First Century

From the creative minds of the scholarly group behind the groundbreaking Jesus Seminar comes this provocative and eye-opening look at the roots of Christianity that offers a thoughtful reconsideration of the first two centuries of the Jesus movement, transforming our understanding of the religion and its early dissemination.

Rev. Dr. Stephen De Young, creator of the popular The Whole Counsel of God blog and podcast, traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.

Although most people acknowledge that Jesus was a first-century Jew, interpreters of the Gospels often present him as opposed to Jewish law and customs—especially when considering his numerous encounters with the ritually impure. Matthew Thiessen corrects this popular misconception by placing Jesus within the Judaism of his day. Thiessen demonstrates that the Gospel writers depict Jesus opposing ritual impurity itself, not the Jewish ritual purity system or the Jewish law.

The Christian church of the early centuries spread throughout much of Asia, Africa, and Europe, spoke many languages, was situated within diverse cultural settings, and had varied worship practices; yet it maintained a vital unity on core teachings. In The Global Church - The First Eight Centuries: From Pentecost through the Rise of Islam, author Donald Fairbairn helps listeners understand both the diversity and unity of the church in this pivotal era.

War Transformed provides insights for those involved in the design of military strategy, and the forces that must execute that strategy. Emphasizing the impacts of technology, strategic competition, demography, and climate change, Mick Ryan uses historical and contemporary anecdotes to highlight key challenges faced by nations in a new era of great power rivalry. Just as previous industrial revolutions have advanced societies, the nascent fourth industrial revolution will have a similar impact on how humans fight, compete, and build military power in the twenty-first century.

One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent - but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people.

Germany's financial collapse in the summer of 1931 was one of the biggest economic catastrophes of modern history. It led to a global panic, brought down the international monetary system, and turned a worldwide recession into a prolonged depression. Hitler managed to profit from the crisis, because he had been the most vocal critic of the reparation regime. As the financial system collapsed, his relentless attacks against foreign creditors and the alleged complicity of the German government resonated more than ever with the electorate.

Xi Jinping has made his ambitions for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) perfectly clear, first, that China should become a "great maritime power" and secondly, that the PLA "become a world-class armed force by 2050." China as a Twenty-First-Century Naval Power focuses on China's navy and how it is being transformed to satisfy the "world class" goal.

The author, due to the circumstances of his serious study of the Bible, and opportunities to teach it for now over 50 years, has long regarded it as his favorite book of the Bible, and the one that he’s studied the most.At this stage of life, it now rings similar to Matthew, Peter’s epistles, Revelation, and James, all written about the same time, all dealing with persecution of Christians by unbelieving Jews, all dealing with an imminent judgment coming on Old Covenant Israel, and all dealing with the passing away of an old heavens and earth, AND the inauguration of the new heavens and...

The Titus Diary is the story behind the letters to the Thessalonian churches. Reading the letters of Paul is often dry, devoid of context and separated from the story which led to the letters being written. In this account of the apostle Paul's second missionary journey, told through the eyes of Titus, listeners accompany Paul as he travels throughout Asia Minor and Greece. They see his struggles, the persecution and the suffering which Paul and Silas endured to bring the gospel into Europe.

Harvard Business Review is the foremost destination for smart management thinking. Now, at its 100th anniversary, this commemorative volume brings together the most influential ideas since its inception. With thought leaders including Michael E. Porter, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Peter Drucker, and Clayton M. Christensen, this book puts HBR's greatest concepts at your fingertips. You'll learn how these groundbreaking ideas continue to be relevant in today's business context—and what to keep in mind as you prepare for the future.

The author of the classic best seller Lincoln on Leadership answers the question: How would President Lincoln handle the pressing crises of our modern world? Abraham Lincoln is recognized as one of history's finest leaders, a great president when the United States was under tremendous strain. But suppose he were alive today. How would Lincoln deal with today's high-pressure issues, from politics to business?

I was just eight-years-old when Asa Calhoun became my one true love. He was my brother's best friend. He was stoic and solemn, and always believed everything in life had to be perfect. But I saw past his eccentric mannerisms. I found him fascinating. I was 17 when I had my debutante ball. Throughout the years, there was a gradual shift between us. I stopped being the little sister he's always known me as and transformed into a lady. By the end of that night, he found me fascinating.

Hygeia, an outer rim colony, is doomed as the moon on which it was built hurtles toward an inevitable collision with the dead planet Hephaestus. When a distress signal arrives from a Weyland-Yutani biowarfare outpost near the colony, a desperate plan is launched to evacuate the trapped scientists and colonists. Their destination: LV-846, a key United Americas colony where high-level talks are scheduled to address the galaxy-wide hostilities between the colonies.

Secrets left her broken. Can the truth make her whole? In high school, Adalyn Royse thought she'd met her one and only, until he vanished without a word and broke her heart. Now she's in college and he's back, more gorgeous than ever, and stalking her around campus. Bryson and his pack of friends are obviously keeping secrets. When Adalyn is shown that the world she lives in -- including her past, and even herself -- is very different than she thought, will they have a second chance at happily ever after? Steamy adult content. Standalone novel with no cliffhangers.

The Apocalypse of Abraham (התגלות אברהם, Hitgalut Avraham) is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text believed to have been written between 70 and 150 CE. While the surviving manuscripts are in Old Slavonic, it is widely accepted that the original composition was in a Semitic language, evident from the presence of Hebraisms throughout the work. This newly translated version of the Apocalypse of Abraham (Kindle format) is released to gather some preliminary feedback from my readers. If you prefer a printed text, it is included in "Unheard Voices of Hebrew Kings and Prophets" - a ...

An international conspiracy among powerful bankers, business leaders, and government officials; closed-door meetings in the Swiss Alps; and calls for a radical transformation of every society on earth - the Great Reset sounds like it is one henchman-with-an-eyepatch away from being the plot for the next James Bond movie. But The Great Reset is not a work of fiction. It is a highly influential movement among the world’s elite to “reset” the global economy using banks, government programs, and environmental, social, and governance metrics.

The first six centuries of Christianity were colorful ones indeed. The early Church, as an extension of the Apostolic age, represents the living Bible which is practiced daily; it reveals biblical and heavenly thought. She also manifests her dogma, order, economy, and behavior as the bride of Christ and His ambassador in the world. The Church lived bearing the features of her crucified Christ, gladly and joyfully accepting persecution. These first six centuries were also characterized by councils, controversy, and heresy in the sincere quest for an understanding of the true faith. The ...

This is the incredible story of the journey undertaken by two men. Paul and Barnabas left their homes and risked their lives to cross seas and mountains. They were shipwrecked, beaten and faced the threat of robbery and murder. They were almost killed by floods and spent sleepless nights exposed to storms and freezing mountain temperatures. They travelled to places which had never heard the gospel and brought Jews and Gentiles to Jesus.

They were long-shot underdogs and if they were to survive, they needed a miracle.The armies of Islam had swept like wildfire into the Iberia peninsula. By the beginning of the 9th century, King Alfonso’s Kingdom of Asturias was one of a couple of enclaves of Christianity remaining in Espania. It was the year 814 and King Alfonso II had just received word that Charlemagne, the Frankish conqueror and protector of the Catholic Church, was dead. Alfonso’s small northern kingdom was no match for the Caliphate of Cordoba which had orchestrated a vast economic revival known as the Andalusian ...