The world of Late Antiquity is an historical period often overlooked. The more prominent periods such as the Greek Empire, Roman Empire, Early Christendom, Rise of Islam, East/West Split, etc. take the majority of space in historical texts; often the world of Late Antiquity is an epilogue or a prologue to anothe period.

Peter Brown, renowned for his authoritative biography on Augustine of Hippo, has produced a good introductory text to the period between the beginnings of the downfall of the Roman Empire and the beginnings of medieval times in western Europe. This period does not have strict boundaries -- there were no crucial or pivotal events defining the beginning or the end of the period, which is perhaps why it is often overlooked.

The text is divided into two primary sections -- the Late Roman Revolution, and Divergent Legacies. In the Late Roman Revolution, Brown explores the aspects of culture and religion that change slowly but ultimately dramatically from classical Roman to Christian-medieval. As Christianity rises and the power from the centre fades, including the power of the intelligensia, the post-Roman world takes on a new character.

In Divergent Legacies, Brown first looks at the development of the West after the fall of Rome. The barbarian invasions are recast, the assimilation of the Senate into the aristocratic and higher clerical ranks of the ruling Church shown to be a way in which the Roman hierarchy in fact survived the collapse of Rome, and the fragmentation of the empire ensured the dominance of Latin for the next many centuries.

This was a very different character from the survival of the Late Antique world in the East. Here the walls of Byzantium were never breached, despite the fact that most of the empire was lost not once but multiple times. The final chapter in Late Antiquity in the East was the first chapter in Muslim history, with the rise of the Muslim-dominated empires, which at first had cordial and profitable relationships with the West.

This book is part of a series, the Library of World Civilisation, edited by Geoffrey Barraclough of Brandeis University. Each volume is approximately 200 pages, richly illustrated (this particular text has 130 illustrations in these 200 pages), and accessible in writing style.

Often texts like this one end up being dry, boring writing that one must plod through in hopes of getting some insight that doesn't dissect beyond recognition the literature it is examining. Happily, such is not the case with McGavin's 'Chaucer and Dissimilarity'. Examining primarily Chaucer's works 'House of Fame' and 'Troilus and Criseyde', McGavin proceeds to draw comparisons and contrasts, including looking out toward the Pearl-poet and Chaucer's magnum opus, the Canterbury Tales.

McGavin looks at different devices, such as the imago, the similitudo, and exemplum. The imago he describes as being the literary equivalent of a painting such as that of saints, kings or even abstractions -- there is a recognition, but no true likeness for comparison, so the dissimilarity and similarity are both impossible to fully grasp in many ways.

With regard to similitudo, the uses of similies can be important in setting up dissimilarities for poetic or dramatic effect. McGavin says that Chaucer tends against the norms for use of similies, creating a give-and-take dialectic between similies and context.

Many works of writers of Chaucer's era, and in one possible interpretation Chaucer's work itself, are capable of being classified as examples of exemplum, an example or standard by which others, including real life situations, are to be judged. McGavin argues that Chaucer destabilises his characters and situations in key ways so that, while they might seem to be exempla, they in fact fail to be standards because of the key interplay of dissimilarities. Whereas in many cases of exempla, the audience are comparing their own lives with the work they are reading, This often becomes difficult with Chaucer's work,

McGavin states that 'reading dissimilarity is an activity which Chaucer insists upon at all levels of his mature work.' The understanding of this is crucial to deep, mature comprehension of the stories, the devices in the stories, the contexts, and the subtexts in Chaucers major works.

More work with the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer's most famous and widely-read work, would be welcome here. The book ends with a good index and a generous bibliography of primary and secondary texts.

There is the theoretical idea in Westminster Parliamentary systems that all Cabinet ministers are equals, and that the Prime Minister is simply First among Equals, rather than the nearly all-powerful figure most have become (similarly, the Pope as Bishop of Rome is theoretically merely the first among equals of bishops -- see how that works?).

In fact, the office of the Prime Minister is a powerful position, one that drives many people to do strange and bizarre things in aid of attaining the office. Like the characters in the novel, Jeffrey Archer (now Lord Archer, most recently guest of Her Majesty's prison system) had Prime Ministerial ambitions, too. Unlike many of the characters in this novel, Archer 'settled' for less than the Premeirship earlier in his career, discovering writing as a lucrative and creative outlet, and one that allows him to work out his personal and professional angst in a very unique manner. Much in this novel reflects Archer's own struggles.

