Being a mother of two children...I buy lots of children's books. But also being an artist, I gravitate toward beautifully illustrated books. And this is one of the most beautifully illustrated books that i have ever come across. And because of this, I plan to track down other books with the same illustrator, Kinuko Craft. I love mythology and the story of Cupid and Psyche is one of my favorites. M. Charlotte Craft and Kinuko Craft deserve high praise for there superb work of Cupid and Psyche! Buy this book!!

I am an artist and collector of beautifully illustrated books. Not only is this book exquisite in its illustrations, it also gives a child a very comprehensive understanding of the mythological tale of Cupid and Psyche. I definitely recommend to anyone as a must.

Wonderful book. I found it in the library and decided I needed to own a copy. I use it to read from in my writing workshops on finding the mysteries and depths of life. The words and illustrations are as perfectly coupled as Psyche and Cupid themselves, offering the great beauty of mystery, love and the inward journey.

"The Divine Initiative is an invaluable resource and a major contribution to Lonergan studies... Stebbins has laid out [the] material...with a thoroughness and clarity that will be extraordinarily valuable to many people."

From: Robert Doran, Lonergan Research Institute, University of Toronto

"The care with which Michael Stebbins has exposed Lonergan's method and its results...makes Lonergan's sometimes cryptic remarks accessible to all those who have the stamina to explore these issues, and so leaves both philosophers and theologians without excuse for attending to so demanding a synthesis."

From: The Thomist, 60, 1996, pages 484 - 488

"In my judgement, this book is wonderfully accurate as an account of Lonergan. Stebbins analyzes and synthesizes with great skill. In his treatment of the operations of intellect (in chapter 1), right through to his concluding remarks about Lonergan on actual grace (in the latter half of chapter 8), he is extremely sensitive to details and distinctions that others often overlook or misunderstand. Moreover, he not only explains accurately, he clarifies. He understands the material so thoroughly that he is able to link Lonergan's claim in fresh ways, offer original examples, and thus teach the reader what Lonergan really is getting at. Given the challenging technical character of the material, this is a stellar achievement."

"I deem the book to include features of interest to systematic theologians in general, historians of theology, philosophers of religion, metaphysicians generally, persons interested specifically in Lonergan, and persons interested specifically in Aquinas. I commend it to them all."

From: Method: Journal of Lonergan Studies, Volume 14, Number 1, Spring 1996 Published by the Lonergan Institute at Boston College

Since the founding of the Society of Jesus by Ignatius Loyola, the Jesuits have been a powerful force in the areas of missionary activity, teaching, and preaching. In THE FIFTH WEEK, Father O'Malley writes of renowned Jesuits in the past, and also describes the Jesuit training process. For anyone seeking general insight into the Society of Jesus, THE FIFTH WEEK is a very apropos introductory survey.

After my son had studied "The Fifth Week" in his high school religion class I told him to retain it at the end of the class for my reading. It was one of the best literary decisions I ever made.

"The Fifth Week" is divided into three sections: Jesuits of the Past; Jesuits of the Present; and Jesuits of the Future.

It was the first two sections which primarily attracted me to this book. Jesuits of the Past and Jesuits of the Present consist of brief biographies of Jesuit heroes. As a product of Jesuit education, I had heard many of these names, either in sketchy legends or on the nameplates of schools or buildings. This book put stories to these names.

The first and longest biography belongs, fittingly enough, to St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society. During a forced convalescence from battlefield wounds, a reading of the Lives of the Saints transformed this servant of the King of Spain into one of the most illustrious servants of the King of Heaven.

Other biographies bring the brightest stars in the Jesuit sky to life. St. Francis Xavier, after whom my College Church is named, was the great missionary who took the Faith to the Orient. St. Edmund Campion had to me been merely the patron of a building at college. From this book I learned that he was a 16th century Jesuit who trained in Prague before returning to his native England to minister to Catholics during the height of the Reformation persecution of the Church until his martyrdom in 1581.

