Judas Unchained

Book Description

Peter F. Hamilton’s superbly imagined, cunningly plotted interstellar adventures are conceived on a staggeringly epic scale and filled with fully realized human and alien characters as complex as they are engaging. No mere world builder, Hamilton creates entire universes–and he does so with irresistible flair and intelligence. His previous novel, the acclaimed Pandora’s Star, introduced the Intersolar Commonwealth, a star-spanning civilization of the twenty-fourth century. Robust, peaceful, and confident, the Commonwealth dispatched a ship to investigate the mystery of a disappearing star, only to inadvertently unleash a predatory alien species that turned on its liberators, striking hard, fast, and utterly without mercy.

The Prime are the Commonwealth’s worst nightmare. Coexistence is impossible with the technologically advanced aliens, who are genetically hardwired to exterminate all other forms of life. Twenty-three planets have already fallen to the invaders, with casualties in the hundreds of millions. And no one knows when or where the genocidal Prime will strike next.

Nor are the Prime the only threat. For more than a hundred years, a shadowy cult, the Guardians of Selfhood, has warned that an alien with mind-control abilities impossible to detect or resist–the Starflyer–has secretly infiltrated the Commonwealth. Branded as terrorists, the Guardians and their leader, Bradley Johansson, have been hunted by relentless investigator Paula Myo. But now evidence suggests that the Guardians were right all along, and that the Starflyer has placed agents in vital posts throughout the Commonwealth–agents who are now sabotaging the war effort. Is the Starflyer an ally of the Prime, or has it orchestrated a fight to the death between the two species for its own advantage?

Caught between two deadly enemies, one a brutal invader striking from without, the other a remorseless cancer killing from within, the fractious Commonwealth must unite as never before.

This will be humanity’s finest hour–or its last gasp.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Big improvement over Pandora's Star.......2007-10-04

After being dragged kicking and screaming through Pandora's Star, Judas Unchained was a reasonably pleasant surprise. The long, brain-numbing descriptive passages that started off each section in the previous book have been truncated to a more reasonable length, allowing the actual plot to get momentum. We no longer have the painful perspective switches where the interesting plotlines would abrubtly be put on hold while we went off to visit some unspeakably boring characters for 20 pages - events are now tied together better and focus remains on the interesting bits long enough to generate energy. Ozzie's "journy of personal exploration" or whatever the heck it was supposed to be is given a thankfully brief page-count after the mind-numbing pointlessness in the first book. Ideas that clearly weren't working seem to have been jettisoned.

There are still some fairly significant issues - too much gratuitous sex for my tastes, the characters are thinly drawn and only a few of them are much more than cardboard cut-outs or stereotypes, the book is still needlessly bloated, and the writing style is still a bit repetitive - but the book now makes for reasonably entertaining pot-boiler sci-fi, on the level with Star Wars fiction, for example. Not great, not particularly notable nor does it have any individual elements that stand out or are particularly interesting, but it's a decent light read with good plotting and a reasonable pace. Now that I'm done with the pair, if I went back in time and was given the option of reading them again, I absolutely would not do it (mainly because the first book is so awful), but if you've staggered through Pandora's Star and are interested in finding out how things work out but are having a hard time facing down Judas Unchained, while it's definitely not a *great* book, it's good enough to be engaging.

The best Sci-Fi book I have ever read........2007-08-05

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about this book. The characters are well developed. There are plots and sub-plots. It's Sci-Fi, mystery, detective novel and more all wrapped up into one. I still find myself re-reading passages in this book almost a year after my first reading. This is my favorite Sci-Fi novel, and I've read a bunch of them. Well worth the time and money.

"Walk These Worlds with Me. . .".......2007-07-03

... or: You Should Never Put Assassins in the Refrigerator!

I'd got all the way through "Pandora's Star," and a third of the way through Peter F. Hamilton's extraordinary sequel (well, part 2 really), "Judas Unchained," before I finally resolved the issue that had long been bothering me--especially since "Pandora" had ended with a literal cliffhanger: how far into his cheek had the author put his tongue? And then I reached the scene where an assassin hides in a fridge, and suddenly I saw. Pretty far indeed.

