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"And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, [the risen Jesus] interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Lk 24:27).The church fathers mined the Old Testament throughout for prophetic utterances regarding the Messiah, but few books yielded as much messianic ore as the Twelve Prophets, sometimes known as the Minor Prophets because of the relative brevity of their writings. Encouraged by the example of the New Testament writers, the church fathers found numerous parallels between the Gospels and the prophetic books. Among the events foretold, they found not only the flight into Egypt after the nativity, the passion, and resurrection of Christ, and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, but also Judass act of betrayal, the earthquake at Jesus death and the rending of the temple veil. Detail upon detail brimmed with significance for Christian doctrine, including baptism and the Eucharist as well as the relation between the covenants.In this rich and vital resource you will find excerpts, some translated here into English for the first time, from more than thirty church fathers, ranging in time from Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus (late first and early second centuries) to Gregory the Great, Braulio of Saragossa, and Bede the Venerable (late sixth to early eighth centuries). Geographically the sources range from the great CappadociansBasil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of NyssaJohn Chrysostom, Ephrem the Syrian, and Hippolytus in the East, to Ambrose, Augustine, Cyprian, and Tertullian in the West, and Origen, Cyril, and Pachomius in Egypt.This Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume is a treasure trove out of which Christians may bring riches both old and new in their understanding of these ancient texts.

While the canonical status of the Greek and Latin Old Testament texts commented on within this volume has been understood differently within Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox traditions, their longstanding use within the Christian churches makes them worthy of careful study and reflection. As noted in the Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, Jerome says that the church reads the Apocrypha "for example of life and instruction of manners." As a result their influence extends well beyond ecclesiastical use to literature, hymnody, music, and art.Their questioned authority has nevertheless affected the choice of books included here, not by a priori judgment but by the paucity of comment from which to choose. None of the early fathers dedicated commentaries to these texts as a whole. Despite the length of 1 and 2 Maccabees and the model they presented for Christian martyrdom, they were rarely cited or commented on. The Wisdom books received the most comment and are those best represented here.In particular, readers will find ample comment on Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, the Prayer of Azariah, and the Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon (the latter three all found as additions to the Hebrew and Aramaic book of Daniel). Among commentators readers will find Origen, John Chrysostom, Theodoret of Cyr, Hippolytus, Jerome, Augustine, Julius Africanus, Athanasius, Palladius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Clement of Alexandria, Bede, Rabanus Maurus, Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Cassiodorus, Ambrose, and others.This Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume presents a worthy feast of patristic comment on these ancient and important texts, some of which is presented here in English translation for the first time.

The Acts of the Apostlesor more in keeping with the authors intent, the Acts of the Ascended Lordis part two of Lukes story of "all that Jesus began to do and teach." In it he recounts the expansion of the church as its witness spread from Jerusalem to all of Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.While at least forty early church authors commented on Acts, the works of only three survive in their entiretyJohn Chrysostoms Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles, Bede the Venerables Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles and a long Latin epic poem by Arator. In this Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume, substantial selections from the first two of these appear with occasional excerpts from Arator alongside many excerpts from the fragments preserved in J. A. Cramers Catena in Acta SS. Apostolorum. Among the latter we find selections from Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Ephrem the Syrian, Didymus the Blind, Athanasius, Jerome, John Cassian, Augustine, Ambrose, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Theodoret of Cyr, Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Cyril of Alexandria, Cassiodorus, and Hilary of Poitiers, some of which are here translated into English for the first time.As readers, we find these early authors transmit life to us because their faith brought them into living and experiential contact with the realities spoken of in the sacred text.

