To many outside India, Hinduism is envisioned as the foundation of an ideal, all-embracing society. Yet this is far from the truth. Though historically the practice of Hinduism does promote the idea of an inclusive and tolerant way of life, in the pa...

Part of an ongoing series published in cooperation with the "Index on Censorship" that deals with religion and free expression, "The Jewish Case" is distinctive in several ways. To begin with, even calling Judaism a religion is problematic. The bread...

During the cold-war years, Western Christians basked in a sense that they were living on the right side of the ideological divide, harboring humane values, freedom, democracy and the right to irrationality, belief and non-belief. The atheist Communis...

In recent years, countless politicians and commentators have been addressing the Quran in an attempt to understand the rise of Muslim extremist ideology. They have missed the point: the most significant factor in this phenomenon is to be found within...

Thanks to its colourful cast of characters and gritty portrayal of street life in Victorian London, Dickens Oliver Twist has captured readers hearts for over 150 years. Todays children will love it too. Oliver, a poor orphan, escapes the miserable wo...

"Obadiah" exemplifies the classic Israelite prophetic tradition. This brief but volatile diatribe encompasses many of the great prophetic themes, such as divine judgment against Israel's enemies, the day of Yahweh, Zion theology, Israel's possession...

The writers of the Bible depended on other sources for much of their work. Some of these sources may be lost forever, but many have come to light in modern times. Known as the pseudepigrapha, they are made available here in English translation.

This book contains expansions of the "Old Testament" and legends, wisdom and philosophical literature, prayers, psalms and odes, and fragments of lost Judeo-Hellenistic works. Western culture has been shaped largely by the Bible. In attempting to und...

The oboe, including its earlier forms the shawm and the hautboy, is an instrument with a long and rich history. In this book two distinguished oboist-musicologists trace that history from its beginnings to the 21st century, discussing how and why the...