Anyway, "Judas," however slyly, sweeps along crisply in the same multiple POV manner as its predecessor (think C. J. Cherryh w/o, thankfully, the internal monologues), with nearly all of the characters from the first volume intact and continuing on: Ozzie's still on his fantasy quest; Paula Myo is still doing her dogged police procedural thing; Mellanie Rescorai is still providing aid and comfort in her various ways; the Guardians of Justice continue to do battle with the mysterious Starflyer, which more and more folks are starting to believe in; and steadfast, stubborn, priggish Mark Vernon and his ickypoo family (twitting Kim Stanley Robinson perhaps), complete with dog, continue to pop up and annoy. (That has to be the point--Mr. Hamilton appears far too clever to have expected them to do anything but annoy.) And, of course, the intrepid heroes of the Confederation are still trying to figure out how to defeat the Primes (eek! hive mind!! Visit them at MorningLightMountain.com), and the politicians are still squabbling and conspiring.

The author, who like the late architect Philip Johnson "steals from everybody," continues to mix his genres well--heroic fantasy quests mix with space opera, spying, and political maneuvering, and provocative high-tech aspects. In Mr. Hamilton's conception, people can take trains (yes, trains!) through wormholes between the stars; they can be rebirthed; they can store their memories. You've seen all that before, but not handled nearly so well as here.

And then, of all things, the grand finale narrows down to an A story and a B story, with the A story turning into a chase snatched from the heart of a western movie with the good guys finding a way out of the box canyon and then riding out to head the bad guys off at the pass, while in the B story there's a race to see if the immotile hive mind can be smacked upside da haid without the good guys having to nuke the entire planet (and maybe eventually quite a bit of the galaxy's store of planets) out from under him. Good luck with THAT.

And good luck to you, dear readers.

Great thrills, great fun, and yes, it's ok to chuckle.

Notes and asides: Unlike volume 1, there's a list of characters this time (and very welcome, although the advice here is not to consult it until necessary as it manages to tip off some of the plot--don't ask!). Oh, and for grammar freaks--this time out, the publisher has supplied the author with a copyeditor who knows when to use a comma and when to use a period or semicolon--not the author's strongest point. Yeah, there's sex. C'mon, folks, this is the 21st century.

Climactic Conclusion.......2007-07-01

As good as Pandora's Star was, I found this work to be even more entertaining. Plenty of other reviews provide plot synopsis, etc. Here are aspects of this work that I didn't see as much of:

1. Overall Believability of Setting:
Hamilton's slick style pulled me right in, and a richly detailed "movie" began playing in my mind's eye almost immediately. I have read very few authors who do this so well -- Julian May being one of the few others who comes to mind.

2. Future Tech:
This work verily bristles with technology; some mundane, some wicked cool, and some worthy of making you stop and ponder. Very fun.

3. Characters:
Yes, there are loads of them, and a mind-boggling number of story threads. For whatever reason, I can't stand referring to a Dramatis Personae. Uncomfortable at first, I soon realized that though I may not immediately recognize a character thread pages later, there were almost always enough breadcrumbs in the new thread to find the link back.

With so many to juggle, Hamilton has to set-up characters quickly, and make them stick. I think he does this very well, with excellent hooks: quirks, an interesting point-of-view, a feeling for a loved one, the impact of interaction with technology, etc.

4. Entertainment Value:
A Bargain Bonanza. This book, like its prequel, Pandora's Star, are two thousand pages of great entertainment. Could make a great series on the Sci-Fi Channel.

5. Humor: Tell me, when was the last time you read Sci-Fi that actually made you laugh out loud? Give up? Read this :-)

Impossible to put down.......2007-06-27

This is an amazingly well written book. It had me staying up way too late into the evening, and I was really concerned about the characters. A fantastic conclusion to Pandora's Star.

My only gripe is that at the end it doesn't mention some of the characters that were part of the whole story. There are a lot of characters though and that must have been hard to do, but it would have been nice knowing what happened to all the key ones.

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
Feel good book that makes you long for the future
This is for both books - better than Night's Dawn
Still a wonderful universe but not so thorough as previous offerings
Potentially Good, But Overlong, Unfocused, Cardboard Characters

Judas Unchained
Peter F. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Space Opera | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345461665
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Ok, he's done it again. Another great book. Taking the creepy politico-mystery from the first book, and mutating through that to an out and out action thriller by the end. Just great fun. Put Mr. Hamilton down as still on the list of 'will read anything he writes'. Highly recommended. Really, really, long, and could be used as a weapon, in hardback! :)

Feel good book that makes you long for the future.......2007-07-03

There are times when the story drones on and there are times you can't put the book down because the story line sucks you in. If you want to envision what the future might look like, sit back and enjoy Peter's book.

