In this comprehensive little book, Andrew Cort brings to life the history and legends of the twelve hundred years between the conquering of the Promised Land and the birth of Jesus. It includes the stories of Saul, David, and Solomon, the building of the Temple and the origin of the Freemason legend, the fate of the Ten Lost Tribes, the miracles of Elijah, the Babylonian Exile, Queen Esther and the Purim Festival, the influence of Aristotle and Epicurus, Judah Maccabee and the story of Chanukah, the building of the second Temple, the canonization of the Hebrew Bible, Caesar and Cleopatra, the Roman oppression, the origins of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes, plus much, much more. The book can stand alone as a fascinating account of these years, or it can be read as a companion volume to the author's major work on mythology, religion, and culture: 'RETURN TO MEANING: The American Psyche in Search of its Soul'.

An exciting new book which is a ground-breaking study of the life that became the foundation of Christianity.

"This eight-session Bible study works through the 39 books of the Old Testament, showing how the saving mission of Jesus Christ was revealed to God's people and was foreshadowed in the characters and events of the Old Testament"--

Who was Jesus, really? Did he advocate the Jewish prophetic kingdom of God? Did he manifest theological convictions that prominently surfaced after his death? In the final analysis, does it make any difference for faith? One typically bypasses the fact that gospel authors not only did not support the theology of Paul but actively contended against it. The mental insertion of Pauls theology into the gospels constitutes the most prominent misreading of the New Testament. Because of the disconnect between these authors and Paul, later church scribes attempted to fine-tune the gospels to become more consistent with orthodox theology. How was it possible that Paul believed Jesus would return to judge the world when no thinking prior to Paul envisioned such a role for a messiah? Why did gospel authors reflect an indentity for Jesus as the Son of Man, a prominent figure of Jewish apocalyptic literature? These and other questions are addressed.

The Mosaic of Atonement offers a fresh and integrated approach to historic models of atonement. While modern treatments of the doctrine have tended toward either a defensive hierarchy, in which one model is singled out as most important, or a disconnected plurality, in which multiple images are affirmed but with no order of arrangement, this book argues for a reintegration of four famous "pieces" of atonement doctrine through the governing image of Christ-shaped mosaic. Unlike a photograph in which tiny pixels present a seamless blending of color and shape, a mosaic allows each piece to retain its recognizable particularity, while also integrating them in the service of a single larger image. If one stands close, one can identify individual squares of glass or tile that compose the greater picture. And if one steps back, there is the larger picture to be admired. Yet in the great mosaics of age-old Christian churches, the goal is not for viewers to construct the image, as in a puzzle, but to appreciate it. So too with this mosaic of atonement doctrine. While no one model is set above or against the others, the book notes particular ways in which the "pieces"--the feet, heart, head, and hands--mutually support one another to form a more holistic vision of Christ's work. "This is my body," Jesus said to his followers, and by reintegrating these oft-dismembered aspects of atonement, we will note fresh ways in which it was given for us.

On July 22, 2012, the Chisholm Trail preschool class learned about the fiery furnace from the book of Daniel in the Bible. They were asked to paint a picture of an angel for their craft. Daniel Barnes, age two, painted the picture on the front cover. (He had only scribbled before that day.) On August 4, 2012, just two weeks after he painted his picture, tragedy struck. Daniel accidentally drowned at his third birthday party. God didn't reveal what the painting actually was until after Daniel had gone to heaven. All the extraordinary details of Daniel being taken to heaven are in his miraculous painting. Daniel had been wearing the exact color orange trunks and shirt as in the painting on the child (center of painting). Josh had jumped in from the side of the pool, just as the yellow person is jumping in the painting (far left). Daniel physically painted his angel that swooped down and rescued him that day, but God was guiding every stroke of that brush.

Central to God’s character is the quality of holiness. Yet, even so, most people are hard-pressed to define what God’s holiness precisely is. Many preachers today avoid the topic altogether because people today don’t quite know what to do with words like “awe” or “fear.” R. C. Sproul, in this classic work, puts the holiness of God in its proper and central place in the Christian life. He paints an awe-inspiring vision of God that encourages Christian to become holy just as God is holy. Once you encounter the holiness of God, your life will never be the same.

Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oxford, 2010.

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have read—and reread—Christopher Moore's irreverent, iconoclastic, and divinely funny tale of the early life of Jesus Christ as witnessed by his boyhood pal Levi bar Alphaeus (a.k.a. Biff). Now, in this special (check out the cool red ribbon marker, gilt-edged pages, and gold lettering) gift edition of Christopher Moore's bestselling Lamb, you, too, can find out what really happened between the manger and the Sermon on the Mount. And, in a new afterword written expressly for this edition, Christopher Moore addresses some of the most frequently asked questions he's received from readers since Lamb's initial publication, about the book and himself. Fresh, funny, poignant, and wise, this special gift edition of Lamb is cause for rejoicing among readers everywhere.