The Gospel of John was beloved by the early church, much as it is today, for its spiritual insight and clear declaration of Jesus divinity. Clement of Alexandria indeed declared it the "spiritual Gospel." Early disputers with heretics such as Cerinthus and the Ebionites drew upon the Gospel of John to refute their heretical notions and uphold the full deity of Christ, and this Gospel more than any other was central to the trinitarian and christological debates of the fourth and fifth centuries.At the same time, the Gospel of John was also thought to be the most chronological, and even to this day is the source of our sense of Jesus having a three-year ministry. And John Chrysostoms Homilies on John, perhaps more than any other commentary, emphasize Christs humanity and condescension toward the human race.In addition to the serial homilies of John Chrysostom, readers of this volume will find selections from those of Origen, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Cyril of Alexandria and Augustine. These commentaries are supplemented with homiletic material from Gregory the Great, Peter Chrysologus, Caesarius, Amphilochius, Basil the Great and Basil of Seleucia among others. Liturgical selections derive from Ephrem the Syrian, Ambrose and Romanos the Melodist, which are further supplemented with doctrinal material from Athanasius, the Cappodocians, Hilary and Ambrose.This rich tradition, some of which is here translated for the first time, offers a vast treasure out of which todays scribes trained for the kingdom may bring forth that which is new and what is old.

No book of the Old Testament is more frequently quoted in the New than Isaiah, and no portion of Isaiah is more frequently quoted in the New than the typologically fertile soil of Isaiah 4066. Still, as interpreted by the fathers, Isaiah presents a message that is far more soteriological than christological, leading readers to a deeper understanding of Gods judgment and salvation. Isaiah 4066 provides us with the closest thing the Old Testament has to offer regarding a systematic theology.The excerpts included in this Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume offer us a rich array of differing styles, principles, and theological emphases, from Theodoret of Cyr to Eusebius and Procopius, to Cyril of Alexandria, Jerome and Augustine. Readers will be enriched by the wide-ranging selections, some of which are translated here into English for the first time.

In Pauls letters to the Corinthian church, the pastoral issues of a first-century Christian community stand out in bold relief. And as the apostle responds to these challenges, the fathers lean over his shoulder, marveling and commenting on his pastoral wisdom.Best known among these patristic commentators is Chrysostom, whose seventy-seven homilies on the two Corinthian epistles are a treasury of exposition and application. The fragmentary works of Didymus the Blind and Severian of Gabala give us samples of Greek exegesis from the Alexandrian and Antiochene schools. The partial work of Theodore of Mopsuestia was long valued in the church, and the comments of Theodoret of Cyr are notable for their sensitivity to the intertextuality of Scripture. Then there are Origen and Pelagius, whose notable errors need not obscure their brilliant insights into Scripture. But pride of place in this volume goes to the unknown fourth-century commentator now dubbed Ambrosiaster. His excellent commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians was previously unavailable in English translation.This Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume opens a whole new way of reading these New Testament texts. The pastoral and theological interpretation of the fathers offers spiritual and intellectual sustenance to those who would read Paul again with open minds and hearts.

Christianity Today Award of Merit winnerBecause the Catholic Epistles focus on orthodox faith and morals, the Fathers drew on them as a means of defense against the rising challenge of heretics. Many of the Fathers saw in these letters anticipatory attacks on Marcion and strong defenses against the Arians. They did so quite naturally because in their view truth was eternal and deviations from it had existed from the beginning.Above all, the Fathers found in the Catholic Epistles a manual for spiritual warfare, counsel for the faithful in the cosmic struggle between good and evil. In them was sound instruction in the ways of self-sacrifice, generosity, and humility, through which the cosmic forces could be defeated.Allusions to these letters go back as far as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian, but the first commentary derives from Clement of Alexandria. Didymus the Blind was the next significant Greek-speaking commentator, though his commentary is fully extant only in Latin translation. Many of the comments from the early centuries have been passed on to us through Latin catenae, or chain commentaries, in which a later commentator collected comments from a variety of sources and chained them together in a fashion much like that of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture in English. Among Latin commentators on these letters, pride of place must be given to Bede the Venerable.This volume opens up a treasure house of ancient wisdom that allows these faithful witnesses, some appearing here in English translation for the first time, to speak with eloquence and intellectual acumen to the church today.

