"Christianity is a religion founded on the mystery of the cross of Christ." --Leo the Great At the center of Christianity sits the cross of Christ. From the beginning, Christ's followers celebrated the cross as a symbol of their faith. It was honored in church worship, carved into rough tombstones, pressed onto loaves of bread and set out as a sign of sanctuary. The cross represented what Christians believed, who they hoped for and how they approached life. In this thoughtful book Judith Couchman takes up forty images of the cross from early Christianity. As we discover the meaning and significance of each of these uses, we learn a little more about the early church. More than that, she helps us focus on the meaning of the cross and the Savior's sacrifice. Ideal for Lenten devotional reading and appropriate for any season of the church calendar, this book includes original illustrations of each cross image. The Mystery of the Cross will enrich your understanding of Christian tradition and draw you into Christ's presence.

As a Christian, why do you wear a cross? That single question sparked a fire in Mike Beecham to understand why the dominant symbol of Christianity was the instrument of Jesus's death. His passion led him to a lifelong pursuit to better understand the deeper meanings, symbolisms, and complexities of the cross. In Understanding the Mystery of the Cross Mike Beecham shares his discoveries regarding: • the connection between the original fall of man and Jesus's crucifixion • the multifaceted purpose of the cross • the ramifications of Jesus's crucifixion today • the irrational contempt for the cross in modern society • and the symbolic nature of the cross Through scripture and the knowledge gained from years of biblical research, Mike Beecham will guide you to a better appreciation of the cross. This book will you give you greater insight into what Jesus sacrificed at his crucifixion. You will have a better sense of everything that the cross truly symbolizes. You will gain knowledge on your purpose as a Christian that can only be found by Understanding the Mystery of the Cross.

“This book is a little masterpiece: it informs and it explores, it recounts history and it provokes a religious quest. It is a personal book, yet it explores the great questions of theology; it is full of learning, but not ponderous; it is written from the perspective of faith, but is not off-putting to the inquirer.” -Thomas O’Loughlin, Professor of Historical Theology University of Wales Lampeter “Andreopoulos explains the gesture and meaning and history of why Christianity has needed symbols and signs through the ages. Throughout, his writing is as inspiriting as a restorative benediction.” -ALA Booklist “The book succeeds at translating the significance of the sign of the Cross into something personal and immediate.” -Publishers Weekly “The Christian of today grows quickly from the innocent child into adulthood and demands understanding of any simple behavior. ‘Why to sign with the crossing? Where did this practice begin? When and how?’ Andreas Andreopoulos, with his book, helps to answer these questions.... [H]e immerses us into the illuminating obscurity of the Holy Tradition.” -Protopresbyter Kyrillos Leret-Aldir, Orthodox Christian Comment

In Preaching and Preachers, the author states unapologetically his attitudes about his role in the church and explains his methodology, all the while addressing various problems and questions that have been put to him.

From the bestselling author of The Lamb's Supper comes an illuminating work on the Catholic Eucharist and its link to the Jewish Passover meal. “Read this book. And don’t just read it. Pray about it. Reflect on it. And share it with others.”—Brant Pitre, author of The Case for Jesus In this brilliant book—part memoir, part detective story, and part biblical study—Scott Hahn opens up new vistas on ancient landscapes while shedding light on his own enduring faith journey. The Fourth Cup not only tracks the author’s gradual conversion along the path of Evangelicalism to the doorsteps of the Catholic faith, but also explores the often obscure and misunderstood rituals of Passover and their importance in foreshadowing salvation in Jesus Christ. Revealing the story of his formative years as an often hot-headed student and earnest seeker in search of answers to great biblical mysteries, Hahn shows how his ardent exploration of the Bible’s Old Testament turned up intriguing clues connecting the Last Supper and Christ’s death on Calvary. As Hahn tells the story of his discovery of the supreme importance of the Passover in God’s plan of salvation, we too experience often-overlooked relationships between Abel, Abraham, and the Hebrews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt. Along the way, Hahn reveals how the traditional fourth cup of wine used in the concluding celebration of Passover explains in astonishing ways Christ’s paschal sacrifice. Rooted in Scripture and ingrained with lively history, The Fourth Cup delivers a fascinating view of the bridges that span old and new covenants, and celebrates the importance of the Jewish faith in understanding more fully Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

