Working Ferrets Selection,Training and Sport

Book Description

This book explains how to train and use a ferret to chase rabbits from their burrows.

Customer Reviews:

A bold look at Working Ferrets.......2001-06-29

Unlike perhaps every other book on the subject Working Ferrets dares tackle the real issues of ferret labour and does not just assume the reader is familiar with the background literature. While I have never seen eye to eye with the GEM Ferret Care Group I found Drakeford to be a bloody good read. His descriptions of training ferrets to chase rabbits from their burrows was second only to his overview of types of burrows.

Book Description

A pioneering classic in Dow Theory.

"If you are a serious student of investing, you owe it to yourself to 'go back to the future' and read this book." --Charles B. Carlson, Editor of "Dow Theory Forecast".

The Dow Theory is consistently one of the best strategies for understanding and predicting the stock market, and when it is applied as a method of predictable forecast, it is known as the "barometer." This finance classic offers tips and trends that William Hamilton observed over the years in the market, offering a view of market behavior that remains perpetually current. Hamilton, a contemporary of Charles H. Dow, presents a clear and in-depth discussion of the Dow Theory and its explanation of averages and affinity for predictable cycles of panic and prosperity.

Provides an analysis of the stock market and its history since 1897.
* This book is a springboard upon which current Dow Theory has thrived.
* New foreword by Charles Carlson.

The late William P. Hamilton originally published The Stock Market Barometer in 1922. Hamilton spent a career in financial journalism and became an editor of The Wall Street Journal.

Customer Reviews:

Classic elaboration of the Dow Theory.......2000-08-02

William Hamilton was the successor (both at the Wall Street Journal and in expounding the Dow Theory) to Charles Dow, and the one who clarified the Dow Theory as most people understand it today. To students of the Dow Theory, and of Wall Street and Investment history in general, this is a must-have volume. Also see works by Robert Rhea.

An unecessary defense of the stock market.......1999-09-19

The stock market barometer is a completely unecessary defense of what the stock market is. It provides an incredible amount of uninteresting and completely trivious information. It is definitely NOT a must read.

THE STOCK MARKET BAROMETER: A Study of Its Forecast Value Based on Charles H. Dow's Theory

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THE STOCK MARKET BAROMETER: A Study of Its Forecast Value Based on Charles H. Dow's Theory
W.P. Hamilton
Manufacturer: Cosimo Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Economic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1602060061

Book Description

One of the most reliable stock market predictors is Dow's Theory, developed by Charles H. Dow, the founder of The Wall Street Journal. That theory, which makes sense of the fluctuations of the Dow-Jones Industrial Average, is clearly and simply explained in The Stock Market Barometer by W.P. Hamilton. As Hamilton wrote, "The Dow-Jones average is still standard, although it has been extensively imitated. There have been various ways of reading it; but nothing has stood the test which has been applied to Dow's theory." Besides providing this valuable explanation for anyone wishing to understand the rise and fall of stocks, Hamilton analyzes the history of the stock market since 1897. WILLIAM PETER HAMILTON was an editor of The Wall Street Journal and also wrote for Barron's. He worked closely with Charles H. Dow, founder of the Journal, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Dow Jones financial news service.

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IS O.K.

The History of the Barometer
W. E. Knowles Middleton
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Rivers | Earth Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

Experiments & Projects | Experiments, Instruments & Measurement | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0801871549

Book Description

For two centuries the barometer has been an indispensable laboratory instrument. Yet, despite its revolutionary influence on science, W. E. Knowles Middleton here offers the first complete history of the barometer as a scientific tool.

Middleton relies on research from Western European documents and manuscripts of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He begins his story with a pre-history of the barometer, the Torricellian experiment, the subsequent experiments and controversies in the 1640s, and the barometric experiments during the remainder of the century.

Later chapters are concerned with the mercury barometer as a scientific instrument, discussing the efforts to expand the scale to render the instrument portable, and to attain greater accuracy. These chapters follow accounts of mercury barographs, the history of the corrections to the barometer, the history of the mercury barometer in North America, and the luminescence that appears when a barometer is moved in the dark. The final chapters discuss barometers other than those using the weight of a column of mercury.

