Middle East Books

I wanted to read a very detailed account of 1st and 2nd century Egyptian Christianity, and this book did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the early history of Egyptian Christianity is extremely obscure, but the author gives us the best possible picture based on the extant manuscripts and archaeological evidence. However, because the full picture of early Egyptian Christianity encompassed so many diverse and heterodox sects and beliefs, the author posits that the form of Christianity we know as Catholic/Orthodox may never have existed until the late 100s or even that the so-called heretical (he dislikes the word as biased) sects may have represented the original form of Jesus' religion. Leaving aside the author's naturalistic speculations, this is certainly an excellent source for the early history of the Faith in Egypt.

"The obscurity that veils the early history of the Church in Egypt and that does not lift until the beginning of the third century constitutes a conspicious challenge to the historian of primitive Christianity." Prominent Papyrologist: Colin Roberts, Early Christian Egypt (Schweich Lectures, British Academy,1977)



Early Christianity in Egypt:
The history of early Christianity, being their own confessed belief, should be of continuing significance or at least of some personal interest to Christians, a sizable portion of the world's population. Since Egyptians have played an important role in the early development of Christian life, Egyptian Christianity has been linked closely with Ancient Christian Orthodoxy. Nothing is more likely than Alexandrian Christianity gained adherents among the Therapeutae, Jewish Coenobetics, and that their institutions were adapted to the new religion, just as Jews seem to have been influenced by Egyptian Wisdom. Many of the oldest surviving texts of the New Testament, as Rylands P52, a scrap of papyrus dating to Ca 125 AD, roughly the size of a business card, was discovered in Egypt in 1920, bears parts of John 18:31-33 on one side and John 18:37-38 on the other. Other texts dating from early third century, have been preserved in its dry sands, as texts of apocryphal and Gnostic codices.

Struggling Egyptian Christianity:
Christianity in Egypt is described as, "was locked in an often deadly struggle against the Pagan religions of the Greco-Roman culture as well as the Gnostic movement that peaked in Alexandria spreading to other large cities." To counter Hellenistic philosophy that often criticized the young religion, Christian leaders in Egypt established a catechetical school in Alexandria, the Didascalia, founded in the late second century AD. This school became the mind of Christian philosophy, and great teachers and orators such as Clement and Origen were able to battle the Hellenistic philosophers on their own ground and advocate Christianity in an orderly and intellectual manner. It was also in this great university of Christian learning that Christianity first underwent rigorous studies that created its first theology and doctrines, making the new faith accessible to the elite as well as the publicans. Pantaenus, the founder and first dean of the Didascalia, helped the Alexandrines to bridge the gap between Dynastic Egypt and the new era by promoting the use of the Greek alphabet instead of the Demotic in the translations of the Bible as well as the writing of Christian apolgetics and letters. The Catechetical school instructed everyone, availing to as many people as possible instruction in Christian faith in one to three years. The advanced Didascalia taught also in Greek helping to advance the faith in elite Egyptian and Hellenistic spheres.

Alexandrine Orthodoxy:
For more than four centuries, Alexandria has been the intellectual center of the Roman Empire, and later the Pharos of Oriental Christianity. Its Bishop Athanasius played a vigorous part in defining basic Christian belief, while Cyril was the bench mark of Orthodox Christology. One of the most remarkable mystical traditions of early Christianity, monastic life, began in Egypt in the third and into the fourth centuries. For the first six centuries, until the advent of Islam, Alexandria was the leader in Christian thought, theological doctrine, and liturgical innovation. In mid fifth century, after the schismatic council of chalcedon, became then partially isolated by Byzantine- Roman church politics, even before the Arab conquest. The Christian Church in Egypt has preserved many early features down to the present day Coptic Orthodox Church.

