Recent titles
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in this section:
Church/Christian History
The history of the church:its development and practice.
The King James Bible- A Short History from Tyndale to Todayby David Norton Amongst the minor flood of books that have been published to mark the four hundredth anniversary of the King James Bible, few, as is the nature of things, will prove to be of lasting value. This is one that will last. Although the author has the annoying and contentious habit of describing translations that pre-date the KJB as drafts of that text, nevertheless his detailed analysis of select passages show the reader how the translation arrived at its 1611 form. This goes much further than some more general surveys that do give the historical context, but leave the reader deprived of the ‘mechanics’ of translation. Norton’s book supplies the want. Review by Ian Gibbs (11/01/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £14.99 Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP ) Published: January 2011 ISBN: 978-0-521-61688-1 View this book on its own page >> |
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The Popes Who Shook the Worldby Eamon Duffy In this book Eamon Duffy has a close look at the institution of the Papacy, the world’s oldest dynasty. Out of the 263 Popes there have been he chooses to write about ten, beginning with the first, St Peter, and ending with the popular, charismatic John-Paul II (Karol Wojtyla), the predecessor to the present incumbent. In between he examines eight others who in one way or another had an impact on human affairs. Duffy is not always reverential towards them. He is often critical, as he is with Pius XII, pope during the 2nd World War, who avoided confrontation with Hitler by not condemning the deportation of Roman Jews. He criticises others, particularly during the Renaissance, for their dissolute lives. However, they have all attempted to steer clear of political turmoil and have always spoken out against the secular values of the time. This is an honest book, full of fresh insights, and can be read not only by Catholics, but, being totally objective, can be read by all who are interested in religious history. Review by John Irvine (09/01/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £14.99 Publisher: Yale University Press from Gardners Published: 27 October 2011 ISBN: 978-0-300-17688-9 View this book on its own page >> |
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The Desert Movement- Fresh Perspectives on the Spirituality of the Desertby Alexander Ryrie This is a comprehensive and extensive account of The Desert Movement, in which a surprising number of early Christians sought, through solitude, to enhance their experience of God by living ascetic lives in remote places. Beginning in Lower Egypt the movement spread to Upper Egypt, Judea, Gaza and Sinai. Taking their inspiration from the words of Jesus, and inspired by an intense inner desire for God, these anchorites’ reason for engaging in such a way of life was to enable the love of God to grow and flourish within them. Although the desert movement had largely faded by the 7th century it has had a lasting influence on Christian spirituality. The author takes the reader on a journey through those places where the movement developed and describes in detail the kind of life these men and women lived, their inner struggles and physical deprivations. He examines some of the more significant figures for whom there is written evidence and covers the whole subject in a thoroughly accessible way. The book has an extensive bibliography and a useful index and is to be recommended as a definitive account of a significant period of Christian history. Review by Graham Wise (13/12/11) |
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| Paperback Price: £16.99 Publisher: Canterbury Press imprint of Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd Published: 29 July 2011 ISBN: 978-1-848-25094-9 View this book on its own page >> |
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Fires of Faith- Catholic England Under Mary Tudorby Eamon Duffy The reign of Mary Tudor has been remembered as an era of sterile repression, when a reactionary monarch launched a doomed attempt to force Catholicism on an unwilling nation. Here, Eamon Duffy offers a fresh understanding of Mary’s regime that is neither inept nor backward-looking. Led by her cousin, Cardinal Reginald Pole, Mary’s church dramatically reversed the spiritual revolution imposed under the child king Edward VI. Even the most notorious and brutal aspect of the regime – the burning alive of more than 280 men and women for their religious beliefs, which seared the rule of ‘Bloody Mary’ into the protestant imagination – proved devastatingly effective. Only the death of the childless queen and her cardinal on the same day in November 1558 brought the protestant Elizabeth to the throne, and thereby changed the course of English history. Duffy makes a compelling argument that Reginald Pole was the architect behind the achievements of the Marian church. He examines the rationale behind the executions and argues that despite how horrific Mary Tudor’s persecution was, it was successful in achieving its objectives. Duffy argues for the enduring legacies of the Marian Church in providing a model for the Counter Reformation in Europe, in laying the foundations of Elizabethan Catholicism and in training the first generation of Elizabethan intellectuals. I read this book carefully - not a comfortable read - and can add nothing to the publishers précis of the book. A factual and fair retelling of affairs as they were during this time. Editor Review by publisher (29/10/11) |
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| Paperback Price: £12.99 Publisher: Yale University Press from Gardners Published: 20 September 2010 ISBN: 978-0-300-16889-1 View this book on its own page >> |
