Lt. Jac Flyte is all prepared to embark for Alpha Centauri when Cheryl, his former fianc calls. Dr. Cheryl Bellini is a cosmologist and she asks him...if before he goes away forever...would he want to see what Edmund Leahy has done... Cheryl's colleague, Dr. Leahy, has cracked the code in an otherworldly artifact called the Moses Probe. The secret is far more than mere transit to Alpha C at the speed of light- It is instantaneous transit to any planet in the known Universe. For these efforts, Jac knows Leahy has been mocked and maligned. Yet Jac believes in Cheryl. He puts aside his convictions that Faster-Than-Light technology is as good as it gets, he risks his mission to Alpha C and goes with Cheryl to call on Leahy. When they go, they find Leahy murdered, even as his work is about to be destroyed. Quickly, Jac and Cheryl must choose: pick up where Leahy left off, commit themselves to each other, and to the quest for intergalactic laurels-or die.

Dr Coats, widely recognized for his work over two decades on the Pentateuchal traditions, here presents us with his distinctive portrait of Moses. George Coats identifies two strands in the Moses tradition, the tradition of the hero who represents the people of God, and that of the 'man of God', distinctly unheroic in folkloristic terms, who represents God to the people. This duality in the portrayal of Moses becomes evident already in the call narrative of Exodus 3, a narrative that should not be divided between J and E but reflects the most ancient perception of the character Moses and his significance.

This is no ordinary book. It is a set of probing questions (1,450 in fact) designed to help individuals or groups, especially groups, to dive deeply into Saint John’s Gospel. No answers are provided, but the questions are phrased in such a way as to set a person in a reliable direction for finding the answers. The questions correspond to the verses of the Gospel and require active and personal interaction. Some of the questions are easy, some difficult, and they are marked accordingly. Some questions include background information or hints that help the reader along. Some were written with a fair bit of humor. Any person or group using these questions to explore John will find themselves entertained as well as informed and inspired.

"A modern classic....Thrilling and constantly illuminating."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World Through a distinguished career of critical scholarship and translation, Robert Alter has equipped us to read the Hebrew Bible as a powerful, cohesive work of literature. In this landmark work, Alter's masterly translation and probing commentary combine to give contemporary readers the definitive edition of The Five Books. Winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Translation and the Koret Jewish Book Award for Translation, a Newsweek Top 15 Book, Los Angeles Times Favorite Book, and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book.

Depictions of the Holocaust in history, literature, and film became a focus of intense academic debate in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, with the passing of the eyewitness generation and the rise of comparative genocide studies, the Holocaust’s privileged place not only in scholarly discourse but across Western society has been called into question. Probing the Ethics of Holocaust Culture is a searching reappraisal of the debates and controversies that have shaped Holocaust studies over a quarter century. This landmark volume brings international scholars of the founding generation of Holocaust studies into conversation with a new generation of historians, artists, and writers who have challenged the limits of representation through their scholarly and cultural practices. Focusing on the public memorial cultures, testimonial narratives, and artifacts of cultural memory and history generated by Holocaust remembrance, the volume examines how Holocaust culture has become institutionalized, globalized, and variously contested. Organized around three interlocking themes—the stakes of narrative, the remediation of the archive, and the politics of exceptionality—the essays in this volume explore the complex ethics surrounding the discourses, artifacts, and institutions of Holocaust remembrance. From contrasting viewpoints and, in particular, from the multiple perspectives of genocide studies, the authors question if and why the Holocaust should remain the ultimate test case for ethics and a unique reference point for how we understand genocide and crimes against humanity.

'Holiness and Ministry' is a response to the call of the World Council of Churches for renewed theological reflection on the biblical roots of ordination to strengthen the vocational identity of the ordained and to provide a framework for ecumenical dialogue.

To navigate through every single verse of the New Testament, and show how they were put together in a book is not an easy task. To make sense of the life and death of Jesus is no less challenging. But not for Jon Valset! In about 700 pages and over 200 topics, one is exposed to stories and events that have been systematically and meticulously analyzed and cross-referenced. At times, irreverent and controversial, but without preconceived notions or doctrinal goals, he extends his probing to works by contemporary writers for more fascinating incidents related to Jesus, and the epoch in which he lived. He carries his research down to the smallest detail, connects the dots, fills in the blanks, and comes up with assessments and conclusions that are hard to dispute. Frequent annotations and insightful commentary throughout Probing the New Testament bring greater clarity and understanding of the Holy Text. In his journey for truth, Valset elaborates on many passages of the New Testament claiming prophetic credibility in the Old Testament. He turns his attention to the effects of the hatred Roman occupation of the land, and to other political and religious forces controlling everyone’s life. From here, it was only a short step to the harsh conditions that made inevitable Jesus’s death on the Cross. He, then, goes on to discuss in great detail how acceptance of new theological ideas by Gentiles led to the creation of early Christianity. Probing the New Testament is a real eye-opener, sure to please those with a keen and open intellect.

A half-century ago, mankind's journey to the stars began with the launch of Sputnik 1. Sir Patrick Moore, the world's most famous amateur astronomer, and space photographer HJP Arnold have combined their talents to chronicle this entire exciting period. Featuring the finest images beautifully reproduced, it relives all the amazing advances and discoveries, from the first manned spaceflight to the first moon landing, from the first Space Shuttle to the first probes that went to the outer planets...and beyond. The engaging text showcases Moore's trademark clarity, simplicity, passion, and authority, and Arnold's photographs capture the drama, scale, majesty, and minutiae of the Universe. Also included: a countdown of the 50 Greatest Ever Space Images as chosen by Arnold.

Lawgiver and liberator. Seer and prophet. The only human permitted to converse with God "face-to-face." Moses is the most commanding presence in the Old Testament. Yet as Jonathan Kirsch shows in this brilliant, stunningly original volume, Moses was also an enigmatic and mysterious figure--at once a good shepherd and a ruthless warrior, a spiritual leader and a magician, a lawgiver who broke his own laws, God's chosen friend and hounded victim. Now, in Moses: A Life, Kirsch accomplishes the wondrous feat of revealing the real Moses, a strikingly modern figure who steps out from behind the facade of Sunday school lessons and movie matinees. Drawing on the biblical text and a treasury of both scholarship and storytelling, Kirsch examines all that is known and all that has been imagined of Moses. In these vivid pages, we see the marvels and mysteries of Moses's life in a new light--his rescue in infancy and adoption by an Egyptian princess; his reluctant assumption of the role of liberator; his struggles to wrest his people from the pharaoh's dominion; his desperate vigil on Mount Sinai. Here too is the darker, more ominous Moses--the sorcerer, the husband of a pagan woman, the military commander who cold-bloodedly ordered the slaying of innocent people; the beloved of God whom God sought twice to murder. Jonathan Kirsch brings both prodigious knowledge and a keen imagination to one of the most compelling stories of the Bible, and the results are fascinating. A figure of mystery, passion, and contradiction, Moses emerges from this book very much a hero for our time.

This volume contains the five papers read at a Symposium held in Leiden on 10 December 1991, on the occasion of the centenary of Abraham Kuenen's death, together with four other articles. The introductory article gives a short biography of Kuenen, one article deals with his method, two concern his approach to the religion of ancient Israel, and the other six discuss the reception of his work on the Pentateuch and later developments in various countries. Together these articles highlight the significance of this great Old Testament scholar, and at the same time identify issues which continue to confront Old Testament research. Though the wide variety of new approaches to the Old Testament has contributed greatly to our understanding of it, it is clear that historical research has not been rendered obsolete or superfluous by it.