This ground-breaking study sets out a new understanding of transformations in the interaction between religion and political authority throughout history.

Sacred kingship has been the core political form, in small-scale societies and in vast empires, for much of world history. This collaborative and interdisciplinary book recasts the relationship between religion and politics by exploring this institution in long-term and global comparative perspective. Editors A. Azfar Moin and Alan Strathern present a theoretical framework for understanding sacred kingship, which leading scholars reflect on and respond to in a series of essays. They distinguish between two separate but complementary religious tendencies, immanentism and transcendentalism, which mold kings into divinized or righteous rulers, respectively. Whereas immanence demands priestly and cosmic rites from kings to sustain the flourishing of life, transcendence turns the focus to salvation and subordinates rulers to higher ethical objectives. Secular modernity does not end the struggle between immanence and transcendence—flourishing and righteousness—but only displaces it from kings onto nations and individuals. After an essay by Marshall Sahlins that ranges from the Pacific to the Arctic, the book contains chapters on religion and kingship in settings as far-flung as ancient Egypt, classical Greece, medieval Islam, Mughal India, modern European drama, and ISIS. Sacred Kingship in World History sheds new light on how religion has constructed rulership, with implications spanning global history, religious studies, political theory, and anthropology.

Described as "utterly captivating" by Richelle Mead and as "enchanting and exciting, romantic and believable" by Melissa Marr, the New York Times bestselling Unearthly series has dazzled readers and critics alike. In this riveting finale, Cynthia Hand explores the timeless question of whether it is better to follow the rules or your heart. This incandescent paranormal romance will win the hearts of fans of Becca Fitzpatrick, Andrea Cremer, and Cassandra Clare. The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Now, with the fallen angel who attacked her watching her every move and the threat of Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny—a destiny that includes Christian Prescott by her side. But in order to complete her purpose, Clara must first find a way to give up the thing she wants most . . . a future with the boy she loves, Tucker Avery.

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning. In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

"The first time I was declared dead, I lost my past. The second time, I lost my humanity. Now I'm being hunted, and if I die again, my soul is up for forfeit." After enrolling in Peel Academy, an elite supernatural boarding school on the British Isles, the last of the sirens, Gabrielle Fiori, only wants to fit in. Instead, the elixir meant to awaken her supernatural abilities kills her. When Gabrielle wakes up in the morgue twelve hours later, something wicked is awakened in her, something even the supernatural community has never seen before. Now the only person who can help her is Andre de Leon, the community's infamous bad boy and the king of vampires. Yet even his help can't prevent the repeated attempts on Gabrielle's life. Someone is after her, and they will stop at nothing to end her short existence. Only Gabrielle cannot let that happen now that her soul hangs in the balance, because she may have met the devil. And he wants her. Bad.