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Marginal Catholicsby Ivan Clutterbuck The intentions of the first catholic reformers in the Church of England, was to uncover for all, rich and poor, the spiritual treasures which already existed in the BCP (Book of Common Prayer). Ritual was never intended to be more important than sound teaching and the Church Union was founded to uphold these aims. Ivan Clutterbuck became the organising secretary of the Church Union for a number of years, so his own story and that of the Union is interwoven with the story of the Oxford Movement or Tractarians as they became known. The author recounts the many difficulties encountered by these early reformers, though they had a staunch following of faithful priests and laity. Among other things the movement led to the revival of various religious orders greatly influenced by the Rule of St Benedict. The Bishops considered that the Anglo-Catholics had turned the church into a battlefield and had no idea how to deal with the situation that arose, though some must have had a sneaking regard for priests who dedicated their whole lives to their slum parishes, giving sound teaching and pastoral care while building up their flocks of communicants. Difficulties continued to divide the church, and the author continues with descriptions of the changed attitude after the First World War, the first and subsequent Congresses in the 1920s and 30s, the high spot of the movement, and then came the Second World War, by the end of which many of the churches where ritualist priests had toiled were damaged and destroyed and the areas around them likewise. Then came Vatican II which ushered in a new attitude by Rome to other denominations especially Anglo-Catholics, but these were scandalised by some of the changes introduced by Rome, worship that they had no wish to copy. We then read about more recent church history, the Anglican Methodist Scheme and Women priests in particular. The book was finished in 1992, so even more has changed since then. Whatever your thinking, this is an accurate and very readable account of troubled times. Sale price £9.99. Editor 31.10.11 Review by Mary Bartholomew (31/10/11) |
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| Paperback Price: £12.99 Publisher: Gracewing Published: September 1993 ISBN: 978-0-852-44234-0 View this book on its own page >> |
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The World of the Early Church- A Social Historyby Simon Jones Another in the now quite long-lived and popular Lion hardback series: in this we are introduced to the social world in which Christianity developed. The illustrations support the text and are impressively presented, but the captioning often leaves a lot to be desired. The archaeological and literary facts give a vivid picture of the teeming cities of the Roman world into which the first apostles ventured, initially to the Jewish diaspora and then, most significantly, to the gentiles. How these social conditions impacted on the gospel message itself is the underlying theme of any study of this type, and so it is here. Review by Ian Gibbs (31/08/11) |
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| Hardback Price: £20.00 Publisher: Lion Published: 18 March 2011 ISBN: 978-0-745-95500-1 View this book on its own page >> |
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A Hermit’s Cookbook- Monks, Food and Fasting in the Middle Agesby Andrew Jotischky |
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ISBN: 978-0-826-42393-1 Price: £17.99 |
Published: 28 May 2011 |
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Feminine Threads- Women in the Tapestry of Christian Historyby Diana Lynn Severance |
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ISBN: 978-1-845-50640-7 Price: £9.99 |
Published: Spring 2011 |
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The Church’s Folk Songs- From Hymns Ancient & Modern to Common Praise 1861 - 2011by Trevor Beeson |
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ISBN: 978-1-848-25107-6 Price: £2.99 |
Published: 23 May 2011 |
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New History of the Catholic Churchby Norman Tanner |
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ISBN: 978-0-860-12455-9 Price: £16.99 |
Published: 21 April 2011 |
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God’s Dangerous Book- The Surprising History of the Worlds Most Radical Bookby Nick Page |
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ISBN: 978-1-850-78901-7 Price: £8.99 |
Published: 2011 |
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The Compact Guide to Christian Historyby Stephen Backhouse |
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ISBN: 978-0-745-95506-3 Price: £9.99 |
Published: 21 January 2011 |
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Hitting the Holy Road- A Guided Tour of Christian History from the Early Church to the Reformationby Stuart Coulton |
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ISBN: 978-1-844-74511-1 Price: £12.99 |
Published: March 2011 |
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The Gospel Among the Nations- A Documentary History of Inculturationby Robert A. Hunt |
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ISBN: 978-1-570-75874-4 Price: £23.99 |
Published: July 2010 |
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The Reformation- Faith and Flamesby Andrew Atherstone |
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ISBN: 978-0-745-95305-2 Price: £16.99 |
Published: 21 January 2011 |
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In the Beginning- The Story of the King James Bibleby Alister McGrath |
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ISBN: 978-0-340-78585-0 Price: £8.99 |
Published: Spring 2011 |
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The Origins of Feasts, Fasts and Seasons in Early Christianityby Paul F. Bradshaw and Maxwell E. Johnson |
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ISBN: 978-0-281-06054-2 Price: £14.99 |
Published: January 2011 |
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I Am Mary, I Am Woman- Theological and Anthropological Approaches to the People’s Maryby Caroline Renehan |
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ISBN: 978-1-856-07710-1 Price: £11.50 |
Published: 01 November 2010 |
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Early Christian Worship- A Basic Introduction to Ideas and Practice – Second editionby Paul Bradshaw |
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ISBN: 978-0-281-06345-1 Price: £8.99 |
Published: 23 October 2010 |
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The Didache- A Window on the Earliest Christiansby Thomas O’Loughlin |
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ISBN: 978-0-281-05953-9 Price: £14.99 |
Published: 23 September 2010 |
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