Translated from the Czech by Norma Comrada A grand collection of tales and fables from one of Czechoslovakia's most respected writers that approach great events and figures of history, myth and literature in startling ways. Jesus's loves and fishes miracle is described from the viewpoint of a baker. Townspeople argue about who's to blame for the approaching hordes of Attila the Hun. Humorous, thought-provoking, and sometimes frightening, they show Capek at his very best.

The rich corpus of medieval Greek apocryphal religious literature has been little used by historians. This 2007 book was the first full-length study of two medieval Greek visionary journeys to heaven and hell: the Apocalypse of the Theotokos and the Apocalypse of Anastasia. Composed anonymously sometime between the ninth and eleventh centuries, both enjoyed a lively circulation in the Byzantine Empire and far beyond. Functioning on the fringes of the official Church, they transmit both traditional and novel theological ideas, and shed light on the reception of Church doctrine and imperial governance by ordinary Byzantine Christians. Though their heroines tour the Other World, their true concern is this world, and the reinforcement of social, moral, and ritual norms within local communities. Providing an original translation of both texts, the book probes the tales as manifestations of non-elite religious and moral culture in the medieval Orthodox Church.

Presents influential apocryphal stories about the young Jesus and tales that provide the basis for Mary's biography and ideas about her purity. Will give you a deeper understanding of the devotion Christians feel for Mary and the holy infant Jesus.

A collection of twenty contemporary supernatural and horror stories that circulate as "true" events, with a brief discussion of each one's history, meaning, and different versions.

This collection of translations of the more important non-canonical Old Testament books. It is both accessible and completely up to date with modern scholarship. Edited with introductions and brief bibliographies, it is suitable for general readers as well as for students.