Although it is a discipline with a venerable heritage, comparative Semitic linguistics has long suffered from the difficulty of finding an introduction that does not already require a specialists’ knowledge of the field. The primary languages Gray selected were Hebrew, the language most Semitic readers begin with, and Arabic, the most widely known Semitic language. The result is this user-friendly introduction.

This work chronicles the development of the Russian community as it struggles to become a viable partner in Australia’s multicultural society. Russian presence in Australia dates back to 1807 when the first Russian Antarctic explorers arrived in Australian waters. The community grew quickly in the 20th century after the Russian Revolution and it was then that the Russian Orthodox Church was established in Australia. The author also comments on the situation of the present day community.

The loves of the Olympian Zeus included countless immortal and mortal women, and one boy. The offspring, such as Apollo, Bacchus, Herakles, Helen of Troy and many others remain legendary. Section II is a 70-page modern debate on sexuality and spirituality.

Isaac Armalet’s catalogue gives the first detailed description of the Syriac, Garshuni and Arabic manuscripts at the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Library at the Monastery of Charfet in Lebanon. The manuscript collection was established there in the eighteenth century and contains biblical, liturgical, and theological texts of importance to understanding the Christian heritage of the East.

Literature of the Synagogue is a three-part introduction to the textual heritage of Jewish devotion in the formative stages of its development. Part One presents a varied selection of prayers and liturgies expressive of rabbinic theology and religious feeling. Part Two is devoted to sermons from the classical rabbinic period. Part Three is an anthology of sacred poems and devotional hymns by the great literary masters of the Hebrew Middle Ages.

The Dictionary of Jewish Proverbs offers the reader a comprehensive insight into the world of Jewish wisdom. It comes in the form of an A-Z Dictionary and represents probably the biggest single collection ever published, with a total of over 4,000 proverbs coming from sources from every corner of the globe. A truly absorbing read, Jewish Wisdom will be an indispensable manual for all lovers of wisdom from whatever religious persuasion and an absolute goldmine of witty and wise things to say when the time is right.

A popularly-written study of the biblical roots of the Eastern Orthodox Church’s mystical understanding of the knowledge of God. This unique study brings together the best of contemporary exegesis with the tradition of Eastern Christianity and illustrates the biblical roots of the Eastern Church's understanding of grace as the energy of God. The book presents, in lay terms, the shape for an Orthodox biblical theology for the 21st century and will be of interest to all Christians for whom the Bible is divine revelation and for whom tradition continues to be creative.

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.

The sixteen studies in this volume explore a variety of topics pertaining to the transmission and reception of the New Testament text. Including articles by Barbara Aland, D. C. Parker, Eldon Epp, Gordon Fee, Everett Ferguson, and others, the results of these studies have important implications for the interpretation of the New Testament and for understanding the formative impact of the text on Early Christianity. Indispensable for those interested in textual criticism, this compilation will be a welcome resource for New Testament scholars, and those interested in Early Christianity.

The Unveiled Ladies of Istanbul (Stamboul) is a picturesque description of women's life in post-World War I Turkey during a period of social and political turmoil. Here Demetra Vaka (1877-1946), an expatriate of Ottoman Turkey, established American journalist and acquaintance of Prince Sabaheddin, returns to her native Istanbul after a 20-year absence. Describing women's lives in post-World War I Turkey, she reports on the successful project of female emancipation pursued by Mustafa Kemal as part of the nationalist agenda. Noting how much this project had benefited upper- and middle-class Turkish women, Vaka nonetheless regrets that the gradual emergence of the monocultural, modern Republic was bringing an end to the multiethnic character of the Ottoman State.