Conflict or concord? Histories of Islam from its early seventh century beginnings in Arabia often portray its explosive growth into the wider Middle East as a story of struggle and conquest of the Christian people of Greater Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Alternatively these histories suggest that as often as not the conquerors were welcomed by the conquered and their existing monotheistic faiths of Christianity and Judaism tolerated and even allowed to flourish. In this short but in depth survey of the almost nine centuries that passed from the beginning of the spread of Islam up to the Ottoman Turkish conquest of Syria and Egypt beginning in 1516, Constantin Panchenko offers a more complex portrayal that opens up fresh vistas of understanding of these centuries focusing on the impact that the coming of Islam had on the Orthodox Christian communities of the Middle East and in particular the interplay of their Greek cultural heritage and experience of increasing Arabization. This work is drawn from the author's much larger work, Arab Orthodox Christians Under the Ottomans, being an updated and expanded version of the first chapter of that book which set the historical context for the period after 1516. It will deepen the readers understanding both of the history of the Middle East in these centuries and of how the faith of Orthodox Christians in these lands is lived today.

Following the success of his widely acclaimed The Pope Francis Agenda, renowned theologian Donal Dorr returns with a topical new work that explores the interplay between an ecological spirituality and traditional Christian faith at this critical juncture. Rather than seeing ecological spirituality as an adjunct to Christian doctrine, Donal Dorr views it as central to the understanding of Christianity today and integral to understanding our relationship with the natural world. Stressing the importance of our ‘new earth awareness’, the author lays out a compelling vision for how we should live at both a spiritual and practical level in terms of our Christian faith and our attendant role as stewards of the Earth.

Advent News: Too Good to Keep is a thought-provoking selection of scripture readings and reflections designed to accompany the reader through the season of Advent. This accessible and practical guide, which also includes inspirational quotations and questions to prompt the reader to effect change in their day-to-day lives, is the perfect companion for this essential period in the Church calendar.

In his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit, Pope Francis offers words of hope and consolation to all the faithful but, in particular, he focusses on young people and encourages them in their friendship with Jesus. He also addresses the Church as a whole, reminding us of the youthfulness the Church should embody, while also considering how to renew youth ministry and emphasising the importance of attracting young people to the Church. In this instructive companion volume, Gerard Gallagher invites a selection of people who work in the area of youth ministry to discuss key themes from Christus Vivit and to explore practical ways in which young people today can navigate life’s challenges and setbacks, while still ‘walking the path to holiness’. Reflecting the themes of Christus Vivit, this practical guide explores such topics as ‘the meaning of family in the aftermath of Covid-19’, ‘the representation of young people in scripture,’ the ‘challenges of youth ministry in changing times’, the ‘importance of family’, the ‘power of vocation’ and the question of ‘young people and discernment’. Questions included at the end of each chapter are designed to prompt further contemplation and would make an excellent aid to those studying Christus Vivit in a group setting.

Holy Shocking Saints is a beautifully illustrated book celebrating the extraordinary lives of twelve remarkable people. Whether mystics, healers or holy people, their strong belief was the catalyst that set them on the spiritual path. Some renounced wealth, position and marriage proposals; others had a burning desire to explore the world to teach about their faith. Determined and fearless, most of these men and women had to conduct, endure or witness shocking deeds throughout their lives. Their acts of kindness, incredible achievements and miracles that occurred before and after their deaths eventually made them saints. From Colmcille confronting the Loch Ness Monster, to Brendan setting sail across the Atlantic, to Lí Ban transforming into a mermaid for three hundred years, whether fact or fiction this collection of stories will delight and entertain readers from ages seven and up.

Crises can be defined as any changes in our circumstances that affect us deeply. They can vary from marriage or divorce to birth and death. Some we choose but many - like the Covid-19 pandemic - are chosen for us. How to Be Our Best Self in Times of Crisis helps the reader to understand the body’s reaction to crisis and how the physiological response impacts our ways of thinking, often for long periods of time. By recognising the severe impact a crisis can have on our physical bodies, we learn to appreciate the importance of developing the skills to slow down and rest to allow for necessary repair and regeneration. This book guides us through this process of repair and regeneration in a holistic way, beginning with acceptance. A crisis may be painful but we become our best selves by actively engaging with the new possibilities it offers instead of withdrawing from the world

The World Meeting of Families took place in Ireland for the first time in 2018 and saw thousands of volunteers and visitors from across the globe unite to celebrate their shared faith in God and in family. Humans of the World Meeting of Families is a collection of first-person testimonies from some of those involved – lay and religious, young and old – who reflect upon their own faith journey in a candid and engaging fashion. This uplifting book of words and photographs offers a revealing insight into the personal lives and motivation of volunteers, delegates, attendees, staff members and many others who took part in this event, which included the historic visit of Pope Francis to Ireland.

