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The Bible
- A Biography: Books That Changed the World
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
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Publisher's summary
In this seminal account, acclaimed historian Karen Armstrong discusses the conception, gestation, and life of history's most powerful book. Armstrong analyzes the social and political situation in which oral history turned into written scripture, how this all-pervasive scripture was collected into one work, and how it became accepted as Christianity's sacred text. She explores how scripture came to be read for information and how, in the 19th century, historical criticism of the Bible caused greater fear than Darwinism.
The Bible: A Biography is a brilliant, captivating book, crucial in an age of declining faith and rising fundamentalism.
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Islam
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- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
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Best-selling author and renowned religious scholar Karen Armstrong presents a concise and articulate history of Islam, the world's fastest-growing faith. Beginning with the Prophet Muhammad's flight from Medina and concluding with an examination of modern Islamic practices and concerns, Armstrong delivers an unbiased overview. She contends that no religion is more feared and misunderstood by the Western world as Islam, and firmly challenges the notion that these two civilizations are on a collision course.
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Read the Book, pass on the audible!
- By J********** on 08-21-06
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The Case for God
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that it called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah, or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time, when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith. Why has God become unbelievable?
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-
Great recasting of how God should be interpreted
- By John Doyle on 02-18-11
By: Karen Armstrong
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Sacred Nature
- Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Since the beginning of time, humankind has looked upon nature and seen the divine. In the writings of the great thinkers across religions, the natural world inspires everything from fear, to awe, to tranquil contemplation; God, or however one defined the sublime, was present in everything. Yet today, even as we admire a tree or take in a striking landscape, we rarely see nature as sacred.
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More of a political piece than a spiritual one
- By Amazon Customer on 01-26-23
By: Karen Armstrong
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Muhammad
- A Prophet for Our Time
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the best-selling author of Islam: A Short History comes an important addition to the Eminent Lives book series. A former Roman Catholic nun and winner of a Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award, Karen Armstrong shows how Muhammad's life can teach us a great deal about our world. More is known about Muhammad than any other major religion founder, yet he remains mysterious.
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down to the man
- By David S. on 05-10-12
By: Karen Armstrong
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The Origin of Satan
- How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Who is Satan in the New Testament, and what is the evil that he represents? In this groundbreaking book, Elaine Pagels, Princeton's distinguished historian of religion, traces the evolution of Satan from its origins in the Hebrew Bible, where Satan is at first merely obstructive, to the New Testament, where Satan becomes the Prince of Darkness, the bitter enemy of God and man, evil incarnate. In The Origin of Satan, Pagels shows that the four Christian gospels tell two very different stories.
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Must read for all practicing Christians
- By Venusian Incognito on 09-06-19
By: Elaine Pagels
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Buddha
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This rich, timely, and highly original portrait of the Buddha explores both the archetypal religious icon and Buddha the man. In lucid and compelling prose, Armstrong brings to life the Buddha's quest, from his renunciation of his privileged life to the discovery of a truth that he believed would utterly transform human beings and enable them to live at peace in the midst of life's suffering.
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Eminently Listenable
- By JerryT on 01-23-05
By: Karen Armstrong
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Islam
- A Short History [Modern Library Chronicles]
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author and renowned religious scholar Karen Armstrong presents a concise and articulate history of Islam, the world's fastest-growing faith. Beginning with the Prophet Muhammad's flight from Medina and concluding with an examination of modern Islamic practices and concerns, Armstrong delivers an unbiased overview. She contends that no religion is more feared and misunderstood by the Western world as Islam, and firmly challenges the notion that these two civilizations are on a collision course.
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-
Read the Book, pass on the audible!
- By J********** on 08-21-06
By: Karen Armstrong
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The Case for God
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that it called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah, or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time, when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith. Why has God become unbelievable?
-
-
Great recasting of how God should be interpreted
- By John Doyle on 02-18-11
By: Karen Armstrong
-
Sacred Nature
- Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the beginning of time, humankind has looked upon nature and seen the divine. In the writings of the great thinkers across religions, the natural world inspires everything from fear, to awe, to tranquil contemplation; God, or however one defined the sublime, was present in everything. Yet today, even as we admire a tree or take in a striking landscape, we rarely see nature as sacred.
