Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6)

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6)
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Ritual Death Magic

Blood Rites, Dredsen files # 6

The Dresden Files, book 6

Significant Character Development

A Bit of Harry's Past
Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6)
Jim Butcher
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451459873
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Book Description

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, takes on a case as a favor to his friend Thomas-a vampire of dubious integrity-only to become the prime suspect in a series of ghastly murders.

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Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, takes on a case as a favor to his friend Thomas-a vampire of dubious integrity-only to become the prime suspect in a series of ghastly murders.

Customer Reviews:

Ritual Death Magic.......2007-09-14

Blood Rites (2004) is the sixth urban fantasy novel in the Harry Dresden series, following Death Masks. In the previous volume, John Marcone grabbed the Shroud from Nicodemus and jumped off the train into the river. Michael Carpenter attacked Nicodemus and was overwhelming him, but then Nicodemus pulled a gun and shot Michael several times through his breastplate. Harry temporarily overcame Nicodemus and got Michael off the train.

Marcone pulled Harry from the river with the Shroud. After that, Harry didn't remember anything until he woke up in Charity's guest room. Marcone still had the Shroud. By following the gang boss around the city, Harry finally learned why Marcone had commissioned the theft of the Shroud.

In this novel, Harry is running hard down the abandoned school hallway with a box of puppies in his arms. The old school is on fire, but not because of him. Three monkey demons are chasing him, throwing gobs of flaming monkey poop at him and starting fires all along the corridors. One puppy keeps climbing up and barking at the monkey demons.

Once Harry drops the box and the puppies fall out. Harry scoops them up and starts running again, but the little notched-ear pup has been left behind. As he stands growling at the monkeys, Harry turns back, gathers him up and starts running again. Finally he gets outside the building and runs toward the Blue Beetle.

A larger version of the monkey demons bursts out of the doors. The other three monkeys ram the large demon and are absorbed, making the large demon become still larger. This entity spreads his wings and takes off, buzzing the Blue Beetle. Harry yells at Thomas to start the car, then dives in the passenger side and stuffs the box of puppies into the back.

The flying monkey throws incendiaries at the Volkswagen. Thomas hangs onto Harry's leg as he hangs out the door and blasts the monkey. Then Harry has Thomas stop the car and blasts the demon right between the eyes. Scratch one demon, at least for a little while!

Harry passes the box of puppies on to his client, but fails to notice the notch-eared pup under the seat. When he finds the pup, his client has already left for Tibet and is unavailable. Harry decides to keep the pup for a while until he can make some other arrangements.

In this story, Thomas asks Harry to talk to an erotic film producer who seems to be suffering from a curse. Arturo is Greek and has three ex-wives. His female associates are dying in strange ways. Harry wonders if the man has been cursed with an entropy spell, but also considers an Evil Eye curse. He finally agrees to talk with Arturo.

Harry reports to work the next day at the makeshift studio. As a production assistant, he is basically a gofer. At least he will be able to observe the crew and sense the curse first hand. That morning, Harry senses an evil magic rising near him and tracks it to a staff restroom. Another woman has been badly hurt and only saved from death by Harry's timely intervention.

Later, Harry finds out that Lara -- one of the actresses -- is the older sister of Thomas. She is a vamp in more than one sense of the word. She exudes sexuality, but what would you expect from a White Court vampire?

This story involves ancient Greek witchcraft and modern contract law. Harry begins to understand the motivation for the murders, but not the means. He suspects that an experienced and talented sorcerer is behind the curse, but is otherwise clueless. He starts checking out Arturo's financial circumstances.

Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of exotic magic, strange deaths, and a stubborn wizard.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Blood Rites, Dredsen files # 6.......2007-07-13

Another Magical ride with Harry. Excellent as was the previous
1 through 5.

The Dresden Files, book 6.......2007-06-27

I can't say it any clearer than this: you should read every book in this series. Start at the beginning and work your way through to the latest book. If you like fantasy, mystery, suspense...these books will not disappoint. Harry Dresden is an engaging and sympathetic character: funny, determined, intelligent, with just the right amount of angst in his history. And the secondary characters are each equally as interesting. If you've seen the TV series on SciFi channel, you'll love these books. And if you haven't - you should still read these books.