There has been much academic debate over recent years on Europe defining itself over against the Other. This volume asks from the opposite perspective: What views did non-Europeans hold of European Christianity? In this way, the volume turns the agency of definition over to non-Europeans. Over the last centuries, the contacts between Europeans and non-Europeans have been diverse and complex. Non-Europeans encountered Europeans as colonialists, traders, missionaries and travellers. Most of those Europeans were Christians or were perceived as Christians. Therefore, in terms of religion Europe was often identified with Christianity. Europeans thus also conveyed a certain image of Christianity to non-European countries. At the same time, non-Europeans increasingly travelled to Europe and experienced a kind of Christianity that often did not conform to the picture they had formed earlier. Their descriptions of European Christianity ranged from sympathetic acceptance to harsh criticism. The contributions in this volume reveal the breadth of these opinions. They also show that there is no clear line of division between insiders and outsiders, but that Europeans could sometimes perceive themselves as being outsiders in their own culture while non-Europeans could adopt insider perspectives. Furthermore, from these encounters new religious and cultural expressions could emerge.

"Dialogical Preaching - Bakhtin, Otherness and Homiletics" explores the genre of preaching in light of theories of dialogicity and carnivalization developed by Mikhail Bakhtin. The Bakhtinian approach to preaching evokes ways in which historical acts and embodied experiences are transcribed in literary genres. The theories of carnivalization manifest the dynamic, other-oriented, interaction between reflexive texts and embodied acts. Experiences of otherness and difference play a central role in human communication as well as in theological descriptions of the relationship between God and humans. One of the central aims of this book is to explore ways in which others, different from the designated preacher, influence contemporary preaching practices and in that sense can be seen as co-authors. As material for this investigation the book provides analyses of four theologians who have contributed significantly to contemporary homiletical developments, namely those of the American homileticians Charles Campbell, John S. McClure, and James H. Harris and the Danish Systematic Theologian, Svend Bjerg.The homiletical analyses lead to the thesis, that the dialogical encounter between author, and addressees, analyzer and analyzed, is one of the conditions of interpretation and communication rather than a disturbance. The communication theoretical and practical theological analyses are discussed in light of Kierkegaard`s, Barth`s and Jungels emphasis on the qualitative difference between God and humans. These concluding reflections suggest ways in which inter-human otherness can function as a dynamically conjoining rather than mutually exclusive difference between God as the Wholly Other and other-wise humans.

The Psalms have long served a vital role in the individual and corporate lives of Christians, expressing the full range of human emotions, including some that we are ashamed to admit. The Psalms reverberate with joy, groan in pain, whimper with sadness, grumble in disappointment, and rage with anger.The church fathers employed the Psalms widely. In liturgy they used them both as hymns and as Scripture readings. Within them they found pointers to Jesus both as Son of God and as Messiah. They also employed the Psalms widely as support for other New Testament teachings, as counsel on morals, and as forms for prayer.But the church fathers found more than pastoral insight in the Psalms. They found apologetic and doctrinal insight as well, as is attested by the more than sixty-five authors and more than 160 works excerpted in this Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume.Especially noteworthy among the Greek-speaking authors cited are Hippolytus, Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, Athanasius, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Didymus the Blind, Evagrius of Pontus, Diodore of Tarsus, John Chrysostom, Asterius the Homilist, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyr, Cyril of Alexandria, and Hesychius of Jerusalem. Among noteworthy Latin authors we find Hilary of Poitiers, Ambrose of Milan, Jerome, Augustine, Arnobius the Younger, and Cassiodorus.Readers of these selections, some of which appear here for the first time in English, will glean from a rich treasury of deep devotion and profound theological reflection.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, prophesied for four decades under the last five kings of Judahfrom 627 to 587 B.C. His mission: a call to repentance. Among the apostolic fathers, Jeremiah was rarely cited, but several later authors give prominent attention to him, including Origen, Theodoret of Cyr, and Jerome, who wrote individual commentaries on Jeremiah, and Cyril of Alexandria and Ephrem the Syrian, who compiled catenae.Justin and Irenaeus made use of Jeremiah to define Christians over against Jews. Athanasius made use of him in trinitarian debates. Cyril of Jerusalem, Irenaeus, Basil the Great, and Clement of Alexandria all drew on Jeremiah for ethical exhortation.Lamentations, as might be expected, quickly became associated with losses and death, notably in Gregory of Nyssas Funeral Oration on Meletius. By extension the fathers saw Lamentations as a description of the challenges that face Christians in a fallen world.In this Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume, readers will find some ancient authors translated into English here for the first time. Throughout they will gain insight and encouragement in the life of faith as seen through ancient pastoral eyes.

