European Religion

Western civilization has given us modern science, the wealth of free-market economics, the security of law, a sense of human rights and freedom, charity as a virtue, splendid art and music, philosophy grounded in reason, and innumerable other gifts we take for granted.

'A fascinating story about a religion in a surprisingly precarious position' Dan Jones, Sunday Times 'Superb storytelling ... captivating and profound' Literary Review 'A page-turner' The Spectator *A major new reinterpretation of Christendom, by one of our foremost medieval historians* In the...

An engrossing volume on the European Reformation by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Will Durant. The sixth volume of Durant's acclaimed Story of Civilization, The Reformationchronicles the history of European civilization from 1300 to 1564.

Is religion a force for war, or a force for peace? Some of the most terrible wars in history have been caused and motivated by religion. Much of the violence that fills our screens today springs from the same source. Yet some of the bravest pacifists have also been deeply religious people, and many of the laws and institutions that work to soften or prevent war have deep religious roots. This Very Short Introduction provides an overview of the history of religion and war, and a framework for analyzing it.

Step beyond the myths and into the firelight. Heathenry: A Beginner’s Guide isn’t a book of theory—it’s a working manual for those ready to reclaim the old ways with both feet on the ground. This is where ancient ritual meets modern life. No fluff, no filler—just practical steps, clear explanations, and the tools to start living a tradition rooted in honor, kinship, and the sacred bond with land and ancestors. This isn’t just about reading the runes or memorizing the names of gods. It’s about how you greet the sun. How you raise your horn. How you make your home into a living ...

From the New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Bad Religion, a powerful portrait of how our wealthy, successful society has passed into an age of gridlock, stalemate, public failure, and private despair. The era of the coronavirus has tested America, and our leaders and institutions...

The history of the Caribbean is an exciting ride, but few outside of the region know much about it in depth beyond Columbus’s discovery. This audiobook will lead you through the history of the region, which witnessed some of the world’s most important events. We will begin with Christopher Columbus’s accidental discovery and the race for control over the islands of the Caribbean.

Few listeners are aware how much Europe owes to its Islamic heritage; this book aims to restore the central place of Muslim culture in the continent's history, while exploring the endless complexities that this vexed relationship creates. At a time when Islam is so narrowly identified with terrorism and migration in Europe, Crucible of Light is a necessary corrective.

In literary legend, Faustus is the quintessential occult personality of early modern Europe. The historical Faustus, however, was something quite different: a magus—a learned magician fully embedded in the scholarly currents and public life of the Renaissance. And he was hardly the only one. Anthony Grafton argues that the magus in sixteenth-century Europe was a distinctive intellectual type, both different from and indebted to medieval counterparts as well as contemporaries like the engineer, the artist, the Christian humanist, and the religious reformer.

Religion has fascinated people for centuries. But with so many faiths practiced by so many followers, it can be difficult to understand why one religion believes one thing while another believes something entirely different. This guide gives you everything you need to know to sort through the...

It was an age of hope and possibility, of accomplishment and expansion. Europe's High Middle Ages spanned the Crusades, the building of Chartres Cathedral, Dante's Inferno, and Thomas Aquinas. Buoyant, confident, creative, the era seemed to be flowering into a true renaissance - until the disastrous 14th century rained catastrophe in the form of plagues, famine, and war. In Europe in the High Middle Ages, William Chester Jordan paints a vivid, teeming landscape that captures this lost age in all its glory and complexity.

Christopher Buckley’s “hilarious, bawdy, and irreverent frolic of a tale” about a sixteenth-century relic hunter and the artist Albrecht Dürer who conspire to fabricate Christ’s burial shroud reads “like Indiana Jones gone medieval” (USA TODAY). The year is 1517. Dismas is a relic...

The cascading perils of the Late Rome era were relentless, bombarding whichever emperor was so unfortunate as to inherit the Purple during the last gasp of the Roman Empire. From the moment that Julius Valens acceded to the throne of the East until the last dynasty faltered in the West, only Theodosius adequately withstood this constant avalanche of tumult. Romans far and wide shuddered to think what would become of their troubled world if the fate of Rome was to be decided by his disappointing sons, Arcadius and Honorius. The Last Dynasty is the enthralling Fifth installment of the epic ...

From the renowned and best-selling author of A History of God, a sweeping exploration of religion and the history of human violence. For the first time, religious self-identification is on the decline in American. Some analysts have cited as cause a post-9/11perception: that faith in general is...

One Bible. One Dream. One God. In 1961, a young couple boarded a ship to Vienna with nothing but faith, a suitcase, and an “impossible dream”—to bring the Word of God into the most spiritually restricted places on earth. What began with handwritten Scripture, smuggled Bibles, and hidden church meetings has become a sweeping movement of Gospel transformation across Eastern Europe and beyond. The Impossible Dream takes you deep into the heart of that mission, sharing firsthand accounts of courage, smuggling, sacrifice, and the miraculous power of Scripture.

One of the best-known collections of W. B. Yeats' prose, The Celtic Twilight explores the old connection between the Irish people and the magical world of fairies. Yeats, by traveling the land in the early 20th century and talking to the common people about their experiences with the creatures, yielded a colorful overview of Celtic fairy folklore.

Viking's were brutal, that is what they were known for; marauders forged in the icy north. Yet, they weren't always looters and thieves. They honored the gods, home, the land, community and friends. Magnus, son of Vargr, wanted to see the world more than anything else, but his dream collided with the ruthless sword of Charlemagne's kingdom. The mythological god's of the north pitted themselves against the Christian God. Both vying for dominance over creation. Both playing themselves out in the lives of men. The heart struggles between battle and love. Magnus had to chose between Romance or ...

“Quite possibly the most illuminating text for this election year” (The New York Times Book Review). *Winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion* Robert P. Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, spells out the profound political and cultural consequences of a new...

Set in the nineteenth century, The World Duology (World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel) follows the fortunes of three young travelers. Their dramatic adventures span sixteen years and see them engage with Native American Indians, Barbary Coast pirates, Aborigines, Maoris and Pacific Islanders as they travel around the world - from America to Africa, from England to the Canary Islands, to Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and Fiji. In book one, World Odyssey, ambitious American adventurer Nathan Johnson, sheltered English missionary Susannah Drake and irrepressible Cockney Jack Halliday each follow ...

A bold new history of Europe, from ancient Greece to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What do we talk about when we talk about Europe? Is it defined by geography? Or is it politics, or shared culture? In Europe, award-winning historian Roderick Beaton tells the story of Europe as never...