Griggs Milestone Study:
This study, published in the prestigeous series, Coptic Studies, edited by the towering scholar M. Krause (with A. Guillaumont, R. Kassar, Pahor Labib, et. al.) has contributed in the last few decades to an increased understanding of the early history of Egyptian Christian, and the manner in which that nascent faith developed and overflew into other ancient Mediterranean countries, as well as to the general history of Paleo-Christianity. This compelling study, thorough and captivating, focuses on the history of Christianity in Egypt from its earliest recorded conception to the second half of the sixth century, in the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon, when the Egyptian Church due to its separation from the Catholic University, became the only national (Coptic) religious institution. Within this time period, eminent researchers observe the development of features unique to Egyptian Christianity, imposition of ecclesiastical orthodoxy of Alexandria and its dominance southward, and the surge of monastic forces, which Chalcedon tried to curtail, leading to the establishment of the Coptic-Jacobite national churches in Egypt and Syria, in communion with the unbending Orthodox Armenian Church.

Outstanding Author:
Prof. C. Wilfred Griggs is professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University, Utah. He directed the Brigham Young University excavations at the Coptic cemetery at Seila, in the Fayum. Educated in BYU, Stanford, UC Berkeley, he authored various publications and acquired honors, his areas of expertise & research are in: Ancient history, religion, and languages.

You don't have to be in an Archeology class (like me) to appreciate this book. It is a quick-reader full of well flowing information. Its not too technical though, so its great for those with minor understandings of the period, or the field of study in general. So many people focus on Ancient Egypt or Babylon, but what about BEFORE then. Its an increadibley important time period, and what sorts of things happened may surprise you!!

I bought this book along with two others because of a major gap in my knowledge in the period of Mesopotamia before the 1st Dynasty of Babylon, and because I wanted to have much better understanding of how the earliest civilizations developed from the simple humble settlements. This book provides and excellent and detailed review of the subject. The author, Hans J Nissen, describes the development of the early settlements in ancient Mesopotamia, and the reasons why it was here rather than elsewhere in the ancient Near East that these settlements first became City States, and then into the larger regional and national states of Sargon of Akkad and the 1st Babylonian dynasty of which Hammurabi is the best known ruler.

The reason, according to Nissen, is the dramatic effect of climate change in Mesopotamia during the second half of the third millennium BC, and the need for inter-community cooperation. As the effects became more threatening and pervasive, (along with a change in the course of the Euphrates River) increased competition between cities changed this from a voluntary co-operation to one which was compulsory. Hence the development of organised labour to build canals and other infrastructures in order to maintain the basic amenities for survival, as well as for ensuring the continuation of trade which was particularly important for the acquisition of natural resources which are generally not locally available in Mesopotamia.

There is very little speculative opinion in this book and Nissen is very careful to identify what are the limits of our knowledge, and what we can interpret from the archaeological record. His approach is to identify what has been found, what can be deduced from the findings. He is very firm in explaining what should not be deduced and the reasons why..

The time frame, as the title indicates, is for the period 9000-2000BC, with a focus on the earliest Mesopotamian states, and most specifically Babylonia which was the area most affected by the climate change. This includes a thorough description and analysis of their relationships with their immediate neighbours to the west and north in Syria, Anatolia, and Kurdistan, as well as those with the regions of Elam, and the Zagros Mountains of Iran to the east. Nissen uses the generally accepted chronology, which is no great relevance in view of the general theme of his book.

The book is well structured in six chapters:

1: Sources and Problems
2: The Time of Settlement c 9000-6000BC (Neololithic, Hassuna, Halaf periods)
3: From Isolated Settlement to Town c 6000-3200BC (Ubaid and early Uruk periods)
4: Early High civilization c 3200-2800BC (Late Uruk, Jamdet Nasr, Early Dynastic I periods)
5: Rival City States c 2800-2350BC (Historical - Early Dynastic 2, 3 periods)
6: First Territorial States c 2350-2000BC (Akkad & immediate post-Akkad period)

There are some 70 charts, diagrams, illustrations, photographs, and maps which are of great help to the understanding, and a 7 page bibliography organized on a chapter by chapter basis.

I have to admit that at times I found the book extremely difficult to read . I am not sure whether it was due to the translation from the German, or because of the particular emphasis in the book on the need to be careful about what can be deduced from the evidence. There were numerous instances where I found it necessary to read a particularly long sentence several times to ensure that I had properly understood what was being said. Apart from that slight difficulty I found this book to be extremely informative and balanced in its treatment of the subject.