Another interesting English Jesuit of the Reformation era was St. Nicholas Owen. St. Nicholas was a Jesuit brother who's main ministry was the building of priestly hideouts in the great houses of English Catholics until he was captured and tortured to death in 1606.

One of the most notable exemplars of the Jesuit charism is Matteo Ricci who followed in the footsteps of St. Francis Xavier in bringing the Gospel to the Orient. In keeping with the Jesuit theme of using all things to bring people to God, Matteo followed St. Paul's entreaty to be all things to all men. Immersing himself in Chinese culture and adopting Chinese dress, he obtained acceptance into the Chinese Imperial Court. From this position started a movement which in 50 years was to include 150,000 Chinese Catholics.

Among my favorite heroes are the North American Martyr, St. John de Breboeuf, and Peter DeSmet, the St. Louis based western missionary and patron the high school at which my son studied this book.

The explanation of the suppression of the Jesuits occurring in various places from 1759-1814 was a movement of which I had heard and read but which I did not understand until reading this book..

The Jesuits of the Past section concludes with the biography of Blessed Miguel Pro, "Jesuit Clown.". My family and I had first heard of Miguel Pro during a passing reference in a homily to "Viva Christo Rey-Long Live Christ the King!", his last words while facing a firing squad. His story was, actually, similar to that of St. Edmund Campion. Driven from his native Mexico by anticlerical persecutions, Pro studied in California, Spain, Nicaragua and Belgium. Sneaking back into Mexico after ordination, his skillful use of a series of disguises permitted him to minister to the faithful for 2 years during which he avoided capture by the authorities.

Section 2 highlights contemporary Jesuits. Daniel Lord used teaching, writing, theatre and social action to bring God to his people. World War II made heroes of Carl Hausman, a prisoner of the Japanese in the Philippines and Joseph O'Callahan, a chaplain aboard the U.S.S. Franklin during a devastating Kamikaze attack. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a paleontologist who brought the faith to the world of science.

Fr. O'Malley begins the transition from Section 2 to Section 3 by introducing the story of his own vocation.

Section 3 is the story of the Jesuits of the Future. An inquiry into the Society of today, the challenges of the world and obstacles to a religious vocation are viewed reflectively. The book concludes with the questions a man must confront in discerning whether he has a vocation to the priestly or religious life. The final pages are devoted to the practical steps one must take in order to explore the possibility of living the Jesuit life.

I began this book I with high expectations. At its conclusion my expectations were fulfilled. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the stories of Jesuit heroes as well as anyone who wants to understand what has attracted so many outstanding men of the past to the Society of Jesus and what continues to attract the Church leaders of tomorrow.

The Fifth Week is meant to be a book to inform those who are interested in becoming Jesuits. However, I feel that this book is meant for anyone at any level of spirtuality. This book provides examples of heroism that anyone can look up to and become inspired, I know that I was. The heroic Jesuits portrayed in the book were real men, with real weaknesses, with real strengths. This authenticity is further strengthened by Fr. William O'Malley's own vocational story, which entailed struggle, hardship, love, and peace. These are realities that we all face, so the book has the ability to coincide with some of our own experiences and trials. The most important thing that this book offers the reader is "the hope for man." We may have hope in the fact that The Society of Jesus will set the world on fire by living out the Good News.

It was an excellent book. EAch time I read it I learn more and feel refreshed. I purchased a copy for my daughter and the lovely young women I wanted to be my daughter-in-law. No matter what, they both will benefit from this lovely book as women and as peace makers in this world.

A stimulating and inspiring book with practical guidelines on how to live a victorious "grace-filled" life by patterning one's thoughts, words and actions after Mary, the perfect handmaiden. Full of Grace is like a manual that guides you through the basics of prayer, eucharistic adoration, spiritual direction, discerning the promptings of the Holy Spirit and growing in spiritual wisdom. I especially enjoyed chapter 7 entitled: "Resurrection" which helps you identify the "wounds of the heart" and offers practical guidelines for inner healing. This practical and insightful book may be used for personal or group study. It will help you to grow spiritually and to be a conduit of grace to others. Next to the Catechism and Bible it is a "must" for every library!

