critic, writes: "This translation, done by a translator with a sensitivity of style and with genuine understanding of the Birgittine world, gives a perfect picture of the Latin original and its fluent diction." +

In an age when the Dalai Lama's image has been used to sell computers, rock stars have used tantra to enhance their image, and for many, Nirvana calls to mind a a favorite band, what does Buddhism mean to twenty-somethings?

Blue Jean Buddha offers real stories about young Buddhists in their own words that affirm and inform the young adult Buddhist experience. This one-of-a-kind book is about the experiences of young people in America-from their late teens to early thirties-who have embraced Buddhism. Thirty-three first-person narratives reflect on a broad range of life-stories, lessons, and livelihood issues, such as growing up in a Zen center, struggling with relationships, caring for the dying, and using marathon running as meditation. Throughout, up-and-coming author Sumi Loundon provides an illuminating context for the tremendous variety of experiences shared in the book.

Blue Jean Buddha was named a finalist in the 2002 Independent Publisher Book Awards (Multicultural Non-Fiction - Young Adult) as well in NAPRA's Nautilus Awards, in the Personal Journey/Memoir/Biography category.

Honor life's milestones and bring sacredness into everyday life. The Book of Blessings and Rituals shows you how to create ceremony and meaning around the most important events in you life.

Drawing from different world traditions, leading metaphysical teacher Athena Perrakis presents blessings to cover a wide array of occasions and intentions, including holidays and sacred days, love, healing, protection, prosperity and success, lunar blessings and rituals, and manifestation. Organized by month, you'll be able to celebrate the sacred all year long.

Create medicine bundles and altars to support blessings and ceremonies

Know which crystals to use to amplify rituals and clear energy

Learn how to smudge for clearing and protection

Use the power of invocations to assist in strengthening goals and intentions

Deepen your experience of the sacred, find inspiration, and heal with this non-denominational guide to blessings and rituals.

This work traces the various stages of the spiritual journey undertaken by a man who started out as Siddhartha the Seeker, achieved understanding as Shakyamuni the Sage and attained superemacy as Tathagata the Master.

As essential to the canon as the Bible and the plays of Shakespeare, The Book of Common Prayer has been in daily use for centuries. Originally produced for the Church of England in the sixteenth century by Thomas Cranmer, who was burned at the stake upon the accession to the throne of the ardently Catholic Queen Mary, it contains the entire liturgy as first presented in English-as well as some of the oldest phrases to be used by modern English speakers. H ere are daily prayers, scripture readings, psalm recitals, and the services marking such religious milestones as baptism, confirmation, and marriage, all from the 1662 edition, whose influence can be seen in the work of some of the greatest writers in English literature, from Donne and Swift to Austen and the Brontës.

This beautiful deluxe edition includes a new introduction by The New Yorker's book critic James Wood, discussing how The Book of Common Prayer has influenced the English language and literature. Its small trim size allows for easy portability as a daily devotional.

Is the Bible one book or a collection of writings? If it is a book, does it stand as a coherent piece of literature? In this beautifully written book Gabriel Josipovici answers these questions, drawing on his deep knowledge and appreciation of medieval and modern art and literature and on his personal understanding of the possibilities of narrative. His close textual analysis of the Bible not only lifts literary-biblical criticism to a new level but also makes the Bible accessible to our secular age. 'As 'A Resonse to the Bible', 'The Book of God' is fresh and energetic, scattering insights in all directions, making original and unexpected connections between the Bible and such modern authors as Proust, casting new light upon such questions as the Bible's place in Western culture and the nature of its authority, the unity and discontinuities of the text, and the need for a perspective that at once transcends and unites historical-theological and aesthetic interpretation.' Northrop Frye 'His book is easy, intimate, and direct, partly because he has digested all his learning, partly because his dissatisfaction with his predecessors' solutions never belittles them, and partly because his own readings are those of a cultivated contemporary who, though respectful, is not awestruck. Whatever he turns to, he illuminates.' The New Yorker 'Josipovici's insights ... deserve and need to be pondered by both literary critics and Biblical scholars.' John Barton, London Review of Books 'His urbane style, shrewd discernment, subtle humour, and, above all, his passion for words lead us to listen in fresh ways.' Walter Brueggemann, Theology Today 'This is a book to be grateful for: thoughtful, deeply felt, and beautifully written.' David Lodge, Independent Gabriel Josipovici is a novelist, literary theorist, critic and scholar. He was Professor of English at the University of Sussex, and Weidenfeld Professor of Comparative Literature at Oxford, and is now research professor in the Graduate School of Humanities, Sussex.

