Marguerite Yourcenar

Walter Kaiser

This posthumously published collection of essays takes up such diverse subjects as the poet Oppian, Tantrism, the feasts of the Christian year, Durer, the Japanese studies of Ivan Morris, the erotic mysticism of the Gita-Govinda, the eternal spirit of Andalusia, and Bede's Ecclesiastical History. The title esay consider's time's transforming effect on arrt, meditating on the erosion of a statue and the resulting production of a new, sublime work of art.

That Mighty Sculptor, Time

Set in Rembrandt's Amsterdam, "An Obscure Man" is the story of Nathanaël—innocent, open to experience—born like Everyman upon the stream of life. In "A Lovely Morning," Nathanaël's young son joins a touring company of Jacobean actors. "Anna, soror . . . ," the final tale, is an account of illicit passion in the baroque world of Naples. "An Obscure Man swarms with life. This intricately researched, imaginative, beautifully written tale of a young man's brief life in the mid-17th century is entirely engrossing."—Leona Weiss, San Francisco Chronicle "In these three stories, [Yourcenar] succeeds in making the essences of these past lives a part of the reader's future through the sheer intensity of their portrayal."—Margaret Ezell, Houston Chronicle

Two Lives and a Dream

Practical, scriptural discussions of tough topics such as polygamy, genocide, and the role of women in the Old Testament The God of the Old Testament can seem very foreign to Christians. His actions appear to starkly contrast with the God of grace in the New Testament and with modern notions of justice and propriety. In this short volume, Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser devotes each chapter to a different difficult subject, including creation, the wrath of God, the genocide of the Canaanites, God's knowledge of the future, polygamy, Satan, the view of women, and application of the Old Testament law. He addresses each topic in a practical, accessible tone, with pastoral insight and humor, consistently focusing on the Scriptures. The reader will find that there are not two different gods in the Bible and that the Old Testament is not an antique artifact that should now be jettisoned from Christianity. The Old Testament and the God it depicts is One with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. His actions, when properly understood, are not at variance with the New Testament; rather, a view of the beautiful unity in the Bible as a whole will strengthen the church's faith and aid in Christian witness and apologetics.

Walter Kaiser

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