Benkovic provides a clear and practical guidepost for women desiring a deeper understanding of their own spirituality and feminity in her book Full of Grace. Her inspiring testimony and inspired interpretation of feminity and the Catholic faith give readers a fresh perspective on modern spiritual living. Full of Grace is an excellent, dynamic resource for women today.

Greek Gods And Heroes consists of many, fine detailed stories which are very easy and fun to read. Robert Graves tells some of the best tales in such a fun way and yet you are still learning about the Greek myths. I think Robert Graves is a fine author!

I was looking for a book that had a collection on certain Greek myths one day and I happened to stumble upon this book. Robert Graves here put together a collection of Greek myths in his own retelling and this book makes for a fun read. In addition to the fun that this book brings there is also a lot of basic information on Greek mythology to be learned, such as the Olympian Gods and monsters of the ancient myths. Whether the book is enjoyed slowly by reading one story and reading another at a later time or gobbling it up all together you will still get a lot of fun and information out of it.

A lot of the basic stories that have come out of Greek mythology are retold here in a simple and easy to read format. Stories such as Heracles' (Hercules), the birth of the God Hermes, Perseus', and many more can be found here. This book combines the politics, mystery, and magic of the ancient Greek world. Of the twenty seven stories that are told in this short little book my favorite is definitely the story of Heracles. I enjoyed reading about how he was able to perform the feats that were given to him to gain his freedom as his story shows how in the end you can always manage to do something that you set out to do.

While reading this book you will notice how the huge cast of characters interact with one another. Many are against each other, many are involved in a love affair, and others team up with each other to defeat other characters. It is interesting how our world today mirrors the mythological world of the ancient Greeks. A lot of people today do the same things that were done by the characters in the stories of the book.

Robert Graves' knowledge of the Greek myths is absolutely astounding. It is obvious upon the reading of this book how much research, time and effort went not only into writing this book, but also into gaining the basic facts which make the stories. In the introduction Graves writes how many things that are in today's world were derived from the ancient Greeks, like astronomy, literature, and medicine. When you read the book keep an eye out for the things of the Greeks that we use today.

I will be reading many of the stories in this book that I have enjoyed again and again in the future. This is a great introduction to the basics of Greek mythology and are great stories for bedtime.

Happy Reading!

My son (11) loves these stories.

The main Greek myths are here, told briefly and unsentimentally in crisp English. Most of the tales are 2-3 pages in length.

Modern Christians, much like the ancient Israelites described in the book of Judges, are plagued by a lack of memory. All too often, we forget the lessons handed down to us by generations past.

My search for those lessons is what led me to this book: "The Doctors of the Church : Thirty-Three Men and Women Who Shaped Christianity" by Bernard McGinn

One the great resources I have found for unearthing the wisdom of the past is Paulist Press' wonderful series: "The Classics of Western Spirituality." Having read a few volumes of the series, and having noticed Mr. McGinn's name was listed in my most recent volume as being the General editor, I decided to read something written by him. I found that "The Doctors of the Church" is an excellent introduction to and starting point for the study of the Catholic Church doctors.

The book begins with a chapter about what exactly a doctor of the Church is. It then moves on to discuss how each doctor got to be a doctor. I found these chapters interesting enough...but the prey I was hunting for here I only found in the next (and largest) section of the book.

The second section of the book consists of brief descriptions of the life and teachings of each doctor. This part of the book is ideally suited for those needing an introductory level overview of the doctors. More useful still, each chapter has suggestions for reading works by the doctor as well as McGinn's own bibliography of works about the doctor. This is an awesome way to make it easy to dive into the deep waters of the doctors' teachings.

The final section discusses the significance of the doctors to the Church today as well as where McGinn thinks the Church might turn as far as the naming of doctors in the future. This was again insightful, but less useful for my purposes.

Overall, I found "The Doctors of the Church" to be an excellent book. I glad I read it; and now, I recommend it to you.

