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Commentary on the Torah
By Richard Elliott Friedman. 2001
In this groundbreaking and insightful new commentary, one of the world's leading biblical scholars unveils the unity and continuity of…
the Torah for the modern reader. Richard Elliott Friedman, the bestselling author of Who Wrote the Bible?, integrates the most recent discoveries in biblical archaeology and research with the fruits of years of experience studying and teaching the Bible to illuminate the straightforward meaning of the text -- "to shed new light on the Torah and, more important, to open windows through which it sheds its light on us."While other commentaries are generally collections of comments by a number of scholars, this is a unified commentary on the Torah by a single scholar, the most unified by a Jewish scholar in centuries. It includes the original Hebrew text, a new translation, and an authoritative, accessibly written interpretation and analysis of each passage that remains focused on the meaning of the Torah as a whole, showing how its separate books are united into one cohesive, all-encompassing sacred literary masterpiece. This landmark work is destined to take its place as a classic in the libraries of lay readers and scholars alike, as we seek to understand the significance of the scriptural texts for our lives today, and for years to come.A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science
By Michael S. Schneider. 1994
Discover how mathematical sequences abound in our natural world in this definitive exploration of the geography of the cosmosYou need…
not be a philosopher or a botanist, and certainly not a mathematician, to enjoy the bounty of the world around us. But is there some sort of order, a pattern, to the things that we see in the sky, on the ground, at the beach? In A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe, Michael Schneider, an education writer and computer consultant, combines science, philosophy, art, and common sense to reaffirm what the ancients observed: that a consistent language of geometric design underpins every level of the universe, from atoms to galaxies, cucumbers to cathedrals. Schneider also discusses numerical and geometric symbolism through the ages, and concepts such as periodic renewal and resonance. This book is an education in the world and everything we can't see within it.Contains numerous b&w photos and illustrations.Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River
By Raymond Bial. 2006
In 1839, persecuted Mormons fled Missouri, across the Mississippi River, seeking freedom from violence. They hoped to find a safe…
haven on the banks of the river in an Illinois city that they called Nauvoo, “the city beautiful.”The Mormons did not flourish for long in Nauvoo. In neighboring cities some grew resentful of the prosperity that Joseph Smith and his people were enjoying. Religious misconceptions further fueled hostility toward the Mormons. Would the oft-persecuted Mormons have to flee their city beautiful?Through poignant writing and photographs of Nauvoo today, Raymond Bial tells the story of the city that many Mormons consider to be the wellspring of their religion.The Bible with Sources Revealed: A New View into the Five Books of Moses
By Richard Elliott Friedman. 2003
One of the World's Foremost Bible Experts Offers a Groundbreaking Presentation of the Five Books of MosesIn The Bible with Sources…
Revealed, Richard Elliott Friedman offers a new, visual presentation of the Five Books of Moses -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy -- unlocking the complex and fascinating tapestry of their origins. Different colors and type styles allow readers to easily identify each of the distinct sources, showcasing Friedman's highly acclaimed and dynamic translation.NOTE: This book is meant to be experienced in color and the eBook is not compatible with black and white devices.God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible
By Adam Nicolson. 2003
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK“This scrupulously elegant account of the creation of what four centuries of history has…
confirmed is the finest English-language work of all time, is entirely true to its subject: Adam Nicolson’s lapidary prose is masterly, his measured account both as readable as the curious demand and as dignified as the story deserves.” — Simon Winchester, author of KrakatoaIn God's Secretaries, Adam Nicolson gives a fascinating and dramatic account of the era of the King James Bible and its translation, immersing us in an age whose greatest monument is not a painting or a building but a book.A network of complex currents flowed across Jacobean England. This was the England of Shakespeare, Jonson, and Bacon; the era of the Gunpowder Plot and the worst outbreak of the plague. Jacobean England was both more godly and less godly than the country had ever been, and the entire culture was drawn taut between these polarities. This was the world that created the King James Bible. It is the greatest work of English prose ever written, and it is no coincidence that the translation was made at the moment "Englishness," specifically the English language itself, had come into its first passionate maturity. The English of Jacobean England has a more encompassing idea of its own scope than any form of the language before or since. It drips with potency and sensitivity. The age, with all its conflicts, explains the book.This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.Religion, Narcissism and Fanaticism: The Arrogance of Gods
