The Dynamic Relationship between Freemasonry and Mormonism
The apparent parallels between Mormon ritual and doctrine and those of Freemasonry have long been recognised. That Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other early church leaders were Masons, at least for a time, is common knowledge. Yet while early historians of the LDS Church openly acknowledged this connection, the question of influence was later ......
Among the earliest writings in Syriac literature is the collection of 30 memre or discourses entitled the Book of Steps or Liber Graduum, mostly probably written in the late fourth century inside the Persian Empire (modern Iraq). The author, who deliberately withheld his name, wrote extensively on the spiritual life and exploits of two groups of ......
Gratian and the Development of Penitential Thought and Law in the Twelfth Century
This book presents the first full-scale study of the Tractatus de penitentia (C.33 q.3) in Gratian's Decretum, which became the textbook for canon law and served as the basis of the church's developing jurisprudence, in theory and in practice. The treatise on penance stands out as a distinct, overtly theological section of Gratian's work and was ......
A crucial topic in Catholic-Orthodox ecumenical dialogue is the nature and exercise of universal primacy in the church. In 1995, Pope John Paul II expressed the hope that pastors and theologians of both churches might seek ways in which the papal ministry could accomplish ""a service of love recognised by all concerned"" (Ut Unum Sint). In this ......
A Concise History of the Religious Cultures of Greece from Antiquity to the Present
Covering an expanse of more than three thousand years, this title charts the history of Greece's religious cultures from antiquity all the way through to present, post-independence Greece.
By virtue of Lutheranism's spiritual heritage and identity in America as an immigrant church, Lutherans are specially placed to give hopeful leadership about the controversial issue of immigration in the United States today. They Are Us explores the biblical, historical, theological, and cultural foundations for Lutheran participation in a public ......
Luther writes in his Large Catechism: No greater jewel, therefore, can adorn our body and soul than baptism, for through it we become completely holy and blessed, which no other kind of life and no work on earth can acquire.
Bacher and Inskeep believe that mainline denominations serve as caretakers of the important American expressions of Christianity, and if they are weak or lost, society and the universal church will be the worse for it.
Camp Floyd and the Mormons traces the history of the sojourn of "Johnston's Army" in Utah Territory from the beginning of the Utah War in 1857 through the abandonment of Camp Floyd in Cedar Valley west of Utah Lake at the outbreak of the Civil War. The book describes the relationship between the invading army and the local Mormon population, gives ......
