The book is a series of images, narratives, and reflections. Most of them are seen through the eyes of a solitary child gazing at and understanding life and men, by moving from a cocoon of comfort into the wider world of complex relationships. The book is partly autobiographical: the authors own experiences help her to view the world by understanding herself better. The last part is a set of beliefs on the inner self, on what makes life tick within her.

Sacred Bonds of Solidarity is a history of the emergence of Jewish international aid and the language of "solidarity" that accompanied it in nineteenth-century France.

A collection of photographs and interviews with thirty-five Black men reveals how their connection with their mothers influenced how they look at race, education, relationships, and family

This book delves into the intricacies of marriage and divorce in Judaism, exploring both religious traditions and contemporary practices in Israel. It draws upon a series of lectures delivered by the author at various institutions and provides a comprehensive overview of the subject matter. The book begins by examining the diverse customs and regulations surrounding marriage within different Jewish denominations. It addresses questions such as the prevalence of polygamy, the historical context of its prohibition, and the roles played by various figures in this decision-making process. The author meticulously outlines the various stages of marriage, from the initial engagement and agreement to the wedding night itself. The detailed descriptions of the necessary preparations and rituals ensure a clear understanding of the process. Additionally, the book explores the impediments to marriage, the existence of civil marriage in Israel, and the legal implications of cohabitation. The book delves into the rights and responsibilities of both spouses under Jewish law. The subsequent chapter focuses on divorce in Judaism, meticulously examining its conditions, the parties involved, and the procedures for initiating and finalizing the divorce. It addresses the complexities of divorce against the wife's will, the circumstances under which a wife may seek a divorce, and the rituals prescribed for a lawful divorce. The author carefully outlines the consequences of a husband's refusal to divorce, the contents of a divorce document, and the concept of the "suspended woman," along with the challenges associated with her status. Furthermore, the book explores the concept of yibum marriage, its implications, and the legal recourse available in the event of a brother's refusal to marry his deceased sibling's widow. It also examines khul'a, a method of divorce initiated by the wife, along with its historical and contemporary applications. Throughout the book, the author seamlessly integrates religious rulings and rituals with contemporary practices in Israel, ensuring that readers gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter within its historical and social context. This approach provides a well-rounded perspective on the complexities of marriage and divorce in Judaism, both in theory and in practice.Top of Form

In this extensive and vividly presented study, Mr. Hanhardt provides a model of how the spiritual life emerges at times of change and suffering in our lives. He presents a new view of ancient structures in the human psychethe relationships that are our greatest gifts and that emerge into the realm of the spiritual. This study is based upon decades of research into multiple traditions but fully relies on the description of the most powerful healing structures we have, which are found in each member of the Christian Trinity. To achieve the goal of the growth of love, the ultimate purpose of human suffering, we must invite God into the process. This book is designed for all who are involved in the healing process and is written in a language that is both accessible to the general public and also challenging of the traditional training and practice of psychotherapists and counselors. Mr. Hanhardt also presents throughout the book many techniques and structured self-studies and meditations for healing for clients and seekers who are directing their own healing process.

This study analyzes the religious mentality, commercial practices, and social composition of Roman trade society at the celebrated Hellenistic Greek, Roman Republican emporium of Delos, 166-87 B.C. The remains of this site date largely to the late second and early first centuries B.C., when Delos was the nerve center of the trans-Mediterranean luxury and slave trade of Roman Italy. Repeated military assaults be-tween 87 and 69 B.C. de-stroyed the community and its trade importance declined. But as an archaeological site it offers the earliest and most detailed remains of a Roman trade community to survive anywhere in the Mediterranean world, including the city of Rome itself. This study marks the first re-assessment and interpretation of these remains from the vantage point of Roman trade in more than seventy years. Among the subjects discussed are the religious character of the remains of Delian marketplaces and their likely commercial function; the role of oaths and, more particularly, of the gods, Mercury and Hercules, in Roman commerce; the tendency of Roman traders to organize themselves according to religious fraternities and the manner in which this enhanced trade activities such as finance; the social status of these traders in wider Roman society as reflected by their house remains; and, finally the identity of the mysterious Agora of the Italians.

