Absorbing Perfections - Kabbalah and Interpretation
In this wide-ranging discussion of Kabbalah - from the mystical trends of medieval Judaism to modern Hasidism - one of the world's foremost scholars considers different visions of the nature of the sacred text and the methods used to interpret it. Moshe Idel takes as a starting point the fact that the postbiblical Jewish world lost its geographical center with the destruction of the Temple and so was left with a textual center, the Holy Book. Idel argues that a text-oriented religion produced language-centered forms of mysticism.
Адаптированная книга уровня Intermediate. Британский английский.
Рассказ на языке оригинала об увлекательных приключениях трех подростков на острове в Тихом океане. Читает Joseph Samuel Bagley (Великобритания). Текст адаптирован и соответствует уровню Intermediate.
Who was Cleopatra? Who is Cleopatra? Viewed as both goddess and monster even in her own lifetime, she has become through the ages saint and sinner, heroine and victim, femme fatale and star-crossed lover, black and white. A protean figure, Cleopatra defies categorization.
Cleopatra's life story, gleaned from contemporary sources, is powerfully intriguing: Married four times, she seduced two of the most powerful men in Rome (Julius Caesar and Marc Antony), became the sole ruler of Egypt, gained legendary status for her lavish banquets, and chose to die rather than endure disgrace as the prisoner of Octavian, Caesar's heir.
This fascinating sourcebook documents what we know of the historical figure and also shows how she has evolved through the lens of interpretation. Arranged both chronologically and thematically, the volume consists of a series of readings about Cleopatra--historical, literary, and documentary--extending from ancient times to the twentieth century, from the European Romantics to the Afro centrists, and from Middle English to modern Arabic.
In her introductions to the readings, Prudence J. Jones provides helpful information about the sources, placing them in historical and cultural context. She includes passages both familiar and unfamiliar, some not easily found in translation. Suitable for classroom use, Cleopatra: A Sourcebook reveals a multitude of Cleopatras, raising as many questions as it answers about one of history's most captivating figures.
While best known for his translations of classical literature and as a collector of folk and fairy tales, Lang also wrote poetry, biographies, histories, novels, literary criticisms and even children's books. Lang was one of the first to apply anthropological findings to the study of myth and folklore. His versatility was also shown in his valuable works on folklore and on primitive religion. The earliest of these works was Custom and Myth. Contents: The Method of Folklore; the Bull-Roarer; The Myth of Cronus; Cupid, Psyche, and the Sun-Frog; A Far-Travelled Tale; Apollo and the Mouse; Star Myths; Moly and Mandragora; The Kalevala; The Divining Rod; Hottentot Mythology; Fetichism and the Infinite; The Early History of the Family; and The Art of Savages. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.