This is for both books - better than Night's Dawn.......2007-06-25

You need to read both books together. It really is one book split into two volumes. Unlike Night's Dawn you do get to an ending (not THE ending, it is clear that this series can go on if desired). Others have filled in the major points - so here are some issues not adequately addressed in the reviews IMHO. The BIG one is the life-extending tech. Basically, barring very bad luck, you can't die permanently. Bodies are rejuvenated when they get old. If you manage to get killed, a new body is grown for you in about a year and your memory backups are downloaded. Good as new! How you can back up a person on a flash drive is not really explained in detail. Nor is the fact you could make endless copies of yourself. Unlike a conventional clone, they would be you with your memories! This is never exploited or even commented on. Peter Hamilton, in all his works, seems fascinated with society being run by large companies, "Dynasties", and "Grand Families" as superior to inefficient governments. If the heads of these organizations NEVER DIE, human society would undergo massive upheaval. Can you imagine knowing you could never work your way to the top because the top was never going anyplace?
How many people would still want to have kids if they were never going to die themselves? Surely not as many as now. Also religion is barely mentioned. Surely not having to ever meet God in person would change the world's religions!
The odd mix of tech is interesting. Gasoline and diesel powered cars are still common on less-developed worlds. One would thing the fuel cell would finally have made it 400 years from now! Trains are the major method of inter-stellar transport. There are atomic, diesel, and steam trains running around the galaxy via wormholes. Also not made clear is the expense of inter-stellar train tickets. In some cases it seems easier to commute to work across hundreds of light years than to make it a few miles across a crowded city.
Finally, why oh why would ANYONE not want to utterly wipe out MorningLightMountain? It only wants to kill all other life forms. I can't imagine you could find 3 people in the whole Galaxy that wouldn't push the button with a smile on their face.

Still a wonderful universe but not so thorough as previous offerings.......2007-05-10

The conclusion of Mr. Hamilton's most recent duology. I deliberately took a long time to read this book as I do so enjoy the universe that he crafts. I was less impressed by this anthology than by his previous offerings. There were many characters (Ozzie and Paula for instance) that I felt were never adequately explored. However in a universe as rich with characters as this, I suppose everybody has their favorites and wants to see them on center stage more than the others.

(***Spoiler Alert***) Don't read further if you have not yet read this book and do not want any details given away!!

I also felt that the end portion of the book was not fully satisfying. Perhaps it was the intent, but I felt that the ultimate antagonist in this story was never properly realized. Also, the final conflict was somewhat contrived and unsatisfying.

Don't get me wrong, I fully enjoyed the entire lead up and I do not read these stories solely for the ending. But usually the ending can be counted upon to be as satisfying as the experience of getting there. So I would still recommend the books based on that alone.

Potentially Good, But Overlong, Unfocused, Cardboard Characters.......2007-03-28

First off: I'd like it better if we had 1/2-star options. Judas Unchained really doesn't deserve a 2, more a 2-1/2 or 2-3/4.

I have a love/hate relationship with Peter Hamilton's books. He's very adept at introducing interesting technology and making a faster-than-light society plausible but, as with a lot of these hard-science, libertarian SF authors, he badly needs an editor. I was skipping over multiple pages of irrelevance in both this book and its prequel, Pandora's Star. He also has far too many "main characters" who (despite 800+ pages) never seem to come alive. They all speak with essentially the same voice. And when he tries to individualize someone they come off as badly stereotyped '60s era hippies -- come on, does anyone seriously say "dude" in the real world much less the imagined future of the 24th century?

And why is Hamilton so obsessed with sex with young (or rejuvenated) women?

Hamilton's treatment of virtual immortality is hit and miss at best. On the one hand, the innate conservatism of an immortal civilization is well developed, represented and believable. On the other hand, the dynamics of the relationship between "old timers" and "first lifers" is unsatisfactory. In four centuries, for example, NO ONE has even attempted to unseat Nigel Sheldon from his position as head of the Sheldon dynasty? Perhaps the Commonwealth's continual expansion is the safety valve but even here, the government (controlled the eternal heads of these dynasties) controls it. Another point that is brought up briefly is why would anyone want to live forever if their life didn't change -- I mean the characters of a novel (almost by definition) are dynamic, go-get-'em types but most people just plod through their lives and then die. Why would anyone want to do that for lifetime after lifetime?