This book is a collection of essays in honour of Albert Nolan OP, who died in October 2022 at the age of 88. Awarded the Order of Luthuli in Silver by then President Thabo Mbeki in 2003 for his life-long dedication to the struggle for democracy, human rights and justice and for challenging the religious "dogma" especially the theological justification for apartheid, Nolan inspired a generation of Christian activists and theologians. From 1973-1980, he served as national chaplain for the National Catholic Federation of Students (NCFS) and also, until 1980, for the Catholic Students Association (CASA), which was formed in 1976 after black students began organising themselves into separate formations as Black Consciousness flourished. In 1977, Nolan was instrumental in establishing Young Christian Students movement (YCS) in South Africa. The contributions in this volume come from people around the world who knew him or worked with him over the years. The contributions deal with his family life, his time with the student movements, his life as Dominican, his periods as Dominican Provincial in Southern Africa, his involvement with the ANC, his work as a writer, a publisher of a journal and life in his later years. There are over 65 contributions, along with a Foreword by Timothy Radcliffe OP, a former Master General of the Dominicans.

In the 9th century CE, the city of Aswan, Egypt was a prosperous provincial capital on the pilgrimage route to Mecca and Medina via the Red Sea, as well as trade routes connecting the Nile River to the Wadi al-Allaqi mines, Egypts main source of gold. The city was identified by medieval writers and geographers as situated at the frontier between Muslim Egypt and Christian Nubia. Salvage excavations under the auspices of the Swiss-Egyptian mission in Syene/Old Aswan have revealed considerable evidence of medieval Islamic activity. Evidence from 9th - 10th century ceramic assemblages uncovered during these investigations is compared and contrasted with a variety of historical sources concerning this same period. The evidence suggests that a particular style of common, utilitarian ceramics produced in the Aswan region was utilized frequently and carried or exported extensively throughout Upper Egypt, the Eastern Desert, and Lower Nubia during the 9th-10th centuries and beyond. The assemblages demonstrate a considerable distinction with the corpus of common ceramics of Fustat and Lower Egypt in the early Islamic period, as well as those of contemporary Upper Nubia and sites further south along the Nile into Northeastern Africa. Aswan and the First Cataract region came to function as a central node of a network marked by a regional material culture that transcended traditional political or religious divisions between Egypt and Nubia or Muslim and Christian. The evidence from Aswan provides an alternative interpretation of medieval landscapes and regionalism, one which prioritizes the material culture of daily life over the presumed divisions of political history or religious boundaries.

Dance plays an important role in many religious traditions, in rites of passage, processions, healing rituals or festivals. But it is also controversial, especially in Christianity. Colonial European Christian discourses tend to separate dance from religion(s) and spirituality. This volume explores dance as "Third Space", following Homi Bhabhas postcolonial metaphor. The "Inter-Dance approach" combines interdisciplinary theoretical considerations with case studies. International experts examine dance controversies and discourses from the early church to World Christianity, as well as in Hasidic Judaism, Greek mysteries, Islamic Sufism, West African Togolese religions, and Afro-Brazilian Umbanda. Christian dance theologies are unfolded and the boundary-crossing potential of dance in interreligious and intercultural encounters is explored. The volume breaks new ground in how dance as ephemeral performative art, embodied thought and gendered discourse can transform studies of religion.

