The lives, ideas and influence of ten audacious Jews - what they did, what they believed and their contribution to the Jewish story. Courageous, challenging and often misunderstood, they left a lasting legacy for humanity. This book has a chapter on each character, in an easy-to-read bullet point format, which gives a summary of a character's life, personality, beliefs and contribution to Judaism. Moses - The leader of the Biblical Israelites. Paul of Tarsus - 1st century Jew who helped create Christianity Maimonides - The most important medieval Jewish scholar Gracia Mendes Nasi - Medieval businesswoman and philanthropist Moses Montefiore - 19th century British financier and philanthropist Henrietta Szold - Zionist, founder of Hadassah and a leading force in social welfare Chaim Weizmann - Zionist, chemist and the first President of Israel Leon Trotsky - Marxist leader, revolutionary and writer Primo Levi - An Italian survivor from Auschwitz Leonard Cohen - Canadian poet and singer

From King David to David ben Gurion, via Jesus, Freud and more - the lives, ideas and influence of seven radical Jews - what they did, what they believed in and their contribution to Judaism. Courageous, challenging and misunderstood, they left a lasting legacy for both Jews and the wider world. Their insights and experiences can help tackle contemporary moral and political challenges. This book has in-depth separate chapters on a range of characters, presented in an easy-to-read bullet point format. Each chapter gives a summary of a character's life, personality, beliefs and contribution to Judaism. King David - Warrior, leader, sinner, lover Jesus - The founder of a new movement within Judaism Abraham Ibn Ezra - Radical writer and thinker of the Middle Ages Moses Mendelssohn - 18th century German philosopher and instigator of Jewish enlightenment Sigmund Freud - The founder of psychoanalysis Leo Baeck - Leader of German Jewry in the 1930s David Ben-Gurion - First Prime Minister of Israel

The lives, ideas and influence of ten audacious Jews - what they did, what they believed and their contribution to the Jewish story. Courageous, challenging and often misunderstood, they left a lasting legacy for humanity. This book has a chapter on each character, in an easy-to-read bullet point format, which gives a summary of a character's life, personality, beliefs and contribution to Judaism. Jacob - The most successful biblical patriarch Naomi - The heroine of the biblical Book of Ruth King Solomon - The second monarch of Judah and Israel Akiva ben Yosef - The leading 1st century Rabbi and martyr Theodor Herzl - The journalist, writer and inspiration of modern political Zionism Franz Kafka - A literary genius of the 20th century Marc Chagall - The most famous Jewish artist of the 20th century Golda Meir - Israel's fourth Prime Minister Isaiah Berlin - The liberal philosopher and one of the finest minds of the 20th century Leonard Bernstein - The American composer, conductor and pianist

The lives, ideas and influence of ten audacious Jews - what they did, what they believed and their contribution to the Jewish story. Courageous, challenging and often misunderstood, they left a lasting legacy for humanity. This book has a chapter on each character, in an easy-to-read bullet point format, which gives a summary of a character's life, personality, beliefs and contribution to Judaism. Judah - Son of Jacob, brother of Joseph Rashi - Medieval French commentator Baruch Spinoza - Radical 17th century thinker The Rothschilds - 19th century bankers and philanthropists Benjamin Disraeli - 19th century British Prime Minister Karl Marx - Revolutionary 19th century economist and socialist Martin Buber - 20th century philosopher, Zionist and philosopher Albert Einstein - Brilliant physicist, an avowed pacifist and Zionist Abraham Joshua Heschel - 20th century rabbi and a model for compassionate social action Louis Jacobs - Britain's most prolific rabbi and its only world class scholar

History of the Jews (Volume 3 of 6) Hardly had the Jews recovered from the long and horrible persecution to which they had been subjected by King Firuz, when they were overtaken by fresh storms, which subverted the work of three centuries. Firuz had been followed by his brother, who reigned a short time, and was succeeded by Kobad (Kovad, Cabades). The latter was a weak king, not without good qualities, but he allowed himself to become the tool of a fanatic, and was prevailed upon to institute religious persecutions. There arose under this monarch a man who desired to reform the religion of the Magi and make it the ruling faith. Mazdak—for that was the name of this reformer of Magianism—believed that he had discovered a means of promoting the promised victory of Light over Darkness, of Ahura-Mazda over Angromainyus. He considered greed of property and lust after women the causes of all evil among men, and he desired to remove these causes by introducing community of property and of women, even allowing promiscuous intercourse among those related by ties of consanguinity. In Mazdak's opinion it was on the foundation of communistic equality that the edifice of Zoroaster's doctrine could most safely be raised. As he led a virtuous and ascetic life, and was very earnest in his endeavors to reform, he soon succeeded in gaining numerous adherents (about the year 501), who availed themselves of these advantageous liberties, and called themselves Zendik, or true believers of the Zend. King Kobad himself became Mazdak's faithful disciple and supporter. He issued a decree commanding all the inhabitants of the Persian Empire to accept the doctrines of Mazdak, and to live in accordance therewith. The lower classes became the most zealous of Zendiks; they promptly appropriated the possessions of the rich and such of the women as pleased them. Thus there arose a confusion of the ideas of right and wrong, of virtue and vice, such as had never been known in the history of nations. Finally, the Persian nobles dethroned this communistic king, and threw him into prison; but when Kobad escaped from confinement and, by the aid of the Huns, was again placed in possession of his dominions, they were unable to prevent Mazdak's adherents from renewing their licentious conduct. Many children born during Kobad's reign were of doubtful paternity, and no one could be certain of the peaceful enjoyment of his property.

With the twelve-volume series Feasting on the Word, Westminster John Knox Press offers one of the most extensive and well-respected resources for preaching on the market today. When complete, the twelve volumes will cover all of the Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, along with moveable occasions. The page layout is truly unique. For each lectionary text, preachers will find brief essaysÂâ€"one each on the exegetical, theological, pastoral, and homiletical challenges of the text. Each volume will also contain an index of biblical passages so that nonlectionary preachers may make use of its contents. The printed volumes for Ordinary Time include the complementary stream during Year A, the complementary stream during the first half of Year B, the semicontinuous stream during the second half of Year B, and the semicontinuous stream during Year C. Beginning with the season after Pentecost in Year C, the alternate lections for Ordinary Time not in the print volumes will be available online at feastingontheword.net.