The aliens are OK. The problem with them (and this is true of nearly every SF story) is that they tend to be one dimensional -- they're all of a singular type and all too often they really do just act like human beings with weird make up. (This is a problem in fantasy stories, too.) On the plus side, I do tip my hat to Hamilton for not allowing the humans to save themselves with an alien "deus ex machina." Ozzie's adventures in "Wonderland" (i.e., the silfen paths) do bring him to the adult silfen and he does find out the origins of the Dyson barriers but the knowledge doesn't really help anyone defeat the Primes.

Overall, if you started with Pandora's Star, you probably should finish the journey with Judas Unchained. If you haven't started down this "silfen path," I recommend Alistair Reynolds, Tony Daniel or Iain Banks. They write similarly grand space opera but are better at it than Hamilton has proven himself to be to date.

Average customer rating:

JUDAS UNCHAINED
PETER F. HAMILTON
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RH897W

Average customer rating:

Judas Unchained
Peter F. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NV7G5I

Average customer rating:

Judas Unchained

Manufacturer: The Easton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound

Product Description

This is a limited leatherbound edition of Judas Unchained, the 24th Century space opera sequel to Hamilton's Pandora's Star. Published by The Easton Press, this book is bound in genuine leather and accented with 22kt gold. It also includes permanent satin ribbon page markers, thread-sewn pages and endsheets of rich moiré fabric. A must-have for the serious science fiction collector.

Average customer rating:

Judas Unchained
Peter F. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0330493531

Average customer rating:

Dull Dull Dull big brick of a book
Not up to par with Pandora's Star
Quite ok, too fragmented, though
Terrible

Judas Unchained
Peter F. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Tor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Dull Dull Dull big brick of a book.......2006-11-04

No action
No humour
No compelling characters
No mind-bending escapism
No nothing!

Pity MorningLightMountain didn't waste the entire f''''' confederation.

C'mon Peter - this is pulp fiction of the worst, dullest, most banal kind. It is an insult to all aspiring writers who see major book publishers descending to the lowest depths of quality by printing this kind of rubbish.

Makes me wanna give up reading and steal my kid's play-station.

I wish there was a 0 star field.

J

Not up to par with Pandora's Star.......2006-09-19

Long awaited, the second part of the story is somewhat disappointing, even for a PFH fan. I was left with the impression the author couldn't decide how long the novel should be, padded the middle with some inconsequential storylines and excruciating details, and finished it rather abruptly (and predictably, I might add). On the plus side, all the storylines end in a satisfactory manner, by explaining most of the mysteries introduced earlier. All in all, a must read for the fans of Pandora's Star as a logical continuation, but don't get your expectations too high.

Quite ok, too fragmented, though.......2006-09-17

I also had the impression that other stories, such as Krikkit from Douglas Adams, several concepts from Larry Niven, (Integral Trees, Mote in God's Eye, World of Ptavs) were reused.
Nevertheless, the complex plot makes for a very interesting story spanning the two books Pandora's star and Judas unchained.
However, I must say that I find the constant jumping back and forth between a dozen story lines absolutely irritating. Apparently it is done in an attempt to provide cliff-hanger endings for the various chapters. Alas, this makes the book a rather tedious read. I found myself constantly searching ahead in the book for the continuation of a particular storyline. E.g., the very interesting storyline of Ozzy and Orion is constantly interrupted by partially completely boring and rather unimportant descriptions of political struggles.

Terrible.......2006-08-16

Look with whom Melanie have sex with at the end. Yes, a BOY! Have P. Hamilton have no taste?

And the whole idea for this book was stolen from Douglas Adams ( remember Krikkit?)

Disgusting book...

