In this scholarly work, Maurice Casey addresses the recent arguments put forward by (mostly non-academic) American and internet writers seeking to prove that Jesus did not exist, but was a myth. In his introduction Casey surveys the ‘appalling state of the pseudo-scholarship which has dominated the whole notion that Jesus of Nazareth was not a historical figure’; he then draws on his own great expertise in historical Jesus studies to expose quite ferociously the false arguments of the mythicists.

This illustrated introduction to Christianity succinctly outlines the historical development of the faith and its main denominations; Christian concepts of the divine and of sacred persons, places and times; ethical and social principles; and beliefs about death and the afterlife. Each chapter ends with a section that explains the significance of an extract from a key text in the Christian tradition.

Throughout its history, the Anglican Church has attempted to pursue a middle course – the ‘Religio Medici’ advocated by Sir Thomas Browne in the 17th century – between doctrinal purity and compassionate pragmatism, an approach that still generates fierce controversy today. This important, thought-provoking book charts its intellectual development in response to secular society and modern science, and addresses the fundamental question: from where does the Church derive its authority – scripture, tradition, reason or conscience?

Gary Cox, author of How to be an Existentialist, explores in a witty, yet balanced way the idea of God and the standard arguments for his existence, and he shows how all such arguments are logically incapable of moving beyond speculation to any kind of proof. Concluding that God may or may not exist and that the only credible philosophical position is agnosticism, Cox acknowledges that a commitment to live as though there is a moral God is both coherent and prudent.

When it was first published in 1982, this important work by the German Catholic cardinal and theologian Walter Kasper argued for a ‘theological theology’ that makes the explanation of the confession of the triune God its first priority. In this new edition, Kasper’s introduction addresses recent changes as theology reassesses itself in relation to science, culture and the Church; and he emphasizes the importance of the existential and pastoral meaning of the doctrine of God in this new situation.

In this secular age religion gets a bad press, and atheism has powerful advocates such as Richard Dawkins. This lively, thought-provoking book offers an outspoken counterblast. It seeks not to prove the truth of Christianity – something it admits is unprovable – but its continuing relevance and resonance as a serious, grown-up way of ordering our lives and our emotions, which grants us experiences that our shallow, consumerist society fails to provide.

Written in the wake of publicity about the beatification of John Henry Newman (1801–1890), Cornwell's highly acclaimed biography focuses not on arguments for and against sainthood, but on Newman's character and importance as a writer. The study includes chapters devoted to each of his major works – Idea of a University, the Apologia, The Dream of Gerontius and The Grammar of Assent – and aims to reveal Newman's 'genius for creating new ways of imagining and writing about religion'.

Flourishing mainly in Languedoc and Italy, the Cathars taught that the world is evil and must be transcended through prayer, poverty and simplicity. They completely rejected the Catholic Church and all its trappings as the 'Church of Satan'. The Church's response was the founding of the Inquisition and the launch, in 1209, of the Albigensian Crusade against the heretics. Sean Martin offers a lively account of the Cathars, their suppression and the myths associated with them.

Why are millions of people abandoning both the established religions of their parents and scientific rationalism in favour of magic and esoteric teachings? This comprehensive, unbiased introduction charts the growth of New Age movements from Theosophy and Anthroposophy, and examines the beliefs and practices of a wide range of alternative religions such as Druidism, Neo-Paganism and Shamanism, to explain their growing appeal in our secular age.

This colourful and richly informative survey of how the Old and New Testaments were written examines the Bible’s pervasive influence in Western cultures, through early Christendom; the invention of printing and the profound changes of the Reformation; and in the modern world. In short, illustrated chapters the authors look at the contribution of figures including St Paul, Josephus and Luther, and explore topics from early writing systems and papyrus to biblical movies and the apocalypse.

In a collection of 13 essays, this volume addresses the connections between religions and the social world, and the extent, limits and future of secularization. After an introductory essay, ‘Society, State and Religion’ by Hans Joas, contributors discuss the major religions in turn; state-church models; religion and the natural sciences; and the religious situations in Europe, America, East Asia, Latin America and Africa, and the Middle East.

In an effort to rescue the debate from sterile polemics, one of Britain's leading philosophers defends religious belief by drawing on insights from poetry, music, scripture and a range of philosophical texts. This ‘account of the dynamics of belief’ argues that belief is less about advancing a set of explanatory hypotheses than responding ‘to certain deep psychological and moral features of our human predicament' with all our faculties, intellectual, emotional and imaginative.

Buddhism is a faith embraced by hundreds of millions of people, yet all that is known about its founder comes from a collection of ancient writings that fuse history, biography and myth. This concise but comprehensive introduction from the bestselling author of Fields of Blood (Postscript 25329) distils the chief events of Buddha's life and quest for enlightenment, illuminating the key tenets of the religion and the ideas of this most influential of spiritual thinkers.

