Book Description
December, 1941
Off the lush coast of Kauai sits the almost unknown island of Niihau. Its inhabitants -- mostly Hawaiian natives -- lead a quiet, simple life. They work the ranch of the island's owner, Aylmer Robinson, an eccentric haole who insists that Niihau remain isolated from the outside world; no phones, cars, electricity, or other conveniences are allowed. According to Robinson's Christian view, his people must be protected from modern evils, and his island haven kept as pure as Eden before the Fall.
Then a plane crash-lands on Niihau. The Hawaiians have no idea that it's a Japanese Zero, and that the pilot -- who survives the landing -- has just taken part in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Concerned primarily with the fact that visitors aren't allowed, Niihau's residents await Mr. Robinson's monthly visit from Kauai. But unknown to them, the outside world is now at war.
Only the island's one Japanese-American couple, Irene and Yoshio Harada, realize the significance of the downed soldier. Convinced that Japan has successfully invaded the United States, and pressured by the desperate pilot, the Haradas face a growing dilemma. Are they loyal to America, their country, but one that has bruised them with prejudice? Or should they help the pilot, betraying their Hawaiian neighbors but saving themselves? As the Zero smolders in the Niihauan soil, and the Niihauans slowly figure out that the modern world has encroached on their remote island whether they like it or not, the Haradas see cracks in their own shaky marriage beginning to widen. Paradise, once within reach, slowly falls victim to its own isolated innocence.
Based on a little-known true event, East Wind, Rain is a provocative and compelling debut novel of people thrust unwittingly into a war -- not only of nations, but of American identity -- with devastating and irrevocable consequences for them all.
Customer Reviews:
A debut novel well worth reading.......2006-10-16
Paul has written a rich book with a deceptively simple style and plot line. While exploring the intrusion of an outsider on a closed society, the book delves into topics such as racism, technology, paternalism, marital relations, modernity, and tragedy in the classical sense. Because of its richness, East Wind, Rain would make a fine book to incorporate into a high school curriculum; the novel might pair nicely with works such as The Lord of the Flies. The book would also spark great discussions in adult book clubs.
Good Story, Plays Slowly.......2006-07-29
The story is a new twist on the "caught behind enemy lines" concept. It could only be believable if it really happened - and it did. Just the idea of it reeks with excitement. The story is historical fiction and well written, but needs more work with an editor to maintain the necessary suspense of the storyline. The middle portion of the book slows the story down to the same pace as life on the remote island. Many pages pass without advancing the main theme of the story. From the first page the reader wants to know, "What happens, what happens to the pilot?" The ponderous middle section of the book nearly kills the suspense of the story line. Eventually the excitement does return, and again, for the first time since the beginning of the book, I read each word with a yearning for the next. The conclusion does not disappoint; it is not an ending you would likely to have guessed before hand.
sensational.......2006-06-28
i don't often read historical fiction, but i thoroughly enjoyed the experience of "east wind rain." in addition to beautifully detailed scenes of a place that i never before imagined, it has a truly singular cadence that carried me easily through its final, gripping, conclusion. afterward, i realized how sorry i was to part with the story and its characters.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE.......2006-06-26
Although the story takes place on a remote Hawaiian island at the beginning of WWII, the subject matter is very topical in todays social climate. The story basically addresses the issue of national allegiance. The interplay between the downed Zero pilot and Yoshiro Harada, an American of Japanese decent, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor is riviting. The reader is drawn into a veritable "time warp" and experiences the thoughts of the pilot, the Harada family and the Hawaiians as they experience a series of betrayals and miscommunications.
This icing on the cake is that this story is based upon an actual event.
You have GOT to read this book!.......2006-06-26
This book is in a league with MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS. Really. And if you loved those books, you'll love this one. An exquisite love story, a wonderfully-evoked sense of place, and the backdrop of history--they all unfold, gracefully and vividly, with a style you'll want to savor.
Paul has taken a true story, that of a crash-landed Japanese aviator on an obscure Hawaiian island on December 7, 1941, and wrought a work of fiction that nevertheless remains consistently real. The characters of Irene and Yoshio, the island's sole Japanese inhabitants, torn between wavering loyalties and obligations, are the emotional heart of the book, but one also meets many memorable characters: A boy named Little Preacher. Alymer Robinson, the outright owner of the island, who has his reasons for keeping the islanders out of the mainstream of 20th Century society. And Nishikaichi, the downed Zero pilot at the center of it all. But the most enthralling character is the island of Ni'ihau itself: a place out of time, which gives EAST WIND, RAIN a timeless air.