There is a rare and distinguished title in the church, little used and even less understood--that of Doctor of the Church. To date, only 33 men and women have been accorded the honour of being a Doctor of the Church, and among these are some of the most influential figures of Christianity (most of Christianity as a whole, and not just specifically Roman Catholicism). They include the likes of Augustine, John Chrysostom, Aquinas, and Teresa of Avila.

--What is this title?--
Doctors of the Church have been so named because they have provided critical insight into the life, practice, spirituality and definition of the church at key historical points, and have done so in such as way as to endeavour to teach and otherwise impart this knowledge to others. These are the great teachers of the church, in word and deed.

They are divided into three broad categories. The Patristic Doctors are the notables among the early church fathers, in the post-apostolic age to the close of the early round of church councils. These Patristic Doctors are thirteen in number:

Athanasius of Alexandria
Ephrem the Syrian
Hilary of Poitiers
Cyril of Jerusalem
Basil of Caesarea
Gregory of Nazianzus
Ambrose of Milan
John Chrysostom
Jerome
Augustine of Hippo
Cyril of Alexandria
Peter Chrysologus
Leo the Great

The next subgrouping is the Medieval Doctors:

Gregory the Great
Isador of Seville
Bede the Venerable
John of Damascus
Peter Damian
Anselm of Canterbury
Bernard of Clairvaux
Anthony of Padua
Albert the Great
Bonaventure of Bagnorea
Thomas Aquinas
Catherine of Siena

The next subgrouping is the Modern Doctors:

Teresa of Avila
Peter Canisius
John of the Cross
Robert Bellarmine
Lawrence of Brindisi
Francis de Sales
Alphonsus de Liguori
Theresa of Lisieux

The Patristic Doctors tend to be held in high regard by all denominations, East and West, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. The Medieval and Modern Doctors are often less regarded outside of Catholic circles, but still have provided spiritual and theological insight that enriches the entirety of Christianity.

It is unclear what authority outside of the Papacy can declare a Doctor of the Church -- this book remains ambiguous on that point, too.

'Although in the last four centuries it is only the Roman popes who have been interested in adding new names to the list of doctors, recent popes have not used their power of nomination to aggrandise the papacy by adding more of their predecessors.... Since 1700, only one pope, Leo I (declared a doctor in 1754), has made the list--and few would disagree with this belated recognition of a teacher revered in both Eastern and Western Christianity. A survey of the new doctors shows that the bishops of Rome have continued to think of 'doctor' as an ecumenical denomination, involving both Eastern and Western Christianity.'

--What is the future of this title?--
The most important aspect of the Doctors of the Church is without a doubt their continuing influence in the development of life, practice, thinking and spirituality of all of Christianity. A renewed interest in those who demonstrated clearly the vocation of teaching in the church bodes well for an increasingly community-driven model of church leadership.

'What is distinctive about the doctors as a group is the model they present of combining the intense love of God and neighbour that defines sanctity with a commitment to the intellectual work of learning, preaching, teaching, and writing.'

Doctors are different from saints in their status and role; these people live as much through their writings as through their veneration and intercessory aspects.

With a concern toward the ecumenical nature of the office doctor ecclesiae, McGinn argues for the inclusion of more Eastern figures, as well as Protestant figures who illuminate truth in their own way -- as Aquinas said, no one figure will ever embody or represent the fullness of truth found in the church as a whole, and that definition of church must be broadened beyond medieval political definitions.

Bernard McGinn has put together a good collection of brief biographies of these important figures.

