The Book of Judith tells the story of a fictitious Jewish woman beheading the general of the most powerful imaginable army to free her people. The parabolic story was set as an example of how God will help the righteous. Judith's heroic action not only became a validating charter myth of Judaism itself but has also been appropriated by many Christian and secular groupings, and has been an inspiration for numerous literary texts and works of art. It continues to exercise its power over artists, authors and academics and is becoming a major field of research in its own right. The Sword of Judith is the first multidisciplinary collection of essays to discuss representations of Judith throughout the centuries. It transforms our understanding across a wide range of disciplines. The collection includes new archival source studies, the translation of unpublished manuscripts, the translation of texts unavailable in English, and Judith images and music.

What is the Sabbath, anyway? The holy day of rest? The first effort to protect the rights of workers? A smart way to manage stress in a world in which computers never get turned off and work never comes to an end? Or simply an oppressive, outmoded rite? In The Sabbath World, Judith Shulevitz explores the Jewish and Christian day of rest, from its origins in the ancient world to its complicated observance in the modern one. Braiding ideas together with memories, Shulevitz delves into the legends, history, and philosophy that have grown up around a custom that has lessons for all of us, not just the religious. The shared day of nonwork has built communities, sustained cultures, and connected us to the memory of our ancestors and to our better selves, but it has also aroused as much resentment as love. The Sabbath World tells this surprising story together with an account of Shulevitz’s own struggle to keep this difficult, rewarding day.

Melisende, princess of the Franks, is heir to the Crusader Kingdom since she has no brothers. The crown would go to the man who married her, and after to her son. But in this "richly textured tapestry steeped in history" ("Booklist"), she proves to be a strong woman who would not submit easily to a husband's rule, nor for long.

Contemporary and fantasy tales are used to introduce four archetypal characters representing positive and negative aspects of feminine and masculine energies that are followed by psychological commentary and exercises to help integrate the feminine and masculine energies in your life.

He was Galen Sword by day. . . but who was he by night? Galen Sword was known as a rich New York City playboy. The public didn't know that his Porsche contained state-of-the-art equipment designed to track down an extraordinary creature, or that Galen was actually on a dangerous quest to find another world. . .his world. Shadowy memories of being sent away from his beloved parents had given Galen an obsession: to get back to a parallel universe where he had been heir to a powerful dynasty -- but had been born unaccountably and unacceptably human. To find his way home now, he had to capture a beast that crossed over from that world into the city's dark streets looking for prey: a werewolf. . . alive, deadly, and very real. But trying to stop Galen was a race of brutal, magical beings, armed with the power that was terrifying and perhaps unbeatable.

A remnant of the Renaissance : the transnational iconography of justice -- Civic space, the public square, and good governance -- Obedience : the judge as the loyal servant of the state -- Of eyes and ostriches -- Why eyes? : color, blindness, and impartiality -- Representations and abstractions : identity, politics, and rights -- From seventeenth-century town halls to twentieth-century courts -- A building and litigation boom in Twentieth-Century federal courts -- Late Twentieth-Century United States courts : monumentality, security, and eclectic imagery -- Monuments to the present and museums of the past : national courts (and prisons) -- Constructing regional rights -- Multi-jurisdictional premises : from peace to crimes -- From "rites" to "rights" -- Courts : in and out of sight, site, and cite -- An iconography for democratic adjudication.

Moving and inspirational thoughts on what aging means (and can mean) to all of us. A warm, caring book that shows how to make the later years a source of hope.