The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave

How Baptism and the Eucharist Shaped Early Christian Understandings of Jesus Long before the Gospel writers put pen to papyrus, the earliest Christians participated in the powerful rituals of baptism and the Lord's Supper, which fundamentally shaped their understanding of God, Christ, and the world in which they lived. In this volume, a respected biblical scholar and teacher explores how cultural anthropology and ritual studies elucidate ancient texts. Charles Bobertz offers a liturgical reading of the Gospel of Mark, arguing that the Gospel is a narrative interpretation of early Christian ritual. This fresh, responsible, and creative proposal will benefit scholars, professors, and students. Its ecclesial and pastoral ramifications will also be of interest to church leaders and pastors.

Walk the path of love with one of the warmest, most beloved spiritual leaders of our time, and learn how to put faith into action. As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Bishop Michael Curry's life illustrates massive changes in our times. Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more important, how to go a whole lot further. The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. This book will lead readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity.

"This mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? To be a Christian? Is it attending church? Memorizing scripture? Fighting culture wars? Doing good things? Or is there something more? What if believing in Jesus Christ meant identifying with him? What if it meant sharing in his birth, dying in his death, and rising with him to a new and glorious way of life? Christianity may not mean these things today, but once upon a time, it did. The first Christians didn't just go to church, or read the Bible, or vote for a particular political party. They lived the life of Jesus Christ before an unbelieving world-and their world changed because they changed. Now it's your turn. The hope of the gospel is that Christ can be formed in you and live through you, transforming both you and your world. In Power of the Creed, find out how through a fresh encounter with one of Christianity's oldest and best-kept secrets - the Nicene Creed. Whether you grew up reciting the Creed in church or have never heard it before, you will be empowered to live your faith, rise above temptation, and shine with the very image of Christ through this transformative book.

"A fresh, vigorous new translation of the Gospel of Mark."—The American Conservative "Professor Pakaluk provides not only a thrilling new rendering of the ancient Greek text but also provides lively scholarship in the commentary that follows his translation of Mark's sixteen chapters."—The Catholic Thing "This is a very rewarding version of Mark, and even those who have made long study of the text will find a wise and sensitive guide in Michael Pakaluk."—National Catholic Register "Pakaluk's translation and commentary offers us a wonderful way to immerse ourselves anew..."—The B.C. Catholic "Like his translation, Pakaluk's notes do a lot to bring St. Mark and his gospel alive for us."—Aleteia The Gospel as You Have Never Heard It Before... At a distance of twenty centuries, the figure of Jesus of Nazareth can seem impossibly obscure—indeed, some skeptics even question whether he existed. And yet we have an eyewitness account of his life, death, and resurrection from one of his closest companions, the Simon Bar-Jona, better known as the Apostle Peter. Writers from the earliest days of the Church tell us that Peter’s disciple Mark wrote down the apostle’s account of the life of Jesus as he told it to the first Christians in Rome. The vivid, detailed, unadorned prose of the Gospel of Mark conveys the unmistakable immediacy of a first-hand account. For most readers, however, this immediacy is hidden behind a veil of Greek, the language of the New Testament writers. Four centuries of English translations have achieved nobility of cadence or, more recently, idiomatic accessibility, but the voice of Peter himself has never fully emerged. Until now. In this strikingly original translation, atten- tive to Peter’s concern to show what it was like to be there, Michael Pakaluk captures the tone and texture of the sherman’s evocative account, leading the reader to a bracing new encounter with Jesus. The accompanying verse-by-verse commentary—less theological than historical—will equip you to experience Mark’s Gospel as the narrative of an eyewitness, drawing you into its scenes, where you will come to know Jesus of Nazareth with new intimacy. A stunning work of scholarship readily accessible to the layman, The Memoirs of St. Peter belongs on the bookshelf of every serious Christian.

Worship is the right, fitting, and delightful response of moral beings—angelic and human—to God the Creator, Redeemer, and Consummator, for who he is as one eternal God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and for what he has done in creation and redemption, and for what he will do in the coming consummation, to whom be all praise ...

The vigil of Bright Saturday (Apocalypse) is one of the greatest spiritual vigils in our Coptic Orthodox Church. It raises the souls to heaven to partake with the saints whom Christ has brought to Paradise on that same night; He granted them happiness and joy through deliverance from Hades and the enjoyment in the Paradise of joy. The book includes all the rites, the praises, the prayers and the readings of: The Praises, Matins Raising of Incense, the Third and Sixth Hour, the Book of Revelation, the Ninth Hour, the Divine Liturgy, and the Prophecies of the Eve of Resurrection-all in Coptic, English and Arabic. In this second edition, we have revised some mistakes, changed some translations, and added all texts for the Resurrection Feast (Midnight Praise, Matins Raising of Incense, and Liturgy).