Significant Character Development.......2007-06-05

While the plot of "Blood Rites" seems rather more light and frothy than the previous book "Death Masks", "Blood Rites" also manages to become significant in the journey of its protagonist Harry Dresden.

It's difficult to take psychic (even perhaps sex?) vampires making porn too seriously, but as part of Harry's emotional journey, the events of "Blood Rites" seem to have some great signficance and appear to have consequences which will linger.

A fun read. Essential to the series with some surprisingly serious consequences to what is a more or less relatively light plot (probably because it deals with Thomas, the amusing vampire introduced to the series in "Grave Peril". In fact, several elements of "Grave Peril" reappear in this book, not as a retread but as a step-forward of the series.)

A Bit of Harry's Past.......2007-05-22

Jim gives us a look into a little of Harry's past. Spectacular book!

Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War

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on the origins of war
War at the Heart of the Human Enterprise
War, the Predator Beast
mostly speculation
Very good. Is it too broad?

Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War
Barbara Ehrenreich
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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The Fifth Sacred Thing

ASIN: 0805057870

Amazon.com

In this ambitious work, Barbara Ehrenreich offers a daring explanation for humans' propensity to wage war. Rather than approach the subject from a physiological perspective, pinpointing instinct or innate aggressiveness as the violent culprit, she reaches back to primitive man's fear of predators and the anxieties associated with life in the food chain. To deal with the reality of living as prey, she argues that blood rites were created to dramatize and validate the life-and-death struggle. Jumping ahead to the modern age, Ehrenreich brands nationalism a more sophisticated form of blood ritual, a phenomenon that conjures similar fears of predation, whether in the form of lost territory or the more extreme ethnic cleansing. Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War may not offer a cure for human aggression, but the author does present a convincing argument for the difficulties associated with achieving peace.

Book Description

An ALA Notable BookA New York Times Notable BookIn Blood Rites, Barbara Ehrenreich confronts the mystery of the human attraction to violence: What draws our species to war and even makes us see it as a kind of sacred undertaking? Blood Rites takes us on an original journey from the elaborate human sacrifices of the ancient world to the carnage and holocaust of twentieth-century "total war." Sifting through the fragile records of prehistory, Ehrenreich discovers the wellspring of war in an unexpected place--not in a "killer instinct" unique to the males of our species but in the blood rites early humans performed to reenact their terrifying experience of predation by stronger carnivores. Brilliant in conception, rich in scope, Blood Rites is a monumental work that will transform our understanding of the greatest single threat to human life.

Customer Reviews:

on the origins of war.......2006-08-31

Blood Rites is a book about the origin of war. The author's thesis is that the origins of war stem back to a time when humanity was the prey of large animals. Eventually humans organized and developed weapons to fight off predatory animals but the memories of being prey lived on in us and manifested itself in sacrifice, human and otherwise and finally, up to this day, war. In the process of explaining the above the author goes into the history of war, writing of a time when the making of war was a sacred kind of thing reserved for the elite of each society and about the democratizing effect modern weapons had on war, first making the lower soldiers such as archers more important than the knights and samurai and then with the advent of guns making the idea of a knight or samurai class completely obsolete. Finally we enter modern times with nationalism forming the identity of each group of people and hence what we fight over. Although much is made of the actions of male soldiers the author emphasizes that war is a need of humankind. She points out that facing a common enemy brings us all together and that woman are as eager to send their sons to war as men are. I enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot about the practice of war. In the end she brings up the anti-war movement and says that this movement is fighting it's own kind of war. I found this a kind of depressing point to make. I wonder if we can ever get over our need to have an enemy, that need to be preyed on that this book is ultimately about.