Peace Smiles traces Thomas Merton’s fascinating and sometimes troubled life from a disrupted childhood and rather turbulent adolescence, to his conversion to Roman Catholicism, his ordination in 1949 and his life in the Trappist Monastery of Gethsemani. It was there that Merton’s prophetic voice began to emerge. Bishop Monahan explores Merton as artist, social critic and ecumenist, his anti-war and anti-racism stances until his untimely death at the age of fifty-three. Bishop Monahan shows us, above all, that a profound hope breathes within Merton’s writing that we too can find our way home by remaining authentic and true to ourselves. This quest for authenticity and truth became a life-long search for Merton.

With permission from the monks in Glenstal Abbey, Veritas has updated the Glenstal Sunday Missal. This new edition is now available as the Veritas Sunday Missal. The reference to St Joseph has been included in Eucharistic Prayers II, III and IV and the new amendment to the collects has also been included. It contains everything you will need for Mass on Sundays and Holy Days:- The Order of the Mass with Eucharistic Prayers, Prefaces, Concluding Rites and Blessings- Lists of Feast Days and readings for reference- It covers the three-year Liturgical Cycle It also includes introductions and reflections on the Liturgy of the Word from the Sunday Mass written by the Monks at Glenstal, and some impulses for prayer (scripture references), meditations and introductions to the liturgical seasons.

This book approaches the Acts of the Apostles, not just as a history book that gives us information about the life and mission of the early Church, but also as a story to engage us at the level of faith and transform us into missionary disciples of Jesus Christ in our own situation. The Acts of the Apostles has been called the Gospel of the Spirit, who continually guides and empowers the Church in its life and mission.

The Kitāb al-Aghānī (the Book of the Songs) stands as one of the most important extant sources for Arabic literature and Islamic history. Compiled during the first half of the tenth century, the Kitāb al-Aghānī emerges from a pivotal period in the formation of Islamic sectarian identities, a subject of keen and ongoing scholarly debate that is fundamental to our understanding of the later development of Shīʿī Islam. While its compiler, Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī (died after 356/967), is generally viewed as a 'Zaydī Shīʿī', no in-depth study has investigated what can be gauged from the Kitāb al-Aghānī about his sectarian perspectives. The present study addresses the question of whether or not al-Iṣfahānī's sectarian leanings can be discerned from the Kitāb al-Aghānī through an analysis based primarily on redaction criticism. By examining the compiler's editorial interventions, this book argues that al-Iṣfahānī, to some extent at least, presents past people and events central to the Shīʿī worldview in accordance with his sectarian affiliation. Furthermore, this work questions the label 'Zaydī' that is commonly associated with al-Iṣfahānī. Based on textual analyses of the Kitāb al-Aghānī, as well as on evidence from his Maqātil al-Ṭālibīyīn ('The Ṭālibid Martyrs') and other sources rooted in the tenth-century milieu, this book suggests that al-Iṣfahānī's religious thought can be construed as a 'mild' form of Shīʿism - in the sense that it neither comprises belief in a specific lineage of imams, nor repudiation of most of the Companions including the first three caliphs. However, it cannot necessarily be identified with any sect, as set down in the heresiography.

George was one of the last scholarly Syrian Orthodox bishops to live in the early Islamic period. His metrical homily, probably composed to be sung during the consecration of the Myron, is presented here with the vocalised Syriac text and English translation on facing pages.

One of the distinctive characteristics of the writings of Ambrose of Milan is his frequent and lengthy borrowings from the works of Philo of Alexandria. He treated the 1st-century Jewish philosopher as an authoritative predecessor and made use of his works to a far greater extent than any other Church Father did. This study seeks to fill a lacuna in the current scholarship by investigating Ambrose’s use of Philo in his collection of letters, focusing on a set of three letters concerning the topic of the Genesis creation account (Ep. 29, 31, & 34 [PL#43, 44, & 45]). In all three cases, Ambrose fielded questions on the Six Days of Creation (Hexaemeron) by drawing upon Philo’s treatise De opificio mundi. Each of these letters is undeniably Philonic and yet uniquely Ambrosian. This study seeks to clarify why Ambrose found Philo to be particularly valuable in spite of his Jewishness and also to investigate how Ambrose interpreted, adapted, and ultimately re-created his source.

This monograph traces how ‘Jewish’ elements were introduced into and disseminated throughout the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwaḥədo Church through a series of multi-layered, socio-politico-cultural processes. Drawing on historical and literary evidence, Afework tracks the incorporation of Jewish features into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church from pre-Aksumite Christianity, before the fourth century, through the sixteenth century.

Since its discovery and the initial efforts toward its critical edition, the Paippalādasaṃhitā of the Atharvaveda (PS) has attracted the attention of Vedic scholars and Indologists for several reasons. It constitutes a precious source for the study of the development of the earliest language. The text contains important information about various rites and magical practices, and hints about the oldest Indo-Iranian and Indo-European myths. All of this makes the PS a text of inestimable value for the study of Indian language and culture.

An edition and translation of the four treatises of John of Dara (d. 860) On the Resurrection of Human Bodies.