A large number of the more interesting barometers seen by the author in his extensive travels appears in the appendix. Nearly 200 figures and diagrams depict the wide variety of barometers studied by the author over his long career at the Smithsonian Institution.

Customer Reviews:

IS O.K........2000-07-07

Is an interesting book for who is in domaine. For the otherone could be inyeresting not at all.

The Body is the Barometer of the Soul, So Be Your Own Doctor

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Australia's Louise Hay
Easy Reference Guide For Your Health

The Body is the Barometer of the Soul, So Be Your Own Doctor
Annette Noontil
Manufacturer: Rainbow Spirit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Mental & Spiritual Healing | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0646197215

Customer Reviews:

Australia's Louise Hay.......2007-01-06

Excellent self-healing book along the lines of the Louise Hay classic "Heal Your Body", a.k.a. the BlueBook. The chapters are seperated into chakra issues plus lots of other gems. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Enjoy!

Easy Reference Guide For Your Health.......2002-06-07

I love this book! I have been using Annette Noontil's book regularly for years now. I catch some type of bug, I look it up, follow the directions (provided I follow the directions), it goes away.

Barometers of Change: Individual, Educational, and Social Transformation

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Barometers of Change: Individual, Educational, and Social Transformation
Seymour Bernard Sarason
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Social Psychology & Interactions | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Antique barometers: An illustrated survey

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Antique barometers: An illustrated survey
Edwin Banfield
Manufacturer: Wayland Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
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The History of the Barometer

ASIN: 0950527203

Business Barometers for Anticipating Conditions

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Business Barometers for Anticipating Conditions
Roger, W. Babson
Manufacturer: Cosimo Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1596058218

Book Description

"Great fortunes which have been created by bankers, merchants, and investors are the result of ignoring these monthly fluctuations in commodity and security prices, and of striving to anticipate and profit by the major movements coming every few years. These major movements can be foretold if one will spend the necessary time and money in studying fundamental conditions. Therefore a fortune is within the grasp of every reader of this book who has and uses the necessary figures. " - From the Preface Among entrepreneurs and businessmen alike, Roger Babson is considered one of the foremost authorities in the field of business forecasting, and his philosophy and statistical expertise continue to influence the investment community today. A model of comparative statistical analysis, this classic text still holds remarkable value to beginning and experienced investors alike. It expertly encompass in an understandable and succinct manner an array of topics including: . Two Classes of Statistics, . Increase in Funds Invested According to Fundamental Trends, . Price Fluctuations and Purchasing Range and Commodity Market Since 1860, . The Law of Equal and Opposite Reaction, Theory of Babsonchart, . Wealth, New Building, Check Transactions, Failures, Labor Conditions . Banking, Foreign Trade and Exchange, Gold and Commodity Prices, . Effect of War on Business Conditions and much more. ALSO AVAILABLE FROM COSIMO CLASSICS: Babson's Instincts and Emotions: Should They Be Suppressed or Harnessed? and Business Fundamentals: How to Become a Successful Business Man. American entrepreneur, statistician, and author ROGER WARD BABSON (1875-1967) founded Massachusetts' Babson College, in 1919, and the state's Gravity Research Foundation in 1948. A prolific writer who explored a wide variety of topics; his books include Fundamentals of Prosperity, The Future of the Churches, Religion and Business, and Gravity: Our Enemy No. 1.

Miller's: Clocks & Barometers: Buyer's Guide (Miller's Buyer's Guides)

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Exc. Price Guide & Information on Antique Clocks

Miller's: Clocks & Barometers: Buyer's Guide (Miller's Buyer's Guides)
Derek Roberts
Manufacturer: Mitchell Beazley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Clocks & Watches | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Consumer Guides | Reference | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1840005831

Book Description

A fully updated edition with revised price and current market information! This practical reference work, invaluable for both enthusiasts and experienced collectors, covers a wide range of timepiece styles and mechanisms, from elegant mahogany longcase clocks to enameled brass carriage clocks. A special section focuses on the increasingly collectable field of American clocks, and every single item includes a picture and an up-to-date price.

