Book Description
This stirring, poignant novel, based on real historical events that made of actual people true heroes, unfolds the tragedy that befell the Armenian people in the dark year of 1915. The Great War is raging through Europe, and in the ancient, mountainous lands southwest of the Caspian Sea the Turks have begun systematically to exterminate their Christian subjects. Unable to deny his birthright or his people, one man, Gabriel Bagradian—born an Armenian, educated in Paris, married to a Frenchwoman, and an officer doing his duty as a Turkish subject in the Ottoman army—will strive to resist death at the hands of his blood enemy by leading 5,000 Armenian villagers to the top of Musa Dagh, “the mountain of Moses.” There, for forty days, in the face of almost certain death, they will suffer the siege of a Turkish army hell-bent on genocide. A passionate warning against the dangers of racism and scapegoating, and prefiguring the ethnic horrors of World War II, this important novel from the early 1930s remains the only significant treatment, in fiction or nonfiction, of the first genocide in the twentieth century’s long series of inhumanities. It also continues to be today what the New York Times deemed it in 1933—“a true and thrilling novel ... a story which must rouse the emotions of all human beings.” “Musa Dagh gives us a lasting sense of participation in a stirring episode of history.... Magnificent.”—The New York Times Book Review “A novel full of the breath, the flesh and blood and bone and spirit of life.”—Saturday Review
Customer Reviews:
Deserves to be required reading.......2006-12-04
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh is an historical fiction drama set in WWI Turkey. During the war, the Turkish government imposes a policy of forced relocation on Armenian Christians living within its borders. Refusing to leave, the residents of several villages at the foot of Musa Dagh (Moses Mountain) decide to stay and fight. They take refuge on the mountain, constructing a fortress with their meager resources. The band of ordinary citizens courageously holds out for forty days, sucessfully holding off the better equipped, better trained and vastly larger Turkish army. Want to know how it ends? Read the book!
The book is clearly written, and translates well from the original German. The imagery is vivid and I really cared about the characters. Although the book is long, there are few lulls. It's been over 18 months since I've read this book, and I still find myself thinking about it and I remember a surprising amount of it; it's that memorable!
I was amazed that I had not even heard of this book before reading it. The Armenian genocide in Turkey was barely mentioned in my college history classes. It is a shame that such a well-written book about such a large atrocity (1.5 million people died) is so obscure. Of course, there is some controversy regarding the historical accuracy of this book and of the Armenian genocide in general, but the consensus is that, except for the names and minor details, the book is accurate. Do your homework and make up your own mind.
Stirs and pervades the human spirit with great emotion.......2006-01-20
How do I begin describing this book? this marvelous novel penned by an Austrian writer who was not indebted to the Armenian people and owed them nothing. How do I describe and compress this eight-hundred page long book into a miniscule summary?
The truth of the matter is, is that words alone cannot describe Franz Werfel's "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh". It is too grand a story that should, rather, be read by everyone and experienced to the greatest extent possible in the human spirit. The novel revolves around the life and culture of the Armenian people in a Western region of Syria in 1915. The Ottoman Empire, lead by the Young Turkish leadership have enacted the state-wide policy of genocide against the Armenians. Sensing the impending the danger, the 4,000 people of this region are forced to take shelter on the towering and biblical mountain of Musa Dagh. With a Turkish military force encircling the mountain, it is up to the Armenians to defend their way of life or die and vanish into history.
I do not wish to impede on others' reviews and assert my position on whether or not they are correct, it is their opinions after all; however, those who gave this book a one star rating did it out of malice and contempt over what they see as a misrepresentation of their country's history. Rather they looked at what the book was professing about and instead of placing what they thought of a well-written novel, they placed their version of the events of 1915.
It is of no matter, it is up to the reader to gain an understanding from what the reviewer provides. Werfel composes a beaufiful note which instills the reader's spirt with much more than words, it gives them hope, it gives them proof that perhaps there are happy and positive stories that stem from tragedies. Werfel couldn't have done it any better.