In an innovative, pluri-disciplinary approach this volume focuses on how memory in Sacred Heart devotion is created, promulgated and transformed. The volume with contributions by historians, theologians, religious scientists and art historians links the dimension of memory to that of iconography, language, body and ritual practices and sheds light on adaptations, transfers, contestations and variations in a perspective of longue duree from the late Middle Ages to the present. The first part of the volume develops central axes of analysis, which are specifically investigated in the two following parts. The contributions of part two intertwine perspectives of cultural, social and art history focusing on the multi-layered creation, public presence and political usage, diversity and variations of Sacred Heart iconography and devotion in a long-term perspective. In-depth analyses centre on late medieval northern Italy, early modern France and 18th-century Switzerland (Eidgenossenschaft), on France from the 1950s to the 1980s, and on Indonesia in the 20th and 21st centuries. In a dynamic way, the third part combines systematic theological, philosophical and didactic reflexions on the Sacred Heart with a focus on imagination, embodiment, spirituality and memory.

The Synod of Dort was an international conference of Reformed leaders held in 16181619 in the Netherlands. It is famous for its so-called Five Points of Calvinism which were a refutation of the Five Remonstrances of the followers of Arminius on the nature of divine grace and the perseverance of believers unto eternal salvation. As an international Synod, Dort made a significant impact on the definition and development of Reformed orthodoxy for decades and centuries to come. In countries such as France, the Canons of Dort served as a confessional boundary for Reformed orthodoxy and all pastors had to swear allegiance to them. Despite its tremendous influence, the decisions of the Synod of Dort remain a mystery to many today and are subject to caricatures and stereotypes of an extreme divine determinism and the hijacking of Calvins pure theology. This volume seeks to shed light on various aspects of the Synod of Dort in order to inform the contemporary reader of its proper historical and theological context and its experiential emphases. Some leading scholars of post-Reformation Reformed thought and the Synod have contributed essays to this work.The book is divided into three major sections designed to deliver a better overall perspective on the Synod. The first section focuses on the reception of the Canons of Dort among the Reformed churches in France where they were accepted and enforced. However, there were some internal questions, concerns, and even objections to the canons which are detailed in these chapters. The second section hones in on the theology of the Canons of Dort with particular attention to the doctrines of election and the nature of the atonement. This section also includes an important chapter on the relationship between church and state, always a central concern in the Reformation and post-Reformation eras. Finally, the third major section looks at how believers could apply the theology to their daily lives and devotion to Christ. These chapters indicate that this was not merely a theological conference, but one that had practical and experiential implications as well. The book concludes with a chapter on the application of the Synod for believers today.

The Revelation to Johnwith its vivid images and portraits of conflict leading up to the formation of a new heaven and a new earthwas widely read, even as it was variously interpreted in the early church. Approaches to its interpretation ranged from the millenarian approach of Victorinus of Petovium to the more symbolic interpretation of Tyconius, who read Revelation in the sense of the universal and unitary time of the church. Tyconiuss Book of Rules, deeply admired by Augustine, strongly influenced not only ongoing interpretation of Revelation but the whole of medieval exegesis.From early on the book of Revelation was more widely accepted in the West than in the East. Indeed the earliest extant commentaries on Revelation in Greek date from Oecumeniuss commentary in the sixth century, which was soon accompanied by that of Andrew of Caesarea. Earlier Eastern fathers did, however, make reference to Revelation in noncommentary works.This Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture volume draws heavily on the Greek commentaries from Oecumenius and Andrew of Caesarea to represent Eastern interpretation, while focusing on six other commentaries as primary witnesses to Western interpretationthose of Victorinus of Petovium, Tyconius, Primasius, Caesarius of Arles, Apringius of Beja, and Bede the Venerable. Every effort has been made to give adequate context so that the creative use of Scripture, the theological interest, and the pastoral intent can be discerned by readers today.Amid this treasure trove of early interpretation readers will find much that appears in English translation for the first time.

