Eminent biblical scholar Michael D Coogan offers here a wide-ranging & stimulating exploration of the Old Testament illuminating its importance as history literature & sacred text Coogan explains the differences between the Bible of Jewish tradition (the Hebrew Bible) & the Old Testament of Christianity & also examines the different contents of the Bibles used by Roman Catholics Eastern Orthodox Christians & Protestants He looks at the rise of modern biblical scholarship as well as the recovery of ancient Near Eastern literatures & their significance for biblical interpretation One particularly interesting section examines three principal characters of the Old Testament-Abraham Deborah & David-illuminating important themes connected with them such as Abraham & covenant & David as poet & warrior Coogan explores the use of invented dialogue & historical fiction in the Old Testament the presence of mythic elements in apparently historical accounts & the relationship of ancient Israelite myths to those of their neighbors The book considers the Old Testament's idea of divine justice especially in Ecclesiastes & Job & looks at notions of the afterlife in the ancient Near East & in ancient Israel Coogan highlights the significance of the history & literature of the Old Testament & describes how non-biblical evidence such as archaeological data & texts has placed the Old Testament in a larger & more illuminating context The book also discusses law & ritual in the Bible as well as the biblical understandings of prophecy Here then is a marvelous overview of one of the great pillars of Western religion & culture a book whose significance has endured for thousands of years & which remains vitally important today for Jews Christians & Muslims worldwide ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable ...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 2012THE SUNDAY TIMES 3 BESTSELLERThe genre-defining book by acclaimed nature writer Robert Macfarlane travel Britain's ancient paths & discover the secrets of this beautiful underappreciated landscape Following the tracks holloways drove-roads & sea paths that form part of a vast ancient network of routes criss-crossing the British Isles & beyond Robert Macfarlane discovers a lost world
- a landscape of the feet & the mind of pilgrimage & ritual of stories & ghosts; above all of the places & journeys which inspire & inhabit our imaginations' Really do love it He has a rare physical intelligence & affords total immersion in place elements & the passage of time wonderful' Antony Gormley'A marvellous marriage of scholarship imagination & evocation of place I always feel exhilarated after reading Macfarlane' Penelope Lively' Macfarlane immerses himself in regions we may have thought familiar resurrecting them newly potent & sometimes beautifully strange In a moving achievement he returns our heritage to us' Colin Thubron' Every Robert Mac Farlane book offers beautiful writing bold journeys With its global reach & mysterious Sebaldian structure this is Mac Farlane's most important book yet' David Rothenberg author of Survival of the Beautiful & Thousand Mile Song' Luminous possessing a seemingly paradoxical combination of the dream-like & the hyper-vigilant The Old Ways is as with all of Macfarlane's work a magnificent read Each sentence can carry astonishing discovery' Rick Bass US novelist & nature writer' The Old Ways confirms Robert Macfarlane's reputation as one of the most eloquent & observant of contemporary writers about nature' Scotland on Sunday' Sublime writing sets the imagination tingling Macfarlane's way of writing is free exploratory rambling & haphazard but resourceful individual following his own whims & laying an irresistible trail for readers to follow' Sunday Times' Macfarlane relishes wild as well as old places He writes about both beautifully I love to read Macfarlane' John Sutherland Financial Times' Read this & it will be impossible to take an unremarkable walk again' Metro
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This is a new title in the fantastic First Reading series aimed at children who are beginning to read Based on the classic nursery rhyme this is the story of an old woman's search for a larger home But just where do you buy a boot big enough for twenty children? This key series was developed in conjunction with reading expert Allison Kelly from the University of Surrey Every title has clear & compelling text that allows children to build their burgeoning reading skills & is accompanied by charming & highly appealing illustrations ...

A delightful adaptation of a traditional tale with a Scottish twist! With a story by Rumer Godden one of the UK's most acclaimed authors & charming artwork by best-selling illustrator Mairi Hedderwick creator of Katie Morag 32 pages colour illustrations Godden Rumer ...

Olga da Polga has left the pet shop to start a new life with her owners Her home is now a large & airy hutch & it's not long before she meets Noel the cat Fangio the hedgehog & Graham the tortoise Her garden companions soon discover that Olga loves an audience & from the moment she arrives she tells them stories about her wild & exciting adventures Although they are not always sure whether to believe everything Olga says one thing is certain
- since Olga moved in life is never dull! Whether she's Olga the explorer Olga the prizewinner or Olga the storyteller she is always Olga da Polga! Written by the beloved Michael Bond with wonderful colour illustrations by Catherine Rayner & a dazzling design this is a gift edition for young readers to treasure
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The Oliver Wight Class A Standard for Business Excellence is the definitive comprehensive statement of excellence in business today Oliver Wight s Class A Standard is the accumulated practice & experience of Oliver Wight Consultants around the world 176 pages Oliver Wight International Inc ...

Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play James Hazeldine Louise Jameson & John Carlisle star as three parapsychologists working for a top secret British government department in this top-rated BBC science fiction series with definite touches of The X-Files The set

Includes:: all ten episodes as well as a host of special features

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The Omega Men are back in an all-new series! They’ve murdered White Lantern Kyle Rayner & now the universe wants them to pay! Who are these intergalactic criminals-and is there more to their actions than meets the eye? The entire acclaimed 12-issue series is collected here! ...

Remake of Richard Donner&s 1976 horror classic Katherine (Julia Stiles) & Robert (Liev Schreiber) Thorn are as loving parents as any young boy could ask for but as fate would have it their new son Damien is far from the typical child Now as the mysterious boy&s growth begins to share frightening parallels with the Biblical passages detailing the rise of the Antichrist & the lives of all who seek to reveal his true nature are cut gruesomely short Robert & Katherine are forced to face the horrifying prospect that their child has been sent from Satan to hasten the fall of modern civilisation ...

Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play US Ambassador Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) is persuaded to substitute a newborn baby whose mother has died in childbirth for his own stillborn son By the age of five the child Damien seems to be exerting a malevolent influence on the Thorn household suffering a violent fit when he is taken to church & causing his nanny to hang herself Thorn searches for an answer to his son&s behaviour & meets maverick priest Father Brennan (Patrick Troughton) who tries to convince him that Damien is in fact the Antichrist & must be stopped at all costs The Ambassador at first dismisses this as the crazy rantings of a religious maniac but subsequent events suggest that maybe the priest had a point ...