September is here, and Gorgias is in full-fledged back to school spirit! Gorgias has a lot in store for the new academic year, and we hope it is a fruitful one for all of our students and scholars.

Gorgias is pleased to announce the winner of our most recent BiblioPerks sale. Gerald E. Ottenbreit, Jr. of the Armenian Research Institute at the University of Michigan-Dearborn ordered the greatest total during our sale, and his chosen prize was a free Apple iPad. Congratulations to Mr. Ottenbreit and and the Armenian Research Institute and thanks to all who participated.

It is also our pleasure to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Gorgias Book Grant in any subject area in which Gorgias publishes in. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2011, but it is never too early to apply! Please visit our book grants page for details.

Earlier this month, the Gorgias team visited our bindery to learn how to unbind the Al-Machriq volumes on loan to us from the ICOR/Semitics library of The Catholic University of America. A quick search through world cat shows that there are only a few libraries in the US that has a complete set of this very valuable journal. We thank librarian Monica Blanchard and Prof. Sidney Griffith of CUA for their continuous support and in making it possible for Gorgias to bring these valuable resources back in print.

In this issue of eGorgias, learn about the newly-inspired Gorgias Press Facebook Fan Page. Join us so you can find out about exciting deals, offers and even prizes before anyone else.

In our Enthusiast of the Month section, meet our latest enthusiast, who also happens to be our first-ever Gorgias Facebook trivia winner. In the conferences section, learn about upcoming conferences where Gorgias will exhibit this fall. In the reviews section, you'll find Gorgias books which have received rave reviews, including one of Monferrer-Sala et al.'s East and West: Essays on Byzantine and Arab Worlds in the Middle Ages.

Christine Kiraz

We have moved to 954 River Rd., Piscataway, NJ 08854.

• Recently Released
• Coming Soon
• From the Acquisitions Desk
• News: Gorgias on Facebook
• Enthusiast of the Month:Tuomo Lankila
• Reviews of Gorgias Books
• Conferences

Due to high production volume, we can't list of all the new releases here. Below we include a select list of recent releases. For the complete list, please visit our Just Published page.