The novel is very accurate and true to form in the mechanics and atmosphere of the House of Commons and House of Lords. Having been a Member of Parliament, Archer knew the environment from the inside, and drew realistic scenarios and created realistic characters of such degree that I have required this novel as a text when I've taught British politics.

The major cast of characters -- Seymour, Kerslake, Fraser and Gould -- fit composites of many back-benchers I knew when I worked in Parliament. Unlike the majority of back-benchers, these are men of ambition and ability (alas, somewhat rare combinations in politics in any nation). Each has an eye on the brass ring of No. 10 Downing Street, and each has, at the outset of political careers, an equal chance at success.

A week can be a long time in politics, it has been said, so the span of several decades might as well be an eternity. We see the personal and professional ups and downs of these individuals against a backdrop of real political history from the 1960s forward; this book written in 1984, the 'future' was speculative, but not beyond reason, and still makes for a good read. The careers of the foursome are not linearly upward; true to form of many political careers (including Archer's own), there are near misses and great falls, from which some recover, and others do not.

The ending is an interesting one, again part of Archer's speculative history, hinging upon one event that perhaps he knew well would never in fact happen. However, it is still a believable political event, and given that actual politics is often unbelievable, this novel makes a generous alternative history.

Archer's gift of storytelling is strong, and perhaps best when he is dealing with situations he himself has survived. 'First Among Equals' is one such story.

This book on Jewish Holidays and Festivals, by Dr. Isidor Margolis and Rabbi Sidney Markowitz, is billed as a book for young persons, but I have found it useful with people of all ages. It explains in very basic and understandable terms the religious, historical and practical aspects of the high holy days, the sabbath, and minor holidays and festivals in the Jewish tradition.

The book begins by looking at the sabbath. This is the most common of Jewish holy days, coming round once a week. Margolis and Markowitz talk about the rituals, the prayers and blessings, the food, the synagogue service outline, and even offers translations for the basic blessings, such as the lighting of the candles, the drapping on of the talith, and the kiddush. As with other sections in this text, there are short stories to be shared that emphasise important aspects of sabbath observance. Again, while these stories are intended for younger audiences, I have found that adults find them interesting, too.

The high holy days of Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) are described in some detail. The most common prayers and practices are described, The stories accompanying these sections fall more under the description of folklore than short stories, and the historical significance as well as the theological significance is brought forward for these important days. Pesach (Passover) is also described in good detail, as befits its central importance in the history of the Jewish people.

The other holidays and festivals described are more generally considered lesser festivals. These include the well-known Chanukah, Purim, and Sukkoth, and the lesser known festivals of Tu Bishevat (Arbor Day), Yam Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day, the newest of the festivals), Lag BaOmer, Shavuoth, and Rosh Codesh. Many people who are not Jewish have never heard of some of these; indeed, some secular Jewish people would have a hard time describing some of these.

Again, given the focus for young people, there is a page of questions after each section, helping to reinforce the important points of each section. There are basic line art drawings, done by John Teppich.

An index would be welcome, but the book is short enough to have this not be a significant problem. This is a good book to introduce children of all backgrounds to the rituals and importance of Jewish holidays. It is also good for adults outside of Judaism to help them understand, in simple terms, the Jewish holidays and festivals.

This book on Jewish Holidays and Festivals, by Dr. Isidor Margolis and Rabbi Sidney Markowitz, is billed as a book for young persons, but I have found it useful with people of all ages. It explains in very basic and understandable terms the religious, historical and practical aspects of the high holy days, the sabbath, and minor holidays and festivals in the Jewish tradition.

The book begins by looking at the sabbath. This is the most common of Jewish holy days, coming round once a week. Margolis and Markowitz talk about the rituals, the prayers and blessings, the food, the synagogue service outline, and even offers translations for the basic blessings, such as the lighting of the candles, the drapping on of the talith, and the kiddush. As with other sections in this text, there are short stories to be shared that emphasise important aspects of sabbath observance. Again, while these stories are intended for younger audiences, I have found that adults find them interesting, too.

