Saint The Books

Do you ever get the feeling, in this world [and this lovely mortality], that you're just not good enough because you're a woman? How is it that Satan has worked soooo hard on this world, on MEN and especially us women in believing such lies? Perhaps the Adversary has a special vengeance upon women...that is just one of the many interesting subjects talked about in this book. This book is a must-read for ALL women...especially LDS women since, yes, this book is by an LDS author. Many of the quotes used are from Latter-day prophets and apostles. It's a wonderful read. What happened in Eden WAS necessary...none of us would have been able to come here if EVE did not do what she did. I am grateful and very blessed to be a Daughter of Eve. =) Some neat quotes from the book are:

"Eve - a daughter of God, one of the spirit offspring of the Almighty Elohim - was among the noble and great in preexistence. She ranked in spiritual stature, in faith and devotion, in conformity to eternal law with Michael."

"Certainly these sisters labored as diligently then, and fought as valiantly in the war in heaven, as did the brethren, even as they in like manner stand firm today, in mortality, in the cause of truth and righteousness."

"Eve was foreordained to be a partner, an organizer, a builder, and a creator of forms so that the great plan might be fulfilled."

"Then as His final creation, the crowning of His glorious work, He created woman. I like to regard Eve as His masterpiece after all that had gone before, the final work before He rested from His labors."

"So came Eve...the last created being in the creation of the world, without whom the whole creation of the world and all that was in the world would have been in vain and the purposes of God have come to naught."

COMPANION AND EQUAL

She explains that our understanding of "help meet" is very skewed from what was actually intended... help meet actually means even with or equal to...the word help that was used in the bible actually means to rescue or to save...and another meaning is 'to be strong'... "When God creates Eve... His intent is that she will be - unlike the animals - a power (or strength) equal to him."

"The Lord knew they [Adam and Eve] would do this [partake of the fruit], and he had designed that they should."

"Adam, our father, and Eve, our mother must obey. They must fall. They must become mortal. Death must enter the world. There is no other way. They must fall that man may be."

"The plan is not based on chance, nor on accident. It is based on purpose, on agency, on choice. It accords with laws which were in force long before the plan was ever laid down. All of it has order; all of it was planned for us."

There are many many more insightful quotes...and many from scripture if we but READ. =)

Hope you feel better about being a Woman in this 'lovely' world...especially after reading this book!

God bless!

This was a wonderful book. Very thought pravocing. I had sticky notes on every page!

Beverly Campbell has done an extraordinary job in detailing the events as they occurred in the Garden of Eden. She plumbed the depths of historical documents, the words of apostles and prophets, linguists specializing in ancient Hebrew and more to grant us a unique insight into Eve's mind and the dynamic between Mother Eve and Father Adam.

I loved this book and believe that every person worldwide should read it and fully understand the strength, love, compassion and absolute determination of the woman who walked side by side with Adam in the Garden of Eden. This is a must buy! This is the perfect addition to your religious library.

First off, let me say this is written from a Mormon (LDS) perspective/belief. It is one of the most intriguing books I have read in a long time. It took me a while to get through it as I questioned so many things written in it, concepts I've never thought of or considered. For that reason alone I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed this book so much that I purchased the second one (Mortal Journey).

Blake's second volume continues what he begins in volume 1. Whereas in vol 1 he discusses the attributes of God, here he discusses in depth our relationship with God, and God's love for us. Definitely not an easy read for a beginner in philosophy, but it will definitely have you thinking in new ways concerning God, whether you are LDS or not.

Exploring Mormon Thought: The Problems Of Theism And The Love Of God by Blake T. Ostler is an informative detailing of the philosophical interpretation of Mormonism and the understanding that in a relationship with God, if God loves us and respects our dignity as individuals, God must then leave us freedom to choose to have a saving relationship with the deity. Introducing readers to a concise presented conceptual interpretation of grace and the traditional views encountered in the strictly structured premises of the Mormon religion, Exploring Mormon Thought offers an intellectually engaging and theologically progressive construct for debates, discussion groups study the theology of the Mormon religion. Exploring Mormon Thought is very strongly recommended reading for students of the Mormon faith, scriptures, and theology.

