The Desert Experience in Israel shares the responses of settlers, artists, poets, scientists, and educators who lived near the Blaustein Institute in the Negev Desert of Israel as they answer the question, 'What difference has living in the desert year round made in your work?' The book begins with a reprint of David Ben-Gurion's call for settlement and science in the desert. This is followed by an account of life in early kibbutzim, a discussion of the meaning of the term 'desert,' accounts of religion in the desert, and the relationship of the desert experience to art, theatre, literature, poetry, sculpture, and the use of color categories by the Bedouin. Accounts of research on solar energy, fossil fuel, water, microalgae, runoff agriculture, fish, and architecture are followed by desert-related activities in the high school, field school, and research institute.

An excellent, single-volume Catholic dictionary of the Bible written by respected Catholic Biblical scholar John L. McKenzie S. J. and originally published in 1965. Fr. John L. McKenzie, S.J., (1910-1991) was an acclaimed Catholic Scripture scholar who wrote numerous books and was the first Catholic scholar on the Divinity School faculty. He was at one time president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America and president of the Society of Biblical Literature. His Dictionary of the Bible is the best one-volume orthodox Catholic Bible dictionary available in the English language—it’s an essential reference tool that should be on the shelf of every good Catholic library. A standard reference work, providing concise descriptions of biblical characters, terms, and places, as well as pertinent illustrations and charts, this is “one of the most up-to-date and reliable dictionaries of the Bible in any language.…Magnificent in scholarship, ample in learning, frank and unhesitating in facing all the difficulties and problems, sympathetic with the varieties and diversities of other views” (Religious Education).

"The good news is that the Bible has a lot to say about how to heal our persistent racial divides. In this book, popular Bible teacher Derwin Gray walks us through Scripture, showing us the heart of God--how God from the beginning envisioned a reconciled multiethnic family in loving community, reflecting his beauty and healing presence in the world. This message is central to the gospel itself. After reading this book, you won't read the Bible the same way again--and you'll want to walk through this eye-opening scriptural journey with your friends or small group. As founding pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic church located in the Charlotte metro area, Derwin knows firsthand the hurdles and challenges to the reconciliation that Scripture commands. That is why he carefully outlines in this book how to establish color-blessed discipleship in your own church" --

The Negev desert occupies most of the territory of Israel. It has a strategic importance for the existence of the center of the country and at the same time is considered as a natural wild periphery. Since the 1920s, there was a tendency to conquer and flourish the desert, while since the 1980s, the ecological values gained importance. This manuscript reveals the relationship between man and his environment, employing texts analysis according to the ecocriticism approach. The study shows how as part of globalization processes, the status of collectivism in Israeli society was declined whereas the ability of social groups to influence the spatial identity construction has increased. Dr. Ilanit Ben-Dor Derimian, lecturer specialized in Israel and Jewish culture and history studies, member of the Research Center of Foreign Cultures, Languages and Literatures (CECILLE), University of Lille, France.

Questions contemporary histories and theologies of ancient Israel which stress the completely non-urban character of early Israel. The author supports his thesis by citing the tradition represented by texts in Deuteronomy 4:41ó26:19, all of which contain the word "city" ('r). Based on his form critical interpretation of these texts, the author argues that it was possible from the very beginning, and not simply after the time of David and Solomon, to be both thoroughly urban and authentically Yahwist. City life is therefore seen as a viable setting in which early Israel encountered and served Yahweh.

Deserts can be harsh, but they also are home to rare beauty. Spiritual deserts are difficult, but in God’s hands they can become life transforming. During spiritual deserts, we can find love in God’s dwelling place, the tabernacle, because it offers a blueprint for intimately meeting with Him. Author Eddie Broussard guides readers through the tabernacle, clearly explaining its meaning in light of its New Covenant fulfillment in Christ. Understanding the tabernacle can lead you to have worship that empowers, wisdom that guides, and a knowledge of God that transforms.

The Desert Experience in Israel shares the responses of settlers, artists, poets, scientists, and educators who lived near the Blaustein Institute in the Negev Desert of Israel as they answer the question, "What difference has living in the desert year round made in your work?" The book begins with a reprint of David Ben-Gurion's call for settlement and science in the desert. This is followed by an account of life in early kibbutzim, a discussion of the meaning of the term "desert," accounts of religion in the desert, and the relationship of the desert experience to art, theatre, literature, poetry, sculpture, and the use of color categories by the Bedouin. Accounts of research on solar energy, fossil fuel, water, microalgae, runoff agriculture, fish, and architecture are followed by desert-related activities in the high school, field school, and research institute.

This study of family religion in the Babylonian, Ugaritic and Israelite civilizations opens up a little studied province of ancient Near Eastern religion. By focusing on the interaction between family religion and state religion, the author offers fascinating insights in to the development of the religion of Israel.

In this book Theodore Hiebert re-examines these assumptions, and offers a new understanding of the role of nature in biblical thought.

Collective identity creates a sense of “us-ness” in people. It may be fleeting and situational or long-lasting and deeply ingrained. Competition, shared belief, tragedy, or a myriad of other factors may contribute to the formation of such group identity. Even people detached from one another by space, anonymity, or time, may find themselves in a context in which individual self-concept is replaced by a collective one. How is collective identity, particularly the long-lasting kind, created and maintained? Many literary and biblical studies have demonstrated that shared stories often lie at the heart of it. This book examines the most repeated story of the Hebrew Bible—the exodus story—to see how it may have functioned to construct and reinforce an enduring collective identity in ancient Israel. A tool based on the principles of the social identity approach is created and used to expose identity construction at a rhetorical level. The author shows that exodus stories are characterized by recognizable language and narrative structures that invite ongoing collective identification.