War at the Heart of the Human Enterprise.......2006-05-30

In this deep and meticulously researched treatise on the origins of war Barbara Ehrenreich argues that 1.In our earliest history we were scavengers with no good defense mechanism, hardly the top of the food chain. 2.When humans developed the brain power to become an apex predator the wound inflicted by being a prey animal formed the basis of the first religious ceremonies as small bands of humans re-enacted the trauma of the predator prey relationship in sacrificial blood rites. 3.That about 12,000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the agricultural revolution the large prey that consumed the attentions of the most violent segment of society had been all but hunted out. 4.Putting these men to work as warriors to replace their hunting niche was adaptative at the time. 5.War began as an organized human enterprise about 12,000 years ago as these new warriors captured people from other tribes to use in the blood rites and for slave labor.6.Finally, the fact that war was and is a social construct makes it no less real and no less dangerous as this formerly adaptative behavior has become inextricably intertwined with every aspect of our human lives over the last 12 millennia. In fact it has become the center of the human enterprise. Looking at the problem of war from the above perspective should alert those of us in the peace movement to the profound psychological transformation that must take place before we can make in headway at all. The fact that this close inspection of the earliest history is so timely today just proves Ehrenreich's central thesis as to the madness and intractability of war.

War, the Predator Beast.......2005-11-10

I loved Nickel and Dimed but was disappointed in For Her Own Good. Barbara Ehrenreich is a prolific writer and, I guess, not everything can be a gem. Blood Rites is well researched and exciting reading. Ehrenreich attacks the nature and origins of War, a subject on which she is admittedly not an expert. She brings a fresh eye, excellent research skills and the ability to put her conclusions in clear and compelling language.

Her key conclusion is that war grew out of our early experiences as prey turned predators. I don't know if that is as revolutionary an idea as she claims, but she convinced me. War is a religious experience based on the blood sacrifices of early humans to propitiate predator gods. It evolved with human society and now serves the new religion of nationalism, known in the US as patriotism.

While it is a human creation, like Frankenstein's monster, it has taken on a life of it's own and has become the new Beast. It is so enmeshed in our consciousness and culture that we may not be able to stop it. We find ourselves throwing young men and women into its merciless maw at a rate that makes even the bloodiest ancient rites seem tame in comparison.

Ehrenreich draws us to that frightening conclusion and then, apparently in search of a happy ending, suggests that perhaps the modern anti-war movement will grow powerful enough to actually put a stop to it; the war against war serving as the new but benign secular "religion".

mostly speculation.......2004-10-15

An imaginative attempt to understand the origins of war, an essay that relies primarily upon the author's sensitive, and often sensible, imagination.

The book's style favors an irritating, superfluous, and promiscuous use of quotation marks when not actually quoting. Thus, she places quotation marks around Long Gray Line and drive, for example. By frequently doing this, she distracts the reader from her argument.

Very good. Is it too broad?.......2004-05-23

Considered in its own narrowest terms -- a genealogy of the passions surrounding the human practice of war -- this is a compelling read. One can see this work as a real-world application of E.O. Wilson's idea of Consilience, as Ehrenreich uses her training in biology to elucidate and inform what is conventionally seen as a question for the humanities.

Starting from biology, Ehrenreich calls on experts from many disciplines, "soft" and "hard," as she lays out her case. This is both promising and perilous. A great deal of reading and study has gone in to this book, as is evident from her many citations. It would require an expertise deeper and broader than mine to assess whether she has truly "done her homework." What I found lacking, at times, was a sense of the contrast between her thesis and what had come before it. Is she synthesizing the likes of Toynbee, Weber, Fichte, Hegel, and the many others she mentions, or is she overturning them? I did not always get a clear sense of where previous thinkers had gone wrong on the topics she addresses.

In the end, this is not a damning criticism; a reader geninely interested in the issues covered in this book will find a deep mine of additional reading in Ehrenreich's index and bibliography. This book is represents a seemingly fresh start on a matter of great human importance.