This book shows possibilities in Mormon doctrine that are not found (or at least articulated so well)anywhere else. Most Mormons may not realize or appreciate the fact that there are two views about God's omniscience within Mormonism. The compatibalist view, which is by far the most common, says God knows everything absolutly. The second possible view says that although God knows all possibilities and probabilities, it's logically impossible to know(absolutely)a free act the same way it is logically impossible to make 1+1=5.

If an act is known in absolutely, and there is nothing that can change the act, we therefore we cannot call it a free act; this is simply an illusion that we are free and what we are calling freedom isn't much more than our ignorance of the way we are acting out a pre-scripted play that God has already written. In other words, there is no substantial difference between predestination and absolute foreknowledge(just different words that describe the same thing).Ostler shows how the second view can deepen our relationship with God because our prayers actually matter; they influence God, whereas the compatibalist view says that we can't influence a course that is known absolutely.

There are other reasons to read the book that I will leave up to the reader to find, but whether or not you are convinced by Ostler's arguments, you have to agree that it's one of the best books dealing with Mormonism ever written.

This book was one of the best I have read in awhile. I consider it up there with Nora Robert's Montana Sky. It was very suspenseful - keeping you guessing to the very end. Thank you Amazon for helping me to find this wonderful author. I am looking forward to reading the author's other books under the names Rachel Lee and Sue Civil-Brown. I would highly recommend this author.

Wow! This is an excellent book of suspense and romance nicely tied together to keep you guessing right until the last page! I didn't want to put the book down! The author does an incredible job writing suspense/romance. I agree with the reviewer who suggested a T.V. movie. Whew...you'll be on the edge of your seat!!

I loved this book. I've never read Rachel Lee's books before but I will defenitely from now on. It was one of those books you could hardly put down. You wanted to see what was going to happen next. I give this book a 10

This book kept me on pins and needles throughout the entire book. This author is a rare find in that she can keep you in suspense, never give any indication who the person(s) is you are trying to identify while still keeping an unbelievably touching romance going on. I was ready to jump with fright one minute because of the mystery and cry the next because of the romance and heart wrenching story line. This is a must read for any true mystery/romance enthusiast. I would recommend this highly to all my friends, and will. If you have some spare time (say several hours) to kill, try this book...you won't be able to put it down.

This is probably Vollmann at his best. It isn't "Argall," which I found esoteric and difficult. I didn't finish "Argall," and I really suspect that the novel is less well-read and understood than it is publicly praised.

"Fathers and Crows" isn't difficult - it's passionately involved, balanced, epic and completely absorbing.

This is one of the best novels I have ever read, if not the best. Vollmann's prose-- his use of language, his landscapes, his characterizations, everything-- is absolutely gorgeous. This book is such a treat that I intentionally read it slowly in order to savor it. I can't reccomend it highly enough.

plucked Blossoms of SOULS (Fearing Never a Thorn); Who PRAYED BLOOD to SANCTIFY THE BONES OF CATAMOUNTS; who foreswore RUM, WOMEN and LEAD, Who were SO ASTOUNDED at the unfathomable extinctions of SAVAGES; who MADE MORE MIRACLES THAN THEY SAW!

Thus begins Vollmann's Second Dream "ABOUT OUR CONTINENT IN THE DAYS OF SAINTS". Fathers & Crows is long, and long-winded, however if you're up to the task and looking for a very interesting journey into New France (Canada) as it was in the early 17th Century, then this is the book you've been looking for. Without going into detail about William Vollmann or his 7 Dreams project (see my review of THE ICE SHIRT, vol. 1) I should point out that this is a blend of history and post-modern novel writing. Time is skewed in such a way that the characters (such as Champlain, Poutrincourt, or Pere Brebeuf, for example) are sometimes walking through modern day Quebec and not realizing it. As in The Ice Shirt, Vollmann occasionally blends his contemporary experiences traveling in and around Montreal into the "plot" (though there's not really a plot in any traditional sense here) is very effective in adding perspective into the history which has taken place, and CONTINUES to take place. Even Jesus, St. Ignatious de Loyola (especially), and Roberto de Nobili arrive on stage here! And special mention to the converted "Savages" such as Amantacha, Joseph Chiwatenah, and Catherine Tekakwitha.

