The case for God

by Karen Armstrong. The new book by the premier contemporary historian of religion is a history of God, from the implications of the cave paintings of Lascaux, through pagan and Eastern religions (with and without gods), through the pre-modern understandings of the great monotheisms, to the God and the reactive atheism of modernity. Armstrong stresses that the most common response to questions about God has been silence. This is the apophatic perspective, which holds that God is beyond words, a reality that eludes measurement, specification, even conception. This reality was apprehended by means of rituals such as those practiced by the mystery cult at Eleusis, 20 miles from ancient Athens, and is expressed by the famous "I am what I am" in Moses' encounter with the burning bush, which, Armstrong explains, was equivalent to "Never mind who I am"-because the nature of God was beyond discussion. Indeed, until the modern period, she reveals, belief in the religious sense didn't mean assent to a creed or doctrine but trust in, commitment to, and active engagement with truth that cannot be spoken. The definite God of modernity-especially the hyperdefined God of fundamentalism-and its complement, atheism, are nineteenth- and twentieth-century developments reflecting the materialist rationality of science and technology. Perhaps post-modernism's corrosive effect on all certainties can help revitalize religion in the twenty-first century. Presenting difficult ideas with utter lucidity, this registers at once as a classic of religious and world history. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

John Calvin : a pilgrim's life

by H. J. Selderhuis. The year 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. Fittingly, a number of new biographies of Calvin are now appearing. Selderhuis (Theological University of Apeldoorn, the Netherlands) has written a beautiful biography. One of the major contemporary interpreters of Calvin's life and thought, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this refreshingly readable, entertaining, informative biography. The author has chosen Calvin's own letters and papers as the sources for his view of Calvin. What this gives the reader is a view of Calvin as a fallible but earnest man attempting to be faithful to his calling as a pastor, teacher, friend, husband, stepfather, and leader. Selderhuis has arranged the book chronologically but has chosen to mark each era with a theme. Although this reviewer would have made some different choices for these time frames, this approach gives coherence to the chapters and the book, and it inspired this reviewer to think about his reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with a particular choice. Too often, portraits of Calvin are painted in colors without hue or shade. Selderhuis is quick to admit Calvin's faults but also to recognize the greater aspects of his nature as well. --Choice (Check catalog)

The sisters of Sinai : how two lady adventurers discovered the Hidden Gospels

by Janet Martin Soskice. In this delightful, true-life adventure tale, an intrepid pair of middle-aged twins challenge gender limitations imposed by genteel Victorian society by successfully undertaking a hands-on quest to uncover lost biblical manuscripts. Instead of observing a lengthy period of mourning, recently widowed Scottish twins Agnes and Margaret Smith channeled their joint grief into action, setting out on the journey of a lifetime. Fueled by their strict Presbyterian faith, a passion for the Near East that extended to a self-taught mastery of Greek, Arabic, and Syriac, and armed with an intriguing rumor passed on by a sympathetic scholar, they sallied forth in 1892 to St. Catherine's monastery, located on a remote and inhospitable corner of the Sinai Peninsula. Overcoming the harsh and unforgiving terrain, and the reservations of the resident monks, Agnes and Margaret eventually unearthed the earliest known versions of the gospels. Soskice's pitch-perfect chronicle not only captures the spirit, the faith, and the determination of the remarkable Smith sisters but also exposes a significant scriptural controversy that continues to ignite scholarly debate. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

The evolution of God

by Robert Wright. While the diatribes of the "new atheists"-Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and company-have made headlines in recent years, Wright (The Moral Animal, Nonzero) takes a decidedly more friendly approach to human religiousness. Although he shares their materialist, naturalist assumptions, he argues that over time human notions of God have "gotten closer to moral and spiritual truth..Religion hasn't just evolved, it has matured." Making the best recent scholarship accessible to the general reader, Wright follows the historical trajectory from polytheism through monolatry (worship of one god among many) to monotheism, focusing primarily on the evolving vision of God in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an, and ending with a discussion of religion's place in human evolution. In his focus on scriptures, Wright avoids the philosophical terrain covered more intently in Karen Armstrong's The History of God and The Great Transformation. Verdict Wright's approach will appeal to a broad range of readers turned off by the "either/or" choice between dogmatic atheism and religious traditionalism. Recommended for all readers engaged in consideration of our notions of God.-Library journal (Check Catalog)