How can we define "Judaism," and what are the common threads uniting ancient rabbis, Maimonides, the authors of the Zohar, and modern secular Jews in Israel? Michael L. Satlow offers a fresh perspective on Judaism that recognizes both its similarities and its immense diversity. Presenting snapshots of Judaism from around the globe and throughout history, Satlow explores the links between vastly different communities and their Jewish traditions. He studies the geonim, rabbinical scholars wh...

“The Gift in Antiquity is an exciting and learned dialogue with Marcel Mauss’s The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies, published ninety years ago. The essays engage Mauss’s model, offering critique and nuance, and sometimes push Mauss’s insights far beyond what he had imagined. While many anthologies are useful for the one or two essays they contain, this volume offers a tightly organized collection useful as a reader in classics, religion, or anth...

"The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science" by Thomas Troward, published in 1904, is a seminal work in the New Thought movement. These lectures delve into the profound principles of mental science, emphasizing the power of the mind to shape reality. Troward explores topics such as the creative potential of the mind, the nature of consciousness, and the role of spiritual laws in manifesting desired outcomes. Through insights into positive thinking, visualization, and maintaining a harmonious...

Brilliant, inspired, and gloriously erudite, Literature and the Gods is the culmination of Roberto Calasso’s lifelong study of the gods in the human imagination. By uncovering the divine whisper that lies behind the best poetry and prose from across the centuries, Calasso gives us a renewed sense of the mystery and enchantment of great literature.From the banishment of the classical divinities during the Age of Reason to their emancipation by the Romantics and thei...

First published in 1978, Reading Greek has become a best-selling one-year introductory course in ancient Greek for students and adults. It combines the best of modern and traditional language-learning techniques and is used widely in schools, summer schools and universities across the world. It has also been translated into several foreign languages. This volume contains a narrative adapted entirely from ancient authors, including Herodotus, Euripides, Aristophanes and Demosthenes, in orde...

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author shares a "valuable, wise, and quietly moving" meditation on orthodox Judaism ( Chicago Tribune ).Renowned for his sweeping historical novels such as The Cain Mutiny and The Winds of War, Herman Wouk now presents a brilliantly distilled examination of his own religious faith. A miracle of brevity, This Is My God guides readers through the world's oldest practicing...

A magisterial history, ranging from antiquity to the present, that reveals anti-Judaism to be a mode of thought deeply embedded in the Western tradition.There is a widespread tendency to regard anti-Judaism – whether expressed in a casual remark or implemented through pogrom or extermination campaign – as somehow exceptional: an unfortunate indicator of personal prejudice or the shocking outcome of an extremist ideology married to power.But, as David Nirenberg argues in thi...

From Pulitzer Prize–winner Garry Wills, the story of Augustine’s ConfessionsIn this brief and incisive book, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills tells the story of the Confessions--what motivated Augustine to dictate it, how it asks to be read, and the many ways it has been misread in the one-and-a-half millennia since it was composed. Following Wills's biography of Augustine and his translation of the Confessions, this is an unp...

Philo of Alexandria was a Greek-speaking Jewish philosopher, who is now recognised as the most important representative of Hellenistic Judaism. His writings provide a concise view of the development of Judaism in the Diaspora. His essays seek to synthesise revealed faith and philosophic reason, and Philo is also regarded by Christians as a forerunner of Christian theology. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English t...

Told with warmth and understanding, this modern guide explores virtually every aspect of Jewish home life, showing that—contrary to popular belief—the home, and not the synagogue, is the most important institution in Jewish life.In How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household, Blu Greenberg opens the door to the heart of Jewish living, offering both practical wisdom and rich historical insight. With warmth, clarity, and authenticity, she explores what it mean...

This new spiritual approach to physical health introduces us to a spiritual tradition that affirms the body and enables us to reconceive our bodies in a more positive light. Using Kabbalistic teachings and other Jewish traditions, it shows us how to be more responsible for our own spiritual and physical health.Each chapter explores the meaning of traditional Jewish prayers, providing a framework for new thinking about body, mind, and soul. Simple exercises and movements help our bo...