Jean-Pierre Isbouts – författare

From time immemorial, prayer has provided comfort in our darkest hours, stirred us to action beyond what we thought possible, and shown us the way through seemingly insurmountable challenges. In this engaging tour of world history, author and historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts takes us on an inspiring tour of ten prayers that played a pivotal role in world events.

The prayers range from the divine inspiration of Joan of Arc to Martin Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress,” from George Washington’s prayerful words to the newly formed American states to the horrors of Auschwitz, and from Constantine the Great’s prayer before battle to Gandhi’s deeply moving prayer of peace.

Ten Prayers That Changed the World delves into the moments in history when faith and prayer intersected with the course of mankind.

Bestselling biblical historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts weaves the origin stories of Christianity and the Lord's Prayer into a reinvigorating and urgent rallying cry for unity in the modern church. Modern Christianity is in the midst of a veritable schism along the fault lines of society's culture wars. Only if we understand the origins of this split can we find our way to unity. Though few may realize it today, Jesus’s ministry unfolded in a crisis very similar to the one society is now battling. In fact, were it not for the truly catastrophic conditions in early 1st century Galilee, his reimagining of the three quintessential virtues of the Torah – social justice; compassion toward one another; and an abiding love of God – would have likely failed to attract a wide following. Brilliantly tracing Jesus’s vision for the “Kingdom of God” from its origin up through modern times, Dr. Isbouts leads us to a possible antidote for the fiercely partisan moment in which we find ourselves: the Our Father. Then taking readers on a historically exhilarating tour of the Lord’s Prayer, The Fractured Kingdom shows us why the only doctrine Christians agree on might be our last hope for forging a more equal, compassionate, and loving society. What results is an eminently readable and undeniably essential work that addresses some of the most pressing issues now confronting communities of faith around the world.

— Soon to be a Public Television Special! — 

For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death comes an immersive journey through five centuries of history to define the Leonardo mystique and uncover how the elusive Renaissance artist became a global pop icon.

Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. It was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark.

But how did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today, with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper the most visited artworks in the world, attracting nearly a billion visitors each year, and Salvator Mundi selling as the most expensive artwork of all time, for nearly half a billion dollars?

This extraordinary volume, lavishly illustrated with 130 color images, is the first book to unravel these mysteries by diving deep into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. It gives illuminating context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo’s fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history.

Minunat ilustrata cu fotografii si harti de la National Geographic, Lumea biblica include întreaga istorie a tarii Sfinte – din zorii civilizatiei umane, pâna în secolul VII d.Hr., de la prima aparitie a lui Avraam, pâna la evolutia si raspândirea iudaismului, crestinismului si islamului. Acest volum exhaustiv prezinta o panorama uimitoaresi plina de autoritate a Orientului Apropiat, folosind rezultatele ultimelor cercetari arheologice pentru a plasa fi gurile si evenimentele biblice în contextul istoriei umane si a picta un portret fascinant al vietii cotidiene în fi ecare epoca. Biblia ofera cadrul narativ central, cu povesti palpitante si cu drame de familie, despre natiuniconstruite si distruse si despre barbati si femei care au pornit sa-ti împlineasca destinul într-o lume condusa discretionar de un singur Dumnezeu – un concept nou în societatile dominate de politeism. Cunostintele moderne razbat din fi ecare capitol, aducând o relevanta si un interes îmbogatite povestilor fara vârsta despre credinta, relatii, conflicte si schimbare din Biblie.