Bøger udgivet af Fifth Estate Publishing

Somewhere in our antediluvian past mankind both technologically and socially surged forward in a single leap, from being hunter-gatherers to city dwellers and inventors, we intellectually bloomed in a second of historical time. For millions of years we, as a species, saw little change, but around the time primitive men began drawing pictures in caves depicting aliens, flying machines, and spacecraft suddenly everything changed and man began to invent, create, build, and imagine a future. Synchronicity of these events cannot go unnoticed.The development of the wheel, the building of ornate astrological temples, the invention of writing, math, and all the technology that would lead to the modern age took place in seemingly a blink of an eye. For millions of years humanoids struggled to survive with little discernible advancement in their technology or skills, then overnight mankind began to develop at an amazing rate. For 10 million years we lived as animals lived, as cave dwellers, hunting and gathering when we could where we could. Then they came, and everything changed. We began to read and write. We began living in cities. We began wild adventures of creativity. We built pyramids. We learned about the stars. We could predict solar and lunar events. We became brighter, more intelligent, certainly more creative and inventive. To what do we owe this quantum leap in our development? The mere act of discovering or learning does not answer the question fully. We were thinking differently, deeper, more logically. We were being changed, altered, our DNA being manipulated. We were being made better. But for what purpose and toward what end was mankind being changed?

The Acts of Paul and Thecla was written around 150 CE when there was a growing body of work attributed to the apostle Paul. Owing to the abrupt beginning of the work it is thought The Acts of Paul and Thecla was part of a larger texts and was extracted to form a stand alone work. Reasons given for its omission from the Bible are numerous. It was thought to have been written after the apostolic age; it gives high and powerful position to women in the faith; it urges women to withhold sex from their husbands and live chaste lives. Within its storyline Thecla seems to eclipse Paul in her courage and commitment to the spread of the Gospel. The text presents an unwavering stance on the virtue of celibacy preached by Paul and amplified by Thecla. In addition, Thecla is presented as a strong willed woman who took it upon herself to preach, teach, heal, and baptize, all without permission or oversight from a man. In the age when canon was being decided, women in positions of leadership within the church was an anomaly, and the idea that a wife could decide her own fate, and even withhold sex from her husband was looked on as heresy and insolence. These were social constraints, which tainted the interpretation of scripture, both then and now. We will examine the true place of women in the Bible and how translators diminished the place and accomplishments of women by mistranslating words and phrases. We will look at the true meaning of many Bible verses as well as the complete text of Paul and Thecla, with an eye toward how women were a driving force in religion and family in the early church. In the end, a more true and just vision of women of the Bible and of ancient times will be revealed.

The story of Joseph and Aseneth was written between 100 BCE and 100 CE, in a midrash style. This translation is rendered in a modern, easy to read format with history, background, and commentary. Joseph and Aseneth is an epic story of love, desire, sanctification, and forgiveness. It is also a story of religious intolerance, racism, sexism, subterfuge, betrayal, and hate. The story begins after Joseph's own brothers sold him into slavery. An Egyptian man purchased Joseph to be a servant to his wife. Because Joseph refused to serve her lustful desires, the woman had him thrown into prison on a false charge of rape. The Pharaoh saw greatness in Joseph after he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, giving the ruler insight that would save his nation. Thus, Pharaoh pardoned Joseph and assigned him a position of power. Joseph, the ever-devout Jew, begins his new career living in a world of polytheists where he seems to be tolerated with more grace than he gives to those "abominations" who are neither Jewish in the racial or religious sense. Aseneth is the daughter of the chief priest of the sun god in Heliopolis. She is a spoiled, arrogant child who disdains all men, and even disrespects her father. Aseneth is cursed with beauty, which draws men to her like flies to a carnivorous plant. Even the son of Pharaoh wants her for himself and plots to get her. But Aseneth loathes and despises men, until she sees Joseph, who refuses to even touch her because she does not worship the same god as he. It is within this setting we begin the wonderful and uplifting tale of Joseph and Aseneth.

