This book serves to correct the now accepted understanding of Irenaeus’s theodicy. This assumption of Hick’s theodicy as legitimately “Irenaean” remains due the gulf between Irenaean scholarship and discussion of the problem of evil. The present work offers a bridge between the two to allow for the continued discussion of both theologian’s distinct views.

The Apostle Paul commands his disciple Timothy to “be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” This exhortation encapsulates the Orthodox Church’s expectations from her clergy and forms the basis of her Pastoral Theology. The aim of the present work is to guide the contemporary Orthodox priest in his application of the Apostle’s words to his everyday life as a conduit of Divine Grace and shepherd of Christ’s flock. At the same time, its focus on the proper formation of the soul will benefit every Christian, whether ordained or not. Compiled from recent and historical sources reflecting the rich heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church.

This book examines the function and development of the cult of saints in Coptic Egypt, focusing primarily on the material provided by the texts forming the Coptic hagiographical tradition of the early Christian martyr Philotheus of Antioch, and more specifically, the Martyrdom of St Philotheus of Antioch (Pierpont Morgan M583). This Martyrdom is a reflection of a once flourishing cult which is attested in Egypt by rich textual and material evidence. This text enjoyed great popularity not only in Egypt, but also in other countries of the Christian East, since his dossier includes texts in Coptic, Georgian, Ethiopic, and Arabic.

The chapters in Torah is a Hidden Treasure pertain to authorship in Seder Eliyahu Rabba and Pirqe deRabi Eliezer, natural law and Israel’s statutes, Masorah and midrash, as well as a definition of midrash. The Hebrew Bible and midrash is researched in the interpretation of Israelite tribes, the Ten Commandments and the Covenant Code, and in Rashbam’s Bible commentary and its exegetical devices.

Nearly a century has passed since Henry A. Sanders first published his editio princeps of the Washington Manuscript of the Epistles of Paul (Codex I or GA 016). Within that time, it has received very little scholarly attention. This new edition provides a fresh, conservative transcription based on two new image sets. It additionally provides comprehensive lists of variants between Codex I, Nestle-Aland 28, and Robinson Pierpont (a text that is representative of the Byzantine text of the Greek New Testament). The new edition also provides valuable data surrounding the manuscript’s provenance, character, scribal habits, textual affiliation, and substantive variants.

In what particular manner human beings are free moral agents and to what extent they can reasonably expect to attain a good life are two intertwined questions that rose to prominence in antiquity and have remained so to the present day. This book analyzes and compares the approaches of two significant authors from different schools at the turn of the third century CE, Alexander of Aphrodisias and Clement of Alexandria. These contemporaries utilize their respective Peripatetic and Christian commitments in their employment of the shared Greek classics toward these shared ethical questions.

This volume presents the work of contemporary Orthodox thinkers who attempt to integrate the theological and the mystical. Exciting and provocative chapters treat a wide variety of mysticism, including early Church accounts, patristics (including the seemingly ever-popular subject of deification), liturgy, iconography, spiritual practice, and contemporary efforts to find mystical sense in cyber-technologies and post-humanism.

In recent decades, Nepal has witnessed a dramatic shift from its ancient form of Hindu kingship to a federal republican democratic secular order, with the official dissolution of monarchy in 2008. This study deals with the religious lives of the Śāh kings of Nepal, concentrating on such major rituals as the “coronation” (rājyābhiṣeka) and the autumnal navarātri (Goddess-centered) festival. This study unravels how religion and politics were deeply intertwined in the ritual activities, and how the rituals, in their traditional deeply religious and devotional settings, exerted a maximum of socio-political powers for the king and his institutions.

