1 comments about The Illustrated Guide to the Coptic Museum and Churches of Old Cairo.

1. I borrowed this with the intention of taking it with me the next time I go to Cairo but the book is a great reference even if you have no intention of visiting the Coptic Museum. Illustrated with photographs, the guide is a window on a world that most tourists to Egypt are unaware even exists.
   
   The Coptic Church is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. It has survived repression under the Roman emperors, the Islamic invasion, wars, famines and various anti-Christian pograms. Today Copts are 9 million strong in Egypt, and yet are invisible to the world media.
   
   The Coptic Museum in Cairo only recently reopened after damage caused by an earthquake in the 1990s and decades of neglect prior to that. At the very least this guide is an excellent eye opener to a history and culture that is seemingly invisible to the outside world.

2 comments about The Coptic Orthodox Liturgy of St. Basil: With Complete Musical Transcription.

1. What a great, inspiring work of worship has been accomplished in this statement of faith by the ancient Christian church in impressive liturgical form. The original Coptic language is translated into harmony with both English and Arabic. The actions of the priest and the choir are described in both living languages. The musical notes and corresponding chant syllables are clearly printed. Music scholars, religious scholars, researchers in ancient languages will all find rich rewards in this volume. The "ordinary" person-in-the-pew who loves Biblical Scriptures will also find confirmation and awe in the deep worship that has survived since the first century. The reader of this work will find the introductory remarks instructive to his study and worship. And if the reader has Arabic as his primary language, he will be impressed to have this volume also readable from back-to-front and left-to-right, with the English and Coptic also accompanying.



2. After studying music since I was 5 years old this is One of the BEST if not the BEST music book ever seen. It is very precious and rare. and the coptic Music is the same as the ancient egyptian Music

No comments about Four Desert Fathers: Pambo, Evagrius, Macarius Of Egypt, And Macarius Of Alexandria : Coptic Texts Relating To The Lausiac History Of Palladius (St. Vladimir's ... Seminary Press "Popular Patristics" Series).

2 comments about Unearthing the Lost Words of Jesus: The Discovery and Text of the Gospel of Thomas (Seastone Series).

1. ". It contains a very complete story of the finding of GThomas and follows the ms to initial publication. There are photographs and a couple of maps in this first section. The text is done very much in the same style as Borgs recent "The Lost Gospel Q" and it features a few notes by J. D. Crossan. Also by Crossan, a five page commentary at the end called "Paradise Regained", where his emphasis is on the protology of and asceticism in GThomas. This is packaged for the general public but is worth the price for the 8 photographs, 2 small maps, and the complete "unearthing" story.



2. I have not finished to read this book but so far I love it. The best part is the chapter with the recorded word of Jesus, which I find enlightning. It also makes me sad to realize that humankind has not evolved since then.

   One last thing, if you are a religious ( ) (I believe 1000% in the bible...) do not buy with this book, you wiil not understand it.

No comments about Sinai: Treasures of the Monastery of St Catherine.

No comments about Coptic Textile Designs: 144 Egyptian Designs from the Early Christian Era (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

No comments about Coptic Christology in Practice: Incarnation and Divine Participation in Late Antique and Medieval Egypt (Oxford Early Christian Studies).

1 comments about Coptic Monasteries: Egypt's Monastic Art and Architecture.

1. Gawdat came to my college this summer and taught about Coptic Art History using this book. The course was just wonderful and Gawdat is a great teacher. The book is very well written, and readable even for someone like me who knows almost nothing about Coptic monasteries and art. The book makes you want to learn more, and there are plenty of references for exploring topics further. The book provides more up to date information than many sources, including information not found in the Coptic Encyclopedia (from 1991). The text is highly readable, but not dumbed down. The book is short, but informative, and has some good color photos of the art and architecture from each monastery. Also included are groundplans and maps. The information is relevant for any scholar of medieval and/or Coptic art history, and is useful also for visitors travelling to Egypt. You'll definitely want to visit at least one of these monasteries in addition to the pyramids if you go to Egypt. All in all, a good book for people new to Coptic art and great for those who are scholars as well. The text is written in an art historical style. I highly recommend this book for students of art history, especially if you are at all interested in the beginnings of monasticism and medieval art history.

5 comments about The Mustard Seed: Commentaries on the Fifth Gospel of Saint Thomas.

1. This book......Found its way in my hands 2 days prior to my Greek Mandatory Military Service Initiation. And Transformed my life completely. I will never be the same again. For once you get a glimse of the truth...Its impossible to deny it as once before.
   I fell in love with Osho the Same moment I so deeply as never before fell in love with Life.