Average customer rating:

Judas Unchained

Manufacturer: Macmillian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FF5GW2

Product Description

Science Fiction

Average customer rating:

Judas Unchained
Peter F. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVQWRA

Average customer rating:

Beautiful Calligraphy sorely misunderstood

St. John's Bible Psalms--Unbelievably Disappointing

Disappointed

Saint John's Bible:Psalms

A Missed Opportunity

Saint John's Bible: Psalms
Donald Jackson
Manufacturer: Liturgical Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Study | Old Testament | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Inspirational | Catholicism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Ethics | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Saint John's Bible: Gospels and Acts

Saint John's Bible, Vol. 1: Pentateuch

Illuminating the Word: The Making of the Saint John's Bible

Saint John's Bible: Prophets

The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Readers Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts (Saint John's Bible)

ASIN: 0814690564

Book Description

The second in a seven-volume series of full-color, page-by-page reproductions from The Saint John's Bible, Psalms engages the eye and ear with five distinct scripts and exquisite illuminations that include digital voice prints of sacred songs from many ethnic and religious traditions. The Book of Psalms or "praises" is known as the prayer book of the Bible. For centuries, it has been a source of prayer, devotion, and inspiration. Part of the popularity of the Psalms is that they incorporate the entire breadth of human emotion and experience—joy, fear, anger, love—all the things we bring to God in our prayer.

Visual representations of chants from Benedictine, Native American, Muslim, Taoist and other traditions are the basis for illuminations of the Psalms. The varying pitch of the chants is rendered graphically to provide a motif for the abstract illumination. Every Psalm page features a small gold image that graphically renders the chanting of the monks from Saint John's Abbey. This process of reading of the Psalms is a continuous reminder that the Psalms are to be sacred songs—and that in such singing God is present. Jackson chose colors to represent different themes, and designs to symbolize the different types of Psalms. He devised a way of weaving the two together that resulted in a unique script, colors and shading. Readers can identify the patterns representing the national history of Israel corresponding with the individual types of Psalms. The way the Psalms appear in The Saint John's Bible provide a way to read our favorite Psalms with new eyes so that we might truly see the Psalms whether they are sung or read poetically.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Calligraphy sorely misunderstood.......2007-09-04

Donald Jackson and his colleagues let their calligraphic skills shine in this volume of The Saint John's Bible. Unfortunately, many readers purchased this book hoping for the same level of illustration found in the Gospels and Acts voulme. What the detractors of Psalms utterly fail to understand is Jackson's intent to let the text of the psalms speak free from the artist's interpretation. The Psalms are perhaps the most personal texts in all of the Bible; it would have been truly unfortunate if the artist had imposed his vision on the psalms, rather than respecting their integrity as texts of personal and liturgical prayer.

St. John's Bible Psalms--Unbelievably Disappointing.......2007-08-24

We believe in the St. John's Bible, its calligraphers, artists, editor. We found the volume devoted to the Psalms just totally disappointing. The Psalms call for handsome, colorful vignettes of all of nature's bounty --
grasses, flowers, seed pods, birds, insects, caterpillars, worms, whales, creatures great and small, the skies, clouds, rainbows, sun, moon and stars. But the pages of the Psalms are virtually EMPTY, alas. Even the calligraphy is a bit lackluster and small --very hard to read. We did not send our copy back (though it deserves that) because someday we want a complete, intact, set of all the volumes. Were the publishers in a hurry to get this volume out before it could match the standards of previous volumes? It feels like a potboiler, published to make a buck, coasting on the well-deserved laurels of previous volumes. We felt that we'd been "had." Honestly, we hope there will someday be a revision that makes the Psalms as creative, beautiful and breathtaking as the earlier volumes instead of just a sadly missed opportunity.
We still want to thank the publishers for the rest of this remarkable Bible.

Disappointed.......2007-07-15

Compared to the other two Donald Jackson Bible books I bought, the Psalm book is a disappointment. I looked forward to seeing Mr. Jackson's illustrations of the Psalms, but was let down when I saw he had done very little. As far as I am concerned, Mr. J. missed an opportunity to make the Psalms glow. Jean Rhoads, Bloomington, Indiana

Saint John's Bible:Psalms.......2007-06-10

I already owned Saint John's Pentateuch and Gospels and Acts. Thinking of all the art possibilities for the Psalms, I was very disappointed with the Saint John's Bible:Psalms. I think the author missed a golden opportunity to make the Psalms shine. In a Christian thrift store I came across a small book called The Book of Psalms in the Authorized Version. There are lovely illustrations on practically every page. I believe it is being offered as a used book through Amazon at a very reasonable price. I won't buy another Saint John's Bible book without seeing it first. Jean Rhoads, Bloomington IN

A Missed Opportunity.......2007-01-16

The idea for this new edition of the Bible was great; however, the result is a disappointment. The text is not easy to read. The font size is too small. The margin white space should have been used to increase the font size or less text should have been put on each page. It seems that no one took a good look at the final product in terms of the book's readability.

