Important Scholarly Work
594494
If you are looking for a book on how to implement Dzogchen, look elsewhere.  This book is very scholarly and takes an historical perspective.  It also includes some translations of short ancient texts supporting the Dzogchen claims of antiquity and association with Tibetan Buddhism.  But it DOES have some very interesting observations.  For instance, you might accept the much repeated views of the Buddhist Kings of Tibet regarding religion as well as the claim that Buddhism is a peaceful and tolerant religion.  Not the case points out this author.  He backs up his assertions with lots of reference material too.  Apparently, for example, one of the much touted Buddhist kings fanatically persecuted the Bonpos.  I think this book is worth ploughing through to rectify some of the highly colored views one can easily reach after reading lots of Tibetan authors.  You can also read Donatella Rossi's wonderful "The Philosophical View of the Great Perfection in the Tibetan Bon Religion (1559391294) which is presented somewhat similarly and references this work by Karmay.
2147043
A well-written and researched work containing significantly interesting information that helps the reader to understand the man.
392470
I appreciate this book for several reasons. First, Yoder is an important figure in 20th-century theology and it is good to see robust engagement with his work. Second, the Stone-Campbell tradition is sometimes known -- not entirely without warrant -- for insularity, and the particular circumstances of this book's genesis speak to what I think is a renewed sense of, well, radical ecumenicity. Third, I appreciate the breadth of engagement and the depth of scholarship represented by the various submissions. They vary somewhat in strength and relevance, but certainly the aggregate offers a multifaceted and fascinating look at this important figure, and is helpful collection of secondary sources. Finally, I enjoy the (hopefully intentional) double entendre of the title -- that the selections are, to some extent, about Yoder's ecumenism, but the simple fact that scholars in the Stone-Campbell movement were willing to engage the work of a Mennonite scholar who taught for part of his career at a high-profile Catholic university also exemplifies that ecumenicity. Kudos to Nugent and the other contributors for a fine work.
2829234
An extremely insightful study with an enormous amount of detail, written from a frankly-admitted American perspective, of the U.S. colonial actions and policies towards the Moros of the southern Philippines, correcting the historical record in important respects, and not glossing over the many faults of individuals involved.  This 524 page second edition bears a printing date of 30 September 2009, and has links to a website where owners of the 2007 first edition can download an upgrade, [...].  That website is evidently a work in progress, and as of today, 29 October 2009, contains few of the promised photo illustrations, and other supporting material.  My main criticism is that the volume's value as a reference source is severely limited by the woefully inadequate index, almost certainly not compiled by the author himself.
102074
Before I start, I think this work is somewhat dated in a number of important respects.  I don't think it should be read as authoritative.  However it is very thought provoking.  If course, pioneers rarely if ever get everything right.  The goal of reading a pioneering work should be to pick up ideas and directions for future work.

The work is a series of essays which attempt to explore different aspects of early Germanic concepts of time and perception.  This is an important piece of Germanic philology and deserves close attention by any Germanic scholar or pagan.  The essays describe the relationship between concepts of past and reality, and between different aspects of myth and world.

On the negative, the book places a great deal of emphasis on the now-disregarded theories of Marija Gimbutas regarding kurgan invasions, and the author is not very good at explaining why a number of choices are made in his analysis.  For example, why should the three wells be reduced to one?  What are the limits of this approach?  I think sometimes he gets carried away in his own simplifications.

Similarly, his discussion of language tenses centers almost exclusively on early Gothic translations of the Greek New Testiment.  There is very little attempt to look at the specifics of communicating future events in Old Norse literature for example because he jumps to the conclusion that this element of communication didn't really exist as such in early Germanic.  Unfortunately without a clear analysis of all the main Germanic languages, even linguistically proficient readers are not able to judge for themselves without going back and redoing the analysis themselves.

On the positive side, the author brings our attention to a number of important elements of the interplay between the Well and the Tree in Norse mythology.  In particular, the connection of clay with layering, and this with laws and fate is quite interesting.  Also, the connection of the well with the past provides a great deal of food for thought.  The attempt to move "Skuld" out of the idea of a simple representation of the future is also welcome.

On the whole, I think this is one of the most important works in the field.  Despite the negative elements above, I think this book should be required reading for anyone doing any serious studies of early Germanic cosmology and thought.
2317983
This is an interesting collection of essays covering a variety of subjects all to rarely addressed within Orthodox Christianity...there is good food for thought throughout.  A couragous and important contribution to a much-needed disussion, this is beneficial reading for anyone interested in "Eastern" Christianity, and how it confronts (and perhaps fails to confront) Western Thought.
3126202
I enthusiastically endorse this scholarly work by Dr. Babits and Mr. Howard. Their research methodology, alone, and their efforts to deconstruct accepted but mythical aspects of the battle--the Peter Francisco account and the British artillery firing into melee, just to name two--makes this book a must-read for anyone interested in the period. Babits and Howard base many of their ideas not simply on intellectual conjecture, but on primary source documentation. I especially applaud them for their work with pension records and muster rolls. Wading through a database of nearly 1,000 pensions in order to establish and corroborate details of the battle is not easy work. The revelations that come of such meticulous research are what make this work special. Is the book provocative in places? Of course. That's what happens when new, primary source research is utilized by professional historians. The authors don't appear to claim that they have all the answers; Babits and Howard offer some new ideas, substantiated through solid scholarship, with the hopes that the book will engender discourse and a fuller understanding of the battle. Rather than offering my viewpoints on specific details and espouse how I think Babits and Howard should have written the book, I will judge this work for what it is: the most definitive account of the battle to date. I can work through the levels of detail they provide in order to find an extraordinarily insightful book that challenges my understanding of the battle, the myths it created, and the human experience in war.
2289322
This is a scholarly book, but written in an accessible way for the non-scholar. Anyone who wants to know more on the topic of women's leadership in the early Church would do well to read this book. The footnotes and bibliography add immensely to the value of the book so that the reader knows that everything that the author writes does indeed hold up to solid academic scrutiny. I hope to read more from Ute E. Eisen in the future!
92342
Excellent work of research and acute analysis. A very fine work!
1727026
Ahmed Osman crafted a magnificent scholarly work of interest to both theologians and people in the pew.  His book, The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt: The Secret Lineage of Patriarch Joseph, provides a tremendous amount of detailed background for lay readers, which otherwise can be dense and convoluted.  Still, the text teems with footnotes and relies heavily on other preeminent authors, professors, museum artifacts, and Biblical quotations.  In short it has all the trappings of an academic paper.  Osman's work has relevance and consequences for Judaism, Islam and Christianity.  Followers of faith who read this book and want to appreciate the depth the Osman's hypothesis must be willing to open their mind to think beyond traditional words heard in synagogue, mosques, temples and churches.

