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He is considered one of the greatest novelists in any language in all of human history, but Leo Tolstoy was also an influential social reformer and peace advocate. Subtitled "Christianity Not as a Mystical Teaching but as a New Concept of Life," this powerful exploration of the preachings of Jesus from a pacifistic perspective.First published in 1893, it introduced such important 20th-century figures as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King to the concept of nonviolent resistance. This edition is vital reading for anyone wishing to understand the history of protest around the world or gain a deeper appreciation of pacifistic Christianity.Russian writer COUNT LEV ("LEO") NIKOLAYEVICH TOLSTOY (1828-1910) is best known for his novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877).Translation by Harvard professor of Slavic languages, Leo Weiner (1862-1939). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Life Changing and Life Affirming
I am just about done with this book and I feel it may be the most influential book I have ever read outside of the New Testament.It is beautifully insane, as are the words of Jesus.A dream that should be real and CAN BE REAL.If not for the world, FOR YOU TODAY AND RIGHT NOW.Become a fool for God.Tolstoy was ready to do so and wanted others to do the same.And just as Jesus, his greatest object of scorn were the hypocrites, who used the words of truth to convince the masses just enough to make them do just the opposite.To kill in the name of Jesus, to support hierarchies of men, to make us all assist in statist warmongering through forced conscription and taxation.

I read the negative reviews here and what befuddles me is that so many act like Tolstoy was so removed from life and violence.Except for the war vets out there, I'd say he was a lot closer to it than you, given the time and place of his life.So don't act like he'd seen nothing and was living in la la land and you aren't.

Moreover, who said that he had to be "logical"?By that same token, neither was Jesus.But Jesus had something a lot of us don't have, a giant set of balls.He was willing to die first, be humiliated and mocked and treated like dirt.And he begged forgiveness for those who did it.

What I think Tolstoy disliked the most is that the mythology of Christianity did everything to take Jesus away from us, to turn him into a God and forget the part of him that was the man, to make us feel that it was Him and Him alone to which the right to really walk it like you talk it was invested.But hey, that blood coming out of his body was the blood that made Him a man.And when they scourged Him (i.e. kicked the ever living crap out of Him)that was a man who took those blows that sent pain shocking up those nerves and into that brain.

Of course there are all sorts of logical arguments that could be raised against Tolstoy's demands at radical Jesus, but you'd best just take them to Jesus because He preached radical faith.If logic is what you want to use, just go be an atheist, cause really where is the "logic" in believing in Christ or His testimony?Neither the mythology or the testament of Christ really fits in line with your brain if all you want to do is ask what Jesus would do if someone pulled a knife on Him and he had a kid to protect.You are just like the Pharisees at that point, using logic to tempt Jesus when even their religious platform was itself illogical.

you either got the heart or you don't.I don't think anyone had the guts Jesus did, but if you can't even hear it, you certainly can't touch it.

Did Tolstoy think his treatise was gonna end all war?Of course not.But if he inspires even one of us to remember to walk away when someone insults or takes a swing at us and to not silently grumble about what a jerk they are, if he inspires even one more person to really think about what signing on to join an army really means (it ain't college money)...it's one more step forward.

Tolstoy, you rock!

Well meaning but full of error
Tolstoy became christianized to some degree before he died. But he clearly confused the Catholicism he was raised in and surrounded by with true Christianity. Which comes across loud and clear in his writings. Most of the world does (confuse the two). Other errors also compile to make Tolstoy's gospel a false gospel. Tolstoy does have some good things to say at times, but they are all interwoven with his own personal socialist beliefs and he seems to snatch bits and pieces of scripture references out of the Bible to back up those beliefs; rather than taking scripture in context with the whole he only gives acknowledgement to those verses which serve his purpose, his beliefs.

great thought
In this case, Tolstoy doesn't know when to shut up.He made his point half-way through the book.