Complete Blood Covenant Library
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The precious blood of Jesus

Inconvenient Format
Complete Blood Covenant Library
H. Clay Trumbull , and Ronald Fanter
Manufacturer: Cutting Edge Ministries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

Ritual | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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The Blood Covenant

ASIN: 1931215340

Book Description

This CD produced by Cutting Edge Ministries contains the following:

Complete Blood Covenant Library
1. Book of Covenants by Ronald Fanter
2. Covenant of Blood by Ronald Fanter
3. Blood Covenant by H. Clay Trumbull
4. Threshold Covenant by H. Clay Trumbull
5. Covenant of Salt by H. Clay Trumbull
6. Complete King James Bible (Old and New Testament)
7. Blood01 and Blood02 wav files delivered live
by Ronald Fanter on the subject of the Blood Covenant.

You will need Acrobat by Adobe to view these files which you can download free from the internet if your computer does not have this software.

Are you one of those Christians that just want to know everything about your covenant with Christ? H. Clay Trumbull is the recognized authority on the ancient Blood Covenant rite and how it is reflected throughout the scriptures. This book is a photo reprint of the original written in 1885 and contains a whole 350 pages of some of the richest information on the ancient Blood Covenant rite. This is Trumbull's first book on this fascinating subject, the most authoritative book on the subject. We strongly recommend that you purchase all three so you have Trumbull's complete work on the subject however if you can only manage one, why not start with the book that shook the Christian world to awaken Christ's bride to the great revelation that is only now beginning to quicken life into the members of Christ's body all over the world as to their covenant rights in Christ.

Are you one of those Christians that just want to know everything about your covenant with Christ? H. Clay Trumbull is the recognized authority on the ancient Blood Covenant rite and how it is reflected throughout the scriptures. This book is a photo reprint of the original written in 1899 and contains a whole 184 pages of some of the richest information on the ancient Salt Covenant rite and its relationship to the Blood Covenant. This is Trumbull's third book on this fascinating subject. We strongly recommend that you purchase all three so you have Trumbull's complete work on the subject however if you already have some knowledge of the Blood Covenant, why not discover the relationship between the Salt Covenant and the Blood Covenant.

Are you one of those Christians that just want to know everything about your covenant with Christ? H. Clay Trumbull is the recognized authority on the ancient Blood Covenant rite and how it is reflected throughout the scriptures. This book is a photo reprint of the original written in 1906 and contains a whole 336 pages of some of the richest information on the ancient Blood Covenant rite. This is a sequel to Trumbull's first book on this fascinating subject but contains information entirely new. We strongly recommend that you purchase all three so you have Trumbull's complete work on the subject however if you can only manage one, we believe this to be his greatest work.

If you are truly interested in understanding the biblical blood covenant, you might want to consider purchasing our book on this very important subject. "The Book Of Covenants" compliments the 30 tapes set wonderfully. You will discover yourself referring to this book over and over again as it will help to reinforce what you are learning concerning your Blood Covenant Rights with Jesus Christ. No other book on this subject will compliment the concepts discussed within the 30 audio tape set as the two books written by Ronald G. Fanter. Much of the information within these pages you will not see in any other book on the Blood Covenant. This book will prove to be a great companion as you go through the audio study.

If you are truly interested in understanding the biblical blood covenant, you might want to consider purchasing our second book on this very important subject. "The Covenant Of Blood" is actually a supplement to our first book on this most fascinating subject, "The Book Of Covenants", and compliments both the 30 tapes set and our original "The Book Of Covenants" wonderfully. You will discover yourself referring to this book over and over again as it contains material that will help to reinforce what you are learning concerning your Blood Covenant Rights with Jesus Christ. No other book on this subject will compliment the concepts discussed within the 30 audio tape set as those written by Ronald G. Fanter. Much of the information you will find within these pages you will not see in any other book on the Blood Covenant. This book will prove to be a great companion as you go through the audio study.

Customer Reviews:

The precious blood of Jesus.......2004-04-06

I found the materials on this CD to be of great value in helping to understand the work that Jesus did on the cross for me. Anyone who has seen the Mel Gibson movie about the passion of Christ will find this material most interesting. The two books on the CD by Dr. Fanter take the concept of the blood covenant beyond Dr. Trumbull's work. There is also an audio message on the blood covenant that put it all in perspective for me. Dr. Fanter's book is searchable as is the King James Bible so you can do cross referencing and bible lookup directly from the CD. The Trumbull books are unfortunately just page images. Looking through the pages can be cumbersome however the material on this cd is of tremendous value. Trumbull's books contain scripture indexes that can easily be looked up and cross referenced on the Bible that comes with the CD.