The high holy days of Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) are described in some detail. The most common prayers and practices are described, The stories accompanying these sections fall more under the description of folklore than short stories, and the historical significance as well as the theological significance is brought forward for these important days. Pesach (Passover) is also described in good detail, as befits its central importance in the history of the Jewish people.

The other holidays and festivals described are more generally considered lesser festivals. These include the well-known Chanukah, Purim, and Sukkoth, and the lesser known festivals of Tu Bishevat (Arbor Day), Yam Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day, the newest of the festivals), Lag BaOmer, Shavuoth, and Rosh Codesh. Many people who are not Jewish have never heard of some of these; indeed, some secular Jewish people would have a hard time describing some of these.

Again, given the focus for young people, there is a page of questions after each section, helping to reinforce the important points of each section. There are basic line art drawings, done by John Teppich.

An index would be welcome, but the book is short enough to have this not be a significant problem. This is a good book to introduce children of all backgrounds to the rituals and importance of Jewish holidays. It is also good for adults outside of Judaism to help them understand, in simple terms, the Jewish holidays and festivals.

One of the strengths of 'Alabadle! Hispanic Christian Worship' edited by Justo Gonzalez is that it dispels the notion that all Hispanics are the same. There is a great deal of diversity that underlies the simple descriptor 'Hispanic' - for one thing, as Gonzalez notes in the opening chapter, Hispanics come from various parts of a geographic region roughly one quarter the size of the entire world. While the largest group of Hispanics in America come from Mexico, there are significant communities from each of the Hispanic nations - and not all speak Spanish (Brazil, the largest nation in terms of both population and land mass, has Portuguese as its official language).

Also, the denominational situation is different from the dominant Anglo culture. The idea that all Hispanics are Catholic is wrong to begin with, but the balance between Catholic and Protestant in Latino cultures is different; Protestantism there tends to be very pointedly anti-Catholic, and the Catholics tend to see Protestant Hispanics as traitors to the culture as well as unfaithful to the church.

Gonzalez has a team of writers who look at Hispanic worship from denominational perspectives:

* Hispanic Catholic Worship - Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ
* Hispanic Pentecostal Worship - Samuel Solivan
* Hispanic United Methodist Worship - Maria Luisa Santillan Baert
* Hispanic Baptist Worship - Miguel Angel Darino

Also, Gonzalez highlights various aspects of general Hispanic concerns with his concluding three sections:

* The Mestizo Church - Teresa Chavez Sauceda
* Hispanic Hymnody - Raquel Gutierrez-Achon
* Worship Resources (as an appendix) - Pablo A. Jimenez

These issues are important across the board - Chavez Sauceda is a Presbyterian, and talks about the incorporation of different kinds of rituals into a fairly standard Presbyterian pattern of worship; she also talks about the difficulties of raising children in a culture that is both secular and generally non-hispanic in orientation.Guiterrez-Achon looks at the theory, history, and some practical considerations for Hispanic hymnody in the church today. Jimenez offers hymns, litanies and creeds, as well as suggestions for further research for guidance. The book concludes with a useful glossary, too.

Overall, this relatively brief book is an excellent introduction to the diversity of Hispanic worship, and through that, the culture, as it exists in America today. I recommend it for seminary students, pastors, and lay leaders, particularly in areas where there is a significant or growing Hispanic population of any persuasion, and for those congregations who are seeking to incorporate a more welcoming environment and practice for Hispanics.

The dynamic Disciples duo of Clark Williamson and Ronald Allen (both on the faculty of my seminary) have produced another winning text in 'The Vital Church: Teaching, Worship, Community, Service.' Practical and useful, this is a guide for pastors and pastors-to-be, and is also useful for lay leaders and congregation members, to understand the varying roles of the church and the ministers in the church, to make it a more vibrant and living place.

To a certain extent, a lot of this information is not new. However, in the crush of information that comes forth, and in the manifold cries for attention that come at us every day, we often lose the ability to remember the important aspects of ministry. Laying it out in four broad categories: teaching (didache), worship (kerygma), community (koinonia), and service (diakonia), Williamson and Allen highlight some of the essential points for those of us who live in a post-established-church, primarily post-Christendom world.