	The Edessa-Aleppo Syriac Codex of the Chronicle of Michael the Great By Gregorios Ibrahim ISBN 978-1-59333-147-4 Hardback, $320 (BiblioPerks™ $288.00)
The invaluable Chronicle of Michael the Great makes the scholarly resources on this unique manuscript available together for the first time. Now inaccessible, the Chronicle is the largest medieval chronicle known, and is available here for the first time in history as a facsimile copy of the original manuscript. The Chronicle is one of the most important primary sources on the history of the Middle East, especially the period between the rise of Islam and the Crusades.
	Studies on Jacob of Edessa By Gregorios Ibrahim ISBN 978-1-60724-997-9 Hardback, $130 (BiblioPerks™ $117.00)
Jacob of Edessa was a seventh century polymath who witnessed the coming of Islam. In this collection of papers, specialists discuss the life and works of this literary figure with emphasis on the cultural landscape of the seventh century. Contributors include Sebastian P. Brock, Richard Price, Andreas Juckel, Alison Salvesen, Theresia Hainthaler, Amir Harrak, and Khalid Dinno.
	Arabic-Syriac Dictionary By Mikhael Murad ISBN 978-1-60724-262-8 Hardback, $171.08 (BiblioPerks™ $153.97)
Mikha’il Murad, the author, was born in 1879, entered the Syro-Chaldean Seminary of St John in Mosul in 1882, and was ordained a priest in 1904. He died in 1952. This book is a reprint of Murad’s Arabic-Syriac dictionary, the first such dictionary ever composed, and the only work of the author. The present volume extends from the letter alif to the beginning of the letter sin; the second half of the dictionary has unfortunately been lost. For each Arabic word given, a number of Syriac equivalents are recorded. The dictionary also gives Syriac equivalents to Arabic idioms. The introduction by Bishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim contains a valuable discussion of the history of Syriac lexicography which contains references to and descriptions of Middle Eastern lexica of Syriac little-known to Western scholars. This work will be a useful tool to students, linguists, and scholars of Syriac as well as Christian Arabic and Karshuni. It will also be of value to those interested in the history of Syriac scholarship.
	Redefining History on Pre-Islamic Accounts By Juan Pedro Monferrer-Sala ISBN 978-1-61719-158-9 Hardback, $95.6 (BiblioPerks™ $86.04)
The present book deals with a comparative study of the contents and structure of the events that occurred in Najran according to the MS Sinaitic Arabic 535, the most important of the Arabic witnesses in which those events were narrated.
	The Diary of Mar Dionysios Georgios al-Qas Behnam, Metropolitan of Aleppo (1912-1992) By Gregorios Ibrahim ISBN 978-1-60724-154-6 Hardback, $157.88 (BiblioPerks™ $142.09)
Nearly three years were spent assembling and editing this volume, which contains the diary of Mar Georgios Dionysios, the former Bishop of Aleppo. The diary covers the years 1943-1981 and offers a fascinating look at the day-to-day life of an important figure in the Syrian Orthodox Church over the course of nearly 40 years. The bishop’s travels are described, as are his interactions with members of other Christian churches and political figures; even book acquisitions are detailed. Mar Georgios lived through tumultuous years in Middle Eastern history and in the pages of his diary, one also has glimpses at the larger political world swirling around him—whether it be in his visit to Jerusalem and the Holy Land in the late summer of 1948 or his description of the ruins of Quneitra in 1975. This volume will be of great interest not only to members of the Syrian Orthodox Church, but also to any one interested in Christian communities in the modern Middle East as well as any student of the history of contemporary Syria.
	Hearsay, History, and Heresy By Randall Howarth ISBN 978-1-59333-642-4 Hardback, $125.12 (BiblioPerks™ $112.61)
This collection of articles by Richard E. Mitchell presents all the major historiographical problems scholars encounter in reconstructing the early Republic and interprets the evidence in ways that continue to challenge scholarly consensus. Introduction and commentary by Randall S. Howarth.
	Aspects of Ancient Near Eastern Chronology (c. 1600–700 BC) By Pierce Furlong ISBN 978-1-60724-127-0 Hardback, $128 (BiblioPerks™ $115.20)
This work argues that the orthodox Ancient Near Eastern chronology is fundamentally wrong and that consequently the histories of the Great Kingdoms of Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria and Hatti, along with other minor kingdoms such as Israel/Judah, must be radically rewritten.
	Among the Turks By Cyrus Hamlin ISBN 978-1-60724-317-5 Hardback, $126 (BiblioPerks™ $113.40)
Part travelogue, part missionary account, this book recounts the experiences of a nineteenth-century traveler in the Ottoman Empire. Indeed, Hamlin’s account begins with a description of the origin and extent of the Ottoman Empire, including a consideration of the social issues it faced. An encounter with Islam, with a sympathetic reading of the Quran, leads Hamlin to conclude with the misrepresentation of the Ottomans that he has discovered to be problematic. An intimate glimpse into the Ottoman world of the nineteenth century, this historic travelogue will be welcomed by students of missionary activity and the rapidly changing region of Turkey.
	Re-Reading the Prophets Through Corporate Globalization By Matthew Coomber ISBN 978-1-60724-978-8 Hardback, $122 (BiblioPerks™ $109.80)
Using societal patterns of exploitation that are evidenced in agrarian societies from the Bronze Age to modern-day corporate globalization, Re-Reading the Prophets offers a new approach to understanding the hidden contexts behind prophetic complaints against economic injustice in eighth-century Judah.
	Theophany and Chaoskampf: The Interpretation of Theophanic Imagery in the Baal Epic, Isaiah, and the Twelve By Eric Ortlund ISBN 978-1-61719-160-2 Hardback, $118.76 (BiblioPerks™ $106.88)
Against the prevailing interpretation of theophanic imagery in Old Testament poetic texts as metaphor for divine power, this book argues that such texts are best interpreted as fully mythic re-applications of the Chaoskampf myth in a Yahwistic context.

Here is a select list of forthcoming publications. Click here for a complete list.