Inconvenient Format.......2004-01-23

Those seeking copies of the three Trumbull books on covenant will be disappointed that this CD-ROM provides facsimiles only that can neither be searched nor printed. You cannot copy and paste to a word processor. The sometimes crookedly scanned Trumbull books can be read on your computer screen; that's it. All the books on this CD are combined in one large, locked PDF file. If having all these works together in one file for occasional reference on-screen is what you seek, this CD will work for you.

Blood, Milk, and Death: Body Symbols and the Power of Regeneration Among the Zaramo of Tanzania

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Blood, Milk, and Death: Body Symbols and the Power of Regeneration Among the Zaramo of Tanzania
Marja-Liisa Swantz
Manufacturer: Bergin & Garvey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0897893980

Book Description

Beginning with the myth of origin that joins every young Zaramo woman to her origins as she is initiated into the secrets of life and womanhood, the book then provides us with an historical account of the Tanzanian coast around Dar es Salaam as a background to the persistence of the cultural institutions to which the reader is introduced. Statements and narrations by Salome as a representative of the modern educated Zaramo people intersperse the author's descriptions of the rituals of womanhood, of individual and social healing, and of the ways conflict is symbolically manipulated and managed. Rituals are seen in their vibrant role, not as remnants of tradition, but as means of handling encroaching external pressures on the community. These pressures include, commercialization of livelihood, development thrust in the form of villagization, or the ongoing process of losing land rights. The book shows that a people will counteract the threat of social disintegration by overemphasizing their core values in an attempt to create strong communication forces and instruments of power. A good introduction to contemporary African issues, Third World women's studies, and ethnographic anthropology.

Covenant of Blood: Circumcision and Gender in Rabbinic Judaism (Chicago Studies in the History of Judaism)

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Scholarly, Thoughtful and Provocative
Excellent Scholarship, Very Readable

Covenant of Blood: Circumcision and Gender in Rabbinic Judaism (Chicago Studies in the History of Judaism)
Lawrence A. Hoffman
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0226347834

Book Description

Central to both biblical narrative and rabbinic commentary, circumcision has remained a defining rite of Jewish identity, a symbol so powerful that challenges to it have always been considered taboo. Lawrence Hoffman seeks to find out why circumcision holds such an important place in the Jewish psyche. He traces the symbolism of circumcision through Jewish history, examining its evolution as a symbol of the covenant in the post-exilic period of the Bible and its subsequent meaning in the formative era of Mishnah and Talmud.

In the rabbinic system, Hoffman argues, circumcision was neither a birth ritual nor the beginning of the human life cycle, but a rite of covenantal initiation into a male "life line." Although the evolution of the rite was shaped by rabbinic debates with early Christianity, the Rabbis shared with the church a view of blood as providing salvation. Hoffman examines the particular significance of circumcision blood, which, in addition to its salvific role, contrasted with menstrual blood to symbolize the gender dichotomy within the rabbinic system. His analysis of the Rabbis' views of circumcision and menstrual blood sheds light on the marginalization of women in rabbinic law. Differentiating official mores about gender from actual practice, Hoffman surveys women's spirituality within rabbinic society and examines the roles mothers played in their sons' circumcisions until the medieval period, when they were finally excluded.

Customer Reviews:

Scholarly, Thoughtful and Provocative.......2002-04-08

In a private letter to Leopold Zunz, the nineteenth century scholar and advocate of the "Scientific Investigation of Judaism," the Reform leader Abraham Geiger commented on the rite of circumcision as follows:

"I cannot comprehend the necessity of working up a spirit of enthusiasm for the ceremony merely on the ground that it is held in general esteem. It remains a barbarous bloody act. . . . The sacrificial idea which invested the act with sanctity in former days has no significance for us. However tenaciously religious sentiment may have clung to it formerly, at present, its only supports are habit and fear, to which we certainly do not wish to erect any shrines."

