Ancient Religion

The office of the bishop of Rome is one of the most powerful positions in the world. As an ancient institution stretching back for centuries, the papacy has a history that is marked by archaic and modern customs alike. The history of the men who have held this position is fraught with villainous and heroic actions that have left a profound impact on the development of civilization as we know it, both in the West and East.

In the seventh and eighth centuries AD, armies inspired by the new religion of Islam burst out of Arabia to subjugate the Levant, southwest Asia, North Africa and the Iberian peninsula. These Arab conquests followed immediately after the Prophet Mohammed's death in 632. By this time, against all the odds, he had managed to unite the feuding tribes of Arabia at the point of his sword. The Muslim conquests lasted until 750, by which time several generations of marauding Arab armies had carved out an Islamic empire which, in size and population, rivalled that of Rome at its zenith.

New York Times bestselling historian Gavin Menzies presents newly uncovered evidence revealing, conclusively, that “the lost city of Atlantis” was not only real but also at the heart of a highly advanced global empire that reached the shores of America before being violently wiped from the earth. For three millennia, the legend of Atlantis has gripped the imaginations of explorers, philosophers, occultists, treasure hunters, historians, and archaeologists. Until now, it has remained shrouded in myth. Yet, like ancient Troy, is it possible that this fabled city actually existed?

Saint Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, was one of the main figures of the early Christian Church. He began his life as a simple fisherman who caught fish in the Sea of Galilea, but one day, this fisherman became a “fisher of men” instead. In good time, he would help to form one of the largest religious movements the world had ever known, eventually giving his life to the cause when he was sentenced to death by crucifixion. Here, in this audiobook, we discover the life of Saint Peter from beginning to end.

It seems humanity is in the process of being prepared, through the media and movies, for the day when we experience contact with alien beings. We have not been told of their existence because society could not handle such a drastic shift right now. In order to soften the blow, aliens have been shown as nice, and sometimes even cute and cuddly. We are being conditioned to accept them, which would make subservience more likely when they finally reveal themselves. This is the first book to warn us of this entire charade. The author, Jack Barranger, takes us back into early history when ancient...

Drawing directly from the actual surviving Icelandic books of magic, Stephen Flowers presents a complete system of magic based on Icelandic lore and magical practices from the 16th century onward. He explores the history of magic in Iceland in pagan and early Christian times and reveals specific practical techniques and ritual templates that readers can adapt to their unique purposes. Illustrating traditional Icelandic magical practices and the Icelanders’ attitudes toward them, he shares original translations of Icelandic folktales.

Legendary UFO expert Erich von Daniken stirs up another controversy with an imaginative supposition: What if the myths of ancient Greece were attempts to describe events that really happened? What if ancient peoples were visited, not by imaginary gods and goddesses, but by extraterrestrial beings who arrived on earth thousands of years ago? The author's research into both ancient mythology and current archaeological discoveries leads him to some explosive hypotheses.

In A.D. 381, Theodosius, emperor of the eastern Roman empire, issued a decree in which all his subjects were required to subscribe to a belief in the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This edict defined Christian orthodoxy and brought to an end a lively and wide-ranging debate about the nature of God; all other interpretations were now declared heretical.

Smooth Stones Taken from Ancient Brooks is a collection of sentences and quaint sayings from this renowned Puritan. Gathered by Spurgeon from the six-volume set of Brooks' Works, it remains an excellent introduction to both the man and his writing.

The I Ching, or Book of Change, has been consulted through the ages, in both China and the West, for answers to fundamental questions about the world and our place in it. The oldest extant book of divination, it dates back 3,000 years to ancient shamanistic practices involving the ritual preparation of the shoulder bones of oxen. From this early form of communication with the other world, it has become the Chinese spiritual book par excellence.

Young Samson, his birth foretold by an Angel of God. Lives his life as a devout Nazirite and is blessed with immense strength. Samson navigates life through his devotion to God and his fight against Philistine injustice against the Israelites. The Lord sets Samson on a path to help deliver his people from their oppressors. With the power of God in his arms he terrorizes the Philistine Army until he is betrayed by the seductive Delilah.

“Pharaoh Amenhotep IV changed the name to Akhenaten in honor of the god Aten. After his death his name was erased from the lists of kings, all his monuments, all his symbols were destroyed to erase his memory. In modern times, his epigraphs dating back to the time of Amarna (Akhetaten)( 2) were rediscovered, and it became clear that Akhenaten had carried out an unprecedented religious reform. He had destroyed the symbols of Egyptian polytheism, replacing them with a monotheistic cult of a new god of light, which he called “Aten”. The theology to which it was inspired was that of the ...

In this hands-on guide to working with the sacred energies of the sun, night sun, and moon, curandera Erika Buenaflor details the rites, rituals, and deities for each part of the day and night and explores the sacred tools and techniques used by ancient Mesoamerican shamans for harnessing solar and lunar energies. She explains how the sun is the source of soul energy that heals, animates, strengthens, and revitalizes us on many levels, while night energies are transformative and conducive for connecting with non-ordinary realms.

The ultimate guide to witchcraft for every woman craving a connection to something bigger, using the tools of tarot, astrology, and crystals to discover her best self. In these uncertain times, witchcraft, astrology, tarot, crystals, and similar practices are seeing a massive resurgence, especially among young women, as part of their self-care and mindfulness routines. Gabriela helps listeners take back their power while connecting to something larger than themselves.

From ancient Jewish rabbis through the Bible and into the Church in every age, Michael the Archangel has quite the story to be told, and even more so, quite the job still to do! This prince of the heavenly host and protector of God’s people is seen behind the scenes from the most ancient of times down to the present day. In this book, we will piece together what the Bible and tradition tell us about angels in general, their being and roles, and where St. Michael may fit in with the choirs of angels.

A condition as old as the ancients, despondency thrives in today's culture of leisure, anxiety, and digital distraction. Time and Despondency is a penetrating synthesis of ancient theology, spiritual memoir, and self-help practicality. It envisions despondency as the extension of a broken relationship with the experience of time.

Iceland, AD 935. Einar Unnsson is destined to be great. When he fights, a frenzy comes upon him. It makes him lethal in battle – so lethal he just defeated the man his own father sent to kill him. Now, with Einar exiled from his kingdom, his father turns his vengeance on Einar's mother – his escaped former bedslave. Yet Einar is in no position to protect her. He's made an enemy of the powerful King Eirik and must fight for his own life before he can save her. Einar depends on the Wolf Coats, a band of fearsome, bloodthirsty warriors, but they're convinced the fates have cursed them.

Speaking to non-believers and believers alike, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick attempts to create a sacred space in which we can encounter God. In this compact volume, he distills the essence of the traditional Christian faith, addressing the fundamental mysteries of where God is, who God is, why we go to church, and why Christian morality matters. If you’ve only heard about the Protestant or Roman Catholic version of Christianity, what he has to say may surprise you—and make you long to encounter God in Jesus Christ.

Two thousand years ago, 967 Jewish men, women, and children reportedly took their own lives rather than surrender to the Roman army. This dramatic event, which took place on top of Masada, a barren and windswept mountain overlooking the Dead Sea, spawned a powerful story of Jewish resistance that came to symbolize the embattled modern State of Israel. Jodi Magness, an archaeologist who has excavated at Masada, explains what happened there, how we know it, and how recent developments might change understandings of the story.

Dan Brown's immensely popular New York Times best-selling The Da Vinci Code is one of the most successful books of recent history. It has captivated millions the world over with its enthralling suspense and its provocative questions about the true nature of Jesus' life.