Highly recommended, particularly for readers in book groups. This is one to read, discuss, and enjoy.
Amazon.com
A new Discworld story is always an event. Terry Pratchett's The Last Hero is unusually short, a 40,000-word "Discworld Fable" rather than a full novel, but is illustrated throughout in sumptuous color by Paul Kidby.
The 160 pages cover the series' longest and most awesome (but still comic) journey yet, a mission to save all Discworld from a new threat. An old threat, actually. Aged warrior Cohen the Barbarian has decided to go out with a bang and take the gods with him. So, with the remnants of his geriatric Silver Horde, he's climbing to the divine retirement home Dunmanifestin with the Discworld equivalent of a nuke--a fifty-pound keg of Agatean Thunder Clay.
This will, for excellent magical reasons, destroy the world.
It's up to Leonard of Quirm, Discworld's da Vinci, to invent the technology that might just beat Cohen to his goal. His unlikely vessel is powered by dragons, crewed by himself and two popular regular characters, and secretly harbors a stowaway. Before long we hear the Discworld version of "Houston, we have a problem...."
Kidby rises splendidly to the challenge of painting both funny faces and cosmic vistas. As Pratchett puts it, The Last Hero "has an extra dimension: some parts of it are written in paint!" New characters include Evil Dark Lord Harry Dread, who started out with "just two lads and his Shed of Doom," and a god so tiresome that his worshippers are forbidden chocolate, ginger, mushrooms and garlic.
Pratchett's story alone is strong and effective, with several hair-raising frissons contrasting with high comedy; Kidby's paintings make it something very special. Not to be missed. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
Cohen the Barbarian.
He's been a legend in his own lifetime.
He can remember the good old days of high adventure, when being a Hero meant one didn't have to worry about aching backs and lawyers and civilization.
But these days, he can't always remember just where he put his teeth...
So now, with his ancient (yet still trusty) sword and new walking stick in hand, Cohen gathers a group of his old -- very old -- friends to embark on one final quest. He's going to climb the highest mountain of Discworld and meet the gods.
It's time the Last Hero in the world returns what the first hero stole. Trouble is, that'll mean the end of the world, if no one stops him in time.
Customer Reviews:
Pratchett.......2007-06-14
What can I say, it is Terry Pratchett. As with all things written or produced by this strange man: It is outstanding.
Short but entertaining and fantastic illustrations.......2007-05-14
This story is not as long as most discworld novels and it is not his best story, but it is in the typical Pratchett style. I enjoyed it (3 stars). The fantastic illustrations are worth a 4th star. You should have it in your Pratchett collection.
The Last Hero.......2007-03-16
I was pleasently suprised with this one. It was one of the few Discworld books that I had not yet read, so I forked over the $14 for a copy. Once I got it, I realized that $14 wasn't a bad deal.
Every other page had an illustration, the paper was thick and glossy, and the book was more in the form factor of a conversation piece for your coffee table than a novel, to say nothing of the story, which was of course wonderful.
mondo dorko.......2006-12-05
my boss (a candlemaking, jeff foxworthy listenin' to dweeb extreme) lent me his copy of this book to read. He said, in his creepy falsetto cyber geek voice "oh! terry pratchett does good parody, read this if ya' wanna have a lark!" I basically had to read it, cause when I gave it back to him after a week, you know, I had to know what was in it cause he's the type of insecure dork that will ask you all sorts of questions to try and make you feel bad for not sitting around all day and reading his brand of dorky fantasy. anyways, I felt robbed of the 45 minutes I spent reading this garbage. Yeah, okay, parody of modern world dressed up in dungeons and dragons. Who cares?? even the artwork is piss poor. I proudly didn't finish it. when he asked me why, I told him the truth-I decided to go hang out with my girlfriend instead. very stupid waste of life. buy a subscription to swank instead.
great beach reading.......2006-09-02
I am a great fan of Terry Pratchet , especially of his Discworld series. That is to say that my opinion is a touch biased in his favour. However, I found 'The Last Hero" to be the ultimate beach side reading, especially when one contemplates about the "follies' of her/his youth.