And Gandhi read it too
It was great to get hold of this book, and I read it with especial interest because of its link to Gandhi who was 'overwhelmed' by it - his word - and who said it left 'an abiding impression' on him. It's really a defence of Tolstoy's position on non-violence, which is why Gandhi sat up and took notice; and a continued attack on the Orthodox church which totally ruled the roost at the time, and supported the government in all matters. And believe me, no one attacks like Tolstoy! He's ruthless, but also somehow very funny. Having seen the recent film, I'm not sure I'd want to have been married to the man; I think he finds disagreement impossible to handle. But he's not the only one to find the Sermon on the Mount more compelling than the Institutional church, and he puts his case so so well. And congratulations to Whitecrow for such high production values; glad to have found you.

Condition unsatisfactory
This book was listed in excellent condition with a normal wear on the spine.It was, in fact, sliced and twisted as if during printing it had a little mishap.While it is still ok as a seven dollar book, I was disappointed to find it not as advertized. ... Read more

Product Description
Jihad, or "Holy War" is very much alive in the Islamic world, and plays a prominent political role. Western observers usually associate jihad with fanaticism, while Islamists emphasize its mission as a crusade against drugs and other societal scourges. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best available introduction to the subject
At a time when "scholars" and journalists are churning out books on Islam like clockwork, it has become alarmingly difficult to find an broad, balanced survey of Jihad, with its many meanings and applications.Rudolph Peters presents a diverse, yet coherent selection of sources on the topic.His own analyses are well-informed and highly respectful of how nuanced the institution of Jihad is.

Especially refreshing is the absence of a post-9/11 agenda, in contrast to other recent books.The book traces the evolution of Jihad throughout Islamic history by presenting a progression of sources from various times and places.

Admittedly, this is a relatively short read and therefore limited in scope.But the sources are well-chosen and provide an effective foundation for further study. ... Read more

Product Description
The book presents Muslim beliefs about God's relationship to humans by drawing on relevant Islamic sources from Muhammad to modern times. In connection with the social and political history of Islam, the reader is introduced to the central ideas and concepts of Islamic theologians. Nagel observes how, in the course of time, the universal messages in the Koran have become clearer through a dual process of analysis and application to a range of human experience. The outcome of this conflict-ridden process is the conviction that God endowed Abraham, the first prophet, with all knowledge man can achieve, and that complete comprehension of this store of knowledge is the deepest, but ultimately unattainable purpose of Islam and the culmination of the history of mankind. Included are chapters on the Koran, the foundations of Islamic theology, faith and Islam, the two types of Islam, theological literature, early Rationalism, Rationalism and tradition, theology and philosophy, Islam and Gnosis, Islamic orthodoxy, and Islam as ideology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Superbly translated from the original German into English
The History Of Islamic Theology: From Muhammad To The Present is a thoughtful, informative, careflly presented and scholarly tracing of the evolution of Islamic doctrine from its origins down to the present day. Written by Islamic theology and history expert Tilman Nagel (University of Gottingen, Germany), The History Of Islamic Theology has been superbly translated from the original German into English by Thomas Thornton. While the primary focus is on the early development of Islam in the ninth through twelfth centuries, Nagel also reveals the many ways in which Muslims from around the world have carried the precepts and doctrines of Islam into contemporary times. A strongly recommended addition to Islamic Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections, The History Of Islamic Theology is also available in a hard cover edition (1558762027,).

What do Muslims believe?
Nagel, professor of Islamic theology at Göttingen, writes from outside Islam and in the rationalist-historical tradition to explicate what Muslims have believed, using a style often found in western theological studies ofChristianity that are based in history rather than faith. He hasintentionally refrained "from rashly pointing out parallels or similaritiesbetween Islam and Christianity, because this tends to be misleading.... Itis more important and helpful to recognize-and accept-the different natureof the other faith." He methodically examines the nature and meaning of theQur'an; the nature of faith; concepts of salvation; the literary traditionsof hadith and kalam; the role of rationalism in the major schools ofIslamic thought; revelation, philosophy, gnosis, orthodoxy and, as he movesfrom the classical to the modern era, ideology. The book concludes with arelatively brief annotated list of further readings. Useful for the seriousnon-specialist reader. ... Read more

Product Description
Combining history, comparative religion, and political interpretations, the author elucidates Shi'ism and political developments in the Middle East for the Western reader. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A good introduction
Content Summary:Halm focuses on the following in this book: A) the separation of Shia from Sunni Islam at Karbala, B) the development of the Ashura ritual and Taziyeh passion play after that fact, and C) some of the historical, political and religious underpinnings for the radical Shia Revolution in Iran in 1979.Some large tracts of Khomeini's writings are included here.

