Bøker av Michael Svigel

A notoriously puzzling text, the Shepherd of Hermas has been as challenging to scholars as it was revered in the patristic period. This volume offers a new lucid translation, recreating the original colloquial tone of the work to help dispel some of the mystery and misunderstanding surrounding this work. With introductory essays exploring authorship, genre, and theological and practical content, this volume draws out the powerful images and practical principles which remain relevant for readers.Accompanied by a commentary that unpacks the meanings of this ancient text, this volume allows the Shepherd of Hermas¿ unique voice to be illuminated and understood.

A boy, a girl, and a dragon. You think you know the story? Think again.As young Lord Lukas is about to celebrate his public betrothal of Princess Lilia, the evil dragon Haarlok strikes, snatching Lilia while Lukas cowers in fear from the dragon's infernal breath. His life-long fear of fire costs him the ultimate price. In an attempt to redeem himself and rescue Lilia, Lukas must pass tests of temperance, wisdom, justice, and courage as he seeks four prizes that alone have the power to defeat the dragon. Though his quest teeters at the brink of ruin by paralyzing fears of his past and debilitating doubts in his present, a timely alliance with an old seer leads to an inner transformation, challenging him to discover a past long forgotten and to embrace a future beyond his dreams.

For Addis of Lexor, a descent into darkness is the only way to see the light. As a slave in the desert city of Lexor, twelve-year-old Addis longs for the fulfillment of a prophecy foretelling his heroic destiny to liberate his people from an evil tyrant. But what will keep him from becoming a wicked tyrant himself?When his blind father's life is threatened by an imminent exile, a mysterious old blind man named Barius thrusts Addis into a desperate quest to find help from the secret city of Aequant. Addis must face dangers and deceptions that expose his weaknesses and test his strengths. As the adventure unfolds and he learns his true place in an ancient conflict between two cities, Addis must conquer his own darkness and follow the light of a better way.

This book proposes a model for explaining unity and diversity in early Christianity that centers about a clear confessional identity, allowing both extreme expressions of diversity of texts and traditions while explaining the exclusion of teachers, texts, and traditions that deviated from the confessional norm.