Mind you that I enjoyed the book sprawled in the sands of Antiparos ( a tiny Cyclades island next to Paros - just google it)and even if someone considers it "mass written- just another one Discworld novel" , it makes you take a good look at your potentials. Because gods , any gods, are nothing but our conceptions and therefore they are liable to regular updated versions of their faiths.
I hore that you will enjoy it.
Average customer rating:
- Bringing color into an imaginary world...
- Witty
- Discworld
- Great! A must-have for fans new or old!
- Rincewind and Carrot and Death, Oh My
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The Last Hero: A Discworld Fable
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: Gollancz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Adventure | Alternate History | Anthologies | General | Graphic Novels | High Tech | History & Criticism | Series | Short Stories | Space Opera
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ASIN: 057506885X |
Customer Reviews:
Bringing color into an imaginary world..........2007-05-13
This book is perhaps one of the best that any fan of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett could ask for. It is stunningly beautiful in its artwork and presentation. Characters that been staples of the series now have faces to go along with their unique personalities. A must have for any Discworld fan.
Witty.......2007-04-05
This is my first Pratchett book and I can think of no other way to describe him than as the Douglas Adams of Fantasy. It's a very funny book that pokes fun at fantasy and greek myth cliches.
Discworld.......2006-08-27
I've decided he's too good and too prolific for me to write a brand new review every single time I read one of his books. Discworld currently has 34 titles and every one of them will probably knock your socks off. His mind bubbles and flashes like a boiling pot of electric eels, and I simply can't get enough of his writing.
A reviewer has compared him to Geoffrey Chaucer. He reminds me more of Douglas Adams, or perhaps S Morgenstern. Great company, isn't it? He's an extremely skillful and imaginative writer, damn funny, clever and observant to boot. He's also very easy to read. A master of characterization, and if there's anything else you like about reading that I didn't mention here, assume I simply forgot. He's awesome.
Another reviewer mentioned Jonathan Swift and PG Wodehouse. Why such hallowed company? Because Pratchett belongs there! Truly, I'm enjoying my quest to read every book in the series. You should do the same, and begin your quest at the library because he's got to be there. He's awesome!
Yet another reviewer said Jerome K Jerome meets Lord of the Rings. Yeah, that works too.
Why do we, as reviewers, compare authors to other authors? Because it's easier than thinking. In the case of Terry Pratchett, it's probably because we'd otherwise wind up quoting the guy. He's so unique that we just don't know how else to cope with his greatness. Even this paragraph sounds like foamy drool raving, doesn't it? That's how all readers react to Pratchett. Reviewers simply don't have the good sense to keep it to themselves.
I could call his writing fantasy, but I could likewise call what Douglas Adams wrote science fiction. In both cases, I wouldn't be wrong, but I'd be neglecting so much and just totally missing the point. A rare few authors transcend a genre to such a degree that you know they're shouting out, loud and proud, a big fat "Bite me!"
I love Terry Pratchett's writing, and I completely understand why some folks refer to him as their favorite author. Or favourite, I should say, since we're being British. He's one of those authors that makes you want to grab whoever's in hearing range and start reading passages aloud. I'm simply thrilled that there's such an extremely talented and prolific author who's been working for years without me being aware of him. Now I have much catching up to do, and I will love it.
Great! A must-have for fans new or old!.......2004-12-06
This book is absolutely fabulous; it's 20 dollars well-spent!
Unlike some other books like this that I've bought (The Dragon Chronicles comes to mind), this one relies as much on its great text as it does on the gorgeous paintings.
The story here fits into the book quite nicely, although it gets off to a bit of a jerky start (at first it seems like there's a new story on every page) and at the end not ALL the loose ends are tied up (whatever happened to the priests in the Temple of Small Gods?). On the whole, though, there's much to enjoy here. This has got to be the most condensed Discworld story ever written yet, since it tries to cram almost every single major character in the series into one book. Nevertheless, once the story gets flowing it all reads like one of the better Discworld novels.
