Augustine. Tertullian. Origen. For too many Christians such names are abstract; one-dimensional legends; innocuous voices from antiquity no longer relevant to modern needs and concerns. However; a closer look at these church fathers reveals writers whose reflections on the apostolic teachings edify all generations of believers. Bryan Liftin helps readers understand the fathers as individuals who cared deeply about preserving the core tenets of the Christian faith; and debunks misconceptions about their religious status and treatment of Scripture. An unveiling of these ten personalities demonstrates how much the fathers can teach us about the doctrines of our faith and the enduring community of which we are a part.
#1220995 in Books Tarcher 2005-06-02 2005-06-02Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.24 x 1.31 x 6.24l; 1.25 #File Name: 1585424056384 pages
Review
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Another "Alternative Camp" View on the Secrets of the Great Pyramid and the Dawn of CivilizationBy SailormanThis is another of a series of similar books that I have read from the "alternative camp"; or those researchers and authors like Robert Bauval; Graham Hancock; and John Anthony West whose views and theories on the age and origin of the sphinx; and the pyramids; differ from the orthodox view of most Egyptologists. Their basic position is that the sphinx and possibly the pyramids; are ancient; far more ancient than is commonly accepted by the scientific community; and that the sphinx and the pyramids are the product of an ancient and lost civilization far more advanced than the Egyptians.Schock is a geologist and Ph.D. who was brought to Giza by John Anthony West and who together with West rocked the scientific community in the 1990's by dating the sphinx to as old as 10;500 B.C. by studying the damage to the sphinx's body and the sphinx enclosure and theorizing that it was caused by water erosion during a time some 7;000 years ago when the Nile valley received copious amounts of rainfall.McNally is a writer and a poet with an interest in ancient civilizations. Together they present an intriguing and captivating view of the "alternative camp" on prehistoric cultured societies; the age of the Giza plateau; its builders; mathematical constants such as pi and phi; as well as other secret knowledge; built into the pyramids; the celestial alignments of the pyramids; the great pyramid in particular; and the science of the construction of the pyramids. Almost a third of the book is appendixes intended to support this view and go into detail on the pyramid's internal and external dimensions; dimension ratios; geometry; and trigonometry. They trace the foundation of the Great pyramid to an Egyptian sacred site 7;000 B.C. and suggest that the pyramids were never used as tombs by rather for ritual training; initiations; and other mystical or cultic purposes.I'm bias because I love this kind of stuff; and although not the best book I've read by the "alternative camp"; I found this to be a great read.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. NoteworthyBy Mark GibbsA thoroughly captivating read. My only gripe is that the font is so small as to be uncomfortable to read; and half the book is appendices - published in an even tinier font. Presumably; this was done to keep the cost of the book as low as possible; but it's counter-productive IMO. Less hardy readers might soon give up on it; which would be a misfortune as this is a worthy book. Essentially; a scholarly presentation with a lot of dry detail and mathematical formulae; the author's purpose is to challenge conventional scholarship using their own methodology against them. The results are impressive. He apparently proves that the Sphinx was built thousands of years before the generally accepted date; and thus a highly developed civilization existed eons before the so-called beginning of recorded history around 3000BCE. He considers the significance of the pyramids and Egyptian culture on Western esoteric lore and mysticism; and though he implies a continuous thread of ancient secret knowledge has been kept alive; like the rest of us; he hasn't quite managed to figure it all out yet.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very comprehensiveBy F S FrederickDr Schoch's book goes into much greater detail about the Great Pyramid than any other book on the subject that I have ever read. I really liked it that he put much information into appendices instead of the text. I could pick out the appendices that interested me. In addition; the book is very well written. I'm not sure that I believe all of his conclusions; but he makes very compelling cases.