Fathers and Crows is about the French colonization of Canada, and begins almost 500 years later, after the Vikings left the continent in failure (but not before bringing the Ice Shirt). Not long after Columbus arrived, French explorers such as Cabot, and then the map-obsessed Champlain, along with the Poutrincourts and the Pontgraves, sailed along the Fleuve St. Laurent and founded small outposts in what is modern day Quebec. From the very beginning they encountered native American peoples such as the Algonkins, Huron, and the dreaded Iroquois. The French, unlike the English in Virgnia (see vol. 3, ARGALL) attempted to assimilate these various tribes, mainly through trade (IRON for BEAVER pelts) and most importantly, through submission to CHRISTIANITY. Thus, the Grey Gowns (the Recollects) and later on, the more successful Black Gowns, or JESUITS.

Now you can read a straight-forward history on this time period in another place by a traditional historian, but after having read The Ice Shirt and now Fathers & Crows, I'm convinced that Vollmann's Seven Dreams are excellent blends of history and modern travelouge, along with personal experience (and a predisposition to favor women in the form of prostitutes), and extensive research into personalities, events, technologies, religion, and mythology. Sometimes he may play a little "loose" with time frames, but he documents just about everything somewhere in his 100+ pages of Glossary notes!

On a final note, it's not necessary to start with Vol. 1 at all -if the subject of first encounters between Europeans & Native Americans; Jesuits, French explorers, French Canada, or anything at all to do with North American cultural history (and legacy) interests you, then this a great book (and series) to own. You'll dream of floating down Canadian rivers, or ascending the rapids with the Jesuit Peres doing St. Ignatius' "EXERCISES" (around which the total drama unfolds, as it did with Ice and Frost and varioous "shirts" of reality in vol. 1).

Unbelievable that this amazing novel has so few reviews (but, actually, maybe not given the sad state of most American reader's attention spans anymore - oh well, too bad - YOU'RE ALL MISSING OUT!). For those who do find their way here, give Fathers & Crows a shot. Yes, it's long-winded and you may get bored and say "enough"! Fine. If not, like me, you might just paddle on in your canoe and find yourself hooked, and learning a heck of a lot of new and mostly obscured or glossed over (or simply forgotten) history which will tell you EVERYTHING about who we are as North Americans today. Happy voyages, eh! Next up: ARGALL.

William T. Vollmann may be the most important young writer in North America. This, his third novel details the clashes between native and european cultures in North America in the sixteenth century. Vollmann chronicles the unrelenting brutality of the time period and the inevitable economic imperatives that predict the demise of native American culture once the resources of the land become apparent. He manages to skillfully blend the mysticism of native culture with the harsh reality of the landscape and the men whose very nature it was to take what they wanted. He melds these disparate themes together in an exotic narrative that forces one to examine how European contact decimated the native peoples. When one completes the novel there is no doubt how the war was one; the only question left being our consciences and how to reconcile modern day attitudes withe stark reality of history. This exhaustive effort brings us almost halfway to the authors stated goal of a seven novel series; one can only wonder what is left in store but with Vollmann's imagination in full flight we anticipate a wild ride ahead

This commentary - or meditation how the author calls it is great help in reading the Gospel - either for myself or for preparing the homily. Although not every comment is useful for the homily yet almost on every page I find for myself a new insight in the scripture. Sometimes author gives more than one page comments on only two words of the verse - yet without much scholarly unnecessary details - All the comments are made referring to the original Greek text but the author does not enter in long discussion about possible translations.