The paintings are gorgeous and plentiful (there's one on almost every page!) and add a whole new dimension to the story. All of the characters and landscapes were painted just like I THOUGHT they should look (I've read several Discworld novels already). Carrot in particular is a hard character to draw, but a good effort was made regardless.
This is a perfect book for newcomers to the series who want to see the best that it has to offer before deciding whether to read the other books, but also for seasoned Discworld readers who will love the illustrations and the new characters that this story brings into play.
Plus, Christmas is coming. This is the PERFECT gift book for anybody who has a sense of humour.
Rincewind and Carrot and Death, Oh My.......2003-11-17
Cohen the Barbarian (lately Genghiz Cohen, Emperor of Agatea) and his Silver Horde (they used to be a Golden Horde, but that was before what hair they have left went grey) have set out on one last grand and pointless adventure; Cohen plans to swarm the mountain of the gods and "the last thief will return what the first thief stole".
For those who wonder just what that means, the first thief is currently chained to a mountainside with an eagle tearing at his liver, and Cohen has a large barrel of Agatean Fire Clay[1]...
And, if he succeeds, it's the End Of The World.
And so the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork turns to the wizards of Unseen University and to Leonard of Quirm[2] to figure out how to stop Cohen.
As usual, Leonard has An Idea.
And so Leonard, Captain Carrot of the Watch and Rincewind, the reluctant wizard[3] set out in the Discworld's first spacecraft to orbit the Disc and get there in time to stop Cohen and company.
Unlike the usual Discworld adventure, this is a large-format book with illustrations by Paul Kidby[5], and the illustrations (while not essential to the story) are hilarious and complement Pratchett's inspired satirical insanity brilliantly.[7]
As usual, though, one can count on Pratchett to hold up a twisted mirror to our own world and to make a few Telling Points here and there.
And -- mirabile dictu! -- Archchancellor Ridcully seems to be beginning to understand some of the implications of quantum theory as it applies to magic and the (more or less) Real World.[8]
[1]Not to mention a kidnapped minstrel to write the saga after it's all over. It is required by The Rules that Heroic Deeds be recounted in sagas.
[2]Usually kept locked up in a tower -- he's a Really Nice Fellow and brilliant painter who can't help inventing things that people with the Wrong Sort Of Minds (most people, actually) see all sorts of potentials for bigger and better mayhem in.
[3] Recently appointed Chair of Cruel and Unusual Geography at UU, on account of having seen so much of it in a lifetime devoted to hair-raising escapes, Adventures[4] and general Running Away.
[4]An Adventure, properly defined, is someone far away having a truly terrible day.
[5]Not to be confused with the late Josh *Kirby*, who painted the definitive Discworld covers, which we don't get to see in the States.[6]
[6]This fact (and the Generally Awful covers the books *have* had in the States) may be part of the explanation of why the Discworld books don't sell better Over Here...
[7]Probably the best of all of the illustrations is the one printed Very Faintly across a two page spread that is almost invisible -- Kate missed it entirely until i showed t to her -- of Cohen and Blind Offler in the poses of Adam and Jehovah from the Sistine Chapel. Cohen, however, is not limply holding out his hand for the Divine Spark.
[8]And Ponder Stebbins has been promoted from the High Energy Magic department of UU to Head of Inadvisably Applied Magic.
Average customer rating:
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Last Hero: A Discworld Fable (Discworld)
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General | Pratchett, Terry | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1417700920 |
Book Description
In a fortieth-century America of ancient kingdoms with opulent courts, hereditary engineering guilds, and rigid class distinction in warfare, a centuries-old balance of power is shattered by a few dozen Australian infiltrators. Against a rich backdrop of war, chivalry, conspiracy, and a diesel-powered arms race, a dangerous secret alliance has formed. Now the unlikely trio of an airlord, an abbess, and a fugitive are joined together in a desperate race against time to stop the ultimate doomsday machine from being launched:
Customer Reviews:
Australian SF Reader.......2007-08-01
The Miocene Arrow takes a look at North America in this Greatwinter world. This society has air travel of a sort, and a fedual type of system based around this. The Call affects most of the country most of the time, unlike Australia, so they have a lot more problems.
There is a mutant race in the world too, called aviads, and they, having some bird genetics, are immune to the Call and its siren song for mammals.