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More of a political piece than a spiritual one
- By Amazon Customer on 01-26-23
By: Karen Armstrong
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Muhammad
- A Prophet for Our Time
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling author of Islam: A Short History comes an important addition to the Eminent Lives book series. A former Roman Catholic nun and winner of a Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award, Karen Armstrong shows how Muhammad's life can teach us a great deal about our world. More is known about Muhammad than any other major religion founder, yet he remains mysterious.
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down to the man
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The Origin of Satan
- How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics
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- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Who is Satan in the New Testament, and what is the evil that he represents? In this groundbreaking book, Elaine Pagels, Princeton's distinguished historian of religion, traces the evolution of Satan from its origins in the Hebrew Bible, where Satan is at first merely obstructive, to the New Testament, where Satan becomes the Prince of Darkness, the bitter enemy of God and man, evil incarnate. In The Origin of Satan, Pagels shows that the four Christian gospels tell two very different stories.
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-
Must read for all practicing Christians
- By Venusian Incognito on 09-06-19
By: Elaine Pagels
-
Buddha
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This rich, timely, and highly original portrait of the Buddha explores both the archetypal religious icon and Buddha the man. In lucid and compelling prose, Armstrong brings to life the Buddha's quest, from his renunciation of his privileged life to the discovery of a truth that he believed would utterly transform human beings and enable them to live at peace in the midst of life's suffering.
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Eminently Listenable
- By JerryT on 01-23-05
By: Karen Armstrong
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Jerusalem
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- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong, Lisa Armytage
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
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Venerated for millennia by three faiths, torn by irreconcilable conflict, conquered, rebuilt, and mourned for again and again, Jerusalem is a sacred city whose very sacredness has engendered terrible tragedy. In this fascinating volume, Karen Armstrong, author of the highly praised A History of God, traces the history of how Jews, Christians, and Muslims have all laid claim to Jerusalem as their holy place, and how three radically different concepts of holiness have shaped and scarred the city for thousands of years.
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A truly great history book
- By T on 05-08-22
By: Karen Armstrong
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The Great Transformation
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- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From one of the world's leading writers on religion and the highly acclaimed author of the best-selling A History of God, The Battle for God, and The Spiral Staircase, comes a major new work: a chronicle of one of the most important intellectual revolutions in world history and its relevance to our own time.
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Fills in the blanks
- By Laura on 09-20-06
By: Karen Armstrong
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The Battle for God
- A History of Fundamentalism
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Lisa Armytage, Karen Armstrong
- Length: 22 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In the late 20th century, fundamentalism has emerged as one of the most powerful forces at work in the world, contesting the dominance of modern secular values and threatening peace and harmony around the globe. Yet it remains incomprehensible to a large number of people. In The Battle for God, Karen Armstrong brilliantly and sympathetically shows us how and why fundamentalist groups came into existence and what they yearn to accomplish.
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The most important book you haven’t read yet
- By D. A. Vail on 12-29-20
By: Karen Armstrong
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Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Karen Armstrong believes that while compassion is intrinsic in all human beings, each of us needs to work diligently to cultivate and expand our capacity for compassion. Here, in this straightforward, thoughtful, and thought-provoking book, she sets out a program that can lead us toward a more compassionate life.
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An Accessible, Digestible Manifesto About Kindness
- By Lizzie on 01-15-14
By: Karen Armstrong
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Fields of Blood
- Religion and the History of Violence
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 20 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For the first time, religious self-identification is on the decline in American. Some analysts have cited as cause a post-9/11 perception: that faith in general is a source of aggression, intolerance, and divisiveness - something bad for society. But how accurate is that view? With deep learning and sympathetic understanding, Karen Armstrong sets out to discover the truth about religion and violence in each of the world’s great traditions, taking us on an astonishing journey from prehistoric times to the present.
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Rethinking Violence and Religion
- By Milton Big Elk on 11-05-14
By: Karen Armstrong
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David Lynch
- The Man from Another Place (Icons)
- By: Dennis Lim
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At once a pop culture icon, cult figure, and film industry outsider, master filmmaker David Lynch and his work defy easy definition. Dredged from his subconscious mind, Lynch's work is primed to act on our own subconscious, combining heightened, contradictory emotions into something familiar but inscrutable. No less than his art, Lynch's life also evades simple categorization, encompassing pursuits as a musician, painter, photographer, carpenter, entrepreneur, and vocal proponent of Transcendental Meditation.