What is the vocation of the church? This is something that needs to be asked, for often we take it for granted that 'we all know'. Even as congregations shrink in mainline churches, there is a sort of historical hubris that keeps the churches assuming they know what they're doing. All churches need to take stock now and again, and the authors here present some ideas for this process. Is the church remaining, as an institution and in its practice, appropriate to the gospel message it carries? Does it make this message intelligible? Does it proclaim the message with moral plausibility?

Williamson and Allen argue for various reforms in the way church is 'done' -- educationally, the church must be more serious. Becoming a neighbourhood seminary/religious school is an idea they embrace. Understanding the different cultures in each congregation and how to communicate with them (and get them to communicate with each other) goes a long way toward building fulfilling worship and effective community.

In conclusion, the authors look at various congregations and how these communities have incorporated different ideas into their practices to suit their needs. These are fictional communities whose composition derives from real life scenarios (the authors do make a mistake in assuming there was no real St. Humphrey -- indeed there was...) -- they demonstrate the struggles of inner-city parishes, suburban parishes, rural parishes, parishes of plenty and parishes of need.

The reader will gain much insight from this relatively short book. There is a spiritual strength to the text, deriving in large part from the authors' own force of spirit that carries through -- the vitality of the writing reflects the vitality they seek to instill in the larger church community.

Like the other books in this series, 'Handbook on the Prophets' is a highly useful and accessible text. Baker Book House also published 'Handbook on the Pentateuch' many years ago, which has become a widely read book, and 'Handbook on the Historical Books' just a few years ago. Chisholm's book is a welcome part of this collection.

This is not a verse by verse commentary on the prophetic books of the Hebrew scripture. Rather, this is a more general commentary that looks as pericopes (logical blocks of text that flow together) as units. Each chapter (or, in the case of the minor prophets, sub-chapter) has an introduction that gives the basic historical and social background, pertinent linguistic and literary information, and general structural and contextual themes.

The longest chapter, as befits its subject among the prophets, is on Isaiah. This gives a good indication of the kind of commentary Chisholm produces. In the discussion on the authorship of Isaiah, he puts forward the theory that the author of 'First Isaiah' (Isaiah 1-39) is different from the author of 'Second Isaiah' (Isaiah 40-66); perhaps there is even an 'Third Isaiah' (Isaiah 56-66) distinct from the other two. However, Chisholm prefers the more traditional idea that there is but one author of Isaiah. Rather than dealing with the multiple-author theory, he rather sets it forward as a scholarly possibility, but concentrates his writing on the single-author text. From this, one can see from this that Chisholm's interpretative framework is a more traditional and conservative one, but not one that does excludes alternatives.

One of the strengths of this text lies in the bibliographies -- this commentary is not a book by scholars for scholars, but does not ignore that consideration. After each section there are bibliographies of commentaries and of recent studies. Chisholm tends to include works published after the 1980s, so this is a good snapshot of work done in the past decade.

This book is really aimed for the working minister, the individual and group-studying bible reader, and perhaps undergraduate students. It avoids the most advanced and technical language that tends to be the exclusive province of professional scholars and graduate students, yet it does not condescend or lack for insight because of this.

Peters contends that much of philosophy in the twentieth century has had a decidedly non-metaphysical (or even anti-metaphysical) bent to it, and as a result, few students, even philosophy students, get a thorough grounding in the metaphysical ideas past or present. This slim volume sets forth the work of Charles Hartshorne, colleague of Alfred North Whitehead (whose 'Process and Reality' has become a standard for many theologians today) and metaphysical ideas of the past century. While this text was put together several decades ago, scholarly progress in this field tends to be rather slow and methodical, so the information is still valuable and fairly current.

Hartshorne's metaphysics is called neoclassical because it shares much with more classical constructs. The focus of his metaphysics is the same -- grand questions on a cosmic scale, including the nature of reality itself. The rationalist method is important, as Hartshorne searches for meaning that is consistent, making logical sense. Perhaps the most important departure from classic metaphysics is that Hartshorne looks as the process of becoming as more important than some notion of static, permanent being as the more fundamental piece. This is in keeping with the ideas of 'Process and Reality', and the more relational designs of theology and philosophy (not to mention the many other scientific disciplines in academia).

This is a metaphysics that strives to make sense of the world philosophically while being in concert with the methods, assumptions and discoveries of modern science, as well as other fields. Peters examines the methodological key, the ideas of reality and time, Hartshorne's neoclassical theism, and even ideas of aesthetics, which Hartshorne said presents basically the same problems as does metaphysic.

