Valarie, a new waitress in town, has caught the eye of Gavin, the handsome local sheriff. She moved to town half a year ago, secretly in search of the key that links her to her ancestors. If she were to be caught by the sheriff, her quest would be over. But due to circumstances beyond her control, she ends up living in Gavin’s house, where she is swept away by his passion and sense of justice. If he knew the things she has done, she’s sure he’d regret falling in love with her… But how can either of them deny their love?

Valarie, a new waitress in town, has caught the eye of Gavin, the handsome local sheriff. She moved to town half a year ago, secretly in search of the key that links her to her ancestors. If she were to be caught by the sheriff, her quest would be over. But due to circumstances beyond her control, she ends up living in Gavin’s house, where she is swept away by his passion and sense of justice. If he knew the things she has done, she’s sure he’d regret falling in love with her… But how can either of them deny their love?

A startling exploration of the history of the most controversial book of the Bible, by the bestselling author of Beyond Belief. Through the bestselling books of Elaine Pagels, thousands of readers have come to know and treasure the suppressed biblical texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one of the world's foremost religion scholars, she has been a pioneer in interpreting these books and illuminating their place in the early history of Christianity. Her new book, however, tackles a text that is firmly, dramatically within the New Testament canon: The Book of Revelation, the surreal apocalyptic vision of the end of the world . . . or is it? In this startling and timely book, Pagels returns The Book of Revelation to its historical origin, written as its author John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire after what is now known as "the Jewish War," in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired with religious fervor, waged an all-out war against Rome's occupation of Judea and their defeat resulted in the desecration of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels persuasively interprets Revelation as a scathing attack on the decadence of Rome. Soon after, however, a new sect known as "Christians" seized on John's text as a weapon against heresy and infidels of all kinds-Jews, even Christians who dissented from their increasingly rigid doctrines and hierarchies. In a time when global religious violence surges, Revelations explores how often those in power throughout history have sought to force "God's enemies" to submit or be killed. It is sure to appeal to Pagels's committed readers and bring her a whole new audience who want to understand the roots of dissent, violence, and division in the world's religions, and to appreciate the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Gnostic Gospels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity, a work of luminous scholarship and wide popular appeal. First published in 1979 to critical acclaim, winning the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award, The Gnostic Gospels has continued to grow in reputation and influence over the past two decades. It is now widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and accessible histories of early Christian spirituality published in our time. In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ from that of the New Testament. In this spellbinding book, renowned religious scholar Elaine Pagels elucidates the mysteries and meanings of these sacred texts both in the world of the first Christians and in the context of Christianity today. With insight and passion, Pagels explores a remarkable range of recently discovered gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of “Christianities” emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others, like Buddhists and Hindus, sought enlightenment—and access to God—within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine as well? Was martyrdom a necessary—or worthy—expression of faith? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed—and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message. Brilliant, provocative, and stunning in its implications, The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith.

Perhaps no book in the history of the world has been as misunderstood and misappropriated as the Book of Revelation. Those people versed in the methods of scholarly interpretation (exegesis) may understand the symbolism of this work, but what about the general reader? How is he or she to know whether this book is being soundly interpreted or misinterpreted? Father Chapman writes for the general reader, for the many who need to understand the truth of The Message of the Book of Revelation -both its historical message and its message for Christians today. He explains, phrase by phrase, in clear, direct terms what has been learned about the genre of writings called apocalyptic literature - of which Revelation is a part - and how that knowledge can be properly used to interpret the images and symbols of Revelation. Faithful to the teaching of the Church, this explanation of Revelation "reveals" this biblical book to be an inspiring, hope-filled, poetic portrayal of the triumph of Christ and his followers over the powers of evil. The Rev. Charles T. Chapman, Jr., was raised and educated as a Southern Baptist. He joined the Episcopal Church in 1980 and was ordained priest in 1987. He holds degrees from Union University and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with further training at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. With Bible teaching and writing among his principle interests, Fr. Chapman offers this commentary in the hopes that reason and scholarship can shed light on a biblical work where baseless, extravagant imagination has long cast its shadow.