“Brown and Keele have produced an introduction to covenant theology (and therefore biblical theology) that has several distinctive features: First, it is eminently readable and clear; second, it is compellingly biblical in its reasoning and conclusions, constantly displaying the biblical texts in which the various covenants are narrated; and third, it frequently cites covenantal theologians and Reformed confessions from the past, locating itself solidly in the mainstream of that tradition.” --from T. David Gordon in cover materials

How does one package and sell confidence in the stability of a nation riven by civil strife? This was the question that loomed before the Philadelphia financial house of Jay Cooke & Company,&8239;entrusted&8239;by the US government with an unprecedented sale of bonds to finance the Union war effort in the early days of the American Civil War.&8239;How the government and its agents marketed these bonds revealed a version of the war the public was willing to buy and buy into, based not just in the full faith and credit of the United States but also in the success of its armies and its long-term vision for open markets. From Maine to California, and in foreign halls of power and economic influence,&8239;thousands of agents were deployed to&8239;sell&8239;a clear message: Union victory was unleashing the American economy itself. This fascinating work of&8239;financial and political history&8239;during&8239;the Civil War&8239;era&8239;shows&8239;how the marketing and sale of bonds crossed the Atlantic to Europe and beyond, helping ensure foreign countries' vested interest in the Union's success. Indeed, David K. Thomson demonstrates how Europe, and ultimately all corners of the globe, grew deeply interdependent on American finance during, and in the immediate aftermath of, the American Civil War.&8239;

With penetrating insight Combs-Schilling illuminates the remarkable survival of one of the world's oldest monarchies, still ruling after 1200 years. The author unravels the paradox of this ancient yet progressive institution that has weathered invasion, economic collapse, and colonial assult. The pillars of stability for which political analysts typicaly search -- military strength, bureaucratic control, and commerical prosperity -- have often been absent in Morocco, sometimes for centuries. How then has the monarchy stood firm? In this remarkable book, Combs-Schilling argues that the answer is to be found in the distinctive forms of ritual practice developed during times of great crises. Unique among Islamic governments, the Moroccan monarchy became cnetral to the popular celebrations of the most sacred rituals of Islam, cloaking itself in their sanctity. Combs-schilling breaks new ground in thinking about ritual. The author explores the consequences of the replication and reinforcement of Morocco's national ceremonies in viallages and homes and the metaphorical equivalence thereby built. The author outlines how ritual metaphors simultaneously fuse the monarchy with the hallowed prophets of Islam and the mundane structures of family life. In elucidating the forcefulness of ritual embodiment the book challenges anthropological theory. It demonstrates that rituals created realities by inscribing them deeply within the individual's body and mind. Rituals use eros and physical substance to build imaginative abstractions. Performances of exquisite beauty and grace make the monarchy intrinsic to definitions of male and female, to experience of birth, intercourse, death, and to the ultimate longing to break death's bonds. Combs-Schilling creates a model for national political analysis that takes meaning as well as strategic power into account. The author applies the anthropological analysis of rituals to new arenas -- the nation-state and the world political economy -- without ever losing sight of the individual and the flow of daily life. The book clarifies a distinctive form of nationalism that expands the boundaries articulated by Anderson in Imagined Territories. Rituals rather than territory or administration came to define the Moroccan monarchy and the Moroccan nation under Western assault, and enabled them to survive. For the novice, the book provides an unusual and compelling entry into Islamic culture and history. Yet it is provocative for the expert in its reinterpretation of the strategic dimensions of Muhammad's marriages and the political potency of the rituals of Islam where power, sacrifice, and sexual identity converge. By revealing the link between national ceremony and individual identity, the author calls into question the popular view that sharply divides East and West and suggests commonalities in the structures of political-sexual power that are built into societies that operate within the cultural contexts of the world's three monotheistic faiths: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.