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Essential listening for Lunch fans
- By Michael P. Mesaros on 08-14-18
By: Dennis Lim
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The Lost Art of Scripture
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- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 24 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
In this timely and important audiobook, one of the most trusted and admired writers on the world of faith examines the meaning of Scripture. The sacred texts have been co-opted by fundamentalists, who insist that they must be taken literally, and by others who interpret Scripture to bolster their own prejudices. These texts are seen to prescribe ethical norms and codes of behavior that are divinely ordained: They are believed to contain eternal truths. But as Karen Armstrong shows, such a narrow, peculiar reading of Scripture is a relatively recent, modern phenomenon.
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Good religious history; complete recording
- By Claudia on 02-03-20
By: Karen Armstrong
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Christianity
- The First Three Thousand Years
- By: Diarmaid MacCulloch
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 46 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Once in a generation, a historian will redefine his field, producing a book that demands to be read or heard - a product of electrifying scholarship conveyed with commanding skill. Diarmaid MacCulloch's Christianity is such a book. Breathtaking in ambition, it ranges back to the origins of the Hebrew Bible and covers the world, following the three main strands of the Christian faith.
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Bias
- By David Danielson on 10-04-10
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Guns, Germs and Steel
- The Fate of Human Societies
- By: Jared Diamond
- Narrated by: Doug Ordunio
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Having done field work in New Guinea for more than 30 years, Jared Diamond presents the geographical and ecological factors that have shaped the modern world. From the viewpoint of an evolutionary biologist, he highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every continent since the Ice Age, and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government, and technology.
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Compelling pre-history and emergent history
- By Doug on 08-25-11
By: Jared Diamond
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Zealot
- The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth
- By: Reza Aslan
- Narrated by: Reza Aslan
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the internationally bestselling author of No god but God comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth. Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor.
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Vivid and well-researched
- By Tad Davis on 07-21-13
By: Reza Aslan
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The Gnostic Gospels
- By: Elaine Pagels
- Narrated by: Lorna Raver
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Gnostic Gospels provides engaging listening for those seeking a broader perspective on the early development of Christianity. Author and noted scholar Elaine Pagels suggests that Christianity could have developed quite differently if Gnostic texts had become part of the Christian canon.
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The other side of Jesus
- By Laura on 05-19-06
By: Elaine Pagels
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The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
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An Historic Achievement
- By Ellen S. Wilds on 04-25-14
By: Susan Wise Bauer
Critic reviews
"Groundbreaking....Armstrong shows a depth of insight and transparent understanding of complex theological issues....[She is] simply one of the best writers ever on religion." ( Library Journal)
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A History of Judaism
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Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and it has preserved its distinctive identity despite the extraordinarily diverse forms and beliefs it has embodied over the course of more than three millennia. A History of Judaism provides the first truly comprehensive look in one volume at how this great religion came to be, how it has evolved from one age to the next, and how its various strains, sects, and traditions have related to each other.
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Not easy to follow.
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Anti-Judaism
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This incisive history upends the complacency that confines anti-Judaism to the ideological extremes in the Western tradition. With deep learning and elegance, David Nirenberg shows how foundational anti-Judaism is to the history of the West. Questions of how we are Jewish and, more critically, how and why we are not have been churning within the Western imagination throughout its history. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; Christians and Muslims of every period; even the secularists of modernity have used Judaism in constructing their visions of the world.
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Great Book: Terrible Narrator
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Great recasting of how God should be interpreted
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Lost Christianities
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The early Christian Church was a chaos of contending beliefs. Some groups of Christians claimed that there was not one God but two or twelve or thirty. Some believed that the world had not been created by God but by a lesser, ignorant deity. Certain sects maintained that Jesus was human but not divine, while others said he was divine but not human.
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The Early Church(es)
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Whose Bible Is It?
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Winner of the John W. Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Human Sciences, Jaroslav Pelikan is Professor Emeritus of history at Yale University and past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This examination of the history of the Bible reflects half a century of study and research by the author. In Whose Bible Is It?, Pelikan traces the transformation of the Bible from its earliest oral traditions to its modern forms.