Following in the apocalyptic visions of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation, The War Scroll reveals the conflict between good and evil in the final days of mankind. Popularly known as "The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness," the War Scroll is one of the seven original Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran in 1947 and holds the Qumran library designator of "1QM," meaning it was produced from the dig of cave 1.The War Scroll is a very important piece of literature in our understanding of the concepts of divine justice and retribution held by the Jewish community of the Essenes and the Qumran Community in the time of Jewish persecution by Rome.The scroll reflects a belief that in the end times evil would be eradicated by the Power of God and his Sons of Light.The Qumran community saw itself as a righteous light in the world, solidly on the side of good. As God's army, they would fight evil in the world, and with God's help, through his agent, Michael the Archangel, they would win the battle against the Sons of Darkness and bring back righteousness and peace. The text is replete with parallel biblical and apocryphal verses, commentary, and references to numerical symbolism, all intended to lead the reader into an appreciation and understanding of the text.

Jan Fink's stories are drawn from her life experiences and the people she has met along the way. She allows her characters to channel their stories in their own voices. Stories that involve what it is to be human and capable of greed, hatred, brutality and even murder. Her characters take us through the struggles of the human capacity for good and evil, the capacity to love, human frailty, the burden of guilt and sin and realizing the dark side of their own nature. From Anna fleeing her eccentric Southern family, Olivia's childhood memoir, Damon Pierce's knowledge, John Love's quest for Clara Jean, Little Bill's Greenland to Pauley and Dylan's driving lesson, a mother's story of abuse, the long-winded George McNutt, Buzz the collector and Archie's question, they are each in their own way searching for meaning and freedom. "Tales from a Strange Southern Lady" is fashioned with sentences that artfully paint perfect pictures and a sharp, wicked sense of humor. At the same time they carry that sort of Southern innocence and naiveté that makes the characters so likable and the bad ones so hateable.

Presented here are the Books of "The Sophia of Jesus Christ" (also called "The Wisdom of Jesus Christ") and "Eugnostos the Blessed" with extensive commentary on the ancient texts, Gnosticism, and the Divine Feminine.Gnosticism holds a special and unique place in the formation of Christianity. The theology presented by the Gnostics demands a balance of male and female "energies". In this book we will explore Gnosticism and the Divine Feminine through the lens of two great Gnostic texts. We will see the influence of Gnosticism and how their idea of the Divine Feminine effected orthodox or mainline Christianity. The treatise of "Eugnostos the Blessed" (50-150 A.D.) and the gospel called, "The Sophia of Jesus Christ", (50-200 A.D.) are presented together in a single volume, due to their close and undeniable connection. In fact, one borrowed heavily from the other. "The Sophia of Jesus Christ", also called "The Wisdom of Jesus Christ", seems to be a later and Christianized version of "Eugnostos the Blessed", a non-Christian Gnostic text. Gnosticism is complex and deserves explanation in order to better understand the texts. Extensive history, background and commentary are provided in order to reveal the inner working of Gnosticism, the place of women in their theology, and how Gnosticism influenced the Christianity of today.

The first fifty years of the faith were tumultuous and politically charged, not because of Roman influence, but due to disagreements within the new Jesus sect. Fundamental doctrines were forming within the fires of personal conflict among the first elders.Did Jesus set out to start a new religion or simply correct the spiritual course of Judaism?What were his intentions? What did he wish to accomplish?After his death who should best direct the new sect?Was James, the brother of Jesus, correct in wishing to keep the new sect Jewish, or was Paul sent by God to guide the new movement?James and the other elders lived with Jesus for three years. Did they understand his mission and message or did Paul, who never met Jesus in the flesh, interpret his intentions more accurately?Did Paul champion the cause, or did Paul hijack the sect and usurp authority from the pillars of the faith?By examining the earliest and most ancient texts of the faith, the original and unaltered words and intentions of Jesus may be seen in a brighter light. With fresh insight we may better understand the evolution and journey of a new movement from a small Jewish sect to a world religion.

Jesus was a man of few words, simple words, and a deeply challenging message. However, through the years his words and message have been clouded with additions and redactions. How can we possibly know the words he spoke? What were his original teachings? Where did his message stop and the many changes begin? Hidden in the gospels themselves are the source materials containing the original message preached by Jesus. Before the gospels were written, there were proto-gospels, notes, lists and collections of sayings used to construct the gospels we have today. By examining history, language, and content we can cut through additions and redactions to extract the earliest source materials and examine the true words and teachings of Jesus.