This author has dedicated over twenty-five years to writing and teaching history. His articles on Robert E. Lee have been featured in The Washington Post and on the History News Network. Throughout his work, he strives to make history lively and accessible for ordinary readers and students. His passion for the American Civil War dates back to his childhood, and his next book focuses on the Battle of the Wilderness.
Through fun activities, this activity book introduces the culture of the Anglo Saxons to 7 to 11 year olds. The book includes games, puzzles, maps, spot-the-difference pictures and drawing and colouring activities.
A Postrabbinic Jewish Apocalypse Reader
Modern treatments of Jewish apocalyptic usually terminate their discussions of this literature with the triumph of Rome over nationalist rebels at the time of the Second Jewish Revolt (132?135 C.E.). They hence fail to appreciate the impact of the subsequent rise of scriptural authority for the Abrahamic religions and the renewed vitality of the apocalyptic genre as a favored literary vehicle for the expression of social and cultural concerns by the major Near Eastern religious communities during the second half of the first millennium C.E. The present volume begins the process of righting this imbalance by providing an English-language anthology of a series of influential Jewish apocalypses emanating from the Near East from roughly the early seventh to the mid-twelfth centuries C.E. Each text is newly translated into English and provided with an annotated commentary that elucidates its historical, literary, and religious contexts.
Beautifully illustrated with an array of Japanese art, this work offers a closer look at the rich variety of styles, decoration, motifs and patterns and the sheer craftsmanship of Japanese culture. Opening with an introduction that asks What is Japanese art?, this book presents a selection of striking and fascinating art from Japan, organised into a series of thematic chapters in which the author provides cultural context while pointing out exceptional features.
The book offers an annotated collection of primary sources that illuminate Manichaeism, a dualist faith that originated in Mesopotamia during the third century and gained prominence across the Roman and Sasanian empires. Despite facing violent suppression, the religion persisted in secrecy throughout the Near East, Central Asia, and China until the early seventeenth century. It includes translations and evaluations of testimonies in Arabic, Persian, Syriac, and Hebrew, shedding light on the cultural significance of this early 'world religion'.
In the spring of 1864, President Lincoln feared that he might not be able to save the Union. The Army of the Potomac had performed poorly over the previous two years, and many Northerners were understandably critical of the war effort. Lincoln assumed he'd lose the November election, and he firmly believed a Democratic successor would seek peace immediately, spelling an end to the Union. A Fire in the Wilderness tells the story of that perilous time when the future of the United States depended on the Union Army's success in a desolate forest roughly sixty-five miles from the nation's capital. At the outset of the Battle of the Wilderness, General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia remained capable of defeating the Army of the Potomac. But two days of relentless fighting in dense Virginia woods, Robert E. Lee was never again able to launch offensive operations against Grant's army. Lee, who faced tremendous difficulties replacing fallen soldiers, lost 11,125 men--or 17% of his entire force. On the opposing side, the Union suffered 17,666 casualties. The alarming casualties do not begin to convey the horror of this battle, one of the most gruesome in American history. The impenetrable forest and gunfire smoke made it impossible to view the enemy. Officers couldn't even see their own men during the fighting. The incessant gunfire caused the woods to catch fire, resulting in hundreds of men burning to death. "It was as though Christian men had turned to fiends, and hell itself had usurped the place of the earth," wrote one officer. When the fighting finally subsided during the late evening of the second day, the usually stoical Grant threw himself down on his cot and cried
Defeated on the battlefield, Robert E. Lee soon faced the wrath of vengeful northerners, including indictment for treason just weeks after the Civil War ended. This book tells the forgotten story of Lee's indictment and the slow process by which his memory was transformed from traitor to... číst celé
When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 Macao was left as a tiny isolated enclave on the China Coast surrounded by Japanese-held territory. As a Portuguese colony, Macao was neutral, and John Reeves, the British Consul, could remain there and continue his work despite being surrounded in all directions by his country’s enemy. His main task was to provide relief to the 9,000 or more people who crossed the Pearl River from Hong Kong to take refuge in Macao and who had a claim for support from the British Consul. The core of this book is John Reeves’ memoir of those extraordinary years and of his tireless efforts to provide food, shelter and medical care for the refugees. He coped with these challenges as Macao’s own people faced starvation. Despite Macao’s neutrality, it was thoroughly infiltrated by Japanese agents and, marked for assassination, Reeves had to have armed guards as he went about his business. He also had to navigate the complexities of multiple intelligence agencies—British, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese Nationalist—in a place that was described as the Casablanca of the Far East.
Focusing on the extensive influence of Enochic texts, this volume serves as a vital reference for scholars examining Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity, as well as late antique and medieval religions. It highlights the significance of '1 Enoch' and its traditions, revealing how these ancient writings have shaped various religious landscapes over time. The book encourages a deeper understanding of the cultural and theological impact of Enochic literature throughout history.
Reeves demonstrates that the motifs of Jewish Enochic literature, in particular those of the story of the Watchers and Giants, form the skeletal structure of Mani's cosmological teachings, and that Chapters 1 to 11 of Genesis fertilized Near Eastern thought, even to the borders of India and China.