Venture into this alarmingly convincing world, meet the horse whose stubbornness changed history, or the man damned to everlasting love, or the murderer who confessed... and confessed... and confessed. Learn, too the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile, or what really happened to Ambrose Bierce. And ponder, if you can, the case of Simple Simon, who lost the only important thing he had--and never even missed it. Lean back, relax, take a long look at the world of Kersh. You may never recover.

“We have no more beginnings,” George Steiner begins in this, his most radical book to date. A far-reaching exploration of the idea of creation in Western thought, literature, religion, and history, this volume can fairly be called a magnum opus. He reflects on the different ways we have of talking about beginnings, on the “core-tiredness” that pervades our end-of-the-millennium spirit, and on the changing grammar of our discussions about the end of Western art and culture. With his well-known elegance of style and intellectual range, Steiner probes deeply into the driving forces of the human spirit and our perception of Western civilization’s lengthening afternoon shadows. Roaming across topics as diverse as the Hebrew Bible, the history of science and mathematics, the ontology of Heidegger, and the poetry of Paul Celan, Steiner examines how the twentieth century has placed in doubt the rationale and credibility of a future tense—the existence of hope. Acknowledging that technology and science may have replaced art and literature as the driving forces in our culture, Steiner warns that this has not happened without a significant loss. The forces of technology and science alone fail to illuminate inevitable human questions regarding value, faith, and meaning. And yet it is difficult to believe that the story out of Genesis has ended, Steiner observes, and he concludes this masterful volume of reflections with an eloquent evocation of the endlessness of beginnings.

Few encounters in antiquity have had more profound consequences than the encounter between Greek culture and that of Republican Rome during the third and second centuries B.C. Focusing on the response of the ruling elites, for whom Hellenic literature, religion, and visual arts were at once intimidating and irresistibly appealing, Erich S. Gruen offers a compelling account of the assimilation and adaptation of Greek culture by the Romans. Gruen examines such key cultural developments in the history of Republican Rome as the adaptation of the legend of Troy to create a special place for Rome within Hellenic traditions, and Cato's campaign to distinguish Roman cultural achievements by comparing them to those of the Greeks. He describes the diverse purposes - civic, religious, and political - for which the Romans used Greek art, as well as the development of distinctively Roman artistic expression in portraiture, historical reliefs, and comic drama within a Hellenic context. In addition, he accounts for the perseverance of two competing strains within Republican Roman culture: on the one hand, philhellenism, and on the other, the subordination of the Greek legacy within the living Roman tradition. Gruen shows that this complex process of cultural transformation served to sharpen the Romans' sense of their own values, their national character, and their international responsibilities. Demonstrating that the Roman response to Hellenism was far more subtle and dynamic than has generally been acknowledged, Culture and National Identity in Republican Rome will be welcomed as an outstanding contribution by readers interested in ancient history, classical literature, and the history of art.

A window into the Jewish idea of responsibility to care for the world--written especially for Christians. The concept of repairing the world (tikkun olam) is an integral part of Jewish life. It helps shape Jewish social and family relationships, and even mandates how Jews should speak to others. But why is it important for Christians to understand this Jewish approach to life? And what kind of impact can understanding this fundamental aspect of Judaism have on Christians seeking to develop a deeper understanding of their own faith? With insight and wisdom, award-winning author Rabbi Elliot Dorff provides an accessible, honest and thorough exploration of this important Jewish concept. With easy-to-understand explanations of Jewish terms, practices and history, each chapter explores a different facet touched by the tradition of tikkun olam. Rabbi Dorff also addresses parallel themes and practices in the Christian tradition, helping you better understand the roots of Christianity and how the fundamentals of Judaism relate and reflect your own aspirations to repair the world. Caring for the Poor The Power of Words The Ministry of Presence Duties of Spouses to Each Other Children's Duties to Their Parents Parent's Duties to Their Children The Traditional Jewish Vision of the Ideal World

The Palestine War has been by far the most important military encounter in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This book examines the origins of the war and its progression through two distinct stages: the guerrilla warfare between the Arab and Jewish communities of Mandatory Palestine, and the conventional inter-state war between the State of Israel and the invading Arab armies. In doing so it assesses the participants, their war aims, strategies and combat performance. Finally, it examines the reasons for Israel's success in the face of seemingly impossible odds and for the failure of the Arab nations to turn their military and numerical superiority into victory on the ground.