Early on Ahmed Osman clearly states his position as a person of faith and his cultural context and scholarly bias.  Then he plunges into the Joseph narrative, literally word by word according to the Koran and the Hebrew Bible.  I read the majority of the book while traveling in Egypt, which of course brought rich meaning and life to the pages.  Not everyone can do that, but the book is still worth the read.  Furthermore, in today's information virtual world, much of the artifacts used to build Osman's case are visible on the Internet from museum and university web sites.

Osman traces the lineage of a royal birthright from Abraham and Sarah's brief stay in Egypt.  He follows it as Esau surrenders the birthright to Jacob for a meal, and eventually links it to Joseph and the rise of monotheism in the 17th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt.  Along this largely unheralded tale Osman makes many nice and very neat ties that have possibility.  Some theologians, including myself, recognize the probability of Osman's theory.  Pick up The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt, let go of preconceived notions and enjoy.
1628584
This is an excellent resource work for those interested in scholarly investigation of the writings of G. I. Gurdjieff.
4969381
Written in a scholarly fashion, this article is sometimes a little difficult to read and comprehend at first. Still, it is worth taking the time to read it and reflect on the author's arguments. I found them to be interesting, well reasoned, and well documented.
1218612
This book, "A Translation of St. Jerome's Chronicon With Historical Commentary," a work for the serious scholar, contains St. Jerome's Latin continuation to Eusebius' "Chronological Canons with an Epitome of Universal History, Both Greek and Barbarian." The editor/author Malcolm Drew Donalson, who has prepared an English translation of Jerome's Latin continuation to Eusebius's Greek "Chronicon," has produced a solid, well documented study. Note that this text contains only St. Jerome's continuation from AD 327-379, and is not the complete Eusebius-Jerome "Chronicon."
Donalson has done a fine job of translating and coordinating the commentary which follows the English translation of Jerome's Latin text. The bibliography and notes are useful to any scholar interested in Late Antique historiography. Helpful, too, is the reprint of the edition by R. Helm's "Eusebius' Werke 5: Die Chronik des Hieronymus," which allows the reader access to a text not otherwise readily available.
The real tour de force is Donalson's preparation of a complex text using several type faces and sizes and languages (Greek, Latin, German, etc.) as well as footnotes and a excellent bibliography.  Just formatting and preparing such a complicated text for publication must have been difficult. However, the end product is useful, usable, and a welcome addition to body of scholarly work on St. Jerome.
971448
This book is a scholarly work, of immense importance in the face of revisionist history.  It is a detailed, difficult, read, but well worth the effort.
Jaffa brings to light many important facts, but possibly most importantly he brings to the public's recognition the admitted primary cause of the war: slavery.  We owe Jaffa a debt of gratitude for bringing to light Alexander Stephens' "Cornerstone" speech to the citizens of Savannah, GA on March 21, 1861, in which he (Stephens) notes forthrightly:
  "But not to be tedious in enumerating the numerous changes for the better, allow me to allude to one other -- though last, not least. The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution -- African slavery as it exists amongst us -- the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution."
Here we see the Vice President of the Confederacy, in his own words, acknowledging honestly what the war was all about.
We owe Jaffa a debt of gratitude for his effort in producing this work.
4920242
David Birnbaum's scholarly work is a careful and thorough piece of scholarship on an arcane subject that, in these days of the tsunami and Katrina, has even the general public scratching its head.  As a Christian who had pretty carefully researched the literature on the subject of theodicy, I was very much surprised to find numerous sources previously unknown to me--most of them Jewish scholarly works that add much to the intellectual material with which to work.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seriously interested in theodicy--and also recommend it to those with merely a thoughtful interest in the subject.
1407185
This work by John Meier, like the three previous volumes, is a masterful piece of research and critical thought.  His notes and references to other scholars are amazing and provide such strong support for his conclusions!
1841122
I will keep my comments brief, as other reviewers have already said much. This book is essential for a recovery of what is lost by too great an emphasis on philology in Biblical exegesis. This is an immense and impressive study into spiritual exegesis, a tradition that Kruse called "something of an embarrassment to people today." For de Lubac, the Church's understanding of spiritual exegesis was his life's work. He treats it in Catholicism, in this volume, devotes four volumes to it in Medieval Exegesis, and then was persuaded to publish Scripture in the Tradition as a more accessible and succinct version.

I would only add how unfortunate (and befuddling) it is that this translation does not have either a bibliography or indices. Ignatius Press has done this with other important volumes as well. If, however, they were to publish a second edition with a bibliography, an index of references to Origen's works in the text, and a subject index, I would gladly purchase another copy.