Joseph Kelly
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Origins Of Christmas (Revised)
$21.95Add to cartWhen was Christmas first celebrated? How did December 25 become the date for the feast? How did the Bible’s “magi from the East” become three kings named Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar who rode camels from three different continents to worship the newborn Christ? How did the Feast of the Nativity generate an entire liturgical season from Advent to Candlemas? Why did medieval and Renaissance artists portray Joseph as an old man? When did the first Christmas music appear? And who was the real Saint Nicholas?These and many other questions are answered in The Origins of Christmas. The story of the origins of Christmas is not well known, but it is a fascinating tale. It begins when the first Christians had little interest in Christ’s Nativity, and it finishes when Christmas had become an integral part of Christian life and Western culture.The Origins of Christmas covers a variety of topics in a concise and accessible style, and is suitable for group discussions.
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Ecumenical Councils Of The Catholic Church
$29.95Add to cartThere have been twenty-one universal gatherings-ecumenical councils-of the Catholic Church. The first opened in 325, the last closed in 1965, and the names of many ring out in the history of the church: Nicea, Chalcedon, Trent, Vatican II. Though centuries separate the councils, each occurred when the church faced serious crises, sometimes with doctrinal matters, sometimes with moral or even political matters, and sometimes with discerning the church’s relation to the world. The councils determined much of what the Catholic Church is and believes. Additionally, many councils impacted believers in other Christian traditions and even in other faiths.
In this accessible, readable, and yet substantial account of the councils Joseph Kelly provides both the historical context for each council as well as an account of its proceedings. Readers will discover how the councils shaped the debate for the following decades and even centuries, and will appreciate the occasional portraits of important conciliar figures from Emperor Constantine to Pope John XXIII.
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Introduction To The New Testament For Catholics
$29.95Add to cartThe title of this book may be a bit puzzling-a Catholic introduction to the New Testament? The New Testament belongs to all Christians, and the modern study of the New Testament has benefited from the contributions by scholars of all Christian denominations. But there are problems with the New Testament that are specific to Catholics. In this volume, Joseph Kelly provides an introduction to the New Testament for students and deals with the concerns of modern Christians reading the Bible. It’s a book that teachers can use rather than a book that presents teachers with problems they have to explain.
Kelly helps readers to understand what modern scholars say about the individual books. He argues that we can’t understand what role Jesus can play in modern life if we don’t understand what he meant to the earliest Christians.The New Testament tells the story of Jesus, the most remarkable person who ever lived, and of his disciples. It includes some of the most famous narratives in the world and the most memorable words ever spoken. It introduces us to great people who moved history and of those who took the difficult step of leaving the religions of their ancestors and families to become Christians. Kelly shows that in looking at the New Testament we see real people communicating with us-sharing their beliefs, their fears, and their hopes. Distant yet familiar, challenging yet comprehensible, the New Testament is a precious heritage, and one that Kelly recommends we must make our own.
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Responding To Evil
$8.95Add to cartThe impact of 9-11-01 on the American (and the world’s) consciousness brought the presence of evil front and center. How can good and evil be reconciled, and how can we respond sensibly to evil in our lives? This book provides some answers to such queries, particularly through examining how modern Christians, often ordinary people, have done so.
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Problem With Evil Of The Western Tradition
$26.95Add to cartWhile others have contributed tomes and volumes on the history of Evil, Kelly covers much ground in much fewer pages. An ample bibliography will direct the curious to more in depth study, while readers who prefer a lighter treatment (albeit a meticulously researched and well-written one) will experience a wealth of information packed between these covers.
Delineating between “Evil” and “evils”, the author starts the tour in the Book of Job and follows literary, religious and philosophical strands through to the biotech ambiguities of the early 21st century. He draws a picture of how the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia viewed Evil by examining myths similar to biblical texts along with biblical references to Satan. And, by gleaning from both Christian and non-religious writings, he shows how these have formed the idea of Evil in the collective conscience. The final chapters illuminate modern theories and approaches to Evil, and the book culminates with the author’s own reflection on what he believes Evil to be.