What are the consequences of living according to the Holy Laws of the Bible, Torah or Koran? The Unholy Legacy of Abraham discusses the biological basis of belief in religion before going on to analyse the Bible, Koran and Torah and the effets of living strictly by the guidance of these holy texts.

As the bestselling author of Is There Life After Death? and Cheating the Ferryman, Anthony Peake has studied the phenomena surrounding what happens when we die. In Near-Death Experiences, he takes a look at a phenomenon that has garnered great attention from both academics and scientists who study the workings of the brain and the physiological events that are associated with this seemingly inexplicable state. By marrying up anecdotal evidence with empirical scientific evidence, Peake proffers the latest theories behind what we call 'near-death experiences' and how those investigating them are trying to reconcile an apparent state of awareness on the part of the person concerned with the fact that clinically they are considered by physicians to be in a state of clinical death with no signs of bodily functions. It makes for a fascinating read that takes us into an area of neuroscientific research that is continually evolving.

Traveling major highways and secondary roads, walking unpaved paths, the author recites contradictions of the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, the Holy Land. Here, religion uneasily confronts politics and democracy, sublime nature undergoes militarization, and hospitality and empathy mix with brutality, hatred and violence. Everything becomes security: not just borders and relations with the neighbors, but also water and archaeological evidence, demography and voting Arabs. Control of holy sites, perception of illegal immigrants, separate highway networks and built-up hilltops are all viewed through the prism of threat and security. Threats proliferate, be they real or imaginary, spontaneous or politically-driven. Whether in Jerusalem, the “city of the world”, or in small towns, tensions are palpable between Israel’s radical Jews and its Arab residents. Even within the Jewish community itself, increasingly nationalistic, animosities between ultra-Orthodox and more secular inhabitants are on the rise. Christians also feel under attack, as do moderate Palestinians from their Islamized brethren. In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian villagers confront radical settlers, often protected by Israeli soldiers, while in the isolated Gaza, Hamas imposes ever stricter rules upon its people. Not surprisingly, the Holy Land has become aplenty with both mental and physical barriers, with walls, checkpoints, no-go and firing zones. Will rage and fear, sorrow and despair eventually trump hope? Although glimmers of hope exist—new water technology, Tel Aviv’s culture of tolerance, more pressures from the international community—the author remains more pessimistic than ever, as reflected in the book’s title.

This is the first full-length study of Demetrius of Alexandria (189–232 ce), who generated a neglected, yet remarkable hagiographic program that secured him a positive legacy throughout the Middle Ages and the modern era. Drawing upon Patristic, Coptic, and Arabic sources spanning a millennium, the analysis contextualizes the Demetrian corpus at its various stages of composition and presents the totality of his hagiographic corpus in translation. This volume constitutes a definitive study of Demetrius, but more broadly, it provides a clearly delineated hagiographic program and charts its evolution against a backdrop of political developments and intercommunal interactions. This fascinating study is a useful resource for students of Demetrius and the Church in Egypt in this period, but also for anyone working on Early Christianity and hagiography more generally.

Describes the architecture along the Erie Canal villages.

**THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER** 'Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful,' Atul Gawande, bestselling author of Being Mortal What makes life worth living in the face of death? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity - the brain - and finally into a patient and a new father. Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both. 'A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living' Nigella Lawson

This book is a theological and political exploration of how Christianity may be compatible with polytheism, arguing that there is no singular "orthodoxy", rather we see "polydoxy". Conceptually deconstructing the distinction between monotheism and polytheism, it advances multi-devotionalism and mono-devotionalism as analytically preferable terminology. It starts by exploring notions of polytheism in the Old(er) Testament, New(er) Testament, and Christian developments of the Trinity over subsequent centuries, before placing Christianity in comparative dialogue with Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. Employing a decolonial and feminist stance, the book proceeds to examine global Christianities, focusing on African and Asian theologies as well as Goddess traditions. It concludes by offering five options for developing a theology of Christian polytheism: Henotheist originalism, theologies of plurality, generous orthodoxy, atheistic Christian polytheism, and a theology of polytheistic excess. This original and compelling volume is essential reading for scholars of Christian Systematic Theology and Modern Theology.

This volume is devoted to the receptions of and reflections on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as told in Genesis 18 and 19. Two articles discuss intertextual reactions to the Sodom narrative within the Hebrew Bible. Five contributions examine readings and rewritings of the Sodom narrative in early Jewish, Christian and Islamic writings: Jubilees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the New Testament (Revelation 11), Targumim and early Koran commentaries. Two articles focus on separate themes, the punishment of the Dead Sea and the prohibition on looking back. Finally, two articles that focus on Peter Damian and Proust's Sodome et Gomorrhe I describe the later reception of the sin of Sodom as homosexuality. A bibliography of recent works completes the volume.

Take back your personal power! Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2 NKJV) Have you ever wondered… If everyone wants to succeed, why do so few people become successful? Can certain relationship patterns prevent me from stepping into my destiny? Are there habits or behaviors in my life that keep me from fulfilling my purpose? Develop the skills you need to succeed in life! While The 40 Day Soul Fast focused on the 40 characteristics of an authentic person, now bestselling author and empowerment specialist, Dr. Cindy Trimm delivers her follow-up—Reclaim Your Soul, which focuses on the 40 behaviors of a resilient person. Learn how to: • Identify destructive relationships in your life and break free from their harmful impact • Avoid unhealthy emotional attachments and shield your soul from possible damage • Unlock your potential and refuse to settle for anything or anyone that pulls you away from fulfilling your purpose Successful people are resilient people. The key to resiliency is learning how to reclaim your soul each and every day!