Never before in our history as a human race have we been confronted with such grave concerns: the devastation of the environment, global terrorism, vast abuse of political and religious powers, destruction of species and threats to every life form upon this planet. How do we sustain our hope, and our vision of a viable future? Inevitably such disasters are opportunities to draw us together as a people to try to heal ourselves and the Earth. Deena: It is a difficult and sorrowful story that we are in. It requires everything of each of us who have enough love, sorrow and courage in our hearts. We have to find the pieces of this story that may yet sustain creation. Deena s journey, as chronicled in Entering the Ghost River, continues as she returns to Africa and is once again visited by the male elephant elder she calls The Ambassador . Inspired by this continued connection, she interweaves the threads of her community s stories, dreams and visions to create a new form of council on the page, as an offering to us of the wisdom that the circle creates.

The Oxford Handbook of Jewish Studies is part of a major new series of Oxford Handbooks. The volume on Jewish Studies reflects the aim of the series to produce distinctive and original surveys of today's interests and directions in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The Handbook covers all the main areas currently taught and researched as part of Jewish Studies in universities in Europe, the United States, and Israel. The span of the volume chronologically and geographically is thus enormous, but all contributors have in common their expertise in the study of the history, literature, religion, and culture of the Jews. Jewish Studies is a comparatively young discipline which has grown over the past fifty years in a somewhat undisciplined way. In a period of great upheaval for Jews following the Holocaust, the creation of the State of Israel, the emergence of new forms of dialogue between Jews and Christians, deepening divisions between secular and religious Jews, and unprecedented assimilation by diaspora Jews to the wider culture, the study of Jewish traditions and history has rarely been dispassionate. This is a good time to examine where we are and where the subject is going. There have been some attempts in recent years to encapsulate current conclusions about particular aspects of Jewish Studies, but these other works aim to provide compendia of agreed facts rather than a survey of interests and directions such as is found in the Oxford Handbook. The Handbook begins with an examination of Jewish Studies as an academic discipline in its own right. The first half of the volume is organized chronologically, followed by sections on languages and literature, general aspects of religion, and other branches of Jewish Studies which have each accumulated a considerable corpus of scholarship over the past half-century. This substantial volume of c.400,000 words reflects the current state of scholarship as analysed by an international team of experts in the different and varied fields represented within contemporary Jewish Studies.

David Leavitt brings the wonders and mysteries of Florence alive, illuminating why it is, and always has been, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The third in the critically-acclaimed Writer and the City Series-in which some of the world's finest novelists reveal the secrets of the cities they know best- Florence is a lively account of expatriate life in the 'city of the lily'. Why has Florence always drawn so many English and American visitors? (At the turn of the century, the Anglo-American population numbered more than thirty thousand.) Why have men and women fleeing sex scandals traditionally settled here? What is it about Florence that has made it so fascinating-and so repellent-to artists and writers over the years? Moving fleetly between present and past and exploring characters both real and fictional, Leavitt's narrative limns the history of the foreign colony from its origins in the middle of the nineteenth century until its demise under Mussolini, and considers the appeal of Florence to figures as diverse as Tchaikovsky, E.M. Forster, Ronald Firbank, and Mary McCarthy. Lesser-known episodes in Florentine history-the moving of Michelangelo's David , and the construction of temporary bridges by black American soldiers in the wake of the Second World War-are contrasted with images of Florence today (its vast pizza parlors and tourist culture). Leavitt also examines the city's portrayal in such novels and films as A Room with a View , The Portrait of a Lady and Tea with Mussolini .

Between 1948 and 2016, David Goldblatt returned periodically to Fietas, a suburb west of Johannesburg’s city centre, to photograph the impact of punitive segregation and ethnic cleansing wrought by apartheid legislation on its residents and landscape. Moved by the life force of the predominantly Indian community’s families, shopkeepers, and small business owners, Goldblatt attempted ‘to grasp something of their life and what they had built.’ The resulting photographs, collected and published here for the first time, form a vivid social document of Fietas before, during, and after its destruction under the Group Areas Act. Earlier images of storefronts and domestic interiors contrast poignantly with those of their demolition from the late 1970s onwards. Dignified portraits of traders in their stores capture their determined efforts to build a life for their families. Interviews with past and present Fietas residents close the book, recalling the testimonials of Goldblatt’s subjects in The Transported of Kwandebele and Ex-Offenders at the Scene of Crime. Exemplary of Goldblatt’s empathetic and observational documentary style, these photographs and oral histories establish a generous exchange between photographer and subject. Together these materials preserve narratives of Fietas as a racially diverse community that existed in defiance of apartheid. An accompanying essay by Professor Ashwin Desai places Fietas within the wider historical context of Indian South Africans and racist ideology before and after the advent of apartheid, completing a compelling reference to a little known community forever changed by the darkest point in South Africa’s history. (Verlagsangaben)