The main characters here are a couple of young pilot types, but the major players from Australia in terms of the bird-gene people do make their way here on an urgent mission.
stands on its own.......2006-08-04
i read this book *before* having read the first one
in the series. after 150 pages or so, i loved it,
but was getting a bit lost with all of the geography and
characters, so i quickly reskimmed from the beginning.
then it all started to make sense again, and i enjoyed the
rest of the book a lot.
i'd say this book stands on its own quite well, though
perhaps someone who read the first book might have an easier
time keeping up with all of the characters.
If you are looking for something new and original, here it is!.......2005-06-30
Sean McMullen is a fellow Aussie but I won't let that cloud my judgment. The book is a page turner from the begining. It is fast paced and broad in scope. Sean has a rich imagination and has created a fascinating and very dangerous post apocalyptic (is there such a word?) Australia.
This is one of a 3 part series. The other two novels are equally as good and if you read the first one you will have to get the others.
Also read "The Centurians Empire" and "Voyage of the Shadowmoon" by the same Author.
The Call in North America........2004-10-21
In The Miocene Arrow, McMullen shifts focus from Australia to North America. The political situation on this continent is significantly different and with a few exceptions the characters and issues are also different. As a result, Souls and Arrow read like related books rather than a sequence. While you may get a richer experience from reading them in order, it would be safe to read this on its own and go back to Souls later.
I missed the librarians and the calculator and the other great stuff from the first book-- some of the grand inventiveness is missing here. But at the same time, I thought that the character development was a lot stronger and deeper. Serjon, Alion and Bronlar are complex and fascinating characters who offer a personal level that should appeal to most readers. This book may well have a wider potential audience than the first specifically because of the personal and political fulness.
The Aviads stayed opaque enough in this book that there's a lot of room left over for further development in a subsequent book. I can only hope, and run out and buy Eyes of the Calculator to see what he does.
About Time!!!.......2003-06-25
If you are like me, and have been looking for an exciting, original and interesting Sci-Fi series for quite some time now, then I whole heartedly encourage you to read this book and the others in this series as well. If you are a fan of the various Star Wars books and other soft Sci-Fi, you best go back to scraping your pennies together so you can buy the next Harry Potter book or something as this book won't be up your alley.
The second book of the Great Winter Trilogy should not be read without reading the first, if only for the fact that you will have deprived yourself of some of the character development and the background for this novel. I don't see how this book can stand on it's own. Read, "Souls in the Great Machine" first and you'll enjoy this one all the better.
These books are original, interesting and have a way of hooking you into them. It's been a long time since I've read a Sci Fi book that has been this much FUN to read. Like other reviewers, I don't know why this book is not getting the attention it deserves. Both books are certainly better then anything that has won the Hugo or Nebula in the past 10 years and I encourage anyone with a love of Science Fiction to read McMullen's work. Don't let the fact that he's Australian stop you, which is the only conceivable reason that I can think of that has stopped this series from getting the praise it richly deserves. Oh, that and the fact that most book stores only stock Star Wars and Star Trek knock offs and people who love those books probably wouldn't get McMullen. Read and enjoy.
Amazon.com
The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation, despite its dry-as-dust title, is a feast of answers to the extremely juicy question, "What does the Bible mean?" Editor John Barton shaped this book of essays as a "progress report on biblical interpretation in the 1990s." He invited leading scholars to provide 10-to-20 page definitions and summaries of recent developments in fields such as feminist interpretation, literary criticism, political reading, and sociological criticism. As Barton notes, there emerges from this book "a perception among many biblical scholars that the newest approaches are also a restoration of something very old." In other words, abstract hyphenates like "historical-critical" are helping scholars, pastors, and tuned-in laypeople learn to read like the fathers and mothers of faith. The fresh perspectives presented here make it possible to return to the Scriptures with renewed openness to the many shades of revelation. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
This book provides the first complete guide for students to the present state of biblical studies. The twenty-one specially commissioned chapters are written by established scholars from North America and Britain, and represent both traditional and contemporary points of view. The chapters in Part One cover all the methods and approaches currently practised in the academic study of the Bible, while those in Part Two examine the major categories of books in the Bible from the perspective of recent scholarship - e.g. historical books of the Old Testament, Gospels, prophetic literature. Major issues raised are: the relation of modern ‘critical’ study of the Bible to ‘pre-critical’ and ‘post-critical’ approaches; the place of history in the study of the Bible; feminist, liberationist and new historicist concerns; the relation of Christian and Jewish scholarship; and recent interest in the Bible as literature.