Fictional-but.......2004-09-14
Yes, the book is fictional, but based on a real incident. The survivors were taken by the French warships to Lebanon and started an Armenian village there. As to one reviewers questions as to what happened to the Turks in Armenia, they are still the majority there, along with Kurds. Turkish Armenia has no Armenians, they are all gone. The modern country of Armenia was part of the Russian empire at the time of the massacres. It was predominately Armenian in population and escaped the massacres. As to the extent of the destruction, we will never know just how many were killed. However, I do feel that Turkey from 1915 through 1922 was one of the first modern examples of ethnic cleansing, with a determined effort to rid the country of all non-Turkish elements. Western Asia Minor had been Greek for better than 3000 years (Symrna, Miletus, Laodicea, Ephesus, etc). It is not today. The land around Mt. Ararat and Lake Van had been mostly Armenian for 3000 years. It is not today. The Black Sea coast had been mostly Greek for 2500 years. It is not today. Yes, the Greeks did invade Turkey in an attempt to take advantage of the country's defeat in WWI. They were thrown back in a great show of courage and patriotism. But the aftermath must also be examined. Yes, there were Armenians who wanted to succeed and form an independent state. But the aftermath must also be examined.
We are talking of things that happened almost 100 years ago. I do not feel that the Turkish people today have guilt for the actions that were taken then. I like Turkey and the Turks I have met. But historical facts do not disappear by denying them.
We all have an obligation to face up to the unpleasant facts of history. Only when all of us say "Never again" to any genocidal action will genocide cease to exist.
Is this "genocide" akin to religious fanaticism?.......2004-08-06
If this book is fictional as even the people who are crazy about it admit, then how could they take it as historic fact? The degree of emotionalism involved by the Armenian reviewers here is phenomenal. It's almost as though this supposed genocide is a religious experience, and the truth needs to be damned.
An Ara Belian (Feb. 4, 2004) is upset at the revelations of another reviewer, whose essay made a lot of sense to me. He counts on stories by relatives as his evidence... but nobody is arguing Armenians did not suffer. The point is, everyone suffered during those tragic times. Didn't Armenians kill Turks in large numbers, that we never hear about? (Why are there no Turks in Armenia, when once the Turks were the majority?)
The point is whether a governmental extermination policy was in effect; this is the unproven part of genocide theory, and emotionalism is an unfair substitute for history.
All the "documented evidence, witnesses and memoirs of the genocide" prove is that ugliness occurred during what was a state of war. That's why none of it was admissible as actual evidence when the British attempted to try the Turks for massacre crimes at the end of WWI.
Taking the moral high road by claiming numbers don't matter is awfully ingenuous of Belian when propagandists make sure to tell us numbers do matter... the higher the number, the greater the sympathy value. That's why false numbers as 1.5 million have been created. Instead of saying he was made to "fume and filled ...with anger," why doesn't Mr. Belian THINK? Approach this subject coolly, rationally and without emotion? Instead of acting like a religious zealot who doesn't care about reason and common sense?
Powerful and Moving........2004-08-02
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh is a very human novel written on an epic scale. It is at once the struggle of a "foreign" man to hold together his family, and the valient attempt of a people to survive. It is unfortunate that so many people have attacked this book to advance their political agenda of blurring history. "Martyr" is a word that is unfortunately abused today, however, in Forty Days one truly understands the broad scope and sacred purpose of that word. This is a book of wonderful contradictions: profound loss replaced by hope for the future; despair replaced by courage. Truly moving.
Customer Reviews:
what a book!.......2004-03-07
i read this book 24 years ago, the truths in it will blow your mind. i had the oppertunity to be around and involved with Dr wierwille, i have never found anyone that taught rightly divided word of god as he did. these kind of believers dont come around that often, buy the book and make it your own, mick
QUITE SIMPLY, ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN.......2004-01-05
Action and detail-packed account of the last days of Jesus Christ, ACCURATELY described and analyzed, with no opinions or guess work. Will blow anyone's mind, what Jesus Christ accomplished in such a short time, how he accomplished it, and the significance of the dates of the Hebrew calendar.