James Patterson's blockbuster Alex Cross series has sold over 100 million copies—and now he's bringing those thrills to a new generation! Alex's son Ali is eager to follow in his father's footsteps as a detective, but when his best friend goes missing, what price will he have to pay to solve the mystery? Ali Cross has always looked up to his father, former detective and FBI agent Alex Cross. While solving some of the nation's most challenging crimes, his father always kept his head and did the right thing. Can Ali have the same strength and resolve? When Ali's best friend Gabe is reported missing, Ali is desperate to find him. At the same time, a string of burglaries targets his neighborhood—and even his own house. With his father on trial for a crime he didn't commit, it's up to Ali to search for clues and find his friend. But being a kid sleuth isn't easy—especially when your father warns you not to get involved!—and Ali soon learns that clues aren't always what they seem. Will his detective work lead to a break in Gabe's case or cause even more trouble for the Cross family?

These marvelous narratives may seem vastly fantastic to the modern mind, but to every shade of Christianity in those days, they were entirely credible.-from The Hymn of JesusLost words of Jesus? One of the greatest thinkers on the origins of Christianity and a renowned expert on Gnostic and Hermetic literature presents, in this snug volume first published in 1907, the lost teachings of Jesus. Not found in the canonical Gospels and, indeed, frequently dismissed as blasphemous or heretical or "reworked" by later editors to comply with perceived tradition, this beautiful hymn is not just of interest to Christian mystics but to anyone who values wise words well spoken.Also available from Cosimo Classics: Mead's The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tradition and Did Jesus Live 100 B.C.?British scholar and philosopher GEORGE ROBERT STOW MEAD (1863-1933) was educated at Cambridge University. He served as editor of The Theosophical Society's Theosophical Review, and later formed The Quest Society and edited its journal, The Quest Review. He is also the author of Notes on Nirvana (1893) and an 1896 translation of The Upanishads.

How can I know God if he is incomprehensible? Is it possible to know God in a way that takes seriously the fact that he is beyond knowledge? Steven Boyer and Christopher Hall argue that the "mystery of God" has a rightful place in theological discourse. They contend that considering divine incomprehensibility invites reverence and humility in our thinking and living as Christians and clarifies a variety of theological topics. The authors begin by investigating the biblical, historical, and practical foundations for understanding the mystery of God. They then spell out its implications for theological issues and practices such as the incarnation, salvation, and prayer, rooting knowledge of God in a concrete life of faith. Evangelical yet ecumenical, this book will appeal to theology students, pastors, church leaders, and all who want intellectual and practical guidance for knowing the unknowable God.

Humans have long searched for an adequate answer to an age-old question: If God is good, why do we suffer? An entire book of the Bible, Job, is dedicated to the problem of God and human suffering. Theologians across continents and centuries have debated the intricacies, inconsistencies, and assumptions the question elicits. And of course, many have turned to Jesus's own suffering, and his horrible death at the cross, in search of understanding. All too often, the resulting approaches to the mystery of suffering, though linked to the Jewish and Christian Scriptures and traditions, fail to satisfy contemporary hearts and minds. The Mystery of God and Suffering draws guidance from the Gospel of John and the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians, and focuses on God's overflowing love in creation as a foundation for understanding Jesus's death and its implications for those who follow him. This work offers an alternative vision, one emphasizing incarnation over atonement, for all those who find themselves uneasy or even oppressed by the notion of a vindictive God who demands the suffering and death of his son. The Mystery of God and Suffering also speaks to a larger audience, comprised of all those who suffer and search for meaning in their suffering. With a focus on the eternal concepts of life and love that are not simply integral to but inseparable from a God who is good, as well as on insights of believers through the ages, The Mystery of God and Suffering offers wise guidance for our journey into the abyss of suffering.

This book is the first published statement of the fruits of some years' work of a largely philological nature. It presents a new appreciation of the relationship of the languages of the ancient world and the implication of this advance for our understanding of the Bible and of the origins of Christianity.