"In a world that is constantly awake, illuminated and exposed, there is much to gain from looking into the darkness of times past. This fascinating and vivid picture of nocturnal life in Middle Eastern cities shows that the night in the eighteenth-century Ottoman Empire created unique conditions for economic, criminal, political, devotional and leisurely pursuits that were hardly possible during the day. Offering the possibility of livelihood and brotherhood, pleasure and refuge; the darkness allowed confiding, hiding and conspiring - activities which had far-reaching consequences on Ottoman state and society in the early modern period. Instead of dismissing the night as merely a dark corridor between days, As Night Falls demonstrates how fundamental these nocturnal hours have been in shaping the major social, cultural and political processes in the early modern Middle East"--

From the front flap of this 167 page book: "Krautheimer has, in a few brief chapters, managed to meld architectural history, political history, social history, and religious history (both ecclesiological and doctrinal) into a genuinely original explanation of the development of the great early Christian cities." and "Why did emperor Constantine, a Christian, build the cathedral of his newly conquered capital city far from the quarters housing Rome's large Christian congregation? This anomaly, encountered by the author while working on a previous study of Rome, led to the present excursion into 'political topography'. Contemporary writings, legislation, inscriptions, and coins provided clues to the puzzle's solution: Constantine's aim in choosing a suburban site for the Lateran basilica was to minimize friction with the strong pagan opposition in the Senate, which held numerous pagan sanctuaries in the city center under its protection. By the time he was established at his new capital, Constantinople, Constantine no longer faced a significant pagan opposition. But the siting and character of key monuments reflect politically important ideological conflicts, such as that between his lingering persuasion of his own divinity qua emperor and the concept of Christ as the One God and Emperor of the Universe. In the cases of Milan at the time of St. Ambrose and early papal Rome, as with Constantinian Rome and Constantinople, Professor Krautheimer arrives at fresh historical insights by using architectural monuments and their location within the urban texture to illuminate complex interrelationships of power politics and religious beliefs that decisively shaped life in each of these Christian capitals."

This book is a compilation of the official records of the World Council of Churches (Geneva) following the anti-Greek riots of September 6-7, 1955. In two days, rioters destroyed churches, shops and cemeteries belonging to the Greek Orthodox community of Istanbul and assaulted persons. The documents include two reports made by the WCC officials a short time after the riots and gives a detailed summary of the destruction and plunder.