Jacob of Serugh and His Times
This volume is a collection of studies on the Syriac sixth century writer Jacob of Sarug by a team of international scholars, including Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Sebastian P. Brock, Sharbil Iskandar Bcheiry, Khalid Dinno, Sidney Griffith , Mary Hansubry, Amir Harrak , George A. Kiraz , Edward Matthews, Aho Shemunkasho, and Lucas Van Rompay.
ISBN 978-1-60724-049-5, Hardback, $116 (BiblioPerks™ $104.40)

The Journals al-Mashriq and Lisan al-Mashriq (1946-1951)
Al-Mashriq (1946-1947) and its sequal Lisan al-Mashriq (1948-1951) were the primary Arabic journals in Mosul, Iraq, entirely dedicated to the Eastern Christian tradition. Many of the articles were written by the journals’ founder and editor Boulus Behnam. The scope of the journal covers philosophy, history, religion, poetry, and literary criticism. The news section sheds light on the history of the Christian community in Mosul during the 1940s and early 1950s.
ISBN 978-1-60724-529-2, Hardback, $850 (BiblioPerks™ $765.00)

The Syriac Book of Steps
The Syriac Book of Steps collects 30 sermons by a late-4th century anonymous author in the Persian Empire. The author details the spiritual life, highlighting the duties and problems of two ranks of committed Christians, the Upright and the Perfect.
ISBN 978-1-59333-978-4, Paperback, $61 (BiblioPerks™ $54.90)

Chronicle of the Unknown Edessan
The Syriac Chronicle of the Unknown Edessan (Chronicle of 1234) is an important resource for the period stretching from early Islam until the Crusades. The original manuscript, dating from the fourteenth century, was discovered by Patriarch Afram II Rahmani in Istanbul in 1899. The Syriac text was published by Chabot in collaboration with Afram Barsoum (later Patriarch Afram I Barsoum). The chronicle consists of two parts: Part I covers early world history, while Part II covers early Islam and is an eyewitness account of the Crusades. In this edition, Albert Abouna provides an Arabic translation of Part II with annotations. The volume includes comprehensive indices of names and places.
ISBN 978-1-60724-695-4, Hardback, $140 (BiblioPerks™ $126.00)

The Medieval Development of Liturgical Symbolism
Liturgical allegory has often flourished in the history of Christianity, despite persistent pruning by sceptical theologians through the ages. The full fruits of this growth ripened during the Middle Ages, as preserved in the pages of Latin and Byzantine liturgical commentaries.
ISBN 978-1-60724-354-0, Hardback, $88 (BiblioPerks™ $79.20)

A Scapegoat for all Seasons
Rifat Bali’s A Scapegoat for All Seasons considers the increase in the Turkish public’s interest in Dönmes, or Crypto-Jews, who are alleged by nationalists to secretly control the Turkish republic.
ISBN 978-1-61719-101-5, Hardback, $130.16 (BiblioPerks™ $117.14)

Art, Politics and Society
Art, Politics and Society is Asli Daldal’s comparative analysis of Italian and Turkish cinema following periods of political upheaval, which she then uses to produce a theoretical framework.
ISBN 978-1-61719-112-1, Hardback, $107.84 (BiblioPerks™ $97.06)

Aspects of the Political Language in Turkey
This is a collection of articles discussing the usages of and changes in the Turkish language during the late Ottoman Empire and early Republican periods.
ISBN 978-1-61719-113-8, Hardback, $96.8 (BiblioPerks™ $87.12)

A Brief Introduction to the Semitic Languages
This is a typological overview of the Semitic languages, ancient and modern, including phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and a guide to further study. All of the many examples include morphemic glosses, making them clear and accessible to a wide readership.
ISBN 978-1-61719-860-1, Paperback, $26.8 (BiblioPerks™ $24.12)

Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
Founded in 1881 by the noted Hebraist and biblical scholar Bernhard Stade, ZAW was a premier journal of historical-critical scholarship on the Hebrew Bible. In its pages appeared many of the most famous names in biblical scholarship and related fields
ISBN 978-1-61719-766-6, Hardback, $4500 (BiblioPerks™ $4,050.00)

From the acquisitions desk

On the acquisitions desk this month we have an exciting array of monographs and edited collections reflecting the rich diversity of subject areas that Gorgias traverses.

