Beyond the Bronze Pillars is an innovative and iconoclastic look at the politico-cultural relationship between Vietnam and China in the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. Overturning the established view that historically the Vietnamese sought to maintain a separate cultural identity and engaged in tributary relations with the Middle Kingdom solely to avoid invasion, Liam Kelley shows how Vietnamese literati sought to unify their cultural practices with those in China while fully recognizing their country’s political subservience. He does so by examining a body of writings known as Vietnamese "envoy poetry." Far from advocating their own cultural distinctiveness, Vietnamese envoy poets expressed a profound identification with what we would now call the Sinitic world and their political status as vassals in it. In mining a body of rich primary sources that no Western historian has previously employed, Kelley provides startling insights into the pre-modern Vietnamese view of their world and its politico-cultural relationship with China.

In this work Daniel Prokop examines the description of the pillars in 1 Kgs 7, 15-22. He analyzes extrabiblical parallels, Greek and Hebrew textual witnesses as well as iconography and archaeological finds and asks about the symbolic meaning of the columns.

Explore the roots of your faith in the NIV Pillars of the Faith Bible. Inside this Bible you will find the New International Version Bible text paired with 26 pages of quotes and reflections from past Christian leaders, writers and thinkers, creating a profound, reflective experience. Features: • Complete text of the world’s most popular modern-English Bible, the NIV • Quotes and reflections from past Christian leaders, writers and thinkers • “Topical Study Index,” “30-second thought starters on authentic living” and “five minute reflections on the psalms”

The book comprises two parts part I deals with the socio-historical aspects of family of the Vedic Seer Bharadvaja and Part II discusses the significant contribution the family has made to the various fields of Indian culture.

The Revival Study Bible takes a close look at revivals that draw men to God’s work in breathing new life into the Church. This unique Bible covers rich Christian history spanning over 2,000 years of God’s acts that center around revival, missions, and evangelism. It also gives inspiring accounts of supernatural, miraculous, and prevailing acts of the Lord. Emphasizing passion and action and not just data, this dynamic Bible gives an international flavor drawn from active, tested, and fruitful ministries involved in ongoing awakening.

Paul Stephenson twists together multiple strands to relate the cultural biography of a unique monument, the Serpent Column, which stands today in Istanbul 2,500 years after it was raised at Delphi.

A Bible for Men That's Focused on Godly Character and Faithful Living. As the world changes around us, it can be hard to hold onto your identity as a godly man. If you are struggling to find your place as a Christian, it helps to remember that while the expectations of the world seem ever-changing, the expectations that God has for you hold true. Rooted: The NIV Bible for Men strives to help you connect with your identity in Christ as it highlights timeless virtues that are still valued today. It is designed to speak to Christian men honestly and straightforwardly about their role as Christians in the face of cultural pressures and a changing society. And it speaks to character traits men need to cultivate in today's world, like confidence rooted in inner strength, self-possessed dignity and calm, kindness, joy, and leadership based in service. Drawing on the truths of Scripture, the features in this Bible will motivate you to redeem your God-given passions, drives, and purposes so you can live out your faith. Myths articles expose commonly accepted myths of our culture that many men believe. Each article opens with the first-person story of a man who believes a particular myth and how that affects his life. Then, principles from the Bible refute the myth and offer practical guidance and help. In addition, the Think About notes take you to the heart of important topics such as money, sex, and pride. Factoid-filled Get to Know profiles introduce you to 50 men from the Bible, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. You'll find questions to reflect on, either alone or in a small group study, in the Questions for Growth. And the Knowing God notes highlight attributes of God, teaching you that knowing the character of God can help you live as a man created in his image. Altogether, these resources offer you knowledge, wisdom, and clarity to strive to become a godly man, rooted in timeless virtues. Features: Complete text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) 100 Myth articles—States a commonly accepted myth that the world tells you is true, then refutes the myth with the truth of God’s Word. 50 Get to Know profiles—Interesting information about men of the Bible. 200 Rooted: Questions for Growth—Questions for personal reflection or small-group study. 200 Knowing God notes—Highlights an attribute of God as revealed in Scripture. 300 Think About notes—short teaching notes on life topics such as money, sex, and pride. Articles to help men further their Bible study 66 book introductions Subject index

For many Westerners, the name Vietnam evokes images of a bloody televised American war that generated a firestorm of protest and brought conflict into their living rooms. In his sweeping account, Ben Kiernan broadens this vision by narrating the rich history of the peoples who have inhabited the land now known as Viet Nam over the past three thousand years. Despite the tragedies of the American-Vietnamese conflict, Viet Nam has always been much more than a war. Its long history had been characterized by the frequent rise and fall of different political formations, from ancient chiefdoms to imperial provinces, from independent kingdoms to divided regions, civil wars, French colonies, and modern republics. In addition to dramatic political transformations, the region has been shaped by its environment, changing climate, and the critical importance of water, with rivers, deltas, and a long coastline facilitating agricultural patterns, trade, and communications. Kiernan weaves together the many narrative strands of Viet Nam's multi-ethnic populations, including the Chams, Khmers, and Vietnamese, and its multi-religious heritage, from local spirit cults to Buddhism, Confucianism, and Catholicism. He emphasizes the peoples' interactions over the millennia with foreigners, particularly their neighbors in China and Southeast Asia, in engagements ranging from military conflict to linguistic and cultural influences. He sets the tumultuous modern period--marked by French and Japanese occupation, anticolonial nationalism, the American-Vietnamese war, and communist victory--against the continuities evident in the deeper history of the people's relationships with the lands where they have lived. In contemporary times, he explores this one-party state's transformation into a global trading nation, the country's tense diplomatic relationship with China and developing partnership with the United States in maintaining Southeast Asia's regional security, and its uncertain prospects for democracy. Written by a leading scholar of Southeast Asia, Viet Nam presents an authoritative history of an ancient land.