The final chapter looks at the basic axioms. Much in the way it is done with geometry, an examination of the axioms or first principles can help determine the value and structure of the rest of the system. Hartshorne read Emerson early in his career and became first convinced here that reason was key (I had a similar experience with Emerson). Another of Hartshorne's axioms is that 'to be is to be able to be known'. This follows up closely with the known gets contained in the knower. Other axioms are discussed briefly, but more development here would be most welcome.

Charles Hartshorne only recently passed away, over the age of 100, but the in thirty years or so he lived after the publication of Peters' book, his basic metaphysical framework remained the same This book remains a good introduction in many ways to Hartshorne's work. The bibliography is somewhat outdated and thin, but many of the references are still valuable. As this book is now relatively rare, if you have a chance to get one, do so.

David Cunningham is one of my favourite contemporary Anglican theologians. This particular books follows an intriguing pattern, using the Apostles' Creed as a framework for examining the kinds of theological narratives that can come from literature and film. Looking at items as diverse as Shakespeare's 'Winter's Tale' and Sr. Helen Prejean's 'Dead Man Walking', Cunningham traces theological principles from the traditional formula of the creed through more popular and secular creative works. This is an effective and interesting look at theology and the arts, one that can cause the reader to rethink everyday experiences of reading and film-viewing.

Cunningham contends that literature and film cause the readers/viewers to engage humanity more fully than a philosophical text or creed is likely to do; this is one of the features of narrative theology generally. This helps to emphasise a communal aspect Christian belief, which from the beginning has been a communal piece. Just as the Christian story itself is a narrative (each of the canonical gospels presents a narrative structure), drama and storytelling in other contexts have the ability to touch the human soul deeply. Following this, the stories not only help people understand the principles, but also serve to embody them - Christianity being an incarnational religion, embodiment of the principles is a strong device.

Each chapter takes up a different line from the Apostles' Creed (the introduction beginning with the 'I believe...'). To each of these lines of faithful affirmation, Cunningham pairs a work of literature (most of which have also been made into films). These pairings are as follows:

+ God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth
-- Iris Murdoch, 'The Time of the Angels'

+ Jesus Christ, God's Only Son, Our Lord
-- Nikos Kazantzakis, 'The Last Temptation of Christ'

+ Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary
-- P.D. James, 'The Children of Men'

+ Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was Crucified, Died, and Buried
-- Charles Dickens, 'Hard Times'

+ Descended into Hell, On the Third Day Rose Again
-- David James Duncan, 'The Brothers K'

+ Ascended into Heaven, Sitting at the Right Hand of God
-- William Shakespeare, 'The Winter's Tale'

+ He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead
-- Toni Morrison, 'Beloved'

+ I Believe in the Holy Spirit
-- Flannery O'Connor, 'The Enduring Chill'

+ The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints
-- Barbara Kingsolver, 'Animal Dreams'

+ The Forgiveness of Sins
-- Helen Prejean, 'Dead Man Walking'

+ The Resurrection of the Flesh
-- Graham Greene, 'The End of the Affair'

+ And the Life Everlasting
-- Guiseppe Tornatore, 'A Pure Formality'

Creeds are, Cunningham says, more prayers and living statements of belief rather than laundry lists to be recited by rote. When we say 'Amen' to the creed at the end of the recitation, we are calling for it to be enacted, embodied, and lived. These stories help demonstrate points at which the statements of the creed come alive.

Each of the chapters begins with a general essay on the theological topic contained in the creed, followed by a discussion of how the specific literary/cinematic work fits in with the topic. However, the discussion is not exclusive to the particular piece at hand. Cunningham brings a wide range of literary and artistic works to bear in his discussion, showing how ubiquitous the ideas can become if only viewed properly.

Obviously, the stories, like the windings of Christian theology, are very complex, and not easily reducible to bullet-points. The characters are complex, as are the people in our lives, and the situations present difficult questions reminiscent of those we face (or choose to avoid) on a daily basis.

This is a text that is accessible and insightful, one that can make theology interesting to those who would ordinarily shy away from it as an irrelevant or too-complex subject for study. It can also help broaden the horizons of any reader to become more theologically and spiritually sensitive to the various media communicating in life generally.