New to our Biblical Intersections series is a study by Lauress Wilkins on the Book of Lamentations and the Social World of Judah in the Neo-Babylonian Era which explores the changing social dynamics, religious customs and political and economic structures of rural and urban Judeans, after Babylonia’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.

In the related field of Ancient Near Eastern Studies comes a study of the Archaeologies of Water in the Roman Near East by Zena Kamash. This book explores the attitudes of the inhabitants of the Roman Near East towards water and water use. It aims to see how this can inform us about the nature of Roman Imperialism, the Roman economy, change and transformation in late Antiquity and the role of religion in people’s lives.

Also in the Classics realm is a collection (Barbara Sidwell and Danijel Dzino eds.) on power and emotions in the Roman Imperial and Late Antique world, from Marcus Aurelius to Queen Brunhild of Austrasia.

Gorgias moves into new territory with the forthcoming publication of The Best of the Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality, edited by Joseph Gelfer. The Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality (JMMS) is an online, scholarly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal and this volume includes a selection of the most outstanding papers published to date, offering them for the first time in printed form. JMMS addresses not only monotheistic religions and spiritualities but also Eastern, indigenous, new religious movements and other spiritualities which resist categorization. The publication of this volume continues our mission to foster relationships with Open Access scholarly journals.

Lastly I would like to mention a new offering in our Judaism in Context series. From Anglo-First-Wave towards American Second-Wave Jewish Feminism: Negotiating with Jewish Feminist Theology and its Communities in the Writing of Amy Levy redefines our understanding of Amy Levy and her writing, demonstrating, in stark contrast to the current historiography, that Levy’s writing is less anti-Judaic and more profoundly inflected by the religious concerns of classical German Reformism than has previously been supposed. Luke Devine’s innovative approach reveals that Levy’s writing constitutes a genre whose female subjectivity evidences a concern for justice and authority that prefigures numerous aspects of Second-Wave Jewish feminist theory and its spiritual and theological underpinnings.

Happy reading Gorgiasians!

Katie Stott, Acquisitions and Production Editor

The Book of Lamentations and the Social World of Judah in the Neo-Babylonian Era By Lauress Wilkins
The Book of Lamentations and the Social World of Judah in the Neo-Babylonian Era explores the changing social dynamics, religious customs and political and economic structures of rural and urban Judeans, after Babylonia's destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.
ISBN 978-1-60724-112-6, Hardback, $110 (BiblioPerks™ $99.00)

Archaeologies of Water in the Roman Near East By Zena Kamash
This book explores the attitudes of the inhabitants of the Roman Near East towards water and water use. It aims to see how this can inform us about the nature of Roman Imperialism, the Roman economy, change and transformation in late Antiquity and the role of religion in people's lives.
ISBN 978-1-61143-420-0, Hardback, $110 (BiblioPerks™ $99.00)

Studies in Emotions and Power in the Late Roman World: papers in honour of Ron Newbold By Barbara Sidwell
This book is a collection of papers, which deal with different approaches in the research of the issues of power and emotions in the Roman Imperial and Late Antique world, from Marcus Aurelius to Queen Brunhild of Austrasia.
ISBN 978-1-61719-914-1, Hardback, $101.6 (BiblioPerks™ $91.44)

The Best of Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality By Joseph Gelfer
The Best of Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality brings together the best papers published to date in JMMS, offering them for the first time in printed form.
ISBN 978-1-61143-003-5, Hardback, $116 (BiblioPerks™ $104.40)