In summary, the best part of the book for me are the first four chapters, primarily because it explained the development of the technical innovations in writing, pottery, buildings, and other artefacts which occurred during this early period. Although the book didn't explicitly say so, it seems that the earliest governments were originally created by the wealthy and powerful primarily to protect themselves against the loss of their wealth. Some things never seem to change.

I purchased "East Fishkill" as a birthday present for my aunt who just turned ninety. At her party (filled with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren), this book was the most popular gift she received. People loved looking at the Fishkill Plains section, especially the family photo showing the six "uncles," including my aunt's husband. But, in addition to the personally relevant photos, people also really enjoyed looking at all the photos of the way East Fishkill used to be. It's a great gift for anyone with any ties to that area or with a curiosity about New York State history.
Sincerely,
Edie

I guess I always had a connection with Hopewell jct. because my Mom was raised in Hopewell Jct. she and her older twin brothers were very fond of Hopewell and shared alot of fond memeries as they were growing up in this small Railroad town.This book is rich with old photos and history.Places where my relatives spent a bit of there day.A must for anyone interested in local history.

This lavishly illustrated volume gives an excellent view of the East India Company - the experiences of the British in India, the spices and goods of interest to the West, and the history of the company over the centuries.

This book is deserving than more than just 5 stars.

As a historian myself, the biggest problem in expressing yourself is making "old" topics informative and interesting to modern generations. Antony Wild has succeeded beyond any scale of recognition in his book The East India Company: Trade and Conquest from 1600.

This book, which details the English East India Company's history will appeal to anyone with an interest in British, Indian, Asian, American, military, nautical, or commerical history-- it is that wide-ranging. This book is also a must-read for anyone interested or concerned over the so-called modern phenomenon of "globalization." After reading Wild's account, one can see that globalization has been around for nearly four hundred years, if not longer.

The English East India Company, acting under a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I, sought entry into the Spice Trade in Asia. Soon, however, it found itself involved with Indian piece trade and trade from the Middle East and Arabia. Its trade interests in India eventually led to de facto conquest and colonization on that subcontinent-- all with the tacit support of the crown. The company reached into China and even North America-- it was East India Company tea that got dumped into Boston Harbor during the Tea Party.

The company exported and imported goods, laid the foundations for three important Indian cities, fought land wars and naval battles with other European merchant powers or local natives, and brought a host of new products and new words into the consciousness of the English-speaking world.

India proved to be the company's lasting legacy, and not always a positive one. However Wild provides a well-balanced account that does not paint the company as either completely ethical traders or imperialistic devils. No matter one's opinion, India proved to the company's (and Britain's) largest asset and also the cause for the company's eventual dissolution.

The book is well-illustrated and is an easy but very informative read. I would rank this amongst the top 10 books I have read in the last 5 years.