Customer Reviews:

Exc. Price Guide & Information on Antique Clocks.......2000-10-07

An excellent resource for both prices & basic history on antique clocks of all types. Pictures provided for each item listed with price ranges taking into account the condition of the item. Although I had a solid basic knowledge regarding antique clocks, I found new information. The only reason I rated this book a 4 instead of a 5, is that Miller's needs to realize that it would be helpful to have dual listings of prices--both the pound/sterling and the dollar! As this seems to be a common complaint about their guides, you'd think they'd catch on! An excellent book otherwise--well written, informative with excellent examples and pictures!

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Brilliantly Conceived, Flawlessly Executed
barometer rising
INTROSPECTORS TRAPPED IN A WEB OF SUSPENSE
Great book!
Novel with an explosive subject

Barometer Rising (New Canadian Library)
Hugh Maclennan
Manufacturer: New Canadian Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0771099916
Release Date: 1989-11-01

Book Description

Penelope Wain believes that her lover, Neil Macrae, has been killed while serving overseas under her father. That he died apparently in disgrace does not alter her love for him, even though her father is insistent on his guilt. What neither Penelope or her father knows is that Neil is not dead, but has returned to Halifax to clear his name.

Hugh MacLennan’s first novel is a compelling romance set against the horrors of wartime and the catastrophic Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliantly Conceived, Flawlessly Executed.......2003-04-14

Another entry from the Canadian New Library Series, another homerun for Canadian literature. That must necessarily be the ruling on this immensely engaging 1941 freshman effort from Hugh MacLennan, for "Barometer Rising" is a taut, intensely character driven novel from one of Canada's great essayists. MacLennan went on to write several other novels, more essays, and even some travelogues, history, and poetry. He is nothing if not versatile. If only more people knew about the wealth of literary gems from the Great White North awaiting their pleasure in the libraries and bookstores. For those interested in exploring the brilliance of Canadian literature, Hugh MacLennan is a great place to start. Hugh MacLennan died in 1990.

"Barometer Rising" takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia during 1917. The war in Europe continues to grind away, chewing up young men from around the world in its trenches and no man's lands. Nearly every passing day sees troopships exiting Halifax harbor bound for the bloodbath, and nearly every day they pass supply and munitions ships entering the port on their way to and from Europe. The city is full of foreign sailors and soldiers from every point of the compass. The war is a big deal, and since Canada serves as Britain's whipping boy, Halifax provides a safe harbor beyond the reach of German U-boats. But disaster lurks in the waters off Halifax: a munitions ship loaded with 500,000 pounds of trinitrotoluol sails into the harbor and collides with another ship. The resulting explosion is nearly nuclear in its destructiveness. Thousands die as major sections of the city explode and burn. The author shrewdly sets up his novel in countdown form, beginning on the Sunday before the explosion and ending the tale the following Monday, a few days after the disaster. MacLennan makes this Nova Scotian city the major character in his book, showing the reader the wartime changes while allowing us to take an occasional glimpse behind the curtain to see the way the city was before the war.

A cast of characters parades through the streets of Halifax for our perusal. The Wain family is central to the story. There is Penelope "Penny" Wain, a brilliant woman who designs boats for the war effort while withstanding the barbs from jealous male co-workers. Her father, Colonel Wain, is an old pro-English patriarch who cannot stand the fact that he remains in Halifax while the war rages in Europe. He wishes to return to battle and seek some glory, but his first tour of duty ended in disaster. For this disgrace, Wain blames his nephew Neil Macrae. Now Neil roams the streets of Halifax, seeking redemption for a tragedy on the fields of Europe. The reemergence of Neil places Major Angus Murray in a moral quandary; he realizes the return of Wain's nephew will upset his plans for the future. The reader must decide for themselves if the choices the characters make are the correct ones.

