Plutarch's 'The Works of Plutarch: Essays and Miscellanies' is a collection of essays that delve into a wide range of topics, including morality, ethics, politics, and history. The book is written in a conversational yet profound style, making it accessible to a wide audience while still offering deep insights and reflections. Plutarch's literary context is rooted in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, with an emphasis on the virtues and vices of famous historical figures. His use of anecdotes and personal reflections adds a personal touch to the otherwise scholarly content. Plutarch's writing style is eloquent and thought-provoking, making his essays a timeless source of wisdom and inspiration. Plutarch, a renowned philosopher and biographer, drew on his vast knowledge of history and philosophy to write these essays. His background in both fields provides a unique perspective that is reflected in the breadth and depth of his work. Plutarch's dedication to exploring the human experience and imparting wisdom is evident throughout the book, making it a valuable read for anyone interested in philosophy, history, or ethics. Readers who appreciate thoughtful reflections on virtue, character, and leadership will find 'The Works of Plutarch: Essays and Miscellanies' to be a rich and rewarding read.

"The Three Books of Occult Philosophy's vast store of magical lore has been so influential that occultists have been drawing upon it for the past five centuries. This classic work was first published in 1531, and translated into English in 1651, but it has never since been reprinted in its entirety. Now--for the first time in 500 years--editor Donald Tyson presents these writings as Agrippa intended them to appear: wholly complete and free from the hundreds of errors made in the original translation. The Three Books of Occult Philosophy is the most complete repository of pagan and Neo-platonic magic ever compiled. This book is packed with material you will not find elsewhere, including copious extracts on magic from obscure or lost works by Pythagoras, Pliny the Elder, Cicero, Ptolemy, Plato, Aristotle, and many other authorities. Donald Tyson's detailed annotations clarify difficult references and provide origins of quotations, even expanding upon them in many cases in order to make Agrippa's work more accessible to the modern reader. As well as providing extensive insight into the foundations of the Western Esoteric tradition, the Three Books of Occult Philosophy is the ultimate 'how-to' for magical workings. It describes how to work all manner of divinations and natural and ceremonial magic in such clear and useful detail that it is still the guide for modern techniques. And the extensive supplementary material--including biographical and geographical disctionaries and appendices--provides quick reference to many previously obscure matters in classical magic. The Three Books of Occult Philosophy is an essential reference tool for all students of the history of ideas and the occult tradition."--back cover.

The structural approach facilitates exposure of the elements of eschatological teaching characteristic of 2 Peter's author with its correct or incorrect interpretation. Narratives drawn from Jewish tradition aim to show two attitudes towards the announcement of destruction: a positive attitude, signifying salvation, and a negative attitude, signifying annihilation. This pattern is transferred to the attitude towards prophetic and apostolic eschatological teaching. Part 1 of the commentary (2 Pet 1–2) focuses on the misinterpretation of this teaching by false teachers and their followers. Their eschatological scepticism is ridiculed and their grim fate described. As the starting point for this description and Peter's whole line of argumentation 2 Pet 2:3b is taken – the thesis is that God's inaction is only apparent, while judgment and punishment are inevitable, although only God knows when they will be executed. Part 2 of the commentary (2 Pet 3) focuses on the proper interpretation of this teaching and on laying out the principles of the letter author's hermeneutics. This hermeneutic construes texts from Jewish tradition as foreshadowing and typologies of eschatological events. In explaining the principles of his hermeneutic, the letter's author drew on the creation story, which Jewish apocalypticism read inversely, to mark that the eschatological hermeneutics is rooted in tradition. The starting point of Peter's line of argumentation was taken to be 2 Pet 3:5.7 with its thesis of God's creative and destructive word and God's sovereign will regarding the preservation of creation and the appointment of the time of judgement. This thesis explains the apparent lack of divine action, which was also a major concern in Part 1 of the commentary (2 Pet 1–2).