Louis Jacobs has made a formidable contribution to Jewish scholarship over the last 40 years. In addition he has inspired a generation of students of Judaica as well as members of his own congregation at the New London Synagogue. The contributors to this volume in his honour include a wide range of distinguished scholars. Beginning with Jacob Neusner's essay on the transformation of the Dual Torah in the first four centuries CE, the volume ranges over a variety of topics in the field of Bible, Talmud, history and theology, mirroring the wide range of Louis Jacobs' own interests. In addition, a full bibliography of Louis Jacobs' publications is included.

Few thinkers have enjoyed so pervasive an influence as Rousseau, who originated dissatisfaction with modernity. By exploring polarities articulated by Rousseau—nature versus society, self versus other, community versus individual, and compassion versus competitiveness—these fourteen original essays show how his thought continues to shape our ways of talking, feeling, thinking, and complaining. The volume begins by taking up a central theme noted by the late Allan Bloom—Rousseau's critique of the bourgeois as the dominant modern human type and as a being fundamentally in contradiction, caught between the sentiments of nature and the demands of society. It then turns to Rousseau's crucial polarity of nature and society and to the later conceptions of history and culture it gave rise to. The third part surveys Rousseau's legacy in both domestic and international politics. Finally, the book examines Rousseau's contributions to the virtues that have become central to the current sensibility: community, sincerity, and compassion.

Originally published in 1937, this collection of lectures by psychologist Charles S. Myers examines the applications and implications of psychology on a variety of topics, including musical appreciation and choosing a career. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of psychology and its practical functions.

Nietzsche was surprisingly neglected by most English-language moral philosophers until recently. This volume capitalizes on a growth of interest in Nietzsche's work on morality from two sides--from scholars of the history of philosophy and from contributors to current debates on ethical theory. In eleven new essays, leading philosophers aim both to advance philosophical understanding of Nietzsche's ethical views--his normative and meta-ethics, his moral psychology, his views on free will and the nature of the self--and to make Nietzsche a live participant in contemporary debates in ethics and cognate fields.

This is an inspiring and thought-provoking inside story of a foreign correspondent's two adventurous careers, marked by personal crises, battles for principles and brushes with danger. It is also a candid observer's compassionate account of his role in war and peace, in the sweep of history, and is a thoughtful commentary on the urgent problems of journalism and communication today. Contents: PART I: Foundations: Born with a Caul; The Education of a Journalist; Oaths of Devotion; Round Trip to War; Present at the Creation; Peron and Evita; PART II: Milestones: Scoundrel Time; A Movable Feast; The Human Radar; Nothing But the Truffe; PART III: Encounters: Reverence for Life; Swords and Ploughshares; Future Indicative: The Vietnam Peace Story; the Unknown DeGaulle; Mission to Moscow; A Hero of Our Time: Sakharov; Links and Chains; PART IV: Homecomings: Return to America; Vermont: A State of Mind; Academic Adventures; Afghanistan and Academia; PART V: Foreign Correspondent: Endangered Species?; Why Do They Hate Us?; Cherchez la Femme; The Spiritual Dimension.

-Appeals to popular culture book buyers and collectors, especially those dealing in biographies and memoirs, popular music history, punk culture, or the Clash -Published to follow the Clash's 40th anniversary in 2016, this is a testament to the man who both facillitated the band's formation and held it together From the growth of punk and beyond, this visually rich collection of art, fashion and ephemera, accompanied by essays, draws from the archives and philosophy of one of the 'prime instigators' of UK punk - Bernard Rhodes. Wake Up! To the World of Bernard Rhodes is a first-hand account of the punk movement. Bernard Rhodes shares his title of 'prime instigator of UK punk' with Malcom McLaren. Been there, seen it, done it hardly does Rhodes' story justice. Inspired by the avant-garde Situationist movement, and the designer of radical t-shirts for McLaren and the Vivienne Westwood Kings Road shop, it was Rhodes who introduced John Lydon to the Sex Pistols before engineering the formation of the Clash. With him as their manager, and the co-creator of their super-committed style, the Clash became and remains one of the biggest bands of the era, and a symbol of punk as a positive force. Alongside his two stints with them, Rhodes also nurtured the Specials and Dexy's Midnight Runners to huge success.