Written around 1380–1400, The Cloud of Unknowing is addressed to a young protégé of the priestly, anonymous author who teaches that God is ultimately beyond human experience and unknowable, and describes the practices of Christian life, particularly for those wanting to attain the highest level of ascetical and mystical development. The work, along with its companion The Letter of Privy Counsel, is translated here, with insightful introductions, annotations and commentary by Father John-Julian.

Despite the intense media focus since 9/11, many Western policymakers have little understanding of the distinction between Islam as a religion and the political movement known as Islamism. Drawing on three decades of research in 20 Muslim countries, this courageous study subjects Islamism's political ideology to trenchant analysis and warns of its dangers, while demonstrating how Islam as a religion and culture is open to tolerance and coexistence with other faiths.

Was Jesus married? The question has inspired fierce debate, conspiracy theories, sensationalist news stories and The Da Vinci Code. In this clear account of the evidence Anthony le Donne examines a range of ancient texts and modern scholarship to offer arguments for and against a married Jesus; he also considers how the changing nature of our quest for Jesus' wife illuminates the ebb and flow of modern social and cultural preoccupations.

In 2013, after the unprecedented resignation of Benedict XVI, the Catholic world was stunned by the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the radical Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as Pope Francis. Illustrated with more than 250 previously unpublished images by one of the Pope's official photographers, this handsome book follows the pontiff through a year in his life, from daily prayers to international pastoral visits, as he offers his support to the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed throughout the world.

To look at an icon is to do far more than view a work of human art. As Orthodox Christians have understood for 1,500 years, it is a potentially life-changing encounter with God. In this attractive little book the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams shows us how to understand four classical icons: the Transfiguration; the Resurrection; Christ as one of the Trinity; and Christ the judge and ruler of all.

For two millennia the role of Mary Magdalene in the foundation of the Christian Church has been hotly disputed. This study uncovers the symbolic numbers or gematria in the New Testament, and explores the hidden meanings behind them. They reveal a long-suppressed fact: that Mary was the bride of Christ, in a sacred union between the masculine and feminine principles that formed the cornerstone of the early Church.

'Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.' Jesus Christ is the great invisible poet of the world. Embedded in the Gospels are sayings and parables of lyric intensity: austere, vivid and poignant, and rich in garden, nature and animal imagery. Barnstone's translations, excerpted from his Restored New Testament (2009), strip away the trappings of prose to reveal the consummate poetic drama of the Gospel of Jesus in all its wonder and majesty. American-cut pages.

Designed for use alongside the Bible, this book is a navigational tool for the modern reader. The introduction discusses the overarching ideas, then the two testaments are covered separately, each with a narrative summary, key quotations and helpful commentary. This comprehensive guide to all versions of the Bible makes the ancient texts accessible and enables the reader to locate specific themes, making it the perfect resource for private contemplation or writing a sermon.

Who was Jesus? This biography draws on modern economic, forensic and psychological models, alongside ancient Roman and Jewish sources, to create a convincing portrait of an adolescent galvanized by tyranny and the displacement of the Galilean peasantry to embark on a mission of social and religious reform. It sets his teachings in their historical context, explains his healing abilities in terms of both ancient and modern medicine, and sheds new light on his betrayal and execution.

Beginning with New Testament reports of John as a fisherman, and extending through recent Johannine scholarship, Culpepper gathers stories about the exploits and death of the apostle from church fathers, the apocryphal acts of John, medieval sources, and Victorian poets, and from 19th- and 20th-century historians of early Christianity. Examining this multitude of sources, the study overcomes barriers that have traditionally separated New Testament exegesis from the study of the history of early Christianity.

The West's embrace of Buddhism, seemingly a relatively recent phenomenon, actually came about over the course of two millennia, despite the obstacles of language, cultural difference and colonial and post-colonial politics. From early exchanges between the ancient Greeks and Indian Buddhists to the current fascination with the Dalai Lama, Sutin describes how the West discovered that Buddhism offers teachings and practices which can be used within disciplines such as Western philosophy, psychology and politics.

These 12 essays approach the early Christian book from the perspectives of religion, art history, history, Near Eastern studies and classics, and focus on the practices of writing, reading and book production, 100-600 CE.

Part of the Studies in Church History Series. This volume looks at issues of ecclesiastical identity, the relative priorities of religion and society and competition between

How did Muhammad, an 'outsider' of humble origins, come to revolutionize his world as a radical thinker who challenged the social and political order, and whose influence is felt so strongly in today's politics and religion? Lesley Hazleton, who reported on the Middle East for more than a dozen years, has produced a readable and demystifying study of the prophet of Islam, telling his dramatic story of trial and triumph and combining early eyewitness sources with historical research and psychological insight. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge.

Covering Roman history to 135 CE, this book introduces literary, epigraphic, archaeological and numismatic sources illustrating the Romans' 'religion' and attitudes towards foreign cults, especially Judaism and Christianity. No jacket.