Analytical Review: Halm claims neither to attack nor defend Shia Islam, but to merely rely the facts, and one has confidence that he does just that.His style seems very objective and straightforward, and I would strongly recommend him as a dependable scholar of Shia Islamic thought.

various reviews for the book
"Heinz Halm, an internationally renowned expert on Shi'ism, provides a concise and highly readable introduction to the historical and intellectual development of Twelver (Imamite) Shi'a Islam. He also presents Shi'i rituals as seen by European travelers. Halm considers these rituals as more important than Shi'a legal codes in terms of influencing culture. For example, he maintains that the 1979 Iranian revolution selectively utilized those historical and cultural symbols of Shi'ism that appealed to the sentiments of the masses; these symbols thus became tools in the hands of religious leaders." --Journal of Palestine Studies

"Illustrations, glossary, and index make this primer accessible and informative to nonspecialists . . . recommended for courses on Islam and comparative religions, especially at the undergraduate level, and as a welcome addition to the literature on Shi'ism in general." --Digest of Middle East Studies

An "authoritative account" --Middle East Quarterly

"Recommended. . . . " --Library Journal

"A solid, knowledgeable, and readable book without ideological baggage. . . . "
-Listen


"In this slim volume, which is a translation by Allison Brown of the 1994 German original, Professor Heinz Halm, a leading scholar of early Shi`ism, offers his interpretation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in a historical perspective, reaching back to the formative era of Imami Shi`ism. The subtitle, "From Religion to Revolution," is a clear indication of his main argument. Rather than accept the rhetoric of the Islamic militants in Iran on the essentially revolutionary character of Shi`ism, Halm prefers to see the transition to revolution as a turning point in the evolution of Shi`ism as a religion.

Halm's historical perspective is a welcome corrective to the a-historical shallowness of the vast majority of the accounts of the Islamic Revolution, and goes farther back than those adopted by the few historically minded observers, including this reviewer. The depth of Halm's historical perspective is most valuable for this reason, and also because his sketch of the Shi`i history, despite its concision, offers quite a few novel points and emphases. Here, Halm's erudition stands him in good stead. In part 1, for instance, on the origins of Shi`ism and history of the imams, he can bring out the importance of the hitherto neglected and oldest account of the movement of the penitents (tawwabun) in 684-85 by Abu Mikhnaf of Kufa (d. 774). As the penitents--the Kufans who accused themselves of abandoning Husayn and being responsible for his death in Karbala (p. 680)--were the core group out of which Imami Shi`ism grew, Halm is right to highlight the importance of Abu Mikhnaf's report. However, he goes too far in his contention that it contains "all the essential elements that characterize the Shi`i religion today" (p. 18).

Be that as it may, consonant with this contention, part 2 is devoted to the historical ethnography of the passion plays and rituals of self-flagellation that commemorate the tragedy of Karbala during the first ten days of Muharram. The theoretical rationale for focusing on this aspect of Shi`ism is that ritual is more important for the formation of community than the regulations of the sacred law. The ethnography of the Muharram rituals is accompanied by fourteen figures, including interesting 19th-century illustrations, folk drawings from popular books, and contemporary photographs. Once again, the historical account is rich in detail and insight, but one is not compelled to assent to the concluding inferences that the statements he quotes from the contemporary flagellants "clearly demonstrate the element of penitence for the collective failure of the Shi`a" (p. 83), or that "sinful Shi`ites are seen as worthy of death and only their death can expiate their guilt" (p. 85). This overemphasis on sin and guilt strikes me as a Protestant reading of Shi`ism. One can concede the importance of the rituals of Muharram for fostering the attitudes and dispositions of the Shi`is but disagree about how they are understood and, therefore, about their effects. An alternative psychological interpretation would be that the 7th-century penitents' emphasis on sin and repentance developed into a theodicy of martyrdom and the suffering of the Shi`i as (innocent) victims. The guilt for the martyrdom of Husayn and his family, together with usurpation of the rights of the subsequent imams (and their alleged poisoning), came to be placed squarely on the shoulders of the usurpers and tyrannical governments. It was not the wronged Shi`i but the wrongdoing usurpers who were guilty and sinful. A further development I would emphasize is the other-worldly compensation for Husayn, Lord of the Martyrs, who can now intercede for the oppressed Shi`i and obtain salvation for them in the other world. After all, the Shi`i consider themselves the saved sect (firqa-ye najiya).