This is a unique and invaluable book. It is the only first-person narrative in English of the East Timorese resistance from the 1975 invasion to the 1992 capture of Xanana Gusmão. The cataclysmic events of the Indonesian occupation that have been carefully chronicled before in several third-person accounts are presented here as moments of danger and decision in an individual's life. Pinto, with the editorial help of Jardine, has succeeded in giving the reader a vivid sense of how the East Timorese have struggled and survived through the torrent of violence that has been unleashed upon them. The reader follows Pinto from a worry-free childhood, when he played games such as kalek (which involves knocking fruits out of a certain type of tree), to a danger-filled adolescence and adulthood. At age 13, he fled with his family from his hometown of Remexio (southeast of Dili) while mortar shells and bombs rained down around them. For a year and a half, they lived in a town further south, just out of the Indonesian army's reach. There he learned guerrilla fighting and weekly alternated guard duty on the front line with farm work. Overcoming his initial trepidation and despondency, he gained the resolve to fight until death. When the Indonesian military (ABRI) escalated its counter-insurgency campaign in late 1977, Pinto and his family fled again. The thousands who took refuge in the forested hills became cut off from their food supplies: "sometimes we only had a piece of manioc to eat for the whole day." Each family spent the day hiding from the soldiers and the night searching for food. Pinto, with his parents, siblings and 50 other people, were captured after one year of hardscrabble life in the jungle. ABRI soldiers had forced several recently captured East Timorese to lead them to the others in the forest. His hometown Remexio, where ABRI resettled the captives, was turned into a concentration camp. It was a demoralizing time. He saw his friends, relatives and neighbors die of dysentery and malnutrition. He saw a manacled Xavier do Amaral, the head of the main resistance organization, brought before the townspeople to make a coerced `apology.' With the help of relatives, Pinto's family soon moved to Dili in late 1978. As many East Timorese were driven out of the forests and into the cities and towns, their terrain of resistance shifted from the liberated zones to the Indonesian-controlled territory. They learned the arts of dissimulation under the harsh conditions of a settler colonialism. Pinto describes how he would appear loyal and submissive before the Indonesians with whom he had to daily interact, while privately dreaming of independence and secretly scheming with friends. Pinto joined an underground movement in Dili in 1983 that worked undetected amidst the occupiers. It was this underground movement, constantly in touch with the guerrillas still in the hills, that was behind the highly visible civil protests of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Pinto, as the head of the underground at that time, reveals the planning behind the actions during the visits of the Pope (October 1989) and the US ambassador John Monjo (January 1990). His eyewitness behind-the-scenes account of the demonstration to the Santa Cruz cemetery on November 12, 1992 and the massacre of 271 people is essential reading on this event. Particularly important is Pinto's narration of how Xanana Gusmao lived underground (literally) in Dili from February 1991 to November 1992. Pinto's unadorned and ordinary prose indicates the mental balance he has been able to maintain through extraordinary experiences, such as his vertiginous mind games with Indonesian intelligence while posing as a double agent and his dangerous overland escape from East Timor. The hyped-up, overcharged spy thrillers of pulp fiction are no match for the terrors of real-life experiences straightforwardly narrated. For those who know little about East Timor, this book makes for an excellent introduction. To complement Pinto's gripping narrative, Jardine has provided background material on Indonesian and US politics in prefatory and concluding essays. Much care has been put into the footnotes, bibliography, and selection of photographs. For those who know much about this tortured half-island, Pinto's inside information reveals much that they would not have known. In sum, this book is a landmark achievement in the literature on East Timor.

Constâncio Pinto's life is an exemple of what it means to live in fear for most of your life and, despite that, maintain a constant sense of justice in a world that's not fair. As a brazilian, I certainly can relate with his testimony - of a catholic, portuguese-speaking man. He describes with incredible simplicity and humanity (and that's why the book is so powerful) all his life as an East Timor resistence member, seeing your friends being killed and being himself brutally tortured and persecuted. East Timor's fight is a methaphor for the most brutal opression vs. the faith in freedom, justice and peace. And with people like Constâncio, we are reminded that peace and justice are always achievable no matter how we suffer and no matter how hard is our struggle.

This book starts out with exploring the history of the region from pre-colonialism until, and including, modern times.
This book is unique in that it includes the history of religion, politics, economics, culture, media as well family structures throughout the ages.
The book also includes discussions on modernization and globlization and its efect in the region.
Also, it is well structured and you can choose which areas you want to read about (colonialism, religion, family etc.) or country of interest.
The language is clear and the book is nice to read.
The best introduction to East and SouthEast Asia.

I met this Chinese guy in a shopping centre, and was telling him I was studying Asian Studies. Somehow the professor in charge of my course got mentioned. Professor Mackerras, and he said, 'ah Colin Mackerras'. I said you know him? And he said, 'He is well known in China'.

Any project this guy is involved in (particularly on China) you can bet will be good, and this book is no exception. It is an excellent non-biased introduction to modern Asian history, politics, culture, and traditions. The book covers both East and South East Asia, and is designed as an introduction for first year university students. For any of you who have tackled `East Asia Tradition and transformation' by Fairbank et all, don't worry, Eastern Asia is much easier going, being nowhere near as intense. It also covers a broader range of topics and larger part of the region than that book. I read this book twice during the `Intro to Asia' course, in which it was the set text, but I also used it as a reference throughout my Asian Studies major, and the book still has a pride of place position in my bookcase. I would not just recommend it for Uni students, but for anyone with a general interest in this fascinating part of the world. If you are considering Asian Studies at University, but not sure if it's for you, then I would definitely suggest you get hold of a copy of this book. By the time you have finished you will know if it's for you, and if you're like me, you will be hooked. You will also have an excellent grounding for your first year at Uni.