Notwithstanding Geiger's private views on the subject, his public position was quite different when, in 1843, a group of Frankfurt laymen formed the Society for the Friends of Reform and declared, among other things, that the long-standing rite of circumcision was null and void. Like other members of the emerging Reform rabbinate of mid-nineteenth century Germany, Geiger could not consider abrogating the rite, even though every other aspect of Jewish religious practice was subject to reconsideration in the light of modernity. As Lawrence Hoffman notes in the opening chapter of "Covenant of Blood: Circumcision and Gender in Rabbinic Judaism," when discussing the actions of the German Reform rabbinate in response to the Frankfurt laymen and during three historic meetings in the period between 1844 and 1846:

"Rabbis apparently found it possible to commit nothing less than liturgical surgery on their time-honored prayer book; they could cancel age-old mourning and wedding customs; they even declared the Talmud no longer binding. They had no trouble dispensing with Hebrew and cutting off their ties to a Jewish Land of Israel. They would even think seriously of declaring a marriage with a non-Jew `not forbidden.' But they could not even consider abrogating circumcision. Moreover, they could not even agree that males who are not circumcised are still Jews! Nowhere else, to the best of my knowledge, were the reformers so adamantly tied to their past as in the case of circumcision."

Indeed, the atavistic power of tradition almost prevented Professor Hoffman himself from publishing this fascinating and compelling exploration of the role of circumcision in Judaism, a work that he largely completed as early as 1987 (nearly ten years before its publication). Struggling to find the light of day, he admits to having erased the text from his computer and then lost the only hard copy in his possession. In the end, fortunately for those interested in better understanding the real meanings of Judaism, he decided "it is better to come to terms with the crawly creatures in the basement than to pretend that they are not there."

"Covenant of Blood" methodically explores the development, importance and meaning of circumcision within Judaism. Tracing the rite from its original textual origins in the story of Abraham, Professor Hoffman combines close analysis of Jewish texts with anthropological theory (particularly the seminal and insightful writings of Mary Douglas and Claude Levi-Strauss) to demonstrate how circumcision evolved into a binary system that served to reinforce Jewish patriarchy while simultaneously marginalizing women. It is a system that developed initially from the dichotomy between the salvific meaning ascribed to the blood of circumcision and the impurity of the blood of menstruation. From this dichotomy, Professor Hoffman demonstrates how the rabbinic system evolved in a manner that effectively excluded women from the religious culture of Judaism (while recognizing that the preserved rabbinic texts do not always reflect the reality of cultural practice). In a characteristic passage showing how "Covenant of Blood" relies upon anthropological analysis to illuminate Jewish theology (and which reminds me of some of the linguistic observations of Judith Tannen), Professor Hoffman summarizes why Jewish women were excluded from compliance with positive commandments dependent on time:

"[W]ith regard to gender, the rabbinic system presents a cultural diad of in control/out of control. Men are controlled, they learn the system of controls, and they exercise control to transform the environment; women are the opposite: they are out of control; they are nature; they are wild, loose, unable (by temperament) to master the application of those commandments that must be done precisely `on time.' Therefore, the system necessarily exempts them from those commandments. In a word, men are nature transformed by culture; women are nature, dependent on culture, that is, on men. They enter men's domain at times like marriage (thus requiring one-sixth of the Mishnah to tell their men how to deal with them), but they are never fully `culturated.' They do not learn Torah and are not obliged to effect culture's-that is, Torah's-transformation of nature. Using Levi-Strauss's celebrated categorization scheme loosely, we can say that men, as culture, are the cooked while women, as nature, are the raw."

Tracing the circumcision rite through history, Professor Hoffman demonstrates through careful textual and philological analysis how women were finally excluded entirely from participation in the rite by the Medieval rabbinate, making circumcision an exclusively male ritual in the synagogue.

For those who view Judaism as revealed religion, and Torah and its Talmudic elaborations as revealed texts, "Covenant of Blood" will appear to be nothing more than heresy. Similarly, for those who unquestioningly accept Judaic tradition and practice without regard to its origins and effects, there will continue to be a cultural, if not religious, imperative for circumcision, "the sine qua non of Jewish identity throughout time." But for those willing to examine the religious ritual of circumcision in the light of reason, Professor Hoffman has written a text worthy of careful reading and consideration.