By Tamas Pataki. 2024
Religion, Narcissism and Fanaticism traces the historical and psychosocial development of religiosity and applies anthropological and psychoanalytic perspectives to the…
understanding of religions, particularly their fanatical and fundamentalist expressions.Religious ideology, practices and institutions satisfy many human needs, including those arising from our hysterical, obsessional, and narcissistic dispositions: the need to segregate the good and bad aspects of our personalities; to belong to an idealized group; and to feel secure and special by identifying with, or living in the orbit of, a supposedly omnipotent figure. But these needs and their modes of satisfaction are distorted by religions which may then nurture and accommodate malign characteristics, especially in the case of the monotheisms, narcissistic inflation or grandiosity. The book shows how interactions between religious ideology and personal development become intricated in the narcissistic pathology which underlies much of the violence and religious aggression in the world today. It presents both a new account of the historical and psychosocial development of religiosity and a powerful polemic against the religions which delusorily satisfy some of the very needs they create.The book will appeal to psychoanalysts, anthropologists, philosophers, sociologists, and all those interested in the place of religion in the modern world.The End of Catholic Mexico: Causes and Consequences of the Mexican Reforma (1855–1861)
By David Gilbert. 2024
In The End of Catholic Mexico, historian David Gilbert provides a new interpretation of one of the defining events of…
Mexican history: the Reforma. During this period, Mexico was transformed from a Catholic confessional state into a modern secular nation, sparking a three-year civil war in the process. While past accounts have portrayed the Reforma as a political contest, ending with a liberal triumph over conservative elites, Gilbert argues that it was a much broader culture war centered on religion. This dynamic, he contends, explains why the resulting conflict was more violent and the outcome more extreme than other similar contests during the nineteenth century. Gilbert&’s fresh account of this pivotal moment in Mexican history will be of interest to scholars of postindependence Mexico, Latin American religious history, nineteenth-century church history, and US historians of the antebellum republic.BRST Symmetry and de Rham Cohomology
By Soon-Tae Hong. 2024
This book provides an advanced introduction to extended theories of quantum field theory and algebraic topology, including Hamiltonian quantization associated…
with some geometrical constraints, symplectic embedding and Hamilton-Jacobi quantization and Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) symmetry, as well as de Rham cohomology. This extended new edition offers a multifaced insight into phenomenology of particles such as baryons and photons, in terms of extended objects. In particular, in the second edition, the baryons are described in hypersphere soliton model, and the photon properties are additionally included in stringy photon model and in Dirac type relativistic quantum mechanics for a photon.It offers a critical overview of the research in this area and unifies the existing literatures, employing a consistent notation. Although the results presented apply in principle to all alternative quantization schemes, special emphasis is placed on the BRST quantization and its de Rham cohomology group which contribute to a deep understanding of constrained physical theories. The book describes how solitons and other models subject to constraints include rigorous treatments of the geometrical constraints which affect the predictions themselves. The book is intended for use by any graduate-level student with quantum field and relativity theories, and it also serves as a useful reference for those working in the field. An extensive bibliography guides the reader toward the source literature on particular topics.Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries
By Noah Levine. 2006
Buddha was a revolutionary. His practice was subversive; his message, seditious. His enlightened point of view went against the norms…
of his day—in his words, "against the stream." His teachings changed the world, and now they can change you too.Presenting the basics of Buddhism with personal anecdotes, exercises, and guided meditations, bestselling author Noah Levine guides the reader along a spiritual path that has led to freedom from suffering and has saved lives for 2,500 years. Levine should know. Buddhist meditation saved him from a life of addiction and crime. He went on to counsel and teach countless others the Buddhist way to freedom, and here he shares those life-changing lessons with you. Read and awaken to a new and better life.Israel/Palestine in World Religions: Whose Promised Land?