   Peace and Love To all! There isnt a book on this earth that can effect you more then this. Christians..Be ware....Be Aware. For this book....Will allow you to love Jesus..in such a deeper way than before.




2. I was at Rajneeshpuram (Osho's Oregon commune) when this book was first published and denmand for it was very high (I had to wait several weeks to get a copy). And with good reason, too. This book presents a more believable Jesus, a revolutionary mystic whose mission was to put us in touch with our inner selves, rather than a god-man interested in only gettingpeople to worship him.



3. You don't have to be a follower of Osho Rajneesh to appreciate his literary talents and masterful communication. In Mustard Seed, Osho made the supposedly secret teaching according to St. Thomas come alive in modern times. If you've never read any of Osho's books, you may begin with this one. If you're a Christian, after reading this book, you may feel like Jesus Christ has come back in person and was speaking directly to you through Osho's book. You'll feel like smiling and crying at the same time at the genius of Osho. He is without any doubt the greatest writer, author and communicator in modern times.
   A towering literary titan who breathes life, love and light into the most obscure philosphical and mystic teachings of all ages.
   In this book, Osho entertains you with his exceptional wit, insight, humor and friendliness. Tasting the words of Osho through his books is like drinking from the water of life. It will seduce and titillate you. It will make you rock with laughter and go mad with joy. It is difficult putting an Osho book down, once you begin reading one. He is like a cool breeze during the hot summer months that caresses not only your body but your soul as well. In Mustard Seed, he proves that he is the Guru Of all Gurus, a limitless ocean of wisdom, knowledge, insight, humor and literary brilliance.
   Ikey Benney, New York City



4. You have to be open to new ideas to appreciate this book. I absolutely loved it. Very thought provoking, very insightful. Osho tries to shock you into "experiencing" the essence of life. He moves beyond philosophical debate to experience. I will read this book again and again.



5. 
   Very rarely a book packs this much truth. Jesus and his teachings are more of a medium than the fact behind the message or movement present here;
   good book, wow

2 comments about The Gospel of Thomas: Wisdom of the Twin.

1. The Gospel of Thomas By Lynn Bauman is a scholarly translation of the gospel that is now known to be the oldest of the written gospels discovered to date. It is not a narrative, as the four canonized Biblical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but contains only the words which, according to "theTwin" who wrote it, are the direct teachings of Jesus, the Rabbi, to his Disciples. This is the Wisdom He imparted only to his close inner circle. Similar to a koan, these cryptic teachings require great thought and are somewhat paradoxical and perplexing. Dr. Bauman, whose academic credentials are numerous, has translated directly from the original Coptic Greek of the manuscripts which were only discovered in recent years. Dr. Bauman offers this translation as a thought provoking study guide with inciteful questions to ponder in order to come to your own conclusion as to the meanings of these amazing Wisdom Teachings of Jesus.



2. I give Bauman and the publisher credit for making the most of what seems to me unpromising material. This book is nicely designed, reasonably introduced, and attractive. On one page a saying in paraphrase from the "Gospel" of Thomas is given, then on the facing page a series of questions, an "academic translation," and some notes. She doesn't give answers to the questions (though you might guess what she thinks); you're on your own. What you find will I think depend mostly on what you expect to find! If you don't mind a lot of white space, and want to get a discussion going that takes Thomas seriously as a source for spiritual wisdom, this is your book.
   
   If you're open to critical comment on Thomas, please consider the relevant chapter in my book, Why the Jesus Seminar can't find Jesus, and Grandma Marshall Could. I argue that (1) Scholars who think Thomas is late and a worse source for the life of Jesus than MML & J have had much the better of the argument so far; (2) Thomas is more UNLIKE the canonical Gospels than the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Agricola, Journey to the West, or (especially) the Analects of Confucius. (3) In particular, Thomas has left all the great moral teachings of Jesus on the cutting board, and that's a shame. My own feeling is that, if you like this sort of mysticism, the Upanishads and Buddhist sutras are better. But I admit to a prejudice against even ancient writers who say, "Jesus said," when they really mean, "I rather think."
   
   Finally, one criticism of Bauman. It seems to me that the words of the canonical Gospels have become stale to her. I find this extraordinary; can Handel's Messiah be rendered elevator music? For any reader suffering the same affliction, I suggest looking at the Gospels from the point of view of some sensitive non-Westerner, like Lin Yutang, Vishal Mangalwadi, Yuan Zhimin, Sundar Singh, or Giming Shien in Hieromonk Damascene. G. K. Chesterton also brings a rather Zen-like approach to the texts that reawakens the heart to many of their amazing qualities. The analysis of the Gospels in the central third of my Jesus Seminar book may also help.