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Too Verbose Not Enough "Big Picture" Bible History
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Essential listening for Lunch fans
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A History of Judaism
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Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and it has preserved its distinctive identity despite the extraordinarily diverse forms and beliefs it has embodied over the course of more than three millennia. A History of Judaism provides the first truly comprehensive look in one volume at how this great religion came to be, how it has evolved from one age to the next, and how its various strains, sects, and traditions have related to each other.
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Not easy to follow.
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This incisive history upends the complacency that confines anti-Judaism to the ideological extremes in the Western tradition. With deep learning and elegance, David Nirenberg shows how foundational anti-Judaism is to the history of the West. Questions of how we are Jewish and, more critically, how and why we are not have been churning within the Western imagination throughout its history. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; Christians and Muslims of every period; even the secularists of modernity have used Judaism in constructing their visions of the world.
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Great recasting of how God should be interpreted
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The Early Church(es)
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By: Bart D. Ehrman
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Whose Bible Is It?
- A History of the Scriptures Through the Ages
- By: Jaroslav Pelikan
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
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Winner of the John W. Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Human Sciences, Jaroslav Pelikan is Professor Emeritus of history at Yale University and past president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This examination of the history of the Bible reflects half a century of study and research by the author. In Whose Bible Is It?, Pelikan traces the transformation of the Bible from its earliest oral traditions to its modern forms.
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Too Verbose Not Enough "Big Picture" Bible History
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By: Jaroslav Pelikan
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David Lynch
- The Man from Another Place (Icons)
- By: Dennis Lim
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
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At once a pop culture icon, cult figure, and film industry outsider, master filmmaker David Lynch and his work defy easy definition. Dredged from his subconscious mind, Lynch's work is primed to act on our own subconscious, combining heightened, contradictory emotions into something familiar but inscrutable. No less than his art, Lynch's life also evades simple categorization, encompassing pursuits as a musician, painter, photographer, carpenter, entrepreneur, and vocal proponent of Transcendental Meditation.
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Reading Judas
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Two celebrated scholars illustrate how the newly discovered Gospel of Judas provides a window into understanding how Jesus' followers understood his death, why Judas betrayed Jesus, and why God allowed it. Presented with the elegance, insight, and accessibility that has made Pagels and King the leading voices in this field, this is a book for academics and popular audiences alike.
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Judas Iscariot: Betrayer or Saint?
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In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
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Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
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Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy
- A Journey into a New Christianity Through the Doorway of Matthew's Gospel
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Overall
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Performance
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A man who has consciously and deliberately walked the path of Christ, John Shelby Spong has lived his entire life inside the Christian Church. In this profound and considered work, he offers a radical new way to look at the gospels today as he shows just how deeply Jewish the Christian Gospels are and how much they reflect the Jewish scriptures, history, and patterns of worship.
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understanding the jewish thoughts in the Gospels
- By John on 08-30-18
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When the Church Was Young
- Voices of the Early Fathers
- By: Marcellino D'Ambrosio
- Narrated by: Marcellino D'Ambrosio
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Marcellino D'Ambrosio dusts off what might have been just dry theology to bring you the exciting stories of great heroes such as Ambrose, Augustine, Basil, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, and Jerome. These brilliant, embattled, and sometimes eccentric men defined the biblical canon, hammered out the Creed, and gave us our understanding of sacraments and salvation. It is they who preserved the rich legacy of the early Church for us.
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Masterful summary of the early Church Fathers
- By Mike C on 08-22-14
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The Evolution of God
- By: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In this sweeping narrative, which takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy.
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Very heavy reading
- By Stephen on 08-07-09
By: Robert Wright
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Understanding the Koran
- A Quick Christian Guide to the Muslim Holy Book
- By: Mateen Elass
- Narrated by: Don Reed
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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A quick non-technical introduction to the Koran designed to help Christians understand a hidden book revered by 1.3 billion Muslims, covering the background on its writing, a summary of its contents, a perspective on how it’s used and viewed by Muslims, a comparison of differences and similarities to the Bible, and some suggestions on how it should and should not be used in conversations with Muslims.
