Based on one hundred fifteen interviews augmented by biographical, survey, and historical research, Keeping the Vow tells the story of married priests and their wives, their unusual and difficult journey from Anglicanism, and their life in the Catholic Church. The book combines personal narratives and sociological analysis to provide a clear view of the priesthood's collective features, and discusses the implications of the married priesthood for the future of the Church.

The Triumph of Irony in the Book of Judges focuses on the literary quality of the book of Judges. Klein extrapolates the theme of irony in the book of Judges, seeking to prove that it is the main structural element. She points out how this literary device adds to the overall meaning and tone of the book, and what it reveals about the culture of the time. Chronologically divided into sections, Klein explores the narrative and commentates on the literary properties throughout-plot, character development, and resolution, as well as the main theme of irony.

The history of Jews from the period of the Second Temple to the rise of Islam. From 'A History of the Mishnaic Law of Appointed Times, Part 1' This volume introduces the sources of Judaism in late antiquity to scholars in adjacent fields, such as the study of the Old and New Testaments, Ancient History, the ancient Near East, and the history of religion. In two volumes, leading American, Israeli, and European specialists in the history, literature, theology, and archaeology of Judaism offer factual answers to the two questions that the study of any religion in ancient times must raise. The first is, what are the sources -- written and in material culture -- that inform us about that religion? The second is, how have we to understand those sources in reconstructing the history of various Judaic systems in antiquity. The chapters set forth in simple statements, intelligible to non-specialists, the facts which the sources provide. Because of the nature of the subject and acute interest in it, the specialists also raise some questions particular to the study of Judaism, dealing with its historical relationship with nascent Christianity in New Testament times. The work forms the starting point for the study of all the principal questions concerning Judaism in late antiquity and sets forth the most current, critical results of scholarship.

The Ten Commandments are the first direct communication between a people and God. Designed to elevate our lives above mere frantic, animal existence to the sublime levels humanity is capable or experiencing, they are the blueprint of God's expectations of us and His plan for a meaningful, just, loving, and holy life. Each commandment asserts a principle, and each principle is a moral focal point for real-life issues relating to God, family, sex, work, charity, property, speech, and thought. Written in collaboration with Rabbi Stewart Vogel, The Ten Commandments incorporates lively discussion of the Bible and the Judeo-Christian values derived from it. Filled with passion, emotion, and profound insights, it will move, enlighten, inspire, entertain, and educate you on the meaning each commandment has in our daily lives today: I am the Lord, your God, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence. You shall not take the Name of the Lord., your God, in vain. Remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it. Honor your Father and your Mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your fellow. You shall not covet.

The Dharmasutra Parallels present in a synoptic layout of the passages in the four Dharmasutras of Apastamba. Gautama, Baudhayana, and Vasistha deal with identical topics. The Dharmasutras represent the oldest extant codification of Law in ancient India. A close study of these early legal treatises is essential if we are to understand not only the legal but also the cultural and religious history of the three or four centuries prior to the common era, a period that saw the beginnings of many of the features that we commonly associate with Indian civilization.

The stories in`The Arrow of Justice', portray all facets of human behaviour - their strengths and their weaknesses. The noble integrity of Joshua to honouring his treaty with the Gibeonites; the anguish and frustration of the childless woman, Hannah; the immense courage of Jonathan when facing the better equipped Philistines; the incredible bravery of David's general, Joab in the conquest of Jerusalem; the sheer malice of Doeg in annihilating an entire community; the diplomatic skills of Chushai in thwarting the efforts of Absolom to overthrow his father David; the treachery of Gechazi to his master Elisha and the tragic naivety of the last king of Israel, Zedekiah. They also demonstrate that the Bible is not just a history of the ancient people of Israel. It is a guide to the relationship between man and his Creator Who is concerned with universal justice and morality. Accordingly, in`The Arrow of Justice', the author briefly addresses the question `Why does God allow cruelty in His world?'

"The Sin That Will Keep Many Church Members Out of Heaven" gives some often overlooked insights into the sin Jesus said in Matthew at the end of the Sermon on the Mount will keep many praying church members and great church workers out of heaven. This sin is the core sin for which Jesus died and is very often overlooked or lightly regarded as just another sin or seen simply as gross sin. This sin drives every other sin that can be found in man. It is the mother and father of all sins and often, according to Jesus, remains in the lives of many who have united with the church and are very active in the works and ministries of the church. This sin is very subtle and is the most devastating sin of all because it can be very easily overlooked. William A. Shackleford, Sr. has served 23 years as the pastor of the St. Paul High Street Baptist Church in Martinsville, Virginia. He served 4 years at the Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Charles City County, Virginia. The author has served for over forty years in The Baptist Sunday School and BTU Congress of Virginia, the Christian Education Auxiliary of the Virginia Baptist State Convention. He is a member of the Executive Board of the congress and has served as the chairman of the executive board and president of the Congress. He has served over 25 years as a regular staff instructor for the Christian Educational Institute of the congress and has taught in many seminars and workshops in Virginia and around the United States. William Shackleford has served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the VA Seminary and College, Lynchburg, VA and served nine years on the Martinsville City School Board, Martinsville, VA.

The most important work of the towering intellectual of the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae remains one of the great seminal works of philosophy and theology, while extending to subjects as diverse as law and government, sacraments and liturgy, and psychology and ethics. One of the largest volumes in the Summa Theologiae, Thomas tackles every virtue and every vice, laying out their relations, causes, and definitions.