The 2013 Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year in Global Outreach In The Future of the Global Church, Patrick Johnstone, author of six editions of the phenomenal prayer guide, Operation World, draws on his fifty years experience to challenge us with his bold vision of the global Christian church.The Future of the Global Church weaves together the strands of history, demographics and religion to present a breathtaking, full-color graphical and textual overview of the past, present and possible future of the church around the world.Through a thought-provoking glimpse into likely scenarios humankind may face in the next 40 years, The Future of the Global Church identifies significant trends that are rarely or never addressed by todays media.The Future of the Global Church highlights the impact of evangelical Christianity over the past two centuries, as well as the astonishing growth of Evangelicalism over the past half century.Johnstone focuses clearly on the unfinished task of world evangelization, with a special emphasis on the worlds 12,000 people groups--especially those that have had least exposure to the gospel.Inside this work, you will find: Data and extrapolations that highlight likely scenarios for evangelical Christian ministry in the coming four decades Interpreted overviews of the worldwide impact of the first 20 centuries of Christianity Comparisons of the impact of Christianity with those of other world religions Summaries of the past, present and probable future contributions of the different streams of Christianity This book examines trends that will have a major impact on the course of world events for a generation to come. God is in control--He holds the future in His hands--yet invites us to be His coworkers. How effective are you and your church or your organization as participants in His plan for the peoples of the world?

Piyyut is the art of Hebrew or Aramaic poetry composed either in place of or as adornments to Jewish statutory prayers. Laura S. Lieber uses the piyyutim of a single poet, Yannai (ca. sixth century C.E.), to introduce readers to this important but largely unfamiliar body of writings. Yannai, the first Hebrew poet to sign his name to his works (by means of an acrostic), influenced Hebrew sacred poetry for centuries beyond his lifespan. He was the first to consistently use true end rhyme, and he was among the first to have written for the weekly service and festivals rather than just particular holidays. As literary works, his poems are as dazzling as they are complex, rich with sound and play, allusion and linguistic beauty. Lieber presents the Hebrew texts of Yannais 31 extant piyyutim which embellish the Book of Genesis. She translates, annotates, and analyzes these complex poems, which display the poets transformative treatments of some of the most familiar biblical narratives. She contextualizes these poems and teaches readers how to read and appreciate piyyut by studying Yannais poetic language and the formal structures of the poems; his exegetical, cultural, and societal importance; and intriguing motifs in Yannais worldview such as mysticism, holiness, Jewish-Christian relations, and the role of women. Liebers groundbreaking study is an invitation to those with interests in areas such as liturgical studies, rabbinic literature and targum studies, the early synagogue and its art, Byzantine Christian culture and society, and the history of biblical interpretation to engage with these beautiful and neglected texts and include them in larger intellectual conversations.

David Ellenson prefaces this fascinating collection of twenty-three essays with a remarkably candid account of his intellectual journey from boyhood in Virginia to the scholarly immersions in the history, thought, and literature of the Jewish people that have informed his research interests in a long and distinguished academic career. Ellenson, President of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, has been particularly intrigued by the attempts of religious leaders in all denominations of Judaism, from Liberal to Neo-Orthodox, to redefine and reconceptualize themselves and their traditions in the modern period as both the Jewish community and individual Jews entered radically new realms of possibility and change. The essays are grouped into five sections. In the first, Ellenson reflects upon the expression of Jewish values and Jewish identity in contemporary America, explains his debt to Jacob Katzs socio-religious approach to Jewish history, and shows how the works of non-Jewish social historian Max Weber highlight the tensions between the universalism of western thought and Jewish demands for a particularistic identity. In the second section, "The Challenge of Emanicpation," he indicates how Jewish religious leaders in nineteenth-century Europe labored to demonstrate that the Jewish religion and Jewish culture were worthy of respect by the larger gentile world. In a third section, "Denominational Responses," Ellenson shows how the leaders of Liberal and Orthodox branches of Judaism in Central Europe constructed novel parameters for their communities through prayer books, legal writings, sermons, and journal articles. The fourth section, "Modern Responsa," takes a close look at twentieth-century Jewish legal decisions on new issues such as the status of woemn, fertility treatments, and even the obligations of the Israeli government towards its minority populations. Finally, review essays in the last section analyze a few landmark contemporary works of legal and liturgical creativity: the new Israeli Masorti prayer book, David Hartmans works on covenantal theology, and Marcia Falks Book of Blessings. As Ellenson demonstrates, "The reality of Jewish cultural and social integration into the larger world after Emancipation did not signal the demise of Judaism. Instead, the modern setting has provided a challenging context where the ongoing creativity and adaptability of Jewish religious leaders of all stripes has been tested and displayed."