Customer Reviews:
Indispensible for meaningful interpretation.......2000-12-31
This is a brilliantly but clearly written book, one that will make your experience of the Bible incalculably richer. The first part provides both an overview and more detailed archealogical and historical information on the presence of the early Israelites in the area of Canaan. There is also relevant and compellingly written analysis of the literary and cultural environment. All of this information allows you to see the Hebrew scriptures for the monumental literary and philosophical achievement they represent. Then, there are commentary and background information for every separate book of the Hebrew scriptures and New Testament. Whether you practice one of the three religions of the book (Judaism, Christianity, or Islam), are a student of history and culture, or just want further insight into this most influential of books, you will find the Cambridge Companion an invaluable source for deeper understanding. I teach humanities at the largest private college in the country, and I find the presentation in this book to be clear enough for the least-interested students and complex enough to support the best and brightest. I have also used the material here to discuss religion with my family members and other practictioners--everyone can get something deeply worthwhile from this book.
Average customer rating:
- An excellent overview of current debates
- Excellent
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The Cambridge Companion to St Paul (Cambridge Companions to Religion)
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The Cambridge Companion to Jesus (Cambridge Companions to Religion)
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Paul: His Story
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Paul: In Fresh Perspective
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The Writings of St. Paul, Second Edition (Norton Critical Edition)
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The Paul Quest: The Renewed Search for the Jew of Tarsus
ASIN: 0521786940 |
Book Description
The apostle Paul has been justifiably described as the first and greatest Christian theologian. His letters were among the earliest documents to be included in the New Testament and, as such, they influenced Christian thinking from its very beginning. This Companion provides an important assessment of the apostle as well as a new appreciation of his continuing contemporary significance. With eighteen chapters written by a team of well-known international Pauline specialists, the collection will have wide appeal and be an invaluable point of departure for subsequent studies.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent overview of current debates.......2004-06-24
This collection of essays is a fine collection, offering challenges to interpretations of Paul that have dominated Western Protestant Christendom since the Reformation. I only have one caveat to offer. Many seem to have as a particular, though implicit, target the so-called 'Lutheran Paul.' The previous reviewer writes, in a concise precis of this critique, 'Rather than preach a reductive "doctrine of justification", Paul emerges from his letters (via this book) as being someone who has a rather mystical understanding of the eucharist as union, sees salvation as pertaining to a particular community (not merely individuals), and preaches "justification" as being far more than a type of legal status: it is being brought into the family of God (via baptism) as a child of God, participating now in God's new work in the world.' There is only one problem - with a little nuance here and there, that is precisely the Lutheran understanding of Justification in its relation to the Incarnate Christ's Person and Work. In short, we would look at all that and say, yes, that's justification all right. So let this book enlighten you as to the many fresh readings of Paul that you can find out there, but realize that the putative target of many critical challenges is in fact a straw man. In fact, if you're not careful it just might make you a Lutheran.
Excellent.......2004-02-19
I have never taken the time to study St. Paul; having read both the letters of Paul and the deutero-Pauline letters in the New Testament, this book comes as a welcome next step in understanding him. As those who have read him know, Paul is not always the easiest to follow, especially given his intricate weaving together of different styles of thought within his letters: Pharisaic/Rabbinic, Hellenistic, apocalyptic and early Christian.
This book covers what you would expect a "companion" to cover: Paul's life and context, historiographical issues, his letters and his purported letters (the "deutero-Pauline epistles": those letters in the New Testament that most scholars do not believe were written by Paul). However, several other essays whose topics might be unexpected - such as interpretations of Paul in the second century (the most enjoyable and fascinating essay in the book for this particular reader) - also find their way into the book.
