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A madman who murders his way into power lusts for ever-greater glory and domination. A capital city awash with corruption, sensuality, and political intrigue is at the flash point. And caught between the crushing currents of history are a new but growing religious group known as the followers of The Way.br>Award-winning historian and best-selling author Paul L. Maier has created a compelling style of documentary fiction, using only known historical events and persons to bring to life first-century Rome in all its excess, treachery, and insanity. This is the Rome that the apostle Paul visits, where he's placed on trial, and which is forever changed by his testimony and witness. Maier takes readers into the courtroom of imperial justice and into the homes of the people struggling with the new faith they've encountered to answers questions such as:How did Christianity first reach Rome?Why did Paul have to wait two years for trial and was he condemned or set free?Why does the New Testament account in Acts end so abruptly?Who set fire to Rome and why did Nero persecute Christians so horribly?Following the the family of Flavius Sabinus, mayor of Rome under Nero Maier captures all the drama and tension of the political conflicts that precede and follow the Great Fire of Rome, and the epic political and religious clashes of the world's capital. This is the sensational story of pagans at their worst—and Christians at their best. Readers won't want to put it down.

In a world full of DVD extras, behind-the-scenes commentary, and social media, people are used to getting the story behind the story. Readers want to understand not just what happened but why. This historical novel of the man who washed his hands of the crucifixion does just that!Award-winning historian and best-selling author Paul L. Maier has created a compelling style of documentary fiction. He uses what is historically known of Pilate's life and rise to power, adds in the known political climate of first-century Judea, and unveils the colorful, untold story that changed history for all time. He provides intriguing answers to questions such as:What really happened at that most famous of trials?Were the proceedings against Jesus legal?Did cowardice or necessity motivate Pilate's judgment?What became of this successful Roman politician after his verdict?Filling in the details of Pilate's early career in Rome, Maier captures the drama of imperial Rome under the all-powerful Tiberius Caesar, the plottings of his political allies and enemies, and his relationship with his beloved but ambitious wife, Procula. His great moment arrives as he exchanges the intrigues of Rome for the bewildering environment of Judea, navigating new and dangerous waters. In Pontius Pilate, Maier paints a picture for modern readers to help them understand the behind-the-scenes complexities, political and religious realities, and ultimately, the humanity of the people we know from Scripture.

Women, Men, and Society: Pearson New International Edition PDF eBook

A man claiming to be Jesus is in Rome. Is it the beginning of the end?Joshua Ben-Yosef attracts a huge following. He was born in Nazareth to parents name Mary and Joseph and speaks more than a dozen languages—fluently and without accent. His words ripple with wisdom and authority. And the crowds that follow him are enthralled as he heals the sick, gives sight to the blind, casts out demons, and even raises the dead.Is Dr. Merton, the well-known leader and author of end-times books, correct about the return of Christ? It seems everyone is a believer in this “Messiah”—including Jonathan Weber's wife, Shannon—especially when Joshua performs the ultimate sign by raising a disciple from the dead. Plagued by skepticism, Jonathan faces the ultimate challenge in uncovering whether this is the actual return of Christ of the most devious betrayal ever carried out.

When an ancient skeleton is discovered in Israel, will it shed new light on the life of Jesus or plunge the world into chaos?Dr. Jonathan Weber, Harvard professor and biblical scholar, is looking forward to his sabbatical year on an archaeological dig in Israel. But a spectacular find that seems to be an archaeologist's dream-come-true becomes a nightmare that many fear will be the death rattle of Christianity.Carefully researched and compellingly written, A Skeleton in God's Closet explores the tension between faith and doubt when science and religion collide. In the end, it's a thought-provoking page-turner, driven by one man's determination to find the truth—no matter the cost.

When an ancient skeleton is discovered in Israel, will it shed new light on the life of Jesus or plunge the world into chaos?Dr. Jonathan Weber, Harvard professor and biblical scholar, is looking forward to his sabbatical year on an archaeological dig in Israel. But a spectacular find that seems to be an archaeologist's dream-come-true becomes a nightmare that many fear will be the death rattle of Christianity.Carefully researched and compellingly written, A Skeleton in God's Closet explores the tension between faith and doubt when science and religion collide. In the end, it's a thought-provoking page-turner, driven by one man's determination to find the truth—no matter the cost.

This highly affordable paperback edition includes Maier's best-selling translation, historical commentary on each book of The Church History, and numerous maps and illustrations.

The Protestant Reformation was hardly a unified protest against the doctrines and practices of the Medieval church. Aside from the mainstream Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed divisions, a variety of eddies and side currents also flowed through reform in the sixteenth century. There were Anabaptists, of course, as well as Spiritualists, Mystics, Pantheists, Anti-Trinitarians, and others in the so-called Radical Reformation. One of the most intriguing of these smaller, too-marginalized movements were the Schwenkfelders, named for the Silesian lay theologian, Casper Schwenckfeld von Ossig (1489-1561). An irenic voice in the raucous controversies of the sixteenth century, Schwenckfeld pioneered a Reformation of the Middle Way that sought to avoid the extremes of the day. He started as an admirer of Luther, but developed a more spiritual interpretation of Christ's presence in the Sacrament. Venturing further along this vector, he emphasized the spiritual dimension in all ecclesiastical externals, including preaching, the ministry, baptism, and church. Themes involving Christology and Soteriology, however, fill all 19 volumes of the Schwenckfeld's writings - the'Corpus Schwenckfeldianorum - and form the very center of Schwenckfeldian theology, still espoused by the Schwenkfelders of eastern Pennsylvania. In brilliant fashion, this study illumines that core.