From Anglo-First-Wave towards American Second-Wave Jewish Feminism: Negotiating with Jewish Feminist Theology and its Communities in the Writing of Amy Levy By Luke Devine
From Anglo-First-Wave towards American Second-Wave Jewish Feminism: Negotiating with Jewish Feminist Theology and its Communities in the Writing of Amy Levy completely redefines our understanding of Amy Levy and her writing, demonstrating, in stark contrast to the current historiography, that Levy’s writing is less anti-Judaic and more profoundly inflected by the religious concerns of classical German Reformism than has previously been supposed. Indeed, Luke Devine's highly innovative approach reveals that Levy's writing constitutes a genre whose female subjectivity evidences a concern for justice and authority that prefigures numerous aspects of Second-Wave Jewish feminist theory and its spiritual and theological underpinnings.
ISBN 978-1-61719-915-8, Hardback, $110 (BiblioPerks™ $99.00)

Check out the recently-inspired Gorgias Press Facebook fan page!

You can always rely on Gorgias's usage of cutting-edge technology in the publishing process - and now, you can rely on us to keep up with the 21st century in social networking! We are very pleased to announce our revamped Gorgias Press Facebook fan page, which is updated daily. Every week, we will post a Gorgias Press trivia question for all of our fans to answer and win prizes! We are proud to announce our first-ever winner of GP trivia, Tuomo Lankila - please read our Gorgias Enthusiast column for his biography and more information.

Gorgias Editor-in-Chief George Kiraz will be traveling to Dubai and India for business and to attend SEERI conference. Follow his updates on the Gorgias Facebook Fan page.

If you are on Facebook, become a fan of Gorgias and discover special deals, offers and prizes before anyone else!

Tuomo Lankila is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of Jyväskylä in history. Tuomo, a Finnish native, worked in the computer science and IT field for almost two decades prior to pursuing his studies in history. His thesis is focusing on Aphrodite in Proclus’ theology. He has presented papers on various conferences and his most recent publication is “The Unknown Empress: Theodora as a victim of distorted images” which appears on the online publication of the 2008 conference proceedings of the ISSEI.

Tuomo recently demonstrated his tremendous research skills when he won the first Gorgias Trivia prize on Facebook. Gorgias Trivia question was why did George and Christine Kiraz choose the name Gorgias for their press? Tuomo dug up an old article about Gorgias Press which was published three years ago on the Independent Publishers Assoc. newsletter. To check out his answer go to the Gorgias fan page on facebook. Given his interest in Empress Theodora, he was awarded Gregorius Bulus Behnam’s play Theodora.

	Theodora By Gregorius Behnam ISBN 978-1-59333-314-0 Paperback, $38 (BiblioPerks™ $34.20)
Western sources have long referred to Theodora as an infamous and salacious courtesan who became Justinian’s empress. Syriac sources portray her as a woman of sublime character and decorum, the daughter of a Syriac priest. This historical play outlines her character according to the Syriac tradition. In writing the play, Bishop Gregorius Boulos Behnam portrayed Theodora as a virtuous lady who won the heart of Justinian, who made her his Augusta and co-regent of his empire. Behnam reveals her extraordinary devotion to her faith and piety as she strives to protect the Fathers of the Syriac Church who stood against the declarations of the Council of Chalcedon and were persecuted for it. Now available for the first time in English, this edition translated by Matti Moosa stands counter to the view of Theodora as portrayed by Procopius in his version of the story, as it is popularly known in Western Christendom.

Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae Reviews The Passion of S. Perpetua

In its recent issue (vol. 36, p. 327), Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae published a review of J.A. Robinson's The Passion of S. Perpetua (Text and Studies Vol.1, No. 2; Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2004) by Christina Landman of the University of South Africa.

"Robinson's introduction to and edition of the Latin and Greek texts testifies to a 19th century commitment to scholarship not easily found today ... This reprint not only provides scholars today with well-researched primary information on the Passio, but also feeds the current fresh interest in African studies ... The book is therefore recommended to all scholars working in the field. ," commented Landman.

Collectanea Christiana Orientalia Reviews East and West

Collectanea Christiana Orientalia (vol. 7, p. 383-386) published a review of Juan Pedro Monferrer-Sala, Vassilios Christides and Theodoros Papadopoullos's East and West: Essays on Byzantine and Arab Worlds in the Middle Ages (Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 15; Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2004).