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Favors Christianity
- By Dianne on 12-18-15
By: Mateen Elass
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Unbelievable
- Why Neither Ancient Creeds nor the Reformation Can Produce a Living Faith Today
- By: John Shelby Spong
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
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Five hundred years after Martin Luther and his Ninety-Five Theses ushered in the Reformation, best-selling author and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong delivers 12 forward-thinking theses to spark a new reformation to reinvigorate Christianity and ensure its future. Spong contends that there is mounting pressure among Christians for a radically new kind of Christianity - a faith deeply connected to the human experience instead of outdated dogma.
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great
- By Brian Diffley on 03-27-21
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How God Became King
- The Forgotten Story of the Gospels
- By: N. T. Wright
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
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New Testament scholar N. T. Wright reveals how we have been misreading the Gospels for centuries, powerfully restoring the lost central story of the scripture: that the coronation of God through the acts of Jesus was the climax of human history. Wright fills the gaps that centuries of misdirection have opened up in our collective spiritual story, tracing a narrative from Eden to Jesus to today.
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Jesus' life matters, not just his death
- By Adam Shields on 03-17-16
By: N. T. Wright
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Jesus on Trial
- A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel
- By: David Limbaugh
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In Jesus on Trial, New York Times bestselling author David Limbaugh applies his lifetime of legal experience to a unique new undertaking: making a case for the gospels as hard evidence of the life and work of Jesus Christ. Limbaugh, a practicing attorney and former professor of law, approaches the canonical gospels with the same level of scrutiny he would apply to any legal document and asks all the necessary questions about the story of Jesus....
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What a disappointment
- By JB on 10-07-14
By: David Limbaugh
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Paul and Jesus
- How the Apostle Transformed Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
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Historians know virtually nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time the man we know as the apostle Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have - the letters of Paul - as well as other early Christian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity.
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Paul or Jesus?
- By James on 01-29-13
By: James D. Tabor
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Reasons to Believe
- How to Understand, Defend, and Explain the Catholic Faith
- By: Scott Hahn
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
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In Reasons to Believe, Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith - drawing from Scripture, his own struggles, and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, as well as nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather, they offer complementary evidence that God exists. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernable and knowable.
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A Catholic for convition and tradition
- By benigno on 05-29-12
By: Scott Hahn
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How God Became God
- What Scholars Are Really Saying About God and the Bible
- By: Richard M. Smoley
- Narrated by: Richard M. Smoley
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
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This epic, thrilling journey through Bible scholarship and ancient religion shows how much of Scripture is historically false - yet the ancient writings also resound with theologies that crisscrossed the primeval world and that direct us today toward a deep, authentic inner experience of the truly sacred.
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Just Okay.
- By Thom on 10-28-21
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More of a political piece than a spiritual one
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Read the Book, pass on the audible!
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What listeners say about The Bible
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dan
- 04-15-14
Expanded my perspective and compassion
Any additional comments?
Having grown up in a secular household which merely went through the motions of Christian holidays, I have only exposed myself to the Bible in small ways over the years, reading passages here and there and treating it like any other sacred text - a book that has more significance for other people than myself.
I assumed that the Bible had a rich and complex history, but I was not prepared for what I read in this book, and I emerged from it with a new perspective, and perhaps most importantly, a new found compassion and respect for Christianity.
Modern Christianity's focus on the literal interpretation of the Bible as a historical, factual document has always been one of my main reasons for avoiding that faith and its most ardent followers.
I did not know that the literal interpretation was a relatively recent phenomenon, and read with great interest the passages about mystical and allegorical traditions and how they changed over time. I have found inspiration in Bible stories - as allegories - over the years, and was pleased to read that some still consider the text useful to that end.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Shay
- 03-05-22
Enlightening
I was drawn to this book after hearing an interview with Karen Armstrong on a radio show. The book she was interviewed was not available but I decided to listen to this one instead. I took concentration and a few rewinds but I got through it. I found it to be a mix in Theology, archology, philosophy, history and more fact than I will ever remember. But above all, I found it hugely enlightening. I am better informed afterwards but I am also in awe of the vast amount of work that must have been put into this book not just by Karen Armstrong but hundreds if not thousands of people over many generations.