An afterword (the Canadians are polite; they do not put spoilers at the beginning of the book as we do in the United States) written by Alistair MacLeod provides some personal anecdotes about the explosion, followed by a critique of the story. To MacLeod, the story deftly reveals the big town/small town differences between some of the characters, between those born and raised in Halifax versus those who hail from Cape Breton. For me, the most interesting theme of the book was MacLennan's political views about Canada and its relationship to the United States and England. To the author, Canada will emerge from the war as the keystone of the world, a bridge between barbaric Europe lost in its destructive wars and the emerging power of the United States. He deplores the second-class status of Canada, its relegation as second fiddle to the United Kingdom. Several times throughout the story, the characters step back from their activities and wax philosophic about the position of Canada and Nova Scotia in relation to the rest of the world. To call MacLennan a Canadian nationalist would not be too extreme of a statement.

I did not know what to expect from this book when I opened its covers. I do like Canadian literature, so that is never a problem. "Barometer Rising" is only 219 pages long, so it is necessary that the author grabs you fast and makes you care about his creation. He succeeds in spades because he brings his characters to life through carefully crafted scenes of introspection, clinical descriptions of the city, and the dramatic countdown to the explosion. The reader cares about what happens to these people, and hopes that the author will bring everything to a tidy resolution in the end. For a quick read that is hugely entertaining and leaves you hungry for more, seek out this book.

barometer rising.......2003-01-13

I found this book very hard to get into. Our grade 12 english teacher picked it for a comprehensive novel study.I think that things just moved way too slow for my liking. It had a good story line but because of the nature it was writen in I would not recomend it to anyone.

INTROSPECTORS TRAPPED IN A WEB OF SUSPENSE.......2002-03-19

A very interesting and unusual novel, and MacLennan's first (--which seems astounding, given its stylistic sophistication). The plot is intricate and suspenseful, and three of the four main characters are portrayed as fully conscious, focused beings, who are either aware of their own motives and values, or keenly interested in identifying them; the fourth character, Geoffrey Wain, exhibits a distinctly opposite mentality, and proves--therefore--to be a villainous threat to each of the others. Nautical engineer Penny Wain, Geoffrey's daughter, is a true rarity in modern literature: an intelligent, introspective, rational heroine. MacLennan's descriptive passages are typically colorful and dramatic, and often warrant immediate (and subsequent) re-reading (even though some do seem a bit drawn-out, on first reading). The much-heralded explosion is not, for my money, quite as interesting or dramatic as other parts of the plot, so the reader shouldn't "wait for" that: the first three-quarters of the book is the main course; and the last quarter, a light dessert. Overall, MacLennan has given us a banquet to savor.

Great book!.......2000-06-16

I had to read this book for english class... and I love it. Ithink that this is the the most amzaging book ever. I think thatColonel Wain kicked ( ). I thank my teacher for making me read it.

Novel with an explosive subject.......1999-10-29

BAROMETER RISING is above all a novel of place and that place is Halifax, Nova Scotia in December 1917. MacLennan is very good at evoking the sights, colors, smells, and sounds of the city and its environs. If you have ever visited that small, but charming city, you would probably enjoy reading this novel just for nostalgia's sake. A competent, but not great writer, MacLennan portrays pleasingly rounded characters who are not stiff or one dimensional and weaves a plot that resolves itself in various ways on the occasion of the huge explosion that destroyed most of Halifax on Dec. 6, 1917, the biggest man-made explosion in history before the nuclear age. The story is rather too neat and a little banal in the way ends are tied up. If five stars are for the greatest novels you've ever read, and four for those that don't quite get up to that level, then three are for an average, competent job that can give you a couple nights' pleasure when the branches are scraping at the window in the winter wind. Try it, you might like it, but if disasters are not your bag, then avoid this book because the main character is an explosion.

The Stock Market Barometer: A Study of Its Forecast Value Based on Charles H. Dow's Theory of the Price Movement. With an Analysis of the Market and Its History Since 1897

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The Stock Market Barometer: A Study of Its Forecast Value Based on Charles H. Dow's Theory of the Price Movement. With an Analysis of the Market and Its History Since 1897
William Peter Hamilton
Manufacturer: Harper & Brothers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8VR9W

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Pruning and Grafting. Time-Life Encyclopedia of Gardening
Oliver E. Allen
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Gardening | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000H2JLY2

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Les arbres fruitiers en 10 lecons (En 10 lecons)
Louis Giordano
Manufacturer: Hachette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 2010033566

