The Messiah Of Smyrna

In the 17th century, Shabtai Zvi was a name to reckon with. A man of strong passions and mesmerizing personality, he convinced many that he was the Jewish Messiah. But his thirst for power - his conviction that anything he wanted could be his - was his downfall. The Ottoman authorities, rattled by Shabtai's extreme statements and the unrest of the Jewish population, arrested him in 1666, forced him to convert to Islam, and in 1673 banished him. In contemporary Toronto, Shabtai's legacy lives on. Donald May, a disgraced professor, becomes enamoured of Shabtai's Kabbalistic philosophy. Like Shabtai, he has a thirst for admiration and a moral compass that doesn't always run true. But unlike his hero, he may have a chance for redemption. This novel interweaves the lives of the two men, painting a vivid picture of the Ottoman Empire in the 1600s alongside the life of a contemporary man who struggles between desires of the flesh and the life of the mind....

‘Christ will reappear but in a higher reality than the physical one – in a reality which we will only see if we have first acquired a sense and understanding of spiritual life. Inscribe in your hearts what anthroposophy should be: a preparation for the great epoch of humanity which lies ahead of us.’ Rudolf Steiner’s teachings of Christ – and in particular what he refers to as the ‘Christ impulse’ – are unique. Christ, he says, is an objective universal force, existing independently of Christian churches and confessions, and working for the whole of humanity. The impulse that Christ brought to earth acts for the advancement of all people, irrespective of religion, creed or race. Speaking in Berlin whilst still a representative of the largely eastern-oriented Theosophical Society, Rudolf Steiner presents multifaceted perspectives on the Christ impulse, based on his independent spiritual research: from the vast cycles of time preceding Christ’s incarnation and the preparation for his coming, to the actual physical embodiment of Christ in Palestine, in Jesus of Nazareth, some two thousand years ago. Steiner also describes how Christ will influence the future development of the earth and humanity. In his opening lecture, Rudolf Steiner discusses the nature of the Bodhisattvas and their role in relation to Christ and human evolution. The Bodhisattvas are the great teachers of humanity, incarnating in human form during their passage through the various cycles of cultural development, and are intimately involved in preparing the work of the Christ impulse. In other lectures Steiner addresses subjects as diverse as the Sermon on the Mount in relation to the development of the faculty of conscience, and the current duality of male and female (microcosm) and its correspondence in the cosmos (macrocosm). The latter phenomenon is related to initiation within the Germanic and Egyptian mysteries, which reach their higher unity in Christian initiation. Among the myriad other themes that emerge here are: the introduction of the ‘I’ (or self) in human development and its essential connection to Christ; the preparation of the Christ impulse through the Jahveh religion and the law of Moses; the meaning of the Ten Commandments; and the new clairvoyance in relation to the appearance of Christ in the etheric.

A landmark work of Jewish history and a worldwide phenomenon when it was first published, this masterpiece of Jewish history was translated in multiple languages and instantly become the de facto standard in the field. German academic HEINRICH GRAETZ (1817-1891) brings a sympathetic Jewish perspective to the story of his own people, offering readers today an affectionate, passionate history, not a detached, clinical one. Backed by impeccable scholarship and originally published in German across 11 volumes between 1853 and 1875, this six-volume English-language edition was abridged under the direction of the author, and brought to American readers by the Jewish Publication Society of America in 1891. It remains an important work of the study of the Jewish religion and people to this day. Volume VI contains the index for the entire series, including tables of Jewish history and a comprehensive listing of characters, subjects, and maps. It also features a memoir of the author.

In but a little while the Lvanon will be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field regarded as a forest. On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The humble will again rejoice in ADONAI and the poor exult in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:17-19. Is Only a Few the book referred to in this verse? It very well may be. Only a Few does open the eyes of the deceived, the sleeping, and the ones who cannot see the truth in the Word of God. The Word of God has been twisted and manipulated by man, for their own motives, for the past two-thousand years. However, now that the end-times are creeping up on us, light must be shed on the twisted lies and deceptions that Satan has created. Truth, understanding, and righteousness are the ways of God. Ignorance to the truth only shows that one has not put forth the effort required; the effort God is looking for; the effort which shows that one has truly put The Almighty first in his or her life. The Bible speaks of, both, the righteousness of God and the sins of man. Regrettably, many, over the centuries, have aligned themselves with what was sinfully corrupted by man, making it their doctrine, and therefore, forsaking the righteousness of God. These twisted doctrines have grown to appear righteous to believers, but they are not righteous in the eyes of God. Half-truths are merely lies and the God of the Bible cannot accept lies, even if they are done in His name. Our walk with God is a walk toward righteousness. The job of the Holy Spirit is to show us truth, and all believers must decide to walk in truth (love the truth), or live with the lies. In other words, many have been living a "lukewarm" life for God. In Only a Few, Tadzik Zdan explains that God is a loving God, but, His love is contained within His righteousness. God loves all whom He created, but if they do not abide by His righteousness; His laws; and His teachings, He has no choice but to condemn the unrighteous ones (even if they have been deceived into thinking they are righteous to Him). It exposes the sinful path of Gods believers throughout the centuries, as foretold within the prophecies contained in the Bible. The keys to the New Testament are contained within its parables. They show the plight of the believers and non-believers alike and are the keys to eternal life. Only a Few systematically explains the deceptions that have been implemented over the centuries, and what God is looking for in His righteous ones. The true -and most biblically sound- interpretations of the parables are exposed; all to the righteous glory of God. Everyone who has read the Bible, or even simply owns a bible, needs the enlightenment of this book so that they may stand righteous to the Creator and shed the lies of the past (the eyes of the blind will see). Only a Few celebrates the righteousness and greatness of the Almighty, and it is a must read for the times we live in. So, if God is truly important in your life, this book will be the oil for your lantern. For such a time as this, Only a Few should accompany every Bible. May Gods righteousness be bestowed upon you.

A timely and fascinating study of an early modern movement that transcended traditional Jewish gender paradigms and allowed women to express their spirituality freely in the public arena.