By S. Ilan Troen. 2024
The struggle over Israel/Palestine is not just another contest by competing nationalisms or an instance of geopolitical competition. It is…
also about control of sacred territory that involves local Jews, Muslims, and Christians as well as worldwide faith communities, each with their own interests and stake in what transpires. This balanced introduction to a complex subject presents the multiple positions within the great monotheistic traditions. It demonstrates that the secular discourses in the public square concerning ownership privileges, historical precedence, political rights, and justice that have allegedly replaced religious claims actually coexist with, and often complement, the theological. It explores the century-long tangle of secular and theological debates about Israel’s legitimacy. Whether readers support a Jewish state or are resolutely opposed, the serious and substantial scholarship of this well-reasoned and innovative book will contribute to a nuanced and better-informed understanding of this persistent issue that has entered its second century on the international agenda.This book offers a comprehensive collection of introductory experiments in nuclear and cosmic ray physics utilizing Geiger counters. It features…
over 50 experiments with brief explanations of the physics involved, guidance on setting up educational and amateur experiments, and showcases actual results. The experiments cover the fundamentals of Geiger counters for detecting alpha, beta, gamma, and cosmic radiation, assessing detector performance, monitoring radiation in various environments and sources, conducting coincidence experiments, and applying counting statistics and analysis algorithms. Additionally, introductory chapters delve into radiation principles, interactions with matter, and the history of particle detectors, particularly Geiger counters. With the widespread availability of modern, affordable Geiger detectors and DIY devices, many experiments are suitable for high school and university students, aligning with modern physics curricula. The author has conducted some of these experiments himself over the past 20 years with third-year physics students. The book is also addressed to amateur scientists and a broad audience interested in exploring radiation phenomena. It features around 250 original illustrations and references to historical experiments and contemporary findings.An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist
By Richard Dawkins. 2013
New York Times bestselling author and renowned atheist and evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins delivers an intimate look into his own…
childhood and intellectual development, illuminating his path to becoming one of the foremost thinkers in modern science today &“A memoir that is funny and modest, absorbing and playful. Dawkins has written a marvelous love letter to science . . . and for this, the book will touch scientists and science-loving persons . . . Enchanting.&” —NPR Richard Dawkins&’s first book, The Selfish Gene, was an immediate sensation and dramatically shifted the study of biology by offering a gene-centered view of evolution. Published in 1976, the book transformed the way we think about genes and evolution and has sold more than a million copies. In 2006, Dawkins transformed the world&’s cultural and intellectual landscape again with The God Delusion, a scientific dismantling of religion. It was a New York Times bestseller and has sold more than two million copies worldwide. An Appetite for Wonder is Dawkins&’s insightful memoir examining his own evolution as a man and as a thinker. From his beginnings in colonial Kenya to his intellectual awakening at Oxford, Dawkins shares his path to the creation of The Selfish Gene, and offers readers an in-depth look at the man and the mind that has changed the way we view science and evolution.Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science
By Richard Dawkins. 2015
In this hugely entertaining sequel to the New York Times bestselling memoir An Appetite for Wonder, Richard Dawkins delves deeply…
into his intellectual life spent kick-starting new conversations about science, culture, and religion and writing yet another of the most audacious and widely read books of the twentieth century—The God Delusion.Called “one of the best nonfiction writers alive today” (Stephen Pinker) and a “prize-fighter” (Nature), Richard Dawkins cheerfully, mischievously, looks back on a lifetime of tireless intellectual adventure and engagement. Exploring the halls of intellectual inquiry and stardom he encountered after the publication of his seminal work, The Selfish Gene; affectionately lampooning the world of academia, publishing, and television; and studding the pages with funny stories about the great men and women he’s known, Dawkins offers a candid look at the events and ideas that encouraged him to shift his attention to the intersection of culture, religion, and science. He also invites the reader to look more closely at the brilliant succession of ten influential books that grew naturally out of his busy life, highlighting the ideas that connect them and excavating their origins.On the publication of his tenth book, the smash hit, The God Delusion, a “resounding trumpet blast for truth” (Matt Ridley), Richard Dawkins was catapulted from mere intellectual stardom into a circle of celebrity thinkers dubbed, “The New Atheists”—including Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett.Throughout A Brief Candle in the Dark, Dawkins shares with us his infectious sense of wonder at the natural world, his enjoyment of the absurdities of human interaction, and his bracing awareness of life’s brevity: all of which have made a deep imprint on our culture.Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe
By Lisa Randall. 2015
In this brilliant exploration of our cosmic environment, the renowned particle physicist and New York Times bestselling author of Warped…