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Pruning and Grafting
Time-Life Editors
Manufacturer: Time-Life
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WXNRJ6

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Pruning and Grafting
Oliver Allen , and Time-Life Books Editorial Staff
Manufacturer: Time-Life, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Grafting Fruit Trees: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-35

ASIN: 0809426331

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California walnut industry: Commercial importance, longevity, pollination, varieties, planting, soil, propagation, budding, grafting, pruning, harvesting; ... in state, in America, and in Europe, etc
Byron Martin Lelong
Manufacturer: A.J. Johnston, superintendent State printing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000882NJA

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The grafting of grape vines
Juergen Loenholdt
Manufacturer: Pleasant Valley Wine Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Grapes | By Plant | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006WJ07G

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The handy book on pruning,
James Udale
Manufacturer: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00089THEI

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The handy book on pruning, grafting & budding,
James Udale
Manufacturer: W. & H. Smith
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0008BZCY0

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The handy book on pruning, grafting and budding
James Udale
Manufacturer: W. & H. Smith
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00089V3N6

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THE HANDY BOOK ON PRUNING, GRAFTING AND BUDDING.
James. Udale
Manufacturer: W
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MF3WWG

Customer Reviews:

Probably the Best Treatise to Date.......2005-02-01

Dr. Robert Price is the most significant and accredited scholar to present the Christ Myth thesis to date. His two Ph.D.'s are in systematic theology and New Testament studies respectively; which makes him more than qualified to comment on the historicity of the Jesus Christ character.

Although his presentation is not perfect, it is quite probably the best published thus far. His two works (Deconstructing Jesus, and the Incredible Shrinking Son of Man) have served to anchor the legitimacy of the Christ Myth thesis, despite the debaucheries committed against it by self stylized scholars such as Acharya S.

The Christ Myth thesis is quite plausible and is backed by a large body of historical, anthropological, and archaeological data, as well as a (slowly) growing body of academia. Unfortunately the efforts of legitimate scholars like Dr. Price are greatly undermined by an unfortunate paradigm of popular fiction by authors such as Dan Brown and Acharya S. If you are interested in educating yourself about the mythological foundations of Judaism and Christianity, stick to Dr. Price, Dr. Hoffmann, Dr. Pagels, Dr. Wells, Dr. Leeming, and Earl Doherty for the time being.

Request for the historical Jesus.......2004-12-17

In the vein of Burton Mack's _Who wrote the Old Testament?_ Robert Price's strong dose of Biblical Criticism pursues the phantom to deeper depths, resulting in something close to final skepticism about the Christ figure. The contructivist literature here that Price exposes is confusing in the extreme to anyone in the mainstream churches who is not a determined researcher or student of the literature. So many centuries after Spinoza, and the original deconstructions of Bauer of the Left Hegelians the disinformation game goes on and on, and on.

A REAL SNORE FEST!.......2003-10-30

It isn't that Robert Price hasn't studied the subject of Christian origins--he certainly has, and he's even been a born-again Christian. It isn't that he doesn't pontificate about the theories of this scholar and that apologist. That he surely does (the book seems to be a paean to Burton Mack). Price even makes a definitive statement now and again. But much of this book is not only boring--obviously designed to please his already-convinced peers of his immense erudition--but it goes nowhere, as Price is wishy-washy about his conclusions: "I'm not trying to say that there was a single origin of the Christian savior Jesus Christ, and that the origin is pure myth..." (p. 85) Blah, blah, blah. Price then proceeds to criticize the "Old Christ-Myth theorists," who, in fact, were not fence-sitters but who took a stand that sometimes became a bit wild but was never dull.

