Every Eye Beholds You: A World Treasury of Prayer - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0151004838 ISBN 13: 9780151004836

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1999

Synopsis

Representing the sweep of global religious tradition, this is a book to turn to for solace and wisdom, inspiration and comfort. A rich and accessible anthology assembled from the traditions of many cultures and spanning thousands of years, Every Eye Beholds You ranges across the world to offer the riches of the spirit in all its glory. Here are prayers of consolation and celebration, prayers for help and protection, rites of passage, blessings on human endeavors, and hymns. Here are prayers of praise and awe, prayers to holy beings, prayers of the day and the seasons. The essential prayers of all major religions are included in their original languages as well as in English. "The Lord's Prayer," for example, is reproduced in Aramaic, Greek, Latin, and both the Catholic and Protestant English versions. Vedic hymns, St. Clare's canticle of poverty, the Islamic Call to Prayer, Tibetan chants, and many more paths to the divine are represented. Including an introduction by Karen Armstrong, author of the bestselling A History of God, this is a book to savor, a vital collection for all readers interested in the divine and in mankind.

About this title

Review:

Editor Thomas Craughwell (A History of God) has assembled a collection of prayers, hymns, and simple blessings from all walks and all beliefs, including Native Americans, Hindus, African tribal groups, and Christians. Although the images of God may change from writer to writer or religion to religion, the essence of these prayers remains surprisingly similar. Words of humility, praise, and glory and impassioned pleas for hope cross over all religious and ethnic lines.

"In prayer, we learn to acknowledge our vulnerabilities, our frailty, our failures, and our sins," writes Armstrong. "By putting out unutterable weaknesses into words, we make them more real to ourselves but also make them more manageable." Armstrong has organized chapters into prayers for various occasions, such as "Prayers for Help and Protection," "Rites of Passage," "Prayers for Prosperity," and "Blessings on the Earth and Its People." She also has an index for religious traditions and one of first lines, making this a thoroughly helpful resource for special occasions, public gatherings, or simply for the inevitable dark nights of the soul. --Gail Hudson

About the Author