This is the first choice in the first month of our new parish-wide book club that meets only in our church bulletin: St. Martha Parish-Wide Bulletin Book Club, a project of FACE/Foundations in Adult Catholic Education. If you belong to St. Martha's or read this review, you're in the club! No pressure. No meetings. We won't mind if you list this membership on your resume.
The Doctors of the Church are recognized as authoritative teachers who pass on spiritual wisdom. McGinn reminds that "Doctrina in Latin signifies the act of teaching, instructing, or training of any kind, so a doctor is a person who teaches...." (P.4) We posited that our book club should begin with a firm selection. We set about asking which Christian or Roman Catholic book, besides the Bible, would be best for our new beginning. We concluded that we should begin with our Church's most distinguished faculty. While these thirty-three are not our Master Teacher, each has been from over two thousand years of Christian authors and teachers elevated by The Church to doctor ecclesia. Whom better to start our book club school year than teachers?
There are other offerrings published on the subject of Doctors of the Church, but McGinn's authority as an historical theologian and position as Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor of historical theology at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago that brings such brilliance and richness to this book. From the preface he brings the reader into the 2000 year traditions of Roman Catholicism through a descriptive architectural tour of St. Peter's Basilica as a metaphor for this historical richness. His ability as scholar and teacher bring us in Part One to an understanding of what a Doctor of the Church is and how that definition evolved. If Truth is elegant, McGinn is perfecting it!
This book provides a very challenging several days read/study, or could be used as a contemporary burst-read-before-bed by reading a single life at a time, usually no more than three pages. Each life could also be read slowly for the spiritual challenge each doctor's writings inspire in the contemplative. As if this weren't enough, McGinn adds three appendices that are concise and useful reviews: Dictionary of Heresies (2 pages), Ecumenical Councils (2 pages), and Use of Doctors in Recent Church Teaching (2 pages).
Reading this book is like taking a survey course in Church philosophical underpinnings, without the lengthy term papers and thick tombs. This book is not only in paperback, but is few more than 200 pages!
Finding a selection to appeal to busy adults in 2500 families in a Roman Catholic parish in the mid-West was certainly made easier by McGinn. We're very excited to have a selection that will allow all levels of readers to delve into two thousand years of doctrine in a meaningful way. This is a perfect selection for September back to work and school with Roman Catholicism's most distinguished faculty, our doctores ecclesiae.

This book is really interesting in the fact that had not Leland gathered all this information it would most likely be lost to us today. I would not however recommend it as a BOS to follow ,mainly because we do not know the real context of these spells. Even though Leland has written them down they are from another time and one we are no longer a part of. This is just my opinion and I recommend if you do use a spell from this book you should know why you are using a certain herb, object etc. and WHO you are calling on!Just a precaution I would take. Ciao!

This is a wonderful addition to any home library for anyone interested in the religion of Antiquity and Italian folklore. All of Charles Leland's writings are wonderful, but this book in particular is of great merit. Leland travled the Italian country-side and recorded many of the tales from rural folks, some of which still practice the "old religion" both overtly and covertly within the Roman Catholic structure. It is through his recording of these stories that we can see the evolution and continued existence of the Gods of the Ancients. This is a must read for any serious mythographer, folklorist or modern day observer of the Old Ways.

This book is a classic text on the "Old Religion." The author Charles Leland was a folklorist performing field studies into Italian Witchcraft during the 1800s. He describes witches as worshippers of the goddess Diana, and refers to a specific group as the "good witches" of Benevento. Leland points out that "bad witches" also exist and he includes several spells to illustrate this.

Etruscan Roman Remains carries a feel of antiquity as Leland introduces ancient lore and its revelance to the witches of Old Italy. This book was the first of its kind to present material drawn directly from people claiming to be witches during the 19th century. Along with Leland's Aradia; Gospel of the Witches, this book presents the foundation of many concepts now found in modern Wicca, including a full moon sabbat, the worship of a god & goddess by witches, ritual use of cakes and wine, and witches as healers and magic users. After reading Leland's accounts, there can be little doubt that Gardnerian Wicca was founded, at least in part, upon the writings of Leland on Italian witchcraft.

In addition, Etruscan Roman Remains contains a great deal of information on old superstitions, folk spirits, and folk magic. This book is an important addition to any library on Witchcraft.