Someone gave me this book (THANK YOU FOREVER!). I have always wanted to hold a bird in my hands, and now it seems I truly can, since the illustrations are so beautul and detailed, they seem so real! And because the book is so cleverly organized, I can get to the information quickly before the birds hop or fly out of sight. For instance, Cardinals are listed under "Red Birds" duh, how simple can you get? "Beginner's Luck" has me willing to try and identify more. And when the sun goes down, it makes great bedside reading because the information is so well-edited, it's packed with details but not overwhelming. I recently ordered 16 as holiday gifts after testing my book out on both my 10-year-old-niece (who wants to be a veterinarian but she's allergic to animals. Now she'll be able to safely get up close and personal. One book is going to my 95-year-old neighbor whose wife just died and winter's coming up. He's got a bird feeder outside the window where he always sits, and he never had a bird guide, so this book can help him solve bird mysteries. The price value is just right for gift-giving, especially considering the ADDED VALUE of introducing bird-watching as a pastime for a lifetime - one that will connect people to the greater outdoors, which is so wonderful! Each book will go a long, long way. Mine already has a lot of miles on it, as it now goes everywhere with me. It's my constant companion, just like the birds will now always be!

I recently got this book for my 16 year old who had expressed an interested
in bird watching. This is a wonderful beginning field guide. It's very easy to use. But what impressed me most were the stunningly beautiful color illustrations by artist Pieter Prall. The pictures are just amazing and inspirational; we keep the book on the sill of our window that overlooks our wooded backyard. Now we actually look for birds to identify. I would highly recommend this book to young and old. It makes a great gift and is a real bargain for the price.

This is a very easy to read and understand travel guide. The author goes into the historical information about each site. The information given for the handicapped also is good for those who are elderly or ill. The pictures are excellent. This is a great book!

Easy Walks In Israel-Sights and Stories is very historical, interesting, colorful, and educational. It goes past the usual travel books available and gives you a true feeling of Israel and its beautiful sites and wonderful people. It lists all the information that handicapped travelers need to be able to travel in comfort. The stories about each site are very enjoyable and the photography is excellent.

Just genious. Combines personnal style with scientific authority. Deconstructs all nationalistic, religious mythologies and shows that beyond all identities (muslim, christian,greek,turkish) are real human beings, with real lives and real sufferings.

One of the most important contributions to the construction of peace in Cyprus and between Turkey and Greece.

I've read quite deeply on the Cyprus affair, and this book really drew me in. Though it does go into some of the history and politics of the situation, it is not a dry account written in an academic tone. The author, a Greek Cypriot, forces himself to listen to the perspectives of Turkish Cypriots and Mainland Turks, and he finds himself in a dead zone of identities as he is slowly distrusted by his own Greek Cypriot community, at least by those who identify more with their "Greekness" than their "Cypriotness." There are lots of first-hand accounts of conversations with nationalists from both sides, and people in both communities who see themselves first and foremost as Cypriot.

The author tries really hard to be objective, and given the scope of the Cyprus problem, does a good job. I read this while also looking over Hannay's book on Cyprus, "The Search for a Solution," and I found the book by Papadakis to be much more exciting. He is now at the University of Cyprus.

This is one of the most heart-wrenching and heart-warming books that I have ever read. I could not put it down.

"Efronia" provides an extraordinary and very sentimental account of the unwarranted suffering of the Armenian people through political oppression and religious discrimination, which was not averted, although it was permanently visible to the international community. The specific case of Efronia clearly illustrates the way this segregation could affect the individual's life and her state of mind. An excellent book for anyone who wants a real person's perspective on a subject generally known only from the dry and fact-based point of view of history books and wishes to become acquainted with the historical and cultural background of the Armenian people.