Ancient Religion

Pregnancy is not just a trek from one medical appointment to another but a journey of the heart. Here at last is a guidebook through its sacred terrain. For each week, Orthodox doula Laura Jansson provides a new reflection on a theme specific to the ground covered at that stage. From one milestone to the next, she helps us unearth the spiritual treasures buried within the physical experiences of childbearing. These are gifts of love from a merciful God who reaches out to us, making a perilous expedition into a path of salvation.

The biblical charges to "love your neighbor as yourself" and to "do to others as you would have them do to you" are at the heart of Abrahamic faith. DeCort argues that they are also at the heart of some of the most groundbreaking developments in human rights and the common good. Jesus taught neighbor-love and promised, "Do this and you will flourish." But Christians today are at high risk of ignoring or overthrowing the most daring teaching of Jesus' movement.

Since the Victorian period, it has been understood that the story of Noah, iconic in the Book of Genesis, and a central motif in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, derives from a much older story that existed centuries before in ancient Babylon. But the relationship between the Babylonian and biblical traditions was shrouded in mystery. Then, in 2009, Irving Finkel, a curator at the British Museum and a world authority on ancient Mesopotamia, found himself playing detective.

Five hundred years after Martin Luther and his Ninety-Five Theses ushered in the Reformation, best-selling author and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong delivers 12 forward-thinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate Christianity and ensure its future. Spong contends that there is mounting pressure among Christians for a radically new kind of Christianity - a faith deeply connected to the human experience instead of outdated dogma.

How did human societies scale up from small, tight-knit groups of hunter-gatherers to the large, anonymous, cooperative societies of today - even though anonymity is the enemy of cooperation? How did organized religions with "Big Gods" - the great monotheistic and polytheistic faiths - spread to colonize most minds in the world? In Big Gods, Ara Norenzayan makes the surprising and provocative argument that these fundamental puzzles about the origins of civilization are one and the same, and answer each other.

Mystery cults are one of the most intriguing areas of Greek and Roman religion. In the nocturnal mysteries at Eleusis, participants dramatically reenacted the story of Demeter's loss and recovery of her daughter Persephone; in the Bacchic cult, bands of women ran wild in the Greek countryside to honor Dionysus; in the mysteries of Mithras, men came to understand the nature of the universe and their place within it through frightening initiation ceremonies and astrological teachings.

One of the most influential Roman perspectives on religion came from a nonreligious belief system that is finding new adherents even today: Stoicism. How did the Stoics think about religion? In How to Think About God, Philip Freeman presents vivid new translations of Cicero's On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio. In these brief works, Cicero offers a Stoic view of belief, divinity, and human immortality, giving eloquent expression to the religious ideas of one of the most popular schools of Roman and Greek philosophy.

This volume contains a complete English translation of the famous Ethiopian work, The Kebra Nagast, i.e. the Glory of the Kings [of Ethiopia]. This work has been held in peculiar honour in Abyssinia for several centuries, and throughout that country it has been, and still is, venerated by the people as containing the final proof of their descent from the Hebrew Patriarchs, and of the kinship of their kings of the Solomonic line with Christ, the Son of God.

"SPLENDID . . . Eminently sane and patient . . . Essential reading for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike." --The Washington Post Venerated for millennia by three faiths, torn by irreconcilable conflict, conquered, rebuilt, and mourned for again and again, Jerusalem is a sacred city whose very...

This in-depth discussion of New Testament scholarship and the challenges of history as a whole proposes Bayes's Theorem, which deals with probabilities under conditions of uncertainty, as a solution to the problem of establishing reliable historical criteria. The author demonstrates that valid historical methods - not only in the study of Christian origins but in any historical study - can be described by, and reduced to, the logic of Bayes's Theorem. Conversely, he argues that any method that cannot be reduced to this theorem is invalid and should be abandoned.

Explores beliefs and myths from Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and around the Mediterranean, revealing how ancient goddesses were powerful queens of the heavens and Guardians of the Underworld, not passive fertility symbols Looks at creator goddesses, sun goddesses, lunar goddesses, warrior...

In Herbal Remedies for Health and Healing For Beginners, there are over 70 herbs detailed that can help over 20 common conditions and most have some scientific basis and research-backing of their benefits. The approach is both allopathic and holistic herbalism.

In this comprehensive beginner's guide, you will discover how to unlock the hidden power of these ancient symbols, which have been used for centuries to connect with the spiritual world, influence fate, and manifest desires. Learn the secrets behind runes—mystical symbols that served as both a language and a magical tool for the Vikings and Germanic tribes. Explore the deeper meanings of each rune, from the protective might of Algiz to the transformative energy of Dagaz, and discover how to use them in spells, divination, and daily life to attract love, abundance, health, and protection.

At 44, acclaimed cardiologist Dr. John Day was overweight and suffered from insomnia, degenerative joint disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. On six medications and suffering constant aches, he needed to make a change. While lecturing in China, he'd heard about a remote mountainous region known as Longevity Village, a wellness Shangri-La free of disease where living past 100 was not uncommon.

Continue your journey in the Connected Universe with Portals to the Stars, an exploration into the mysteries of stargates, ancient sites of power, and lost civilizations. Ancient cultures around the globe held secrets of harnessing the power of the Earth, traversing the cosmos, and interacting with beings from other worlds–or, perhaps, other dimensions. What was this esoteric knowledge lost to time we're just rediscovering today?

In Holy Fools, we begin to gain a better understanding of these saints' curious manner of serving Christ, as we learn about the extraordinary lives of twenty of the most well-known fools for Christ in a series of brief hagiographies.

The culture of Native Americans is one of the oldest in the world. Over the centuries, the Shamans and teachers of the tribes have preserved the rich knowledge accumulated in their community in order to pass it on to the next generations. One of the many secrets they have kept is the extraordinary properties of the wheel of colors. The wheel of colors will allow you to discover the colors that are best for you, so you can realize and maximize your potential in the best possible way.

Surprised by Christ combines an engrossing memoir of one man's life in historic times and situations from the Six-Day War to the Civil Rights Movement to the Jesus Movement in Berkeley with an examination of the distinctives of Orthodox theology that make the Orthodox Church the true home not only for Christian Jews, but for all who seek to know God as fully as he may be known.

Feeling overwhelmed? You can live a less-stressed life! Reclaim control over your spiritual, emotional, and physical health, and conquer stress today. Incorporating the latest medical findings with the timeless wisdom of the Bible, The New Bible Cure for Stress contains findings that your own doctor never may have told you.

Are you a spiritual person? A mature Christian? The apostles do not think that you are unless you have mastered the basic principles of the oracles of God.