Minister, teacher and author James Stewart reveals how Paul the Apostle developed the Christian religion in the 1st century AD, shedding light on the emergence of early Christianity. Informed by the author's scholarship, this superb book is based off a series of well-received lectures which the author delivered at the University of Edinburgh. The text is annotated at length, with incidences of the Bible's Greek and references to various sources from previous centuries. The flowing narration of Paul's progression from follower to great herald of Christianity, and the evolution of early Christian doctrines, is complimented in equal measure by the author's gifts for sermon writing and scholarship. Given that he is addressing events that took place millennia ago, Stewart takes care not to stray to rigidity or supposition: it is simply a fact that the history and records of the time have their limitations. The chief sources, for their authority, consist of the New Testament, including the Gospels of Jesus.

‘The Grand Inquisitor’ is a short story that appears in one of Dostoevsky’s most famous works, ‘The Brothers Karamazov’, but it is often read independently due to its standalone story and literary significance. In the tale, Jesus comes to Seville during the Spanish Inquisition and performs miracles but is soon arrested and sentenced to be burned. The Grand Inquisitor informs Jesus that the church no longer needs him as they are stronger under the direction of Satan. ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ is incredibly interesting and compelling for its philosophical discussion about religion and the human condition. The main debate put forth in the poem is whether freedom or security is more important to mankind, as an all-powerful church can provide safety but requires its followers to abandon their free will. This tale remains remarkably influential among philosophers, political thinkers, and novelists from Friedrich Nietzsche and Noam Chomsky to David Foster Wallace and beyond. Dostoevsky’s writing is both inventive and provocative in this timeless story as the reader is free to come to their own conclusions. ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ should be read by anyone interested in philosophy or politics. Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) was a famous Russian writer of novels, short stories, and essays. A connoisseur of the troubled human psyche and the relationships between the individuals, Dostoevsky’s oeuvre covers a large area of subjects: politics, religion, social issues, philosophy, and the uncharted realms of the psychological. He is most famous for the novels ‘Crime and Punishment’, ‘The Idiot’, and ‘The Brothers Karamazov’. James Joyce described Dostoevsky as the creator of ‘modern prose’ and his literary legacy is influential to this day as Dostoevsky’s work has been adapted for many movies including ‘The Double’ starring Jesse Eisenberg.

The revolutionary meanings presented here will be of great significance to Christians, Hebrews, and Moslems, for this book breaks the code of secrecy and shows how each letter of the Hebrew alphabet corresponds to a specific number, the significance of which must be considered in order to understand the forces at play in the Universe.