Getting married is one of the biggest days of your life. It can all go by in a flash compared to the amount of time, effort, money and planning it takes to get to that trouble-free day. Many people are daunted by the prospect of organising their wedding and have no idea of where to start. Written by the established wedding planner, Bláithín OReilly Murphy, Distinctive Weddings: Tying the Knot Without the Rope Burns brings together in one attractive book all the information you need, from sourcing the ring to booking the band, from picking the menu to hiring the transport, and everything in-between. Also included are handy insider tips, what to ask, forms for bookings, templates for invitations, mass booklets, and listings of some of the most popular prayers, readings, gospels and hymns. The ultimate guide to planning your wedding day.

Aphrahat the Persian Sage, (fl. 337-345 C.E. ), was a Syriac Christian author who wrote twenty-three treatises entitled The Demonstrations. This book examines “temple” as a key image for Aphrahat’s theological anthropology. The temple is central for both Jews and Christians; it is the place of sacrifice, meeting, and communication with the Divine. For Aphrahat, the devout Christian person may be a micro-temple which then allows one to encounter the divine both within oneself and through a vision ascent to the heavenly temple.

The accepted standard of Christian poetry in an Islamic context is disclosed in this two-volume collection that contains vocalized Arabic poems, biographical introductions, and commentary. Volume one includes poets from before the Islamic period while volume two covers those during the Islamic period.

The accepted standard of Christian poetry in an Islamic context is disclosed in this two-volume collection that contains vocalized Arabic poems, biographical introductions, and commentary. Volume one includes poets from before the Islamic period while volume two covers those during the Islamic period.

The accepted standard of Christian poetry in an Islamic context is disclosed in this two-volume collection that contains vocalized Arabic poems, biographical introductions, and commentary. Volume one includes poets from before the Islamic period while volume two covers those during the Islamic period.

This work explores the points of contact, as well as the differences between the distinct notions of divine embodiment developed by Maximos the Confessor (580-662), one of the greatest Greek Fathers, and Tsong kha pa (1357-1419), arguably the most important thinker in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. Both authors developed a spiritual theology where natural contemplation and the practice of the virtues are invested with a transformative value and are construed as a response to a cosmic intelligence, which sustains the universe, but also becomes manifest in history.

The Coups of Hazael and Jehu offers a narrative reconstruction of the events surrounding the rise of Hazael to the throne of Aram-Damascus and Jehu to the throne of Israel in the mid-eighth century. These near-simultaneous dynastic changes were parts of a major shift in the political, military, and economic structure of the Levant, which took place as the mighty armies of Assyria pushed into the region. The book argues that Jehu’s bloody overthrow of Joram and Hazael’s irregular seizure of power after the death of his predecessor were not independent events, but responses to the Assyrian threat.

A substantial Festschrift for Sebastian P. Brock, this volume contains 34 essays from a variety of scholars across the field of Syriac studies. The breadth of the submissions illustrates the multiplicity of approaches taken in contemporary Syriac studies, and while no overall limitations were set for the contributions, a lively interest in Jacob of Serug remains evident. No scholar in this discipline will want to miss this important collection that represents the latest in serious exploration of the world of Eastern Christianity in Late Antiquity.

The observation that scholarly work on the Bible is of little use to theologians is the starting premise for this volume. As a possible solution to this impasse, the contributors explore the potential insights provided by a distinct tradition of biblical interpretation that has its roots in both the patristic School of Antioch and in the Syriac Fathers, such as Ephrem and Jacob of Sarug, and which has survived and developed in the Churches of the Antiochene Patrimony, such as the Maronite and Syriac.

In the context of a society that has become unbelievably rich, but where many feel uncomfortable at the levels of homelessness and poverty that continue to exist, Jesus: Social Revolutionary? is an attempt to open a debate about the meaning of faith and the obligations that belonging to the Christian community imposes on us. ""This book may seriously damage what is not infrequently considered to be Christian faith, lead you to a new sense of freedom, an increasing interest and wonder at the world around you, reveal to you a personal wealth that surpasses your wildest dreams, a wealth that no one can take from you, from which everyone can benefit, and which increases in value the more it is shared. ""-- Gerard W. Hughes SJ

This book takes a fresh look at problems we all face at Christmas time: finances; present buying; and family relations. It examines how we can approach the season in new ways.

This book is written for the over-fifties to help develop an understanding of what Chrsitian life is all about, how it is relevant to today, what it means to get to know Jesus and how that relationship affects all the other relationships that we will ever make. The author emphasizes the practical nature of the love, compassion and teaching of Jesus. He talks about building and repairing relationships on the basis of a personal relationship with Jesus and illustrates the nature of servant-hood and what it means to be salt and light to a broken world.

A special selection of extracts from the letters of Mary Aikenhead - one for every day of the year - containing much wisdom, inspiration and challenge, reflecting her deep spirituality. Mary Aikenhead left a rich legacy of almost eleven hundred letters to the congregation of the Religious Sisters of Charity, which she founded in 1815. The Religious Sisters of Charity is a congregation of women dedicated to working with the poorest and most vulnerable people through various ministries in social/pastoral work, education and health care. Today, their ministries continue in California. Zambia. England, Ireland, Nigeria, Venezuela and Scotland.

The Maronite Library of Aleppo is one of the most important collections of manuscripts in Syria. This catalogue gives the first detailed description of the Syriac manuscripts, also containing images and indices of titles, personal names, subjects and places.

In this edition of Cheikho’s literary survey of Arabic literature of the nineteenth century, the reader will find the Arabic original of Cheikho’s fine text. Difficult to locate outside the Middle East, Gorgias Press is now bringing this uncommon find to Arabists in the western world.

A Fractured Relationship: Faith and the Crisis of Culture recognises that Christian faith must speak to each culture it encounters and attempts a philosophical, theological and spiritual dialogue with the culture of the west. Through an examination of the philosophy of three seminal thinkers, Cardinal Newman, Eric Voegelin and Bernard Lonergan, this book identifies hitherto unnoticed dimensions of faith and proposes an 'Art of Loving' to show how the world would be if the Gospel were put into practice.