The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Readers Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts (Saint John's Bible)

Average customer rating:

Highly recommended for church libraries

The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Readers Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts (Saint John's Bible)
Susan Sink
Manufacturer: Liturgical Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Calligraphy | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0814690629

Book Description

The Saint John's Bible provides an opportunity for people to experience the Scriptures in a new--but at the same time ancient--way. Here are illuminations that bring the words of the Bible alive for the contemporary world. Some of the world's top calligraphers, working in a tradition all but replaced by the printing press centuries ago, invite us into a rich and varied creation. The illuminations draw on and update Eastern iconographic and Western sacred art traditions, resulting in one of the most important sacred art achievements of our time.

The Art of The Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide brings text and illumination together for reflection. This guide further opens up the significance of elements in the illuminations, and points out recurring visual motifs that connect the stories within and across the volumes. You will find here some of the history of the tradition of illuminated Bibles, as well as insight into the thought processes and artistic vision behind the planning and execution of the images. The guide covers the first three published volumes of The Saint John's Bible, Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospels and Acts. It includes information on the individual artists; an explanation of terms such as "carpet pages" and "marginalia;" an index of flora and fauna; and a chart of the chant tones used in Psalms. More importantly, it offers an invitation to experience the illuminations and the biblical text more deeply.

This book features beautiful four-color reproductions of 40 major artworks from the individual volumes and over two dozen reproductions of the minor elements (text treatments, marginalia, initials). It is the first of two volumes, the second of which will feature the remaining four books of The Saint John's Bible collection.

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended for church libraries.......2007-10-06

Featuring rich color photography, The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Readers Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts is a beautiful tour of illuminated Biblical text in the first three published volumes of "The Saint John's Bible": Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospels and Acts. The text examines specific illuminations with all the fine attention to detail, history, and context worthy of museum pieces, while the copious color pictures reveal the wondrous detail of visual elements and textual treatments. Highly recommended for church libraries as an aide to more deeply experiencing and understanding illuminated biblical text.

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!

Average customer rating:

CCEL Classics CD: works by Saint Augustine, John Calvin, John Donne, Julian of Norwich, Brother Lawrence, Martin Luther, Saint Teresa of Avila, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, and more!
Dr. W. Harry Plantinga
Manufacturer: Christian Classics Ethereal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Product Description

The most important spiritual writings of Christian history are available on this Classics CD by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at Calvin College. It contains 118 Christian classics, including three versions of the Bible, several commentaries, Bible dictionaries, readings, spiritual guides, sermons, poems and journals -- all in a convenient, searchable form. Books are available in HTML and PDF formats. The easy-to-use CCEL Desktop software powering the CD enables users to browse and print books and install additional books from the Web. The top-of-class search engine can search for words or phrases in books, in authors works or in the whole library. In addition, it can search for dictionary definitions of words and commentary or references to scripture passages. The interface is a Web browser. The CD is compatible with Windows 2000+, Macintosh 10.3+, and most Linux versions.

Average customer rating:

Saint John's Bible Note Cards: Psalms

Manufacturer: Liturgical Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards

General | Note Cards | Accessories | Formats | Books

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0814690661

Expositions Of The Psalms 51-72 (Works of Saint Augustine (Numbered))

Average customer rating:

Expositions Of The Psalms 51-72 (Works of Saint Augustine (Numbered))
Maria Boulding
Manufacturer: New City Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1565481550

Book Description

Here is a attractive translation that presents Augustine's expression of his own spirituality, which necessarily entails his most valuable theological insights.

EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 1-32 Expositions of the Psalms 1-32 (Works of Saint Augustine, Vol. III, No. 15)

Average customer rating:

Augustine at his best: editors at their worst
Augustine in high form

EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 1-32 Expositions of the Psalms 1-32 (Works of Saint Augustine, Vol. III, No. 15)
St. Augustine , and Michael Fiedrowicz
Manufacturer: New City Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1565481402

Book Description

Here is an attractive translation which presents Augustine's expression of his own spirituality, which entails his most caluable theological insights.