One area where this book is a bit more audacious than others in its genre is the section outlining other savior gods. Even though the perspective that the ancients--pagans and Jews alike--possessed practically every concept in Christianity, including the characteristics of its alleged founder, many modern scholars are simply terrified to touch the material brought to light in the past few centuries that reveal such facts of unoriginality through comparative religion. In other words, Jesus ain't original--he's a rehash himself of gods who already existed. At least Price has the courage to discuss these myths regarding dying-and-rising savior gods such as Baal, Tammuz, Osiris, Attis and Dionysus. Price reaches his zenith when he says, "It is very hard not to see extensive and basic similarities between these religions and the Christian religion. But somehow Christian scholars have managed not to see it, and this, one must suspect, for dogmatic reasons." (p. 88)

Also, Price displays some originality in his discussion of "ancient romances" and their correspondences to the gospel fable. ("The Cruci-fiction?") Price names a number of such texts and shows that their major plotlines are similar and "prefigure" that of the gospel fable as well. In the end, the Jesus myth could be considered another one of these "ancient romances," although it is not nearly as intriguing or edifying. In any case, Price highlights some "new" primary sources that reveal the banality of the Christian myth.

Unfortunately, despite some strengths the book is poorly organized and, again, appears to have been written for those who already know most of what is presented. It is certainly not for the lay public and will have little impact on the public in the long run.

If you are really interested in Christian origins, this book is not a bad read. But there are far better and more exciting ways to learn about Christianity and its alleged founder. The most readable of these is "The Christ Conspiracy" by Acharya S, who holds a number of the same views as Price but is able to present them in a far more exciting manner. Doherty's "Jesus Puzzle" is a well-written and necessary examination but it still can't reach the public like "The Christ Conspiracy." "The Jesus Mysteries" contains much of the same information found in Christ Conspiracy, but it is rubbery in its conclusions and focuses on spiritual experiences. Leidner's "Fabrication of the Christ Myth" is a pretty good work, with some interesting and unusual ideas. Price's "Deconstructing Jesus," on the other hand, contains little original and is mostly a rehash of other scholars' tedious and nitpicking opinions.

When rationalists lose their way.......2003-04-09

How do we know Jesus existed? Obviously, the four gospels and Paul's letters mention him, but since they are full of amazing miracles, we have to consider the possibility that they are not wholly reliable. Fortunately for scholars, Jesus' existence is independently verified from the brief mention of him and his brother in the Jewish chronicler Josephus. Although Christians added interpolations to these passages in their copies of Josephus, there is a clear consensus that Josephus wrote the core stating that Jesus was a religious man crucified by the Romans. This is all discussed in considerable detail in the first volume of John Meier's exhaustive "A Marginal Jew."

Robert Price has written a book that expresses his belief in "Jesus Agnosticism." He is agnostic not about whether Jesus was God, but whether Jesus actually existed. So what does Price say in response to Josephus and Meier? Absolutely nothing. So he has provided no reason why we should believe Josephus to be wrong. That Jesus' followers wrote little about him for four decades after his death is not surprising. There weren't that many of them, most of them were illiterate and they thought the world was going to end soon. Notwithstanding this simple solution Price argues that maybe people combined ideas from Greek Cynicism, Jewish scholars, classical heroes and cults of dying and resurrected Gods and projected them into a quasi-mythical Jesus who lived decades before the Gospel version did. In other words we are about to embark on a very complicated solution to a non-existent historical problem. Occam's razor anyone?

This is compounded with several fatal problems. (1) Inadequate sources: In search of "independent" traditions about Jesus, he spends thirty pages on a Sufi mystic versions of his sayings. The mystic lived ten centuries after Jesus, and obviously isn't independent proof of anything. Likewise Price uses dated authorities like Lord Raglan and Sir James Frazer's overstated theory of "dying and ressurrected Gods," (the most popular cult, that of Attis, clearly developed after Jesus). Meanwhile he cites a 1937 book by the discredited Hugh J. Schonfield to try to argue that Jesus lived 100 BCE. (2) Systematic anachronism: to show that Jesus was a Cynic, he compares verses to thoughts of Seneca and Musonius Rufus, who clearly lived after him. In searching for analogies for the empty tombs he quotes Chariton (first century CE), Longus (c. 150), Iamblichus (c.300), Philostratus (c.220) and Tatius (second century). Clearly the Gospels were not written that late, and so these Greek and Latin sources did not inspire them. (3) Confused comparative method: there are bound to be similarities in narratives, but this does not prove a common origin. "Macbeth," "Hamlet" and "King Lear," are all about monarchs who die because of the perfidy of someone they trusted. But they are obviously not the same story and have no common origin. And so there is no reason to believe that a legend in which the Greek healer Asclepius healed a person while in disguise was the basis of the story of the road to Emmaus. Likewise Price compares Jesus' order "Let the dead bury their dead," to several Cynic sayings. But he ignores the obvious difference. The cynics could care less about their corpses, while Jesus states that the Coming Kingdom of God is more important than the duty to bury one's father.