"The book presents an excellent, detailed, almost comprehensive discussion of the key issues, dealing with Byzantine and Oriental lands, peoples and cultures via a wide variety of perspectives," notes reviewer Nader Al Jallad of the University of Córdoba. "The richness and quality of the contents of this volume are sufficient justification for including it in any library, and it is likely to inspire much interesting research to come. "

Acta Comparanda Reviews Moosa's The Crusades: Conflict Between Christendom and Islam

Acta Comparanda (vol. 21, p. 220-221) published a review of Matti Moosa's The Crusades: Conflict Between Christendom and Islam (Publications of the Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church 5; Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2008) by J.M.F. Van Reeth of the University of Antwerp, who concludes:

"The work which Moosa is offering to the English reader provides him with a more balanced and scientific approach of the subject, by making use of European, Latin and Greek sources and at the same level Arabic and Syriac medieval texts, always weighed one against the other by referring to the best what the abundant secondary literature is offering."

Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Reviews Jesus the Galilean: Soundings in a First Century Life

The Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 7.2 (2009) published a review of David A. Fiensy's Jesus the Galilean: Soundings in a First Century Life (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2007) by Michael Allen Daise of the College of William and Mary, who concludes:

Fiensy offers a well-informed, balanced and lucid treatment of the issues he tackles. He is acquainted with primary sources and much secondary discussion; his triage through that information results in a crystallized synthesis of both for each subfield covered; he negotiates debates with clear reasoning and sober judgment; and in doing so, he so respects other voices as to apprise readers of alternate lines of thinking, should they be inclined to read against him on one issue or another."

	The Passion of S. Perpetua By J. Robinson ISBN 1-59333-277-7 Hardback, $76 (BiblioPerks™ $68.40)
In this book, the late Cambridge scholar, J. A. Robinson, provides a study of the Greek and Latin texts of the passion and martyrdom of Saint Perpetua, based on newly discovered manuscripts at the time.
	East and West By Juan Pedro Monferrer-Sala ISBN 978-1-60724-056-3 Hardback, $130 (BiblioPerks™ $117.00)
This book traces the rich religious, cultural, artistic, ecconomical, social and historical relations among the Greeks and the Middle East people from the Late Antiquity up to the 17th century.
	The Crusades: Conflict Between Christendom and Islam By Matti Moosa ISBN 978-1-59333-366-9 Hardback, $221 (BiblioPerks™ $198.90)
This book sheds light on the first three Crusades (1097-1191) by introducing material from several medieval Syriac and Arabic sources and reconciling their accounts with those provided by Western sources. It presents the Crusades as an extension of the conflict between Christianity and Islam, which began with the Arabs’ first incursions into Christian territory in the seventh century and continued with their conquest of the Iberian peninsula.
	Jesus the Galilean By David Fiensy ISBN 978-1-59333-313-3 Hardback, $89 (BiblioPerks™ $80.10)
Who was Jesus, really? That question has been debated by academics for the last two centuries, and contributions to this important issue in the history of Christianity are still making an impact on public opinion. Jesus the Galilean takes soundings in the life of the historical Jesus based on four readings from the Gospel of Mark which represent some of the most controversial issues in the current scholarly discussion about the historical Jesus. Using such resources as the background of the New Testament, archaeological studies, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Mishnah, and the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, this book explores what can be known about the historical Jesus in the historic Galilee.

Gorgias Press will be exhibiting at the conferences and meetings listed below, offering a special discount to conference attendees for not just the books in display but for all items in our current catalog. In addition, our editors will also be present at these meetings should you have a manuscript proposal which you would like to discuss with us.

Gorgias Press will be present at the following conferences:

• St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute's International Syriac Conference. Kerala, India, September 8-16, 2010.
• Byzantine Studies Conference. Philadelphia, PA, October 8-10, 2010.
• Middle Eastern Studies Association Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA, November 18-21, 2010.
• Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA, November 20-23, 2010.

Gorgias Press
954 River Rd., Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
Tel. +1 732-885-8900
Fax. +1 732-885-8908
Email: orders@gorgiaspress.com
www.gorgiaspress.com