Excellent Scholarship, Very Readable.......2000-09-08

Hoffman begins his analysis of the meaning of male circumcision in Rabbinic Judaism by recounting the attempts in the nineteenth century by the movement in Germany to eliminate circumcision a requirement in Judaism. The effort was largely unsuccessful. This prompts him to study the ritual's public meaning through the history of Judaism. Hoffman admits that his the results of his investigation made him unconfortable enough to sequester the manuscript for several years before returning to it. Fortunately, he decided to resurrect the work and publish it. Hoffman's painstaking research and analysis led to a clear conclusion: the purpose of male circumcision in Rabbinic Judaism was to exclude women. The focus of his research was to attempt to understand what circumcision meant to average practicing Jew at the various periods of Judaism. I found his approach and findings fascinating. One nearly indisputable finding is that circumcision for Abraham was not a sign of the covenant. It most likely a common practice that Abraham and his family adopted, but the connection between circumcision and the covenant between God and Abraham was added during the Babylonian exile around 600 B.C.. The importance and meaning of male circumcision evolved over time to became the ritual as it is practiced today. In the process an understanding of the evolution of Rabbinic Judaism from a temple/priest centered religion is explained. More importantly, the gradual exclusion of women from the practice of religion in the synagogue is linked to changes in the circumcision ritual. Hoffman's writing style makes Covenant of Blood easy to read despite its depth of analysis. For those interested in the religious aspects of circumcision in Judaism, Covenant of Blood should be required reading. Even if the reader has difficulty agreeing with Hoffman's conclusions, his analysis and point of view cannot be ignored.

The Power of the Blood of Jesus (Andrew Murray Classics)

Average customer rating:

Strong Meat
Lacking one thing ....
A Bood whose reading defeats the enemy.
Milk has no blood -- but meat does!
Every believer and church should have this book!!

The Power of the Blood of Jesus (Andrew Murray Classics)
Andrew Murray
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

The Blood of the Cross
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The Power of the Blood
Experiencing the Holy Spirit
Absolute Surrender (Pure Gold Classic)

ASIN: 0551000732

Customer Reviews:

Strong Meat.......2006-12-27

This was the third Murray book I have been privileged to read, and won't be the last. As always, he skirts the shallow subjects plaguing modern Christian writings, and plunges into a deep, meaningful subject.

He discusses appropriating the blood by faith, and why the blood of our Lord is so powerful. One of the subjects which most impressed me was that of the effect the blood has on the diposition of a believer when he takes communion. It is powerful because it works in him the same self-giving nature which was in our Lord Himself.

A must read for believers hungry for the depths of Christ. Now however, I must forewarn you that this book will not entertain you. In fact, you may find the first three chapters to be slow, as I did. However, almost each chapter ends with tremendously powerful prayers and meditations of the subject just discussed.

Truly a magnificent work which will undoubtedly have powerful repercussions in your life. Read it twice!

Lacking one thing ...........2006-08-16

A powerful book explaining in detail, using scripture, the power contained in the blood of Christ. I learned so much reading this bood. However, it lacks telling the readers that the blood of Christ is available to them in the Eucharist! When Jesus said, "Do this in rememberance of me," he meant it. The power of the blood of Christ is available to all in a real and meaningful way - at the table of the Lord. It baffles me that the author omitted that from his book.

A Bood whose reading defeats the enemy........2006-03-17

In these days, many who hold authoritative positions in the various ministries in the church avoid discussion of the Blood of Jesus and the mighty name of Jesus. Little wonder the church is powerless today and many passionate Christians are opting out of the church experience.
Read this book. Make the blood of Jesus your foremost thought since that is what enables you entrance into the Kingdom of God. Interlace your conversation with the blood of Jesus. Tell men of the blood of Jesus. There is nothing more powerful and dreadful to the enemy. The Gospel, which neccesarily is based upon the blood of Jesus, spoken by you, with effectual fervent prayer, issues utter defeat to the enemy.