An incredible work.......1999-04-20
Is it possible that the subject of Christ's last few days of life could be set forth in a clear concise, understandable manner? Yes, this book does set forth, the accuracy of the bible, and Jesus Christs last days, as no other work has done.It should be a "must" read for all who are students and teachers of the bible.
Book Description
This is the first book to introduce the fourteen joyful and highly symbolic events that make up the Via Lucis, the Christian Way of Light, an ancient spiritual tradition celebrating the post-Resurrection life of Christ on Earth.
The Stations of the Light, with its “good news” of healing and salvation, is becoming an increasingly popular devotion throughout the United States and the world, and was recognized by the Vatican in its Jubilee 2000 campaign. While Christians of all denominations are familiar with the Stations of the Cross, few know how to celebrate the Stations of the Light, a practice that came into being through inspiration from ancient Roman sources.
Stations of the Light is a clear and inspiring guide to making this ancient ritual part of contemporary Christian life. The stations mark the fourteen sacred events in the post-Easter story, from “Jesus Rises from the Dead” to “Pentecost: The Risen Lord Sends the Holy Spirit.” For each one, Mary Ford-Grabowsky presents a variety of spiritual practices that invite readers to form their own realistic and sacred image of the event. Beginning with relaxation and releasing the imagination, these exercises are designed to help convey the story and foster inspiration, and include ancient and contemporary meditations, reflections, and prayers; as well as journal writing, artwork, music, and mantras.
Customer Reviews:
"Stations of the Light" ancient practice brings fresh inspiration.......2007-08-27
This book came with me on a recent personal retreat. It uses the major events surrounding Easter, and the season immediately following the Resurrection, as the focal points for contemplation at each station. I didn't know when I packed the book that it would become a major inspiration for my time apart from the daily busyness of a Pastor's life. (God provides what we need, just when we need it most.) I had been through some extra struggles in the course of the past year, and had just been given some new challenges to face. A day apart to think and pray was desperately needed. "Stations of the Light" provided a way of looking at these challenges through the lens of God's enduring love and promise in Christ. I picked it up, thinking I might find some restful thoughts to comfort my soul, and I couldn't put it down! I found not rest, but courage for continuing the journey of faith. I was reminded that whatever new surprise life might bring, whether joyful or sorrowful, delightful or challenging, this too is of God. I entered the retreat with dozens of questions, and this book helped me focus my energy as I walked along the 14 stations of light. At the end, I knew with Julian of Norwich that "all shall be well, and all shall be well, all manner of thing shall be well." An experience of loss became for me a welcoming ground for spiritual understanding. I discovered opportunities to know myself better, to more fully live out my calling, and to better serve God and other people. I took the book back to my church and used it as the basis for a 24 hour prayer vigil for my congregation. We set up several of the stations around the outer perimeter of the sanctuary, with pictures downloaded from the web and quotes from the book as prayer-starters. It was very well-received by those who participated in the vigil. I highly recommend this book for those with contemplative souls!
Book Description
Finding no books with Biblical references to help her face the challenges of raising a child with special needs, Kathy did intense research to bring back her hope. Listening to the many preachers on TBN and doing Bible studies, she studied Scriptures to help her understand God's plan for her child's life. Doctors and teachers offered no hope and told her to brace herself for the long, dark road she was now on. Raised in a Christian home and active in her local church, she knew in her heart that the God she serves is a God of mercy.
Here are Scriptures to restore your hope, strengthen your faith and show you that God has a plan for your child's life. Scriptures to promise that God is listening to your every prayer, that He is watching the work and efforts being done on behalf of your children. Scriptures that will empower you to be strong and steadfast, reminding you that with God, nothing is impossible.
Customer Reviews:
A nice Prayer Journal.......2007-08-08
The author may be planting a hope in some parents that can crush those who are not strong in their faith in God. It is common for parents who just had their child diagnosed with Autism, grasp at anything to "fix" their child. While I do believe that God can Heal or "fix" people I have learned that God is God and has a plan for all of us even if we don't agree, or give Him permission.
As you read this book and even pray through it, please remember, God loves us and knows the big picture for our lives. The diagnosis of Autism is NOT a death sentence, only a new experience.
