Ancient Egyptian leaders sought to preserve the status quo by using not only their military might, but also enlisting magical rituals to help control any perceived threats to their way of life. Biblical leaders also sought to control their respective peoples by means of divine authority, brute force, and/or ritual actions. Examples of ritual actions by Moses and Jeremiah mimic those used by the ancient Egyptians in order to preserve or restore order to their given societies.

This volume combines Targum studies with Judaic studies. The author assigns different Targums each to a respective particular “Sitz im Leben”, stressing the close connection between Targum and Midrash literature. She challenges the assumption that all extant Targums were compiled for the Synagogue. Instead, she suggests that Targum Onqelos might have fulfilled a function in the context of the early beth din and demonstrates that Pseudo-Jonathan can be linked with the rhetorical practices which abounded in later amoraic, educational circles.

Approaching the question of Purim historically, Haupt notes that the book of Esther was composed during the reign of Judas Maccabeus, and he correlates the festival to the Babylonian New Year. He discusses the origin of the title “purim” from various languages, ultimately deciding on the Old Persian explanation. Moving forward, Haupt brings the festival into the more modern period, showing how the ancient tradition continues to exist. A useful resource for anyone interested in turn-of-the-century thought on the origins of an enigmatic biblical festival, this contribution is both readable to the layperson and scholarly as well.

In this brief study, Jeremias examines the representations of life after death in the Babylonian and Assyrian sources. The descent of Ishtar, basic concepts of the grave, descriptions of the afterlife and the realm of the blessed are all examined. The possibility of return from death and the biblical outlook on the subject are also part of the exploration.

From the eighth to the fifteenth centuries, Bede's authority as a scriptural exegete was second only to that of the Doctors of the Latin Church. Yet modern readers associate this remarkable scholar-monk only with his History of the English Church and Nation and ignore the works he saw as his chief accomplishment.

The Sahidic version of the Coptic New Testament, in seven volumes; independent evidence of the early text of the New Testament

Mor Philoxenos Yuhanon Dolabani describes and defends the unique Christology of the Syrian Orthodox tradition and discusses the reasons for the split with the Chalcedonian tradition.

The present volume commemorates the visit of Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas to Heidelberg in 1996 by presenting the German translation of four essays delivered during that historic meeting at the Ecumenical Institute of Ruprecht-Karls University.

In response to the various events of the twentieth century that resulted in the loss of both property and lives in the region of Tur Abdin, H. Numan Aydin offers a series of laments for the monasteries of the region.

The present volume includes the papers of the first PRO ORIENTE Colloquium Syriacum, which took place in Salzburg, Austria and concentrated on the Syriac Churches’ experiences with Islam. The papers in this volume survey the whole history of these two communities from the times of the Four Caliphs through the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman periods. Topics include the personal status of Christians under Islam, the ecclesiastical response to the rise of Islam, the Indian experience and the present situation.

Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality is an online, scholarly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal. JMMS seeks to be as inclusive as possible in its area of inquiry. Papers address the full spectrum of masculinities and sexualities, particularly those which are seldom heard. Similarly, JMMS addresses not only monotheistic religions and spiritualities but also Eastern, indigenous, new religious movements and other spiritualities which resist categorization.

Born in 1917, Cardinal Cahal B. Daly once remarked that he did not remember a time when he did not want to be a priest. Ordained in June 1941 for the diocese of Down and Connor, Cahal B. Daly held the posts of Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise and Down and Connor, and in 1990 was appointed Archbishop of Armagh, just two years before the usual retiring age for bishops and archbishops. Made a cardinal in June 1991, his reputation as one of the Irish Catholic Church’s most outstanding spiritual and intellectual leaders was by this point well established.In this special commemorative book, those who met and worked with Cardinal Daly share their memories of the man who was, in the words of the former Archbishop of Tuam, Joseph Cassidy, a bit of an oul saint. Contributions came from Dame Nuala OLoan, Bishop Colm OReilly, Lady Sylvia Hermon MP, and many others.

No, but we are different. Tonpa Sherab treated men and women in the same way, he passed on his teachings to both men and women and that is why we nuns are on equal footing with the monks, quite unlike the Buddhists.' The Bön religion is often seen as a part of the Tibetan Buddhism but its bond is actually far more complex and has its own origin in the history of Tibet. The role of women worshipping in Bön and Tibetan Buddhism, is quite different. And although there are studies on Buddhist nuns, there is hardly any research available on nuns in the Bön tradition. This pioneering study vividly portrays the nuns of the Redna Menling monastery in Dolanji (India), the headquarters of the Bön religion, in exile. It focuses on the developments of the Bön in exile, the specific context in which Bön nuns live and how the monastic tradition takes shape. It provides interesting insights into the monastic community in exile, the historic context of the Bön religion as well as the personal motives to become a nun.

This is a new edition of Warren's classic study on the Liturgy and Ritual of the Celtic Church. A new introduction and up-to-date bibliography is provided. In addition two other important editions of early Irish liturgical books are reproduced in this volume: Bartholemew MacCarthy's edition of The Stowe Missal and Whitley Stokes edition of an old Irish Tractate on the Consecration of a Church.

The question of leadership has to be one of the most critical facing us as a society right now. The twentieth century was about institutions; they shaped us. There is now a distrust of the institutions that were central to our lives, and people are calling into question the way leadership has been exercised. We are aware of the need to change, but what kind of leadership will bring about that change? It is clear that a lot of organisations will have to return to first beginnings. What are banks for? What is the Church for? How does business and community connect? Is politics about parties or people? To whom do young people turn for ideals, for a sense of meaning and purpose? What kind of community/local leadership is needed? These are fundamental questions for our time and for the systems that serve us. There is no scarcity of analysis. There is no shortage of ideas. The papers from the 2009 Céifin Conference aim to address the kind of vision, values and leadership required for recovery. Contributors include Rachael English, Ray Kinsella and Michael Drumm.

The present work presents the text of Dionysius bar Salibi's commentary on the "100 Theses" concerning the ascetic life by Evagrius Ponticus.