Customer Reviews:

Augustine at his best: editors at their worst.......2005-03-03

It is great to see Augustine's beautiful and spiritually enlightening commentary on the Psalms presented in an affordable publication. It is sad to see that publication employ Inclusive language for its Psalm translations, which pervert the meaning and intent not only of the Psalms, but also of Augustine's commentary. The verses of the Psalms that Augustine commented on differed greatly from what is presented in the book. The least the translaters/editors could have done is to translate the vulgate Psalms which Augustine commented on, since they are obviously capable of translating Augustine. The inclusive language really distracts from the text, making the book annoying and reducing your experience of Augustine on account of politics, which I find sad.

The Grammar rendered is sometimes choppy, and can not be attributed to Augustine's difficult prose. You'd do better to find this in the "Ancient Christian Writers" Series, or from a different company.

I gave the 3 stars for Augustine. The Editors get 0 stars.

Augustine in high form.......2001-02-23

Maria Boulding's translation of the Confessions has been justly praised for its balance of literary style, non-sexist language, and clarity of expression. She now has turned her efforts to the translation of the Ennarationes in Psalmos, a collection of preached sermons and written commentary on all one-hundred fifty psalms. This first volume includes commentaries on the first thirty-two psalms, with two expositions of six psalms, three of Psalm 32, and four of Psalm 30.

These expositions show Augustine at prayer, albeit public prayer in front of a congregation, and addressing a mixed audience, i.e. one composed of more learned and less learned hearers, a distinction he sometimes make reference to as determining the nature of his discourse on a particular day. And thus they show Augustine to be the great preacher and teacher he is. Some of the expositions show Augustine thinking aloud, as when he considers verse six of the first psalm, "I rested and fell asleep," which he variously interprets. He notes that different translations interpret the original Greek differently, and he offers his own thoughts on possible interpretations.

For one not used to patristic interpretation of scripture, Augustine's commentary can be jarring, since he does not just deal with the text on the level of literal interpretation, but he also includes what have come to be known, since the middle ages, as the analogical and anagogical interpretations, i.e. interpretations of what the psalm means in terms of Christianity and what it says to us about moral behavior, all part of Augustine's sensus plenior.

Some of his well-known themes appear, also, and the commentary offers another light on them. In the exposition of Psalm 5, Augustine treats of lying, commenting on the verse, "You hate all those who work iniquity." He gives a brief summary of the discussion on lying and concealing the truth that are found in more expansive forms in his treatises on that subject. The footnotes often are helpful in noting echoes of other works, although here, strangely, there is no reference to his other discussions of lying. He also offers a reflection on God as father and mother in Exposition 2 of Psalm 26, a discussion that might be surprising to some readers.

Overall, the Expositions of the Psalms offers what amounts to a mini-course in Augustinian theology, since all of his keys themes are treated in an abbreviated manner at some point in the exposition. And Augustine offers his advice to the people on praying the psalms in his fourth exposition of Psalm 30: "If the psalm is praying, pray yourselves; if it is groaning, you groan too; if it is happy, rejoice; if it is crying out in hope, you hope as well; if it expresses fear, be afraid."

Michael Fiedrowicz's introduction offers a good exposition on how to read this work, placing it in historical and literary context, with an especially good explanation of Augustine's method of interpretation. At the back of the book is an index of Scripture citations and a general index.

Average customer rating:
Expositions of the Psalms:73-98 Volume 2 (Works of Saint Augustine)

Manufacturer: New City Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Old Testament | Commentaries | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Theology | Reference | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Church History | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Augustine | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) | Sacred Writings | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Bible & Other Sacred Texts | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Expositions Of The Psalms 99-120 (The Works of Saint Augustine, Vol 19 Part 3)

Expositions Of The Psalms 51-72 (Works of Saint Augustine (Numbered))

Expositions Of The Psalms 121-150 (Works of Saint Augustine, a Translation for the 21st Century: Part 3 - Sermons (Homilies))

EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 1-32 Expositions of the Psalms 1-32 (Works of Saint Augustine, Vol. III, No. 15)

Marriage and Virginity: Saint Augustine (The Works of Saint Augustine)

ASIN: 1565481674

Average customer rating:
The Art of the Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gosepls and Acts.
SUSAN: SINK
Manufacturer: Liturgical Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000V6T2K2

Average customer rating:
Songs of the saints: A study of selected Psalms
John White
Manufacturer: Regular Baptist Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00071OGZM

Average customer rating:
The forty-sixth Psalm, with the commentary of Saint Basil
John Carr
Manufacturer: T.O. Brumby
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008CZLAY

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books