Author: James G. Crossley File Type: pdf Jesus in an Age of Neoliberalism analyses the ideology underpinning contemporary scholarly and popular quests for the historical Jesus. Focusing on cultural and political issues, the book examines postmodernism, multiculturalism and the liberal masking of power. The study ranges across diverse topics the dubious periodisation of the quest for the historical Jesus biblioblogging Jesus the Great Man and western individualism image-conscious Jesus scholarship the Jewishness of Jesus and the multicultural Other evangelical and mythical Jesuses and the contradictions between personal beliefs and dominant ideological trends in the construction of historical Jesuses. Jesus in an Age of Neoliberalism offers readers a radical revisioning of contemporary biblical studies. **Review Reader beware! Prepare to be provoked into new modes of thinking about the cultural life of the Bible today, as Crossley is one of the most important contemporary bearers of the radical legacy of biblical scholarship. - Ward Blanton, University of Glasgow More than a breath of fresh air, this book is a bracing wind. Crossley throws open windows that few of us in biblical studies even knew existed. Having read Crossley, most of us will never be able to see the quest for the historical Jesus in quite the same way again. And that is a very good thing. - Stephen D. Moore, Drew Theological School Crossley is always insightful but he can also exhibit flashes of genius. Crossleys work doesnt simply need to be read, it needs to be digested and the implications of his research discussed and debated. - Jim West, Quartz Hill School of Theology, Cali About the Author James G. Crossley is Professor of Bible, Culture and Politics in the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield.

Author: Richard Morris File Type: pdf THEY STARTED WITH FOUR earth, air, fire, and water. From these basics, they sought to understand the essential ingredients of the world. Those who could see further, those who understood that the four were just the beginning, were the last sorcerers -- and the worlds first chemists. What we now call chemistry began in the fiery cauldrons of mystics and sorcerers seeking not to make a better world through science, but rather to make themselves richer through magic formulas and con games. Yet among these early magicians, frauds, and con artists were a few far-seeing alchemists who used the trial and error of rigorous experimentation to transform mysticism into science. Scientific historians generally credit the great 18th century French chemist Antoine Lavoisier with modernizing the field of chemistry. Others would follow his lead, carefully examining, measuring, and recording their findings. One hundred years later, another pioneer emerged. Dimitri Mendeleev, an eccentric genius who cut his flowing hair and beard but once a year, finally brought order to the chemical sciences when he constructed the first Periodic Table in the late 1800s. But between and after Lavoisier and Mendeleev were a host of other colorful, brilliant scientists who made their mark on the field of chemistry. Depicting the lively careers of these scientists and their contributions while carefully deconstructing the history and the science, author Richard Morris skillfully brings it all to life. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a clear and lively writer with a penchant for down-to-earth examples Morriss gift for explanation -- and pure entertainment -- is abundantly obvious. Taking a cue from the great chemists themselves, Morris has brewed up a potent combination of the alluringly obscure and the historically momentous, spiked with just the right dose of quirky and ribald detail to deliver a magical brew of history, science, and personalities.From Publishers WeeklyThough the stories in this volume have been told before in other books, Morris (The Evolutionists Times Arrow) manages to make the history of the periodic tables conception fresh and quirky one more time. He does this by focusing his narrative on the early alchemists, who were among the first scientists to investigate the composition of metals and who were widely perceived to be near-sorcerous practitioners of mysterious arts. Bernard of Treves, for one, squandered his life and money questing for the secret that would turn ordinary metals into gold. Another alchemist, Paracelsus, was the first to use the word chemistry, though his egomania and his devotion to the truth earned him nothing but trouble. Hennig Brandt collected buckets of human urine trying to make gold and instead ended up producing phosphorus. In Morriss account, even Robert Boyle, generally considered to be the founder of modern chemistry, was an alchemist. It wasnt until the 18th century, Morris writes, that alchemy was supposedly superceded by chemistry. Thus the more familiar legends of chemistry-featuring scientists like Humphrey Davy, Joseph Priestly and Antoine Lavoisier-appear later in this volume, which recounts the formation of our basic ideas about chemical compounds, elements and molecules. Dimitri Mendeleev, the organizer of the periodic table, gets special treatment. Morris finishes up this delightful tale of science history by sweeping through the 20th century chemists whose discoveries were beyond the wildest imaginings of the ancient Greeks, but who still couldnt make gold from lead. 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review...a fascinating read... well-written popular science, and as such deserves to be widely read. -- Nature, January 1, 2004...rife with rich stories and wacky characters. This book puts fun into the fundamentals of chemistry. -- East Oregonian, November 9, 2003A potpourri of eccentric, foolhardy, strange, and even law-breaking geniuses and near-geniuses populate these pages. -- Choice, April 2004In this lively chronology, Morris introduces these scores of others who shaped chemistry. -- Science News, January 24, 2004The book is easy to read even for nonchemists... -- Chemical & Engineering News, October 6, 2003This book is written to present the history of chemistry as a voyage of discovery. It makes excellent reading. -- Books-on-Line[A] lively account of how rigorous experimentation led from mysticism to science... -- Nob Hill Gazette, January 2004