A controversial national best seller upon its initial publication, The Book of J is an audacious work of literary restoration revealing one of the great narratives of all time and unveiling its mysterious author. J is the title that scholars ascribe to the nameless writer they believe is responsible for the text, written between 950 and 900 BCE, on which Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers is based. In The Book of J, accompanying David Rosenberg's translation, Harold Bloom persuasively argues that J was a woman--very likely a woman of the royal house at King Solomon's court--and a writer of the stature of Homer, Shakespeare, and Tolstoy. Rosenberg's translations from the Hebrew bring J's stories to life and reveal her towering originality and grasp of humanity. Bloom argues in several essays that "J" was not a religious writer but a fierce ironist. He also offers historical context, a discussion of the theory of how the different texts came together to create the Bible, and translation notes.

The spiritual text that forms the basis of Mormonism, in the last edition edited by its founder, Joseph Smith, Jr.

The Book of Mormon is one of the most influential, as well as controversial, religious documents in American history, and is regarded as sacred scripture by followers around the world, including members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the fourth-largest religious body in the United States. According to Mormon belief, The Book of Mormon was inscribed on golden plates by ancient prophets. It contains stories of ancient peoples migrating from the Near East to the Americas, and also explains that Jesus Christ appeared to the New World after his resurrection. The golden plates were discovered in upstate New York and translated by Joseph Smith, Jr., under the guidance of an angel, Moroni. From this divine revelation, Smith founded the Mormon sect, which is now comprised of more than 12.5 million members worldwide.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

A "pure genius" translation of the beloved autobiographical writings of the great 16th-century Spanish mystic, Saint Teresa of Ávila (Caroline Myss, New York Times-bestselling author)

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) is one of the most beloved of the Catholic saints. In 1562, during the era of the Spanish Inquisition, Teresa sat down to write an account of the mystical experiences for which she had become famous. The result was this book, one of the great classics of spiritual autobiography.

With this fresh translation of The Book of My Life, Mirabai Starr brings the inimitable Spanish mystic to life for a new generation. In contemporary English that mirrors Teresa's own earthy, vernacular Spanish, and that presents us with--four centuries after Teresa's death--someone we feel we know, Mirabai Starr offers a stunning portrait of a woman who is intoxicated by God yet filled with an overflowing love for the world.

Mary E. Giles is Professor of Humanities at California State University. She is the author of two other books on women's spirituality, The Feminist Mystic and When Each Leaf Shines.

A revolutionary look at Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the birth of publishing, on the eve of the Reformation's 500th anniversary

When Martin Luther posted his "theses" on the door of the Wittenberg church in 1517, protesting corrupt practices, he was virtually unknown. Within months, his ideas spread across Germany, then all of Europe; within years, their author was not just famous, but infamous, responsible for catalyzing the violent wave of religious reform that would come to be known as the Protestant Reformation and engulfing Europe in decades of bloody war.

Luther came of age with the printing press, and the path to glory of neither one was obvious to the casual observer of the time. Printing was, and is, a risky business--the questions were how to know how much to print and how to get there before the competition. Pettegree illustrates Luther's great gifts not simply as a theologian, but as a communicator, indeed, as the world's first mass-media figure, its first brand. He recognized in printing the power of pamphlets, written in the colloquial German of everyday people, to win the battle of ideas.

But that wasn't enough--not just words, but the medium itself was the message. Fatefully, Luther had a partner in the form of artist and businessman Lucas Cranach, who together with Wittenberg's printers created the distinctive look of Luther's pamphlets. Together, Luther and Cranach created a product that spread like wildfire--it was both incredibly successful and widely imitated. Soon Germany was overwhelmed by a blizzard of pamphlets, with Wittenberg at its heart; the Reformation itself would blaze on for more than a hundred years.

Publishing in advance of the Reformation's 500th anniversary, Brand Luther fuses the history of religion, of printing, and of capitalism--the literal marketplace of ideas--into one enthralling story, revolutionizing our understanding of one of the pivotal figures and eras in human history.

Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in 563 B.C. on the border of India and Nepal. At age 29, he left his family and life of privilege behind to become a wandering ascetic in search of enlightenment. He studied meditation with many teachers, and after six years of seeking, became enlightened under a bodhi tree. In the 25 centuries since the Buddha lived, his teachings have spread across the globe, inspiring practitioners as well as writers both famous and obscure. This collective portrait gathers writings from contributors including Hermann Hesse, Jack Kerouac, Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack Kornfield, religious scholar Karen Armstrong, and death-row prisoner Kevin Sack, and intersperses them with 150 color photos depicting Buddhism around the world.