Liz Sonneborn

#2

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 Chrysostom's Homilies on John, perhaps more than any other commentary, emphasize Christ's 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.

#3

""No one is safe." "We need security, not food." "Were too scared to go out." Time and again such sentiments were voiced by Iraqis to teams of Amnesty International (AI) delegates in Basra, southern Iraq, from 24 April. This report, based on research carried out by AI delegates in Basra in April, May and June, demands urgent action from the occupying powers to protect the lives, security and well-being of the Iraqi people. It focuses on the situation in one city, but the lawlessness and lack of security are prevalent in many parts of Iraq and the situation in Baghdad may be even worse." -- Publisher's website.