Better Than Expected.......2007-05-08
I have been profoundly changed by Kathy Medina's 40 day devotional. It comes out of her own heartbreak in discovering her son's diagnosis. As a parent of an autistic/multi-disabled child, I feel a kinship with her in this "special needs"/therapy world where I don't really want to be. How nice to have a parent deliver a mixture of hope and heartbreak in a very humble and relevant way. We may not have all the answers, but I am guessing that God's heart breaks as much as ours and just because our kids have some disabilities, doesn't mean they can't give glory to God. Kathy reminds us of this over and over again.
Life Changing. And I Mean It........2007-04-10
This book is changing my life as I write this and renewing my faith (in God and in my child's capabilities). I still can't take them to church, but as the mother of profoundly autistic twin boys, this book is becoming my life jacket in the sea of despair I've been wallowing in lately. I've only read the first 3 devotional days, but last night I got out of bed and down on my knees for the first time in a long time. Refreshingly, the book doesn't have any miracle answers. Instead it's motivating me to look for my own (through God's Word). And just being motivated after a full day of tantruming, confounding amazement, damage control, constant cleaning, and "kitchen patrol" is an accomplishment in itself!
Buy a copy of this book for anyone who loves your child--it will remind them daily why they do!
Peaceful.......2007-03-08
This book will bring you peace in the caos of Autism, and really help your focus stay on God!
Average customer rating:
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The Good Old Days: America : The Forties and the Fifties
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 1945 - Present
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ASIN: 0783548451 |
Average customer rating:
- Inspiring reading throughout the year.
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The Last Days of the Messiah: The Week That Changed the World
Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1581822898 |
Book Description
The Last Days of Messiah is a retelling of the events of the final days of Jesus Christ, taken entirely from the words of Scripture written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul.
Every day is vividly recounted, including the following schedule to countdown.
-Entering Jerusalem and clearing the Temple - Day Seven
-Supper with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha - Day Six
-The triumphal entry into Jerusalem - Day Five
-Cleansing and teaching in the Temple - Day Four
-Forecasting the future - Day Three
-Preparing for Passover - Day Two
-The Last Supper in the Upper Room - Day One
-The death and burial of Messiah - Day Zero
-The Empty Tomb - Resurrection!
-The many appearances of the Risen Messiah
-The ascension and glorification of Jesus
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring reading throughout the year........2002-03-23
Aptly edited by Gary Wharton, The Last Days Of Messiah: The Week That Changed The World is the compelling story of the events, activities, and teachings marking the last seven days of the life of Jesus Christ, followed by His resurrection and the many appearances of the Risen Messiah culminating in the ascension and glorification of the Son of God. Drawn from relevant passages in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the writings of Paul, The Last Days Of Messiah is an engaging, "reader friendly", highly recommended account that provides reflection and remembrance which is especially suited for the Easter season, and will provide inspiring reading throughout the year.
Book Description
Join Frederica Mathewes-Green on a guided retreat—ideal for the Lenten season—through the classic Great Canon, a wise, ancient, Orthodox text that will enrich your experience of spirituality and prayer.
First Fruits of Prayer will bring readers of all denominational backgrounds into the prayer experience of first millennium Christianity through immersion in this fascinating text, a poetic hymn written in the eighth century. This extraordinarily beautiful work, still chanted by Eastern Christians every Lent, weaves together Old and New Testament scriptures with prayers of hope and repentance. It offers ancient ways of seeing Christ that will nevertheless feel new to most readers today.
This insightful book offers all readers an opportunity to walk through a classic text from the Christian East in a series of 40 prayerful readings, with accompanying commentary and questions for further reflection.
Customer Reviews:
Encouraging reading!.......2007-02-14
I have read the Canon of St. Andrew several times in the past. This book is helpful in causing a deeper dig within my own heart, to grasp the faith of the Ancient Christians! I expect that this book will begin to look worn, as the years go by, as well as a few other favorites on my bookshelf!
First Fruits of Prayer.......2006-03-18
This is a wonderful book to go through during lent, or for that matter, at any time of the year. There are 40 excerpts from the Canon of St. Andrew. Frederica Mathewes-Green links these selections with the scripture from the Bible that inspired them and includes a brief commentary on each verse.
