From the ashes of World War II to the conflict over Iraq; William Hitchcock examines the miraculous transformation of Europe from a deeply fractured land to a continent striving for stability; tolerance; democracy; and prosperity. Exploring the role of Cold War politics in Europe’s peace settlement and the half century that followed; Hitchcock reveals how leaders such as Charles de Gaulle; Willy Brandt; and Margaret Thatcher balanced their nations’ interests against the demands of the reigning superpowers; leading to great strides in economic and political unity. He re-creates Europeans’ struggles with their troubling legacy of racial; ethnic; and national antagonism; and shows that while divisions persist; Europe stands on the threshold of changes that may profoundly shape the future of world affairs.
#905125 in Books 1995-03-01 1995-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.52 x .99 x 6.43l; #File Name: 0385474571288 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Son of Man ideas through timeBy Jeremy TarbushTells us who the Community at Qumran might have thought the Son of Man (priestly and kingly) might have been. Also talks through Pseudepigrapha and theories of who might have might have been Son of Man (men?).23 of 23 people found the following review helpful. an in-depth study of a complex problemBy benjaminThe Scepter and the Star by John Joseph Collins is an in-depth study of the complex problem of messianism and the varied messianic expectation(s) and speculation(s) during the time of Second Temple Judaism. The subtitle of the book; "The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Ancient Literature" is important because Collins does not restrict his study to the Dead Sea Scrolls. He goes through the Pseudepigrapha (a large; open-ended collection of biblically-related and biblically-dependant literature that is not a part of the Bible); the Apocrypha; the Hebrew Bible/Tanak/Old Testament and the messianic ideas contained within those works. Collins also deals with Jesus and the New Testament in this work; although it is on the side that these discussions take place.Collins' knowledge of the Hebrew Bible is extensive on both theological and historical levels. His knowledge is also useful because in the Hebrew Bible are the roots of the problems with messianic interpretation - the scriptures themselves. Once Collins places particular scriptures in their historical context; he then goes on to show their influence(s) and interpretation(s) in various post- and extra-biblical works of literature. We find a pre-existent; heavenly messiah; a priestly messiah; a kingly messiah; and a militant messiah in the works Collins analyzes. At least one messiah was expected and possibly and two; depending on who wrote the work. Collins also deals with the history of the word "messiah" and its various uses in the Hebrew Bible.In reading the book; the reader will gain some insights as to how and why the writers of the New Testament understood Jesus the way that they did; but the goal of the book is not to connect these works to Jesus. The book is; in many ways; a survey of the messianic thought during and before Jesus' time.This book is not an introduction by any means. It is an in-depth study; some previous knowledge of the Scrolls; the Pseudepigrapha; and Second Temple history will be useful to the reader. A glossary would have been nice and helpful and would have opened the doors for less knowledgeable readers to read and understand the book. Overall; this is an excellect read. However; previous knowledge will enable - and perhaps even be necessary - for reader to grasp the many insights in Collins' work.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Second Temple MessianismBy A. J. ValasekThis is a well researched; scholarly book that examines the messianic movements of the second temple period. It basically examines the various phrases (e.g. son of man) associated with the messiah(s) that were expected throughout this period. It certainly was written from a research standpoint to be used for research and not intented as a casual reading.This book gives a fair review of the various expectations such as a warrior type messiah; a suffering servant; as well as some lesser known movements such as the two messiah movement and even the Christianized returning messiah dogma.For the most part; the author is not identifying the messiah as any particular individual; but is trying to provide a broad scope look at the many movements and possible reasons as to how they developed and evolved from one type to another.Drawing heavily upon the Dead Sea Scrolls; the author examines the various Bible texts that imply messianism and attempts to place these messiahs in their proper context. I believe that any serious student of this period would do well to have a copy of this book handy as it should prove to be a well used and well cited text as the research and debate about messianism thrives and grows.
