The Best Present Ever


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Holy Land


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Describing childhood in suburban California, a poignant portrait of growing up in the grid of tract houses and carefully measured streets illustrates the good, the bad, and the difficulties found in being ordinary.




Fighting for the Cross


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Long one of the foremost proponents of a maximalist view of crusading, Norman Housley here turns his attention to the more traditionally studied crusades to the Holy Land itself. This is not a narrative history, like so many before it, but a thematic look at the actual experience of crusading.




Finding Peace in the Holy Land


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The daughter of a Jewish model and troubled TV star Lauren Booth survived a house fire, lived through the excesses of the nineties as an aspiring actress, welcomed ‘our’ Tony Blair into her family, put her life as a parent at risk to report on Palestine, twice, found faith in a mosque in Iran – unsure before she entered whether they would be slaughtering goats or screaming with rage – and then as a new Muslim sobered up, started praying and became a hajji. Part adventure, part awakening, Lauren’s memoir is an inspirational journey through politics, the press, parenthood and the importance of meaning in a broken world, full of injustice and lacking in faith. Wryly written, with her British humour striking throughout, what her story also shows is the evolving relationship between culture and religion, and how to embrace the past whilst praying for a better future.




Jesus and the Land


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Describes first-century Jewish and Christian beliefs about the land of Israel and examines present-day tensions, helping readers develop a Christian theology of the land.




Accidental Holy Land


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A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. Yan'an is China's "revolutionary holy land," the heart of Mao Zedong's Communist movement from 1937 to 1947. Based on thirty years of archival and documentary research and numerous field trips to the region, Joseph W. Esherick's book examines the origins of the Communist revolution in Northwest China, from the political, social, and demographic changes of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), to the intellectual ferment of the early Republic, the guerrilla movement of the 1930s, and the replacement of the local revolutionary leadership after Mao and the Center arrived in 1935. In Accidental Holy Land, Esherick compels us to consider the Chinese Revolution not as some inevitable peasant response to poverty and oppression, but as the contingent product of local, national, and international events in a constantly changing milieu.




Defending the Holy Land


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A scathing and brilliant revisionist history, Defending the Holy Land is the most comprehensive analysis to date of Israel's national security and foreign policy, from the inception of the State of Israel to the present. Book jacket.




Come and See: A Catholic Guide to the Holy Land


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What better way is there to become configured to Christ than by following in His footsteps? A pilgrimage to the Holy Land allows one to follow, quite literally, in Our Lord’s footsteps, to discover His homeland and the cultural, linguistic, historical, and topographical landscapes that reveal so much about Jesus Christ. Come and See: A Catholic Guide to the Holy Land accompanies pilgrims through holy sites in Galilee, the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem. Contemplate the mysteries of Our Lord’s earthly life and ministry with appropriate biblical texts and the testimonies of both Roman historians and early Christian witnesses and writers. This uniquely Catholic travel guide features: Vibrant, full-color pictures Almost every page features photographs of the holy sites, as well as sacred art and even diagrams for historical context. Scripture on Site See the place the Lord’s Ascension actually occurred while reading about it in the Book of Acts. Experience the Jordan River while contemplating Christ’s baptism in that very place. Bring both the sites and the Scriptures to life by reading the Scripture on Site suggestions. Reflection sections with specific reflections for seminarians Not only is this guide informative, it is devotional. The reflection sections are perfect journaling prompts, group discussion questions, or simply guides for quiet reflection. Seminarians particularly will benefit from questions focused on their formation and future priestly ministry. Special durable cover and compact travel size This is one guide that can stand up to the rigors of travel! The cover is tear-resistant and the size is perfect for taking along on day trips to holy sites. Fr. Charles Samson’s Come and See will be a welcome companion for all who journey to the Holy Land to better know and love Christ.




Ladino Rabbinic Literature and Ottoman Sephardic Culture


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In this pathbreaking book, Matthias B. Lehmann explores Ottoman Sephardic culture in an era of change through a close study of popularized rabbinic texts written in Ladino, the vernacular language of the Ottoman Jews. This vernacular literature, standing at the crossroads of rabbinic elite and popular cultures and of Hebrew and Ladino discourses, sheds valuable light on the modernization of Sephardic Jewry in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 19th century. By helping to form a Ladino reading public and imparting shape to its values, the authors of this literature negotiated between perpetuating rabbinic tradition and addressing the challenges of modernity. The book offers close readings of works that examine issues such as social inequality, exile and diaspora, gender, secularization, and the clash between scientific and rabbinic knowledge. Ladino Rabbinic Literature and Ottoman Sephardic Culture will be welcomed by scholars of Sephardic as well as European Jewish history, culture, and religion.