Books like The Gnostic mystery by Randy Davila

Elaine Pagels’ classic study uncovers the hidden Gnostic texts that present radical, early Christianity, illuminating how diverse interpretations of Jesus and spirituality emerged.

Dr. Jonathan Weber, Harvard professor and biblical scholar, is looking forward to his sabbatical year on an archaeological dig in Israel. But a spectacular find that seems to be an archaeologist’s dream-come-true becomes a nightmare that many fear will be the death rattle of Christianity. Carefully researched and compellingly written, A Skeleton in God’s Closet explores the tension between faith and doubt when science and religion collide. In the end, it’s a thought-provoking page-turner, driven by one man’s determination to find the truth—no matter the cost.

The lives of three women intersect against the backdrop of both present day and ancient Israel. Lynn Austin weaves together the stories of three women and the work of mercy in their lives. Separated by time and miles but linked through the eternal need to forgive, the stories merge into an example of inspirational fiction at its finest. At the outset of Wings of Refuge, Abigail MacLeod's life is falling apart around her, and in order to find the time to put the pieces back together, she signs on for an archeological expedition outside of Jerusalem. Part lifelong dream and part pilgrimage, her journey is meant to offer her solace and respite from a crumbling marriage. Instead, it brings danger as she becomes linked with a murdered man who had sat beside her on the flight from the United States. Shaken to the core, Abigail finds comfort in the friendship of Dr. Hannah Rahov. Through the shared stories of Hannah's heartbreaking past and the related saga of a woman who lived long ago, Austin weaves a stirring tale of reconciliation and proclaims the safe haven God provides for those weathering the storms of life.

"Juana Ramrez de Asbaje, an illegitimate criolla, is sixteen when word of her self-taught erudition travels to the palace in Mexico City and she becomes an attendant to Doa Leonor Carreto, Marquesa de Mancera. Wanting only to study, confused by her love for la Marquesa, and loathe to marry, in five years Juana becomes Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz in the Convent of Santa Paula of the Order of San Jernimo. There, her quill becomes her salvation and damnation as her notoriety mounts with each new artistic commission. Popular with court and clergy, she receives a stream of guests at the convent, among them la Condesa de Paredes, who becomes Sor Juana's intimate friend. More than two decades later, after brilliantly defending her right to think, teach, and write, Sor Juana appears before the Inquisition and abruptly withdraws from the spotlight."--BOOK JACKET. "Mixing fiction with Sor Juana's own words, and drawing on the most recent Sor Juana scholarship, Alicia Gaspar de Alba creates the most full-bodied portrait of Mexico's Tenth Muse to date."--BOOK JACKET.