Defending Hope is an inspiring collection of first-hand accounts by Palestinians and Israelis who movingly describe how their lives have been shaped by conflict and who are united by a common goal: to bring about a just peace for the land they call home. Time and again these human rights defenders choose love, non-violence and human connection over division and fear. Their stories will transport you to the olive groves near Bethlehem, the rubble of Gaza and into the law courts in Jerusalem. This book offers a hopeful counter-narrative in an otherwise bleak political landscape and celebrates the indomitable power of the human spirit in the midst of grave adversity. "These essays are voices of conscience which remind us that, in spite of so much suffering, the darkness is often pierced by the light of courageous Palestinian and Israeli human rights defenders. We take hope when we hear the voices of these extraordinary people." - Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and co-founder of the Community of Peace People "This inspirational work provides a much-needed reservoir of sanity, humanity and positivity to counter the forces of oppression and disrespect for the rule of law being displayed by major states on the world stage." Michael Mansfield QC, human rights barrister and member of the jury for the Russell Tribunal on Palestine and the judicial panel for the People's Tribunal on Iran "If there is to be peace in the Middle East it will be because human rights defenders have found hope in the face of the great adversity they face in their everyday work. This work gives us a glimpse of how that hope can be unearthed in these challenging times." - Michel Forst, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

"It was easy to love God in all that was beautiful. The lessons of deeper knowledge, though, instructed me to embrace God in all things."St Francis of Assisi In Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting Laura Kelly Fanucci sees the Catholic sacraments through the smudged and sticky lens of life with little ones. From dinner-time chaos to bath-time giggles to never-ending loads of laundry, Laura stumbles into the surprising truth of what the seven sacraments really mean: that God is present always, even in the messes of parenthood. A spiritual memoir of parenting’s early years and a sacramental theology rooted in family life, Everyday Sacrament offers an honest, humorous and hopeful look at ordinary moments as full of grace.

The present work deals with Islamic law and the law of the Muslim countries. More specifically, the author has studied the constitutional law of the Islamic legal tradition, starting from the perspective of the law of Caliphate. Moreover, this work focuses on the process of institutionalization, which, since the first half of 19th century, led to the adoption of civil law in both sunnī and šī‘ī world. Further, this study combines different methodological approaches, based on Islamic law, analyzing sources in Arabic, especially classical and contemporary fiqh booklets, and also following the approach of comparative public law to highlight how modern Constitutions of Muslim countries differ from western constitutionalism.

Daughter Zion's Trauma offers a new critical reading of the Book of Lamentations through the lens of trauma studies. Through structural analysis and use of the concept of non-referential history as a heuristic lens, Yansen yields fresh insights into the book’s form, language, and larger "historical" significance. Utilizing insights from study of the rhetorical dimensions of the trauma process in cultural trauma, this study asserts that Lamentations strategically adapts certain religious traditions to ensure the survival of those whose voices it echoes.

This work presents to the scholarly world the hitherto unpublished trove of over 500 catchwords that were attached to Masoretic doublet notes in the Leningrad Codex. All the doublets with their catchwords are listed both in the chronological order of their first appearance in the Bible and again on their second appearance. The nature of the catchwords, their purpose, and their relation to other Masoretic notes are described in detail, and suggestions are made how they can be of value to biblical scholars.

The fact that many features are standard to the oldest surviving mosques suggests that a canonical type, mostly a courtyard surrounded by four porticoes, did exist early in Islamic history. While the structure built by the Prophet in Madina, soon after the Hijra in 622 AD, is believed by many to have later provided the prototype of the mosque, the dominant theory that it was only a private residence casts doubt on that belief. The current study provides fresh evidence, based on the Qurʾān, ḥadīth and early poetry, that this structure was indeed built to be a mosque.

The continuing popularity and influence of Søren Aabye Kierkegaard remains something of a minor miracle.Kierkegaard himself would undoubtedly find some humor in this development as a part of his overall philosophical project was to provide a full-frontal assault on the growing dominance of ‘objective’ thinking and the hyper-professionalization of all areas of human thought and life. This book provides yet another attempt to engage with the biting wit and philosophical insights of Kierkegaard’s philosophy.

A study of a homily in praise of Saint Thomas, written in Syriac by a Catholic missionary. The homily, which is preserved in two manuscripts, is an important witness to the interaction between the Indian Syrian Christians and the Western Catholic missionaries.