(4) Incoherent use of theoretical models: Price relies on Burton Mack's theory of Jesus and the Q Community as Cynics. But he also agrees with E.P. Sanders' view that Galilee was not a place likely to be open to Cynic (or Greek) influences. Rather than concluding that Mack is wrong, he uses this to argue that Greeks came up with the Q sayings and it was incorporated (how?) into Jewish thought. Price quotes with approval William Wrede's classic account of the Messianic Secret in Mark. But Wrede argued that Mark had Jesus keep his messianic status secret because people knew the real Jesus had never made such a claim. Such a contortion makes no sense if there was never a real Jesus to begin with. Price also ignores simpler solutions. He uses the ambiguities in the Gospels over who executed Jesus as proof that the actual event was far off in the past. He ignores the more obvious alternative: Jesus was executed by the Romans and the Gospel writers tried to get around this embarrassing fact by blaming the Jews. (5) Failure to explain the Jewish connection: all the early sources of Christianity are quite clear. The early Christians were Jews, not Greek philosophers or members of Pagan mystery cults. That Paul would come up with a theology of atonement to explain Jesus' death is one thing. But given that Jews did not expect a slain Messiash, why would he make up a crucifixion as well? Why indeed would Price's funky group of cosmopolitans try to convince the Jews that this non/barely existent Jesus was the culmination of their religion while at the same time using such ideas such as the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation and the Crucifixion they were most likely to reject? It just doesn't work.

Hard work but worth it.......2002-04-24

Robert Priceýs Deconstructing Jesus is a scholastic masterpiece of exhaustive research, carefully thought out arguments, and valuable insights into the historical reality of Jesus of Nazareth. He does a fine job demonstrating, by comparing the Gospel accounts of Jesusý supernatural conception, miracles, death and resurrection with similar traditions found in the mystery cults of ancient Greece and the near East, that Jesus was probably a mythical figure created from a synthesis of numerous mythologies then in vogue in the ancient world. His relentless pursuit of ancient texts to make his point that Jesus was, essentially, a Judaized version of the ancient mystery religions that was later usurped by literalists in the Catholic Church, should leave the objective reader with little choice but to agree. I also found his demonstration that many of Jesusý teachings and parablesýwhich I previously considered the strongest evidence for a historical Jesus availableýto have parallels in the teachings of the Midrash and other rabbinical writings to be especially damning to the idea of a historical Jesus. While he remains open to the possibility of a literal historical figure existing behind the mythology, I had to agree with his assessment that such can neither be known nor, if it could be proven true, whether it would make any real difference.

While Priceýs conclusions and scholarship were flawless, thatýs not to say the book was not without some problems. Price is a scholar writing for other scholars. As such, this is a difficult book to follow and should not be attempted by the linguistically challenged. One classic "Priceism" should be enough to serve as an example: "Neusner was no longer willing to assume that such attributions meant much diachronically (actually going back in history to Rabbi X); no, instead they must derive their meaning synchronically: as it were, two-dimensionally along the picture plane of the particular document." (Pg. 99). Huh? But for those who enjoy that kind of theological techno-babble, this is a great read. As for myself, I found it akin to wading across a sea of molasses upon the back of a Rhino.

Book Description

To deconstruct a text means to disassemble the various points of view contained within it, and to let them stand fully exposed with all their own presuppositions. When this is done, the contours of these building blocks appear so different from one another that the structural unity of the text is called into question. Biblical scholars will sense how close this process is to familiar methods of form and source criticism. Without jargon, this study sharpens and clarifies the analytical thrust behind such methods. At the same time, it offers a fresh rendering of redaction criticism, inquiring after the often contradictory motives and historical circumstances influencing the evangelists. This book thus provides an intriguing combination of the old and the new.

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