Halm calls the second half of his book (part 3), "The Government of the Expert--the Islam of the Mullahs." Here again, Halm provides us with a concise historical perspective on the growth of clerical authority in Shi`i history, and emphasizes (p. 110, esp.) that the dualism of royal and clerical authority in the structure of power in Iran since the Safavid period is crucial for understanding the Islamic Revolution of 1979. With that revolution, clerical authority overwhelmed royal authority, but in doing so, it also radically transformed Shi`ism. His account clearly shows that the conversion of the Shi`i tradition into a revolutionary ideology was "a very modern phenomenon and it demanded considerable modification of the religious tradition" (p. 132). "The political revolution also served to revolutionize Shi`ism itself and led to many essential changes. . . . The most important innovation is the principle of 'government of the expert [jurist would have been a more accurate translation]' (velayat-e faqih) (p. 138). Halm traces the implementation of this principle under Khomeini and his successor, confirming his assertion that "Khomeini thus revolutionized not only the Iranian state, but traditional Shi`ism as well" (p. 145). The translation is fluid and readable...
The translation of Shi`a Islam is a most welcome event. It provides the English reader with an authoritative conspectus of Shi`i history and an accurate description of the revolutionary transformation of Shi`ism since 1979, including some useful information collected by the author in Iran in 1993. As a short historical introduction to Shi`ism, it is serviceable to the general public and has no rival or substitute."--- International Journal of Middle East Studies

Approach with an open-mind
As a Shi'i, I do not have any difficulties in accepting the Shi'idoctrines because I have always been taught the reasoning behind them. Therefore, it can be misleading to those who are not very familiar withShi'i beliefs, to read books that do not give its reasoning,(clearlyindicated by the misunderstanding by many).It is also worth noting thatnot everything published about the Shi'a are true, and so reliable sourcesmust be followed.I recommend to those interested the book, Then I WasGuided, by Sheikh Teejani al-Samawi (available online, and summarised inal-islam.org).This book traces the life of the author and his firstencounter with a Shi'i, his detailed study of Shi'ism and its acceptance(very enjoyable to read). You can also ask the Shi'a about their beliefs,especially when the reasoning is needed.

Some observations on Shii-Sunni dispute
The most disturbing argument brought forth by Shia sect is the event of "Ghadir" when Prophet gives his lecture on supposedly passing authority to Ali. When I first heard this from one of my Shia friend, Iflatly denied it and considered it a typical Shia fabrication. But to mypersonal embarrassment I later found out that this was written by our ownulema and great scholars. I was deeply disturbed. Why would Prophet saysomething like this, especially the way he approaches the whole thing. Idon't blame some people having interpreted that event as prophet givingauthority to Ali, certainly that event if not conclusive is very suggestiveof thatnotion. It seems as though, and God know best, that Prophet wantedto create a dispute among his people after his death.

