Written by distinguished historians with the force of a novel, this book reconstructs the web of religious ecstacy, greed, and seduction within the cult of the Prophet Matthias in New York in 1834 and captures the heated atmosphere of the religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening. Illustrations.

"I know the suffering and pain which sickness involves. I admit the misery and wretchedness which it often brings. But I cannot regard it as completely evil."— JC Ryle Sickness affects everyone personally at some time. In this powerful yet comforting Christian perspective, the 19th-century Bishop of Liverpool, JC Ryle, offers some timely biblical wisdom about this universal human problem. This work has been edited in such a way as to retain Ryle's writing style, but some of the language has been updated and simplified so as to make it easier for the modern reader. This short (24 page) booklet is an ideal resource for pastoral ministry.

In the early twenty-first century, nuclear war has brought about what many believe is the end of the world. A young man named Matthias Dante must come to terms with the destiny that fate has chosen for himone that his family is willing to die for. His mother believes he has been chosen to be a warrior of God and a light unto Zion for the last people in the world. As Matthias and his uncle Marcus travel through what remains of the United States after the great war in search of Zion, the young man begins to learn about the responsibilities that will soon rest on his shoulders. His uncle works to prepare him, but Matthias is overwhelmed by the prospect of his destiny. He doesnt feel ready to lead others and to face the evil that is to come. Even so, Marcus is determined to save Matthias and keep him on the correct pathone that will bring him to confront the men who caused the war and who intend to slaughter those of Zion. Matthias must fight the dark leader Satorian and do what he can to guide his people to victoryor perish in the attempt. In this novel, a young man and his uncle make their way through the United States after a nuclear war in order to secure peace and combat the evil intentions of the wars mastermind.

This book contributes to the current revision of Matthias Claudius's image by, illuminating the complex of ideas that lies at the core of his thought and relating them to his art and the broader concerns that were most important to him. Claudius has long had a firm place in the canon of German literature as a naive and soulful poet of folklife, nature, and religious faith. Over the past two decades, however, a growing body of scholarship has uncovered aspects of his life and work that demand reconsideration of his traditional image. This volume represents an attempt to contribute to the revision. This volume elucidates the ideas central to Claudius's thought and views them in connection with both his work and important issues of the time. Over and against the traditional image of Claudius the study projects a more accurate and balanced, indeed, a substantially new vision of the poet and man.

Illuminated by the recently recovered Matthias Scroll, this novel provides the first-ever document-based account of Jesus' life and death. When the disciples glorified Jesus' crucifixion, Matthias swore their Gospels would not bury his friend beneath the cornerstone of their new religion. As Jesus' companion for that last, fateful year (Acts I:21), he could not celebrate his death as a model of salvation. Instead, he would write a scroll telling what actually happened. Formatted as a suspenseful novel, The Matthias Scroll reveals hitherto unknown events leading to his arrest, crucifixion, and fully illuminating what happened during and after his interment. Exposed by fresh translations, recovered pearls of verifiable history are strung together, leading to a portrait of Jesus never before suspected. Against a background enlivened by sights and sounds of the Galilee, as well as Temple festivities in Jerusalem, the reader will meet many colorful New Testament characters, joining Jesus and the disciples in the epic drama. "Shaped with a deep sense of the history, this controversial but fascinating work offers a vivid portrayal of Jesus as a respected teacher of his generation, at the moment when Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity were born."--Dr. Michael Berenbaum

“Pope Benedict XVI, writing in 1988 as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, described Matthias Joseph Scheeben’s theology as justly praised, but rather less read. My modest hope, through this entirely straightforward study, is to encourage some more—in a phrase Scheeben would relish—ecclesially fruitful reading of him in the English-speaking world.”—From the Author’s Preface Romance and System: The Theological Synthesis of Matthias Joseph Scheeben by Aidan Nichols, OP, is a comprehensive introduction to one of the most significant dogmatic theologians of recent centuries. Exploring the vigor, coherence, and beauty of Scheeben’s theological vision, Nichols concludes that the great German theologian’s work combines “romance and system”: a lyrical appeal to the imagination and a virile challenge to the intellect, the inspiration of metaphor and the conceptual power of an architectonic account of the revelation carried by the Church. Romance and System examines the major themes of Scheeben’s works and underscores their preeminence in Catholic dogmatic theology.

Jesus, Son of God, walked among us until betrayed by one of the twelve. This novel is the telling of the journey undertaken by the disciple Matthias, the man chosen to pick up the mantel discarded by Judas, and to bring the message of Christ to the remote African kingdom known as Kush, a land of beliefs as ingrained as those of Rome and Egypt. Although Matthias never fully understood the reasoning behind his selection to carry out such an important task, he undertook his mission willingly and, as a result, helped to convert a civilization.