"Music of a Distant Drum marks a literary milestone. For the first time in English, poems from four leading literary traditions of the Middle East representing a wide sweep of medieval history appear in a single volume compiled by a single translator. Bernard Lewis, one of the world's greatest authorities on the region's culture and history, offers a work of startling beauty that leaves no doubt as to why such poets were courted by kings in their day. Like those in the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the poems here--as ensured by Lewis's mastery of all the source languages and his impeccable style and taste--come fully alive in English. They are surprising and sensuous, disarmingly witty and frank. They provide a fascinating and unusual glimpse into Middle Eastern history. Above all, they are a pleasure to read.

To modern man, the Middle Ages is a distant, mysterious and forbidding period. It is primitive in technology, brutal in violence, and superstitious and servile in society. But it was also a time of pageant and grandeur, of discovery and wonder, of great achievements and lasting progress, when men of genius and industry laid the foundations for our modern world. Those who have preceded us have in the main been neglected in our assessment of current life. Jews in the Middle Ages achieved great heights of power, wealth, scholarship and creativity - the Golden Age of Spain, of Rashi and the Tosafists, R' Yehuda Halevi and Maimonides. The Jews were part of the Renaissance, the catalysts for the Reformation, sponsors of arts, exploration, and commerce. But it was also a terrible time for Israel. The Almohad persecutions, the Crusades, the Black Death, the burning of the Talmud in Paris, the bitter rivalries, and quarrels within Jewish society itself all combined to paint the era in blood and despair. Rabbi Berel Wein, in this book, has woven an informative tapestry out of the events of the Jewish Middle Ages. Its historic figures come alive and we appreciate their greatness. The Sephardic world and the Ashkenazic society, the longing for Zion and redemption, the intrigues and truths of history are here faithfully explained. The story of the Jewish people in the Medieval Era is told with wit, knowledge, accuracy and emotion. As in Triumph of Survival, Rabbi Wein has not settled merely for a history of the Jews. Herald of Destiny will make our modern Jewish milieu and its problems more understandable by illuminating for us the great medieval Jewish world that preceded us.

A Political History Of Jordan With A Focus On The Twentieth Century, Particularly The Effect Of King Abdullah's Influence. Gives Some Attention Is Given To The Interests Of Western Foreign Powers, Particularly Britain, France, And The United States. Also Examines The Internal/Regional Motivations Of Jordan.

This book discusses the history, land and people, society, government and politics, economics, and culture of Israel. It provides an introduction to Israel, a definitive account of the nation's past, its often controversial present, and much more. Written by a leading historian of the Middle East, the book is organized around six major themes: land and people, history, society, politics, economics, and culture. Based on research by scholars with firsthand knowledge of Israel, this book offers accessible, clearly explained material, enhanced with a generous selection of images, maps, charts, tables, graphs, and sidebars. This book provides readers with a solid foundation of knowledge about Israel and provides useful reference lists by topic for further reading.

Beginning with Nietzsche's discovery of the experimental disposition, Ronell explores testing's ascension to truth in modern practice. To know something, and to know that it is true, has never been a simple matter of recognition and assent. Instead, increasing numbers of tests of ever increasing complexity have been established to determine and constitute what is true, probable, or verifiable. Tests are pervasive, and inflect the master-narratives of our historical existence. The Bible dramatically presents tests of Abraham and Job, great works of literature track the tested subject, the vast apparatus of modern science and technology is built upon extraordinarily exacting tests, and the need for truth in times of trial and crisis links state-run testing apparatuses to events of arrest, torture, and death. On the evening of 9-11 the President of the United States said, We are being being tested. What propels this drive to test? What can satisfy it? What is the subterranean history of its effects? In The Test Drive, internationally acclaimed scholar Avital Ronell explores vast areas of testing in the works of Husserl, Popper, Freud, Lyotard, Derrida, and others, including Zen ph