And yet anotherquestion comes to mind about Prophet's intention when I consider the factthat he wished to send all the great companions,with the exception of Ali,to a battle. He planned this course of actionat a time when his death wasat hand.Apparently companions of the prophet realized that somethingfishy is going on here and didn't go along with prophet's plan and inspiteof Prophet's insistence they decided to stay and not leave town.Now Ineither care much about Shiism nor about Sunnism, but if you ask me I thinkProphet was definitely up to something. It is unlikely that all theseevents are just random events without any meaning. My guess is that he wasplanning something, though I am not sure what. But as history shows he didnot succeed., and maybe that is why Islamic history, like many other majorreligions, is nothing but a big mess and a killing field. Needless to saythat Prophet's own immediate family was first to fall victim to thisunfortunate reality. Was he trying to prevent this by his carefulmaneuvering? I don't know the answer to this question.Oh well, there wereother prophets before him who didn't succeed in what they had in mind aswell, I guess such is life. ... Read more

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FIRST EDITION. Wien - München: Edition Christian Brandstätter, 1986. Hardcover, bound in photo-illustrated and titled boards. One of 3,000 copies. ... Read more

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This is the first full-scale bibliography of American synagogue histories- more than 1100 of them- plus community histories, selected secondary sources, and an appendix dealing with synagogue architecture.

The history of American Jewry is reflected the history of its synagogues and communities. Now, for the first time, this history can truly be written from the bottom up, beginning with local sources.

This book allows researchers to locate all available sources about the history of a specific synagogue, or representative materials about important aspects of American-Jewish history and tradition. ... Read more

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An analysis of pilgrimages to Mecca in the early modern period. The rise of the Mughal and Safavid Perslan empires and the emergence of the Wahhabi movement in Arabia mark the beginning and end points of the study, but the author also draws comparisons with earlier and later periods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA
"One wishes that all religions of the east had such sympathetic farangis."
-Hindustan Times

" . . . an impressive work of scholarship, deftly written and exceedingly well organized."
-Midwest Book Review ... Read more

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Sufism is often overlooked when it comes to scholarly consideration of the politics of the Muslim world. This is partly due to the difficulty of defining Sufism, which is both spiritual outlook and social institution. Both aspects, however, have been important factors in the variegated involvement of Sufism in the politics of Muslim society, past and present alike. The articles comprising this volume aim to consolidate thinking about the political dimension of Sufism across culture and history and to offer new horizons for scholarly reflection on the socio-political role played by Sufism in both pre-modern and modern Muslim society. Sufism has been an active player in defining the societal nature of Islam, no less than its theological nature, and this volume underscores the way in which Sufism has played that role while adapting itself to changing political conditions.Issues include charismatic authority and institutional interests, the moral good and the state (both patrimonial and national); patronage, power, and the competitive politics of sainthood; theological assessments of the value of the world, justice, and conceptions of civil society as seen through the eyes of Sufism. This volume casts further light on an important and influential side of the ongoing debate within Islam over the purposes of politics alongside its realities. ... Read more

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This book is a study of the state of Islam in Senegal and of the religious factors that influence it. Islam in Senegal is characterized by the strong intrenchment of a certain number of Sufi brotherhoods. In effect, the majority of Senegal's 7.6 million Muslims consider adherence to a brotherhood, a tariqa, to be a religious obligation, in keeping with the well-known Sufi maxim "He who does not have a shaykh will have Satan for a guide."Mback‚ traces the genesis and evolution of Sufism in order to explain the circumstances that permitted the emergence of Sufi brotherhoods. He describes the brotherhoods that are currently active in Senegal and depicts the means and manner of their diffusion, the lives of their founding figures, their basic teachings, their internal organization, the links they maintain with each other, and the role they play in the country's cultural, economic, social and political life. The book uses its study of the present condition of Senegal's Sufi brotherhoods to speculate on their future evolution. ... Read more

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A study of women in Islam. The text does not pretend that the society of Islam was dominated by women but illustrates that the world from the classical period to modern times is also a woman's world. There are tales of A'isha, who joined the forces of early followers of Mohammed in the disastrous Came Battle; the fighter Umm Omara, who lost a hand in battle; the scholar of mysticism and freed slave Rabi'a al-Adawiyya; Khayzuran, the richest and most powerful woman; the poet Wallada, daughter of the Spanish Khalif. Slave dancers and "boy-girls", students, wives, and occasionally even career women, are all featured. The book also contains a collection of illustrations showing how women both represented themselves and were represented. The book interweaves the history of Islam with the role of Muslim women in traditional Islamic countries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Women in Islam
The most fantastic book on the subject of women in Islam. Walther gives us the world of Muslim women in a detailed, readable manner and within a fascinating historical context. The text is rich with information about women, their poetry, their words, lives, and positions within Muslim Society across history. She does not isolate women according to the "traditional" areas of the Islamic World, but rather expands her history to include Andalusian poetesses and Mughal Queens. An outstanding book for mythbusting about Muslim women.