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- Rev. Nicholas Pathenos
- 11-30-21
A MUST read
Chapter 8 and 9 are essential reads.
I would only hope that more people would not only read these chapters, but also take time to contemplate and promulgate the message
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- tristan
- 08-29-24
fantastic dissection of the ancient realms
loved this book! extremely well thought out and researched as always! Karen Armstrong is one of the great thinkers of our time.
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- Dagmara Arents
- 11-28-15
Well researched, well narrated
The book contains a wealth of historical information, and is well written. Like any book of its kind, it needs to read more than once. I plan on getting either printed or a digital version so I can fully absorb and highlight it, and make notes, as is my habit when reading a text, which is as thought provoking as this. But first I want to read more of this author. I believe her books should be read by anyone who is searching for the meaning of religion in today's turbulent times, where religion is once again used as a basis to condemn people for their proclaimed beliefs, behaviors and traditions.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-18-19
Good Stuff
This is the 7th book that I've read by Armstrong. It happens to be my least favorite so far, but her genius is evident and consistent. Most of her work stands firmly on its own, but "The Bible: a Biography" is best understood collectively with the whole of her publications. There is simply too much to cover and this book is shorter than most of her other stuff by a third. That said I understand lower ratings by people who aren't familiar with her. It's both too detailed and yet too brief. My advice is to first read any of her other work before you tackle this one. You will find some of that connective tissue in place that will help you navigate the details and connect the dots to a larger, global perspective.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Marcus
- 04-08-19
The Formation of the Bible
This short book provides excellent informations about the Bible, its formation process and its diverse exegesis. Karen Armstrong tells the history behind the cannon of the Scripture and the judaic tradition in interpreting the Hebrew Bible. Advancing a pluralistic (liberal) approach of the sacred texts, the author makes a strong case for a biblical understanding that considers both its historical context and modern claims of relevance. One will profit immensely reading (or listening to) this work.
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- Sophie's Corner
- 07-28-21
Scholarly Work
The narrator presented a concise performance. The pronunciations, accurate, with perfect annunciation allowed the reader to experience the book with ease. Armstrong is an informative and erudite story teller; she conveyed information in a way that could very well change the way one interprets the Bible. Enjoyed and looking forward to reading more of Ms. Armstrong's work. The book ended to early...there remains much to say on this topic.
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- Tad Davis
- 11-14-19
Brisk and informative
In its general scope, this book resembles John Barton’s recent History of the Bible. Both are readable and richly detailed. But where Barton’s book adopts a more analytical tone, Armstrong focuses on the story: she has a flair for compressed dramatic narrative. Her first chapter in particular gives a fast-moving account that combines the history of the early Hebrews with the story of how the scriptures came to be.
Some of the details are surprising, but the account is engaging and persuasive. Her description of the context and reasoning that led from Torah to Talmud is fascinating. A particularly effective section traces the effect of the Enlightenment on Bible study for both Jewish and Christians, and the counter-currents of Hasidism, Christian fundamentalism, and the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. (That last is, as Armstrong correctly points out, a relatively new development.) In the wake of these changes, yeshivas and Christian Bible colleges began spreading; Zionism paradoxically joined hands with an antisemitic form of Christianity that sees the state of Israel as a key moment leading to the Rapture and the Tribulation.
There is an ongoing struggle, she says, between faith in the Book and the “nihilistic ruthlessness at the heart of modern culture.” Human beings have finally developed the technology to bring about the Apocalypse so many fundamentalists expect.
I wouldn't suggest this as an alternative to Barton’s book, which is fuller and more carefully reasoned. But it could jump-start someone’s interest in the subject.
Josephine Bailey gives a lively reading of the book.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Mariana
- 07-31-12
Very interesting history
Would you consider the audio edition of The Bible to be better than the print version?
No
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
I don't think this book would make a movie.
Any additional comments?
The audio was very good. The book has many details that I think would be worth reading, but I learned a lot from this oral presentation. I think Karen Armstrong is a great historian, a great writer and great thinker. I've read some of her books and I think they open many doors to important knowledge that all human beings should have in order to have a better understanding of the meaning of religion and God that we are in urgency to posses to reevaluate our realtionship as human beings. I very much recomend this and all of Armstrong's books.
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2 people found this helpful