Milk has no blood -- but meat does!.......2004-11-23

This was the book the Lord led me to when I expressed a desire for complete surrender. The cleansing, the power, the sanctification -- God is showing me that everything I need for victory is in the Blood of Jesus.

If Christians would just learn about the power in the Blood, we would never look to anyone but Jesus Christ. We would have joy and victory even during trials and storms in life. We would never backslide as long as we meditate on God's law day and night and abide beneath the fountain of blood.

I am coming to believe that the blood of Jesus Christ is the most powerful, yet misunderstood resource God has given us. If I could just learn how to pray without ceasing and appropriate the power of the blood, I could truly do all things through Christ. Christians are weak because we substitute Sunday and Wednesday church services for intense daily prayer, fasting, travailing, and learning how to use Jesus' shed blood to enter into the holiest of holies.

Oh, the resources we willfully ignore! Get this book! Discipline yourself to surrender totally unto God and ask Christ to teach you the power inherent in His blood. This book is deep -- very deep and very true. In fact, it is a big, juicy T-bone steak. Can we properly digest it, or is meat too strong for our tummies? Too much milk weakens the stomach, I think.

Andrew Murray has written a tremendous discourse on the blood. He has done the Body of Christ a great service, and I thank God for the old-school preachers. People get grossed out when you talk about the blood. Nothing has changed in the last 2,000 years. The truth is, there's nothing gross about this -- it's meat, pure and simple.

Would be to God that Christians would grow up, get out of their theological playpens and denominational frameworks and learn about the blood and apply it their lives.

Enough pleading the blood; let's drink it!

Every believer and church should have this book!!.......2003-11-09

I just happened to be browsing through a Christian bookstore & noticed the discount table of merchandise. Amidst the scores of large books with showy, attractive covers, I was attracted to this very small book with a very plain cover. Never had I heard of the author before. After glancing through this book, I purchased it and have been enlightened ever since. It's my next most important book next to the Holy Bible itself.

To my fellow believers in Christ, I say, "Powerful truths are published in small, plain covers."

This book gets you back to the basics of holiness of God and deliverance through the blood of Christ Jesus. Here the author covers the foundations of our faith and hope. When was the last time you heard a sermon or even a weekday bible study on the power of the blood of Jesus??

Book Description

Blood Covenant Part 1 16 Audio Tape Set

Are you one of those Christians that just want to know everything about your covenant with Christ? If you are truly interested in understanding the biblical blood covenant then this audiotape set is for you. You will discover yourself referring and listening to these tapes over and over again as it will help to reinforce what you are learning concerning your Blood Covenant Rights with Jesus Christ. Much of the information you will hear within these tapes cannot be found in any other audiotape study on the Blood Covenant. We strongly recommend that you obtain the companion books, "The Book Of Covenants" and "The Covenant Of Blood" by Ronald G. Fanter. No other books will compliment this study of the Blood Covenant as well as these.

Blood Covenant Part 2 16 Audio Tape Set
Average customer rating:
Blood Covenant Part 2 16 Audio Tape Set
Ronald Fanter
Manufacturer: Cutting Edge Ministries
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1931215375

Book Description

Blood Covenant Part 2 16 Audio Tape Set

Are you one of those Christians that just want to know everything about your covenant with Christ? If you are truly interested in understanding the biblical blood covenant then this audiotape set is for you. You will discover yourself referring and listening to these tapes over and over again as it will help to reinforce what you are learning concerning your Blood Covenant Rights with Jesus Christ. Much of the information you will hear within these tapes cannot be found in any other audiotape study on the Blood Covenant. We strongly recommend that you obtain the companion books, "The Book Of Covenants" and "The Covenant Of Blood" by Ronald G. Fanter. No other books will compliment this study of the Blood Covenant as well as these.

The blood covenant;: A primitive rite and its bearing on Scripture,
Average customer rating:
The blood covenant;: A primitive rite and its bearing on Scripture,
H. Clay Trumbull
Manufacturer: C. Scribner's sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Comparative Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00086IGQG

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