Passages and Knocking on Heaven’s Door uses her research into dark matter to illuminate the startling connections between the furthest reaches of space and life here on Earth.Sixty-six million years ago, an object the size of a city descended from space to crash into Earth, creating a devastating cataclysm that killed off the dinosaurs, along with three-quarters of the other species on the planet. What was its origin? In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Lisa Randall proposes it was a comet that was dislodged from its orbit as the Solar System passed through a disk of dark matter embedded in the Milky Way. In a sense, it might have been dark matter that killed the dinosaurs.Working through the background and consequences of this proposal, Randall shares with us the latest findings—established and speculative—regarding the nature and role of dark matter and the origin of the Universe, our galaxy, our Solar System, and life, along with the process by which scientists explore new concepts. In Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, Randall tells a breathtaking story that weaves together the cosmos’ history and our own, illuminating the deep relationships that are critical to our world and the astonishing beauty inherent in the most familiar things.“Science has a battle for hearts and minds on its hands….How good it feels to have Lisa Randall’s unusual blend…
of top flight science, clarity, and charm on our side.”—Richard Dawkins“Dazzling ideas….Read this book today to understand the science of tomorrow.”—Steven PinkerThe bestselling author of Warped Passages, one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” and one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” Lisa Randall gives us an exhilarating overview of the latest ideas in physics and offers a rousing defense of the role of science in our lives. Featuring fascinating insights into our scientific future born from the author’s provocative conversations with Nate Silver, David Chang, and Scott Derrickson, Knocking on Heaven’s Door is eminently readable, one of the most important popular science books of this or any year. It is a necessary volume for all who admire the work of Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, Brian Greene, Simon Singh, and Carl Sagan; for anyone curious about the workings and aims of the Large Hadron Collider, the biggest and most expensive machine ever built by mankind; for those who firmly believe in the importance of science and rational thought; and for anyone interested in how the Universe began…and how it might ultimately end.Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space
By Lisa Randall. 2013
On July 4, 2012, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva madehistory when they discovered an entirely new type…
of subatomic particle that many scientists believe is the Higgs boson. For forty years, physicists searched for this capstone to the Standard Model of particle physics—the theory that describes both the most elementary components that are known in matter and the forces through which they interact. This particle points to the Higgs field, which provides the key to understanding why elementary particles have mass. In Higgs Discovery, Lisa Randall explains the science behind this monumental discovery, its exhilarating implications, and the power of empty space.To Live From The Heart: Mindful Paths To The Sacred
By Stanislaus Kennedy. 2015
'This is a sacred treasury, a spiritual notebook which is very special to me, and which has touched and inspired…
me at different times over the years.'In To Live from the Heart: Mindful Paths to the Sacred, Sister Stan reveals how prayer can play an important part in all our lives, lifting our spirits and offering us hope and support in good times and bad.This comforting treasury of mindful meditations, prayers, proverbs and essays has helped to sustain Sister Stan through the years. In sharing them with us, she hopes they will nourish our souls, bring us peace on our journey through life, and inspire us to live from the heart.Thought for the Day: 50 Years of Fascinating Thoughts & Reflections
By Christine Morgan. 2022
'A daily taste of eternity in the midst of time'BBC Radio 4 staple Thought for the Day has been running…
for 50 years, aiming to capture the mood of the country and speak to it in a way that reaches people of all faiths and none.Take a tour of half a century of daily reflections from some of our most prominent and insightful thinkers, including Pope Benedict XVI, Desmond Tutu and Mona Siddiqui. Covering our changing attitudes to sexuality, science, politics, national life, international relations and more, Thought for the Day charts the constant evolution of British society from its uniquely timeless perspective.Taming The Tiger: Tibetan Teachings For Improving Daily Life
By Akong Tulku Rinpoche. 1994
TAMING THE TIGER offers a simple approach to finding happiness for oneself that also brings happiness to others. Based on…
twenty years of Buddhist teaching in the West, Taming the Tiger aims to help anyone seeking the truth about suffering and happiness. The first part of the book deals with topics such as Impermanence, The Right Motivation, Facing the Situation, Body, Speech and Mind, Compassion, and Mindfulness. The second part is devoted to exercises, meditations and relaxation techniques for body and mind, including Feeling, Openness, Taking Suffering, Bringing the Buddha to Life and Universal Compassion. The exercises, designed to provide a base of self-knowledge, mind-therapy and self-healing have also been found beneficial in therapy workshops and in the treatment of psychological problems.This practical programme has been tested and refined first at therapy workshops of Samye Ling in Scotland - the oldest Tibetan Buddhist centre in the West - and has since confirmed its success in cities throughout Europe, North America and Africa, bringing definitive solutions to long-term problems weighing heavily on the mind.Set alongside The Analects and Mencius, these two texts make up the 'Four Books' of Chinese Confucian tradition. Their depiction…
of the 'Way of Great Learning' focuses on the moral tenets of Confucian thinking, establishing a universal framework that links individuals with the cosmos. By drawing together key ethical and philophical, and metaphysical issues, the essays deal with the individual's development of moral character. They have long occupied a central position in the educational and political infrastructure of China, Korea and Japan, and their influence and popularity continues to grow, in the East and in the West.