Be prepared to embark on a cordial reading of the Gospel of Matthew: a reading with the heart!

Volume 2 of this inspirational trilogy was published in January 2004 and it's equally dynamic. Volume 3 is is eagerly awaited.

Although this highly readable book is quite scholarly, it's a welcome relief from contemporary Catholic theology which tends to be little more than hot air and/or poorly researched dissent.

Merikakis does something not many modern scipture scholars do - he is able to present a solidly critical interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel and inspire the reader towards greater faith. So often commentaries get caught up in the minutiae and seem to be full of doubt and lacking in faith. The author begins with the orginal greek (always translated for his readers)and presents a wonderfully rich series of meditations which take into account the whole and the parts of this Gospel. This book is great for ordained clergy and non-ordained clergy alike.

This book, also if is not so take in consideration in the critical analysis of M.Yourcenar, is the more next at my opinion, to the sensibility of this extraordinary writer. The tranfiguration of the reality in the world of the grecian mytology (except the episod of Maria Magdalena) is a very suffer parable of the human condition. This is a little book that sould follow you for the life. (From the same author and in the same way: "Anna, soror; with, An obscure man; and, A lovely morning" by Published by Harvill

"I hope this book will never be read." So begins Yourcenar's Fires...a richly dense collection of famous myths and legends stunningly revitalized through the voices and eyes of the heroines. Intertwining the stories are excerpts from Yournenar's own journal taken from the time during which she had written the stories. Achingly familiar to anyone recovering from a broken heart, Yourcenar marries the heartache of this century's woman to women throughout the ages.

Love is a punishment, says Yourcenar, and in some intellectual and emotive way this book is one. I've read all of her books, and this is her most felt, chirurgically precise, passionate and torn aproach to what love is and represents in all the roles we - human beings - play at one time or another in our lives. All the possible deceptions, miscommunications and broken hearts are hold in these pages, through the reconstruction and modernization of some greek myths such as Antigone, Achilles and Patroclus, Sapho, and Maria Magdalena (ok, she was not greek!). Along with "Memoires of Adrian" and "Zenon", this is a must-have from Yourcenar.

"Fires" is a collection of hybrid love stories. Most are taken from real or mythological ancient Greece. Ms. Yourcenar does a spectacular job giving these old stories a modern flavor without losing their original context. I also recommend "A Blue Tale & Other Stories" by her{The University of Chicago Press}.

Go where the love is. Although in some remote cases it can be a struggle (i.e. Romeo & Juliet; Hamlet), love deserves to be accessible, humane, and democratic. Be not afraid to Love/Live.

The First Wife a very thoughtful book. It was a glimpse into the life of a woman who lived what she believed. True to her faith, she did what she needed to do and tried not to looked back. I was grateful she did not dwell on the hardships. They were a fact of life, but not a central theme by any means. Well done.

This book was written about a rough time in our nation's history. Yet I found it both tender and poignant. Mary Ann was strong and brave, which most people had to be at the time. But I also found her to be very real - she was a loving mother and friend. I enjoyed it right to the end and was yearning for more when the book was over. We could all stand to be a little more like her.

I enjoyed reading this book. The story grabbed me right from the first. I was amazed at the strength of this woman. I appreciated how the author didn't dwell on her misfortunes, but showed how she rose above them, and made a lasting impression on her descendants. The author made the story of this woman come alive. Excellent work!

The First Wife gives an exceptional view of pioneer life. It shows the tragedies and triumphs that pioneer women encountered. Brenda Diepeveen did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. I found myself laughing and crying throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book!

With so much turmoil created over the controversy of Evolution, Fr. Seraphim has treated us to the writings of St. Syemon the New Theologian's homilies on the first created man. Now you can know how the Christian Church Fathers view Adam and his fall through the clarity of Fr. Seraphim Rose's translation If you are interested in the Eastern Orthodox Church Fathers or are studying theology you need this book.

