A revised edition containing new chapters on the Shekhina.The Hebrew Goddess demonstrates that the Jewish religion, far from being pure monotheism, contained from earliest times strong polytheistic elements, chief of which was the cult of the mother goddess. Lucidly written and richly illustrated, this third edition contains new chapters of the Shekhina.

The I, Claudius author's "lightning sharp interpretations and insights . . . are here brought to bear with equal effectiveness on the Book of Genesis" ( Kirkus Reviews).This is a comprehensive look at the stories that make up the Old Testament and the Jewish religion, including the folk tales, apocryphal texts, midrashes, and other little-known documents that the Old Testament and the Torah do not include. In this exhaustive study, Robert Graves p...

This study documents the history, traditions, tales, customs, and institutions of the Jadid al-Islam—"New Muslims."In 1839, Muslims attacked the Jews of Meshhed, murdering 36 of them, and forcing the conversion of the rest. While some managed to escape across the Afghan border, and some turned into true believing Muslims, the majority adopted Islam only outwardly, while secretly adhering to their Jewish faith.Jadid al-Islam is the fascinating story of how t...

The essays collected in this volume, some of which are presented for the first time in English translation, provide a rich harvest of Jewish customs and traditional beliefs, gathered from all over the world and from ancient to modern times.On Jewish Folklore spans a half-century of scholarly inquiry by the noted anthropologist and biblical scholar Raphael Patai. He essays collected in this volume, some of which are presented for the first time in English t...

Here the late Raphael Patai (1910-1996) recreates the fascinating world of Jewish seafaring from Noah's voyage through the Diaspora of late antiquity. In a work of pioneering scholarship, Patai weaves together Biblical stories, Talmudic lore, and Midrash literature to bring alive the world of these ancient mariners. As he did in his highly acclaimed book The Jewish Alchemists, Patai explores a subject that has never before been investigated by scholars. Based on nearly sixty years...

From Sophia to Jaffa chronicles the fascinating saga of a population relocated.Within two years of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, an astounding 45,000 of Bulgaria's 50,000 Jews left voluntarily for Israel. This mass exodus was remarkable considering that Bulgaria was the only Axis power to prevent the deportation of its Jews to the death camps during World War II. After their arrival in Israel, the Jews of Bulgaria were recognized as a m...

This multicultural reference work on Jewish folklore, legends, customs, and other elements of folklife is the first of its kind.

A new edition of the "brilliantly original and highly sophisticated" study of saint worship after the fall of the Roman Empire ( Library Journal).In this groundbreaking work, Peter Brown explores how the worship of saints and their corporeal remains became central to religious life in Western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. During this period, earthly remnants served as a heavenly connection, and their veneration is a fascinating window into the...

A renowned historian examines some of the most crucial junctions of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Britain—and how they could have gone differently.Timothy Venning's series of alternative histories explores the pathways of British events from the Anglo-Saxon Age to the English Civil War. In this volume, he presents an in-depth analysis of the Tudor period. As always, Venning discusses the fateful moments at which History could easily have taken a different turn.

This look at the crisis facing the United States "explores the gaping disconnect between elite optimism and popular bewilderment, anger, and despair" ( Foreign Affairs)."Gentlemen, we have run out of money. It is time to start thinking." —Sir Ernest RutherfordIn a book destined to spark debate among both liberals and conservatives, journalist Edward Luce advances a carefully constructed argument, backed up by interviews with key players in...

A visual history of the many peoples who've inhabited and shaped Britain, from hunter-gatherers to Celts, Vikings, Normans, and modern immigrants.This atlas covers the history of the British Isles from earliest times to the present day. The first hunter-gatherers, who crossed into what would become the United Kingdom by the land-bridge, and later followed by more familiar peoples the Celts, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, and Normans, who together would create Britain's u...

Commune with these thirty-four unique stories of the moment of enlightenment from ancient and modern masters, and find oneness and absolute freedom.From the Buddha's experience under the Bodhi tree to Eckhart Tolle's realization of the "power of now," Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages brings together stories and writings on moments of spiritual enlightenment by ancient and modern masters. With selections from religious traditions including Christianity, I...