While many simply see Paul as some sort of proto-Reformation-era de-/re-former (a la Luther), this book moves beyond these tired (and, it would seem at this point, largely incorrect) interpretations of Paul. Paul is not so easily reduced to a late-Medieval Roman Catholic reformer; he stands - however ambiguously and uncomfortably (for us no less than him!) - without such hermeneutical concealing. Rather than preach a reductive "doctrine of justification", Paul emerges from his letters (via this book) as being someone who has a rather mystical understanding of the eucharist as union, sees salvation as pertaining to a particular community (not merely individuals), and preaches "justification" as being far more than a type of legal status: it is being brought into the family of God (via baptism) as a child of God, participating now in God's new work in the world. The reduction of Paul to legal[-istic?] terminology fails to see him as a member of a community who preached to and from that community; it ignores the fundamentally relational element of Paul's thought.
This book is well worth the read. It is not difficult reading, but having read Paul first will greatly increase what you pull from this book. While it may be true that Paul has managed to upset just about everyone since the time of his writing, these essays are highly informative and helpful "for those with ears to hear". The Cambridge Companion to St. Paul engages and mediates him well.
Book Description
The four gospels are a central part of the Christian canon of scripture. In the faith of Christians, this canon constitutes a life-giving witness to who God is and what it means to be truly human. This volume treats the gospels not just as historical sources, but also as crucial testimony to the life of God made known in Jesus Christ. This approach helps to overcome the sometimes damaging split between critical gospel study and questions of theology, ethics and the life of faith. The essays are by acknowledged experts in a range of theological disciplines. The first section considers what are appropriate ways of reading the gospels given the kinds of texts they are. The second, central section covers the contents of the gospels. The third section looks at the impact of the gospels in church and society across history and up to the present day.
Book Description
The Cambridge Companion to the Bible is unique in that it provides, in a single volume, in-depth information about the changing historical, social and cultural contexts in which the biblical writers and their original readers lived. The authors of the Companion were chosen for their internationally recognised expertise in their respective fields: the history and literature of Israel; post-biblical Judaism; biblical archaeology; and the origins and early literature of Christianity. The Companion deals not only with the canonical writings, but also with the apocryphal works produced by Jewish and Christian writers. The historical setting for the entire range of these biblical writings is depicted and analysed in this volume, with abundant illustrations and maps to assist the reader in visualising the world of the Bible.
Customer Reviews:
Introduction to Biblical Studies.......2001-12-15
This is not a scholarly book in the sense that it's not part of any visible academic debate. It does not treat any particular issue in enough depth to be so.
It is, rather, a sort of textbook. Call it "Introduction to Academic Thought About the Bible." Following the order of the biblical texts and with detours to discuss such topics as the pseudepigrapha and the inter-testamental period, the book lays out basic issues of historical, archaeological and textual biblical criticism, such as, for instance, the idea of the J, E, D and P-authored components of the Old Testament, or the question to what extent the books of Joshua and Judges present different narratives of the conquest of Palestine by the Israelites, and what archaeology has to say about that conquest.
The book does not discuss theology (at least, not modern theology). If you're an inerrantist, this book is not what you're looking for. If you're reading the Bible for the first time, this is probably too much information and not the kind you need to help you follow the narrative. Though it has a section of color plates (and black and white photos throughout) and a limited number of maps, this is not an atlas. This is also not a debunk-the-Bible book -- mainstream believers in the inspired nature of the Biblical should by and large have no objection to the contents of this book.
But if you're generally familiar with the Bible, and interested in increasing your knowledge (in particular, I would suggest reading this alongside a reading of the Bible itself, a method to which the organization of this book lends itself) about Bible studies, I recommend this book without reservation.
Readable, yet scholarly.......2001-11-09
This book goes through the Bible historically and gives you the latest in textual and archeological research. It is an easy read, and it seems written for mass consumption, but it is not unscholarly. It is for true students of the Holy Scriptures and not for people who think the holy books are magic words from God. It is a sane, yet reverent approach to the study of ancient literature which we believe is inspired by God. It is NOT fundamentalist. If you are serious about Bible studies, then I recommend this volume whole-heartedly.
Books:
- Echoes of a Distant Summer: A Novel
- El Libro De Los seres Imaginarios/The book of the imaginery beings
- Eustace Chisholm and the Works
- Exit Strategies: A Novel
- Fortress Besieged
- Glamorous Disasters: A Novel
- Herself Surprised (New York Review Books Classics)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Honey in the Horn
- If I Never Get Back
Books Index
Books Home
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