Oxford Approaches to Classical Literature introduces individual works of Greek and Latin literature to readers who are approaching them for the first time. Each volume sets the work in its literary and historical context and aims to offer a balanced and engaging assessment of its content, artistry, and purpose. A brief survey of the influence of the work upon subsequent generations is included to demonstrate its enduring relevance and power. All quotations from the original are translated into English. Horace's body of lyric poetry, the Odes, is one of the greatest achievements of Latin literature and a foundational text for the Western poetic tradition. These 103 exquisitely crafted poems speak in a distinctive voice -- usually detached, often ironic, always humane -- reflecting on the changing Roman world that Horace lived in and also on more universal themes of friendship, love, and mortality. In this book, Richard Tarrant introduces readers to the Odes by situating them in the context of Horace's career as a poet and by defining their relationship to earlier literature, Greek and Roman. Several poems have been freshly translated by the author; others appear in versions by Horace's best modern translators. A number of poems are analyzed in detail, illustrating Horace's range of subject matter and his characteristic techniques of form and structure. A substantial final chapter traces the reception of the Odes from Horace's own time to the present. Readers of this book will gain an appreciation for the artistry of one of the finest lyric poets of all time.

The Shekhinah is Coming offers a comprehensive, detailed, and mind-expanding study of ancient wisdom that includes sacred text to illuminate these teachings and breaks down some of the religious boundaries that continue to separate mankind. It offers an opportunity to expand the thought process by blending the enshrouded mysteries of ancient wisdom with history, science, sacred geometry, myths, and legends. Author Valjean Tchakirides demonstrates that the three major religions are more alike than different, illustrating their shared beginnings. We are all connected to God, as is revealed in the ancient texts of the Bible and the Quran. The life of Jesus is described as set in the constellations to be forever constant and seen without any religious oversight. It makes clear that the old laws no longer exist and only two laws remain to be followed. Those two laws are about one thing and only one thingLOVE. The Shekhinah is Coming presents a circular study of the Divine plan that ends where it begins"in light". It also offers an explanation of the recent NASA discoveries and how they relate to 2012 and Jerusalem. Visually appealing, this text includes pictures that provide a visual aid to an understanding that will lead the seeker to empowerment and enlightenment.