This book was pretty informative and told every story very accurately, which is very goood. Some mythology books these days don't always tell the story the same way and then you have contradicting information. But, ont thing that bothered me throughout the whole book was that the title of the book is Favortite Greek Myths, but clearly they use the Roman names for all of the gods and characters. This can be somewhat misleading. They also focus on some of the gods that are more minor and ignore more popular ones, which I am critisizing. But I have always loved the stry of Daphne and Apollo, and this book has the best version I've ever heard of it. It also includes other stories about Echo and Narcissus, King Midas, Hades kidnapping Persephone, and Arachne, all classics in Greek folklore. Onne thing that was also very useful was that there was a passage in the back of the book giving the names and occupations of each god and goddess. The color paintings in the book are also very beautiful and describe the story, and are therefore well-chosen. This book is very good for beginers of mythology (it was my first mythology book and is very good for children), but not recomended for advanced mythologists. Though the stories are brief and quick to get to their point, they are still informative enough to get the plot. That's why the book is so good for kids. It's really nice to share Greek mythology with kids early because all during junior high you have to study about it (trust me, I'm fourteen), and it's helpful to already know something about before you start. And this book is a good source for that sort of thing.

The really nice thing about "Favorite Greek Myths" is that Mary Pope Osborne has not simply picked the most famous or most popular stories from classical mythology. Once you read the stories of Ceyx and Alcyone or Callisto and Arcus I think that is pretty clear. Each of these dozen stories focuses on a pair of mythological figures, from parents and children like Phaeton and Helios, to lovers like Echo and Narcissus, to gods and mortals like Minerva and Arachne. The fact that Osborne uses Minerva rather than Athena reflects the Latin origins of these particular Greek myths. With the exception of the story of Cupid and Psyche, first told by the Latin writer Apuleius, all of the myths retold by Osborne come from the "Metamorphoses" of the Latin poet Ovid. Each story is accompanied by a full-color painting by Troy Howell that is evocative of the artwork of Pyle and those from a century ago. The back of the book includes a list of the "Gods, Goddesses and Mortals," as well as "Modern Words With Greek Origins," both of which teachers and students alike will find useful. "Favorite Greek Myths" works well as both an introduction to this series of classic myths or as a next step up for those who have read more juvenile accounts of these same stories. Osborne adopts her writing style to each tale, so that the comic elements are heightened in Bacchus and King Midas while the tragedy tones are enhanced in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. This is an excellent book to turn to once young readers have an understanding of the pantheon of classical deities and want to savor individual myths.

I took mythology in college and loved it. I had lost the text book though and it was sadly missed! I love art and collect books! This is a beautiful book, with beautiful art! The illustrator also did work on the time life series enchanted world, which I own the entire collection so it was a pleasant suprise to see his illustrations for this book. The stories are wonderful, some I remember some I didn't. I read it from cover to cover and will cherish it! Hopefully she'll write more greek myths, a series! I plan on getting her other book, Favorite medievil tales, I'll write a review either way! If you appreciate beautiful art and good stories this is a must have for any library, I'll pass this one on to my children!

Taking Chineese, Greek and Roman cooking influences, Smith ofTV fame brings forth an offering which resembles the James Beard books which provide not only great recipes but a running commentary on the culture which produces the food and some experience remembrances by the author.

This is fun cooking and well done. Well representative of the cuisines and done with helpful hints on each.

A workhorse for the cook willing to use it to branch out and experiement in these formative areas of food history. For openers, try Spareribs with Black Beans and Pepper Sauce, Halvah Cake or the Seafood Risotto.

My humble opinion is that Roman cooking is slighted out of the three. See Malto Mario for some great Rome recipes.

This book by Jeff Smith has to be my favorite one that he has written. This book focuses on recipes from China, Greece, and Rome. The recies in this book are flavorful, and very enjoyable. My favorite recipe in here is strangely enough Garlic, Eggs, and Pasta. There is a wide range in recipes, both in flavors and ingredients. Jeff Smith does an excellent job of paring history as well as anecdotes with all of his recipes. This should be a must add for anyone who enjoys historical cooking.

Whenever I entertain my Greek relatives, they are amazed by my flair in their native cooking. Jeff's recipes are easy to follow and make Greek cooking simple.

If you've had this assigned as a text for a class, consider yourself lucky. It's a challanging area to study, but this book is up to date and far more managable than most other texts on this subject.