This book makes one look at their own shortcomings and sins, but also shines the light of a loving and merciful God as the help and healer of our human spiritual ailments. I really am enjoying reading and being challenged by this book.
Great Lenten Resource.......2006-02-19
Eastern Christian thought, prayer and spirituality is not well enough known in "the West." The Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is a beautiful prayer, and Ms. Mathewes-Green does an excellent job in communicating these values in a way that those of us with a "Western" mindset can understand, appreciate, and find meaning in our lives. Great reading during the Lenten season.
Excellent Journey Through Lent.......2006-01-27
I don't intend so much to review this book (which I found excellent), as to respond to a couple of questions posed by the reviewer below, John Zxerce.
Mr. Zxerce seems to be looking at the theology of the book through a Protestant/Reformed lens. No doubt, if this is the case some of what he sees will seem strange, even foreign, to his understanding of the Faith. An example of this is his putting forth of several implicit or explicit "either/or's." But from an Orthodox perspective these are seen more as "both/and's." Salvation is found through "a Savior to be embraced" and "an example to be followed." One aspect of soteriology doesn't preclude or negate the other. Of course, one must "embrace" the Saviour before one can follow Him, but it the Orthodox mind the two are not radically separate. Salvation is a gift of God's grace, without a doubt. But that doesn't eliminate the need to live a Christ-like life. To put it in Western terms, righteousness is both "imputed" and "infused." It's not one or the other.
The ransom/redemption texts of Scripture that Mr. Zxerce quotes will fit just as well into the Orthodox paradigm of salvation as rescue, as they do into the Western understanding of the "substitutionary atonement," which of course the Orthodox believe, albeit not in the same way. Sin and death are definitely real enemies--I'm not sure how one could come away with any other idea after reading the Canon of St. Andrew. The difference between Orthodoxy and Protestant Christianity in this regard is the manner in which the two sides see those enemies being defeated.
It is important to remember that the Western "substitutionary atonement" model of the death of Christ isn't all there is. For centuries before that model became the dominant one in the Western Church, the Eastern Fathers (and many Western ones as well) held to the view that the Orthodox hold today. For further reading on this I'd recommend Mathewes-Green's earlier book THE ILLUMINED HEART and Matthew Gallatin's THIRSTING FOR GOD. These two books also contain references that point the way to deeper, more scholarly works on the subject.
Customer Reviews:
A practical spirituality for Franciscan.......2004-08-15
This book is a very good meditation on the lens with which Franciscans view creation and Christ. It offers a practical way to experience theology. Composed of 3 parts: a 40 day retreat and meditation; group meeting suggestions; and the Itinerarium mentis in Deum as translated by Zachary Hayes. Eventhough the book is good, one should try to attend the workshop given the writers (it is superb).
Book Description
• Powerful testimonies from the team who brought In Six Days
• Perfect for those with intellectual barriers to the gospel
• Includes Ph.D.'s from the natural and social sciences
The best-selling book, In Six Days, gave the accounts of 50 doctorate-holding scientists and why they affirm their belief in a literal six-day creation. The success of that book demanded a sequel, and it has arrived. On the Seventh Day is a collection of essays by 42 doctorate-holding scientists who have a firm belief in God and explain how their knowledge of science backs and confirms their faith. A perfect book for the agnostic or the Christian who's not quite sure, this book will help fortify and strengthen the faith of those who read it. The men and women featured in this book pursue various academic interests, including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, medicine, and psychology. From John R. de Laeter 's explorations of physics, to Werner Gitt 's fascinating studies of information systems, this book will reach an audience that many have considered unreachable.
Customer Reviews:
Excellant read and good resource.......2007-07-14
This is great for believers and skeptics! This is written about scholars who show proofs for their own faith.
Books:
- The Frontiersmen: A Narrative
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- The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour
- The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom
- The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else
- The Next World War: What Prophecy Reveals About Extreme Islam and the West
- The Origins of the Cold War, 1941 - 1949, Third Edition
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