The very best book on this topic.
I find that many books on this subject are about as interesting as reading stereo insructions. This book is like reading the most engrossing novel ever. I hardly have the oppurtunity to read it because I find myself forcing it on my friends and saying "You HAVE to read this!!" They finish it in mere days and love it! This is THE book to own if you have a middle eastern SCA persona. The imagery is beautiful and the illustrations are useful. It is imformative and very easy to interperate into an SCA context. The definative work on this subject as far as Im concerned. ... Read more

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The contemporaries of Hildegard of Bingen called her "prophetissa teutonica", honouring her philosophical writings and interpretation of the cosmos. Mediaevalists still consider her one of the leading mystics, and point to her active spiritual and artistic life in the 12th century as the finest example of what a woman can achieve. The abbess Hildegard of Bingen was the first composer to sign her musical works. As a playwright and author, she witnessed and shaped the time of the Crusades, the literary minnesang, and political and theological debate. The author of this text draws a complex picture of her life and work, as he "translates" Hildegard's ideas and her mysterious world of symbols from mediaeval Latin into contemporary concepts. Heinrich Schipperges delineates this remarkable thinker's view of the human being as a microcosm of the universe, intricately bound by the senses to the life of the soul, nature, and God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent tribute to a glorious dream maker
When Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) established her Benedictine convent at Rupertsberg, she insisted on a charter granting full ownership and independence to the nuns. And on receiving this from Count Bernard of Hildesheim, she proceeded to build the community of her dreams, without deference to any male superior. The prelate and clergy of Mainz might presume to give her orders, but if those orders contradicted her community's values she would not obey.

Schipperges explores Hildegard's values, her accomplishments, and her vision. For her, Christian community was a quest for perfect love, not perfect submission to superiors. The Gospel was a call to fullness, not a negation of life. She encouraged her nuns to deeper self-respect, not the erasure of self-esteem. From her own experience she knew low self-worth as an immaturity to be overcome. For a time she had felt that God was calling her to write books, but believed this was utter presumption for a woman. She recorded that "because of doubt and low opinion of myself and because of diverse sayings of men, I refused for a long time a call to write, not out of stubbornness, but out of humility, until weighed down by a scourge of God, I fell onto a bed of sickness". She might have interpreted this sickness as a kind of punishment for the pride of wishing to write. But finally she decided the sickness came from avoiding a challenge, and proceeded to write the books which many still revere as classics.

Concerning her community's daily life, Schipperges shows their patterns of prayer, work, and worship. They sang their own compositions, shared their visions and set their own rules. In the outside world all of this could be actually illegal. But Hildegard emphasized her women's potential for good to be cultivated, rather than their potential for sin to be suppressed. In her refuge for women, she honored what many rulers and clerics in the "real" world would attack on sight: women trusting their own deepest selves more than any external authority.

Respecting Hildegard's stress on spiritual experience over conformity to rules, her contemporary, Guibert of Gembloux, urged all clerics to learn from her.

Schipperges's book is an excellent account which does justice to a great woman.

-author of Correcting Jesus
... Read more

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This book brings together eleven essays on Islamic political thought by Bernard Lewis, the acknowledged doyen of middle eastern studies. Few historians have garnered such a broad audience as Lewis, whose works are widely read by scholars, politicians, journalists and the general public. This latest collection of essays is replete with the incisive historical insight for which Lewis, the world's foremost scholar of the Middle East, is known. With erudition, eloquence and wit, Prof. Lewis provides a focused treatment of fundamental Islamic political terms that is at once thoughtful and provocative. The essays provide the background that is essential to understanding the Islamic civilization, and consequently, the troubled history of its relations with the West. ... Read more