_The First Created Man_, compiled, edited and translated by Seraphim Rose, is a selection of seven Homilies by the St. Symeon the New Theologian concerning the sin of Adam, the fall from Paradise and the redemption brought about by Christ. St. Symeon is one of only three in the Church who have attainted the title "Theologian": the other two being St. John the Evangelist (of the Apostles) and St. Gregory of Nazianzus (of the Fathers of the Church). St. Symeon was a highly influential monk and abbot in the 10th and 11th century Byzantine Empire. He wrote extensively on theological topics and remains one of the most respected teachers in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Fr. Seraphim's translation comes from the Russian translation of the original Greek by St. Theophan the Recluse, a 19th century Russian bishop. The first part of the book is an introduction to the life and teachings of St Symeon. The second part is the seven Homilies. Man, when he first lived in Paradise/Eden, was not distracted and out of direct contact with the Divine as he is today. He did not have to strive against creation to survive, and was not burdened by the pain, hunger, thirst, lusts of the flesh and endless toil unto death that sums up human existence since the Fall. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit against God's commandment, they did not receive Divine Mercy at that point because they did not repent of their sin and had listened to the councils of the serpent. God, in time, did redeem man from his cursed state, in the person of Jesus Christ, who died so that man may be free from death and have life with God in Heaven, a return to Paradise, a return to the original Golden Age. The Cross/tree that Jesus was pinned on to save man is the counterpart of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden that destroyed man. At the end of time, teaches St. Symeon, God will create the new Heaven and Earth. The material world will be dissolved by the Divine fire and the new Earth will be one in which there is direct communion with God, the pure essence of Being that transcends all that can be perceived by the senses or human thought.

St. Symeon the New Theologian is often overlooked in the Western Church, but thankfully this is changing. This selection of his homilies concerning the fall of Adam and the nature of the Fall-Redemption relationship is very good; I recommend it highly. Father Seraphim's translation reads very well and allows one to focus upon the message of the text rather than on deciphering the writing. All in all, this is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Christian thought, be they Orthodox or no.

Of all the material I have read dealing with the creation of Adam and Eve and their subsequent fall from innocence and holiness, Saint Symeon's homilies are among the best. Considering the limited material that Symeon has to deal with, I am amazed at the level of insight and knowledge that he gleens from the text. Symeon deals with such topics as Adam's and Eve's original created state and their purpose in the garden of Eden. Being of an Orthodox persuasion Symeon sees a strong message of Theosis in the beginning of Genesis. He argues that Adam and Eve were created holy and sinless, but that they were not created perfect since they still had the potential to sin and bring death and suffering into the world. Adam and Eve were created as innocent children who needed to grow in holiness as they obeyed the Lord and followed Him.

One portion of this book that I really liked was Saint Symeon's homily on the events immediately after the fall. Symeon understands God's calling to Adam in the garden as God's attempt to bring Adam and Eve to repentance and to ackowledge their wrong doing. God was giving them every opportunity to repent and he would have shown them mercy had they only admitted their trangression and sought God's forgiveness. This was an angle I had never even thought of before and really made me appreciate this section of the Genesis story. In addition, I love how Symeon understood Christ's work on the cross as the remedy to the disobedience in Eden. Just as Adam disobeyed at a tree and brought death and suffering into the world, Christ's obedience at the tree brought life and hapiness to those who believe in Him.

I really think individuals from a Western Christian perspective could really benefit from Saint Symeon's teachings. There are so many elements in his homilies that are similar to Protestant teaching, that I think people would find much to agree with. The Orthodox are often accused of having a less severe view of the fall and sin than the West, but Symeon's own words completely shatter this false assertion. Symeon refers to Adam's trangression as an act that brought a sinful nature upon all humanity. Symeon states that people sin because they are slaves to sin and not vice versa, and he even argues that everyone is unrighteous before God, even infants, because all are partakers in Adam's nature. I believe that Protestants will find much to agree with here, and they will also understand that the Orthodox do not take the sin issue lightly. Moreover, Symeon often refers to God's punishments as chastisements upon mankind for disobedience. Although chastisements are different than the Augustinian idea of judicial punishments, both the East and the West can agree that such maladies are God's response to man's sin. Although there are some differnces in thought I believe that everyone will benefit by reading this great theologian of the Eastern Church.

Excellent Book! Sr Delio brings the incarnational spirituality of St Francis, St Bonaventure, and of St Clare to a layperson in such a way as to mesmerize.

This book is well written and will appeal to non-Franciscans as well as Franciscans. The format--with questions at the end of each chapter--readily appeals to persons who wish you use the book for a discussion group. I have used one of the chapters with college undergraduates. They understood the message and found it readily applicable to their own lives. These students are all non-Franciscans; half of them are non-Catholic Christians.

The goal of Delio, a theologian, in writing this book is to define more clearly the role of Franciscan prayer in making Jesus Christ alive in the believer. To accomplish this aim, she relies on three major voices from the Franciscan tradition: Francis of Assisi, Clare of Assisi, and Bonaventure of Bagnoregio.

The book addresses specifics such as Clare's fourfold path to prayer (gazing, considering, contemplating, and imitating), and the Franciscan practices of poverty, friendship with Christ, and unceasing prayer as a way to live more deeply in Christ. These topics are fleshed out with background on the cultural climate leading to and encompassing the time of Francis, Clare, and Bonaventure and also details of their lives and teachings.

The entirety of the book is informative and inspiring, but its greatest richness lies in the author's gift for expressing spiritual concepts; example, "We pray not to acquire a relationship with God as if acquiring something that did not previously exist. Rather, we pray to disclose the image of God in which we are created, the God within us, that is, the one in whom we are created and in whom lies the seed of our identity.... We pray not to `ascend' to Go but to `give birth to God' to allow the image in which we are created to become visible."

This book is a delight. A must have for secular Franciscans of all denominations.

The first amendment gives us the right to free speech and for the most part this is a fairly simple concept right? Well in 1994 in Massachusetts this became a complex legal issue that turned a simple parade into chaos.

Riveting from beginning to the very end, this 600-page fact filled legal expose on how our court system really works, is like nothing else you'll ever read. The authors take you on a journey from the state court right the steps of the highest court in the land.

Using actual trial transcripts and painstaking detail, the author's leave no stone unturned. I was simply amazed at how much information was packed into the book. I was simply astounded by the way the system works.

Law professors and students of law need to take and read this work. It is most likely the best book of the first amendment law. A great work in the legal field and a very good read - well done!

As an attorney, what I found most interesting about this book was the use of trial transcripts to help frame the debate on the larger First Amendment constitutional issues. The authors did a superb job of telling a complex story from beginning to end. I would recommend some of my old professors take a close look at this work, and consider using it in trial advocacy and constitutional law classes. I don't remember anything like this when I was at school, but can say it told me a lot more about how the judicial process works than I learned in the classroom.

By far, this book tops all others on how our courts operate. The authors have given a detailed look at the legal system at every level, state and federal, and cover so much territory in so short a space that the book borders on being overwhelming. This is the definitive book on "process". Using rich citation to trial transcripts the authors show in meticulous detail how some judges try to unwrap constitutional guarantees to achieve what they think the law shoud be. I read three other works which aspired to this detail: "Out of Order", "Civil Action" and "Closed Chambers" and can state that none were as insightful as this. This is truly a remarkable work, and should be mandatory reading in every law school in this country.

"Riveting..." National Law Journal; "Compelling... well-written..." Bimonthly Review of Law Books; "Tremendously engaging..." AOB News; "One of the most informativbe law books I have read..." Journal of the Indiana Bar Assoc.; "Chilling, troubling, Kafkaesque..." Prof. Charles E. Rounds Jr., Suffolk Law School