At the dawn of history, an epic war is about to begin in the deadly quest for honour. The city of Sumer, ruled by a brutal murderer and his vicious, power hungry sister, is poised to give birth to the mightiest empire in history. No one stands a chance as it brings a bloody war to all those who stand in its way, determined to crush and enslave those on its borders. The little city state of Akkad must prepare its fledgling nation to fight for its very survival. Akkad's warriors are a loyal and courageous brotherhood, but this is not a battle of villages or of roving warrior bands; it is a battle for Empire and a fight to the death...

This Liber Amicorum in honour of Professor Vera Gowlland-Debbas covers most of the topical problems of contemporary international law, in particular those related to the United Nations, human rights and humanitarian law, law-making, compliance and peaceful settlement of disputes.

The Anglia Book Series (ANGB) offers a selection of high quality work on all areas and aspects of English philology. It publishes book-length studies and essay collections on English language and linguistics, on English and American literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the present, on the new English literatures, as well as on general and comparative literary studies, including aspects of cultural and literary theory.

This book is for the reader who takes interest in an age-old issue that remains contemporary with every succeeding generation. When, how, and why we are here are questions that have caused countless generations of thinkers and laymen alike to intuitively seek at the very least the semblance of an answer to questions that have become more of an outlook than a science, and in turn spring up among the problems of modern life as opposed to allowing for a resolution to that which was intended to clarify instead of further complicate. Free from the shackles and bias imposed by the various schools of religious, scientific and philosophical thought, the examinations offered herein are rooted in systematic analyses of the scientific, philosophical, ethical, social and finally the religious; which in turn allows for the explanation and justification of concepts that enable the reader to adopt a perspective relevant to the distinctions of absolute truth and relativistic assumptions. Our age is accurately referred to as the age of advancement and technology and for good reason. The rapid pace of progression over the last century in the life sciences has contributed to a broadened understanding of knowledge itself and its relation to the psychological and sociological aspects of our existence. As a result of the significant expansion of the sciences, the desire for an understanding of "self" and simply of "why" has in many ways been diluted, thus negating the never ending questions that once tugged at man's conscious in the middle of the night for thousands of years. Today's amazing achievements have laid the foundation for a whole series of newer problems and questions that threaten mankind as never before. The medical and biological sciences have enabled us to have a life expectancy beyond that of prior generations, however coupled with that are the problems of population explosion, which in the not too distant future will give rise to serious concerns. We have the ability to harness the power of the atom, yet along with it comes the ability to destroy all that we hold sacred. Taking into consideration the advanced age we live in, how does one account for the remarkable complexity extant throughout the known universe? Is one to assume that our consciousness coupled with our overwhelming sense of purpose can be attributed solely to "random chance" alone? The law of causation deals with the need for a preceding event leading to the outcome, and despite the fact that this scientific age has left its handprint on every facet of life today, it has failed to satisfy the innate question of simply, .............................................. why?

Sanathana Dharma: The Eternal Quest for Truth A systematic Informative book on fundamentals of Sanathana Dharma (Hinduism) compiled as per requirement of the modern Society Chapter 1: Introduction to Sanathana Dharma Chapter 2: The Concept of Atman and Brahman Chapter 3: The Paths of Yoga Chapter 4: The Four Pillars of Sanathana Dharma Chapter 5: The Role of Scriptures Chapter 6: The Concept of Time and Creation Chapter 7: The Guru-Disciple Tradition Chapter 8: The Practice of Meditation and Contemplation Chapter 9: The Concept of Maya and Illusion Chapter 10: The Science of Karma and Reincarnation Chapter 11: The Importance of Ethics and Morality Chapter 12: The Eternal Quest Continues Chapter 13: Duality in Spirituality and Dvita Philosophy to Embrace the Eternal Wisdom Chapter 14: Athman and Quantum Physics for Connecting Science and Spirituality The vibrant structure of this book with 14 Chapters and 41 Sessions focuses on the multifaceted aspects of Sanathana Dharma, offering insights into its fundamental, philosophical, spiritual, and eternal perspectives, and how they can be applied to address the challenges of human beings. This book complements our other open book “Sanathana Dharma: Navigating Modernity with Ancient Wisdom”.

In A Quest for Humanity, Menno Boldt presents a persuasive new framework for achieving a human social order in the global age. Boldt explores the concept of 'the good society' as a world in which every person can realize their potential for humanity through liberty, social justice, and equal human dignity. A Quest for Humanity innovatively positions globalization as a deterministic phenomenon of expanding interdependence and shared knowledge — resulting in ever-larger economic and political jurisdictions, but also creating social and psychological links between peoples across the world. Boldt challenges mainstream certainty that Western democracy and constitutional human rights are the exemplary doctrines for the global good society. With a fresh vision designed to inspire a universal acknowledgement of human dignity, A Quest for Humanity powerfully affirms the value of each human being.

In this remarkable and groundbreaking book, Kenan Malik explores the history of moral thought as it has developed over three millennia, from Homer's Greece to Mao's China, from ancient India to modern America. It tells the stories of the great philosophers, and breathes life into their ideas, while also challenging many of our most cherished moral beliefs. Engaging and provocative, The Quest for a Moral Compass confronts some of humanity's deepest questions. Where do values come from? Is God necessary for moral guidance? Are there absolute moral truths? It also brings morality down to earth, showing how, throughout history, social needs and political desires have shaped moral thinking. It is a history of the world told through the history of moral thought, and a history of moral thought that casts new light on global history. At a time of great social turbulence and moral uncertainty, there will be few histories more important than this.

The Radboud Prestige Lectures in New Testament 2010 were presented by Prof. Michael Wolter (University of Bonn). His prestige lecture was entitled: ‘Which is the real Jesus?’. In this lecture he challenged many of the current views within the historical Jesus research by critically evaluating the approaches in various categories. Afterwards this lecture was presented to a variety of scholars from different disciplines who approach the problem from their particular perspectives, thus bringing a rich texture of insights, apart from engaging critically with Wolter’s views. Thus one can appreciate the role the quest for the historical Jesus plays within a wider framework. This resulted in interesting articles that not only deal with historical, but also with philosophical and hermeneutical issues.

In Cultural and Theological Reflections on the Japanese Quest for Divinity, John J. Keane offers an explanation of Japanese divinity (kami 神) using sociology, anthropology, linguistics, literature and history. He presents an overview of how the Japanese have sought to love and serve their kami - a quest that rivals the interest that the West gives to God. The principles of interreligious dialogue are applied to the meaning of kami and a plea is made for a dialogue that respectfully accepts differences between the cultures and the theologies of Eastern and Western thought. Important cultural themes are discussed as a part of this quest, such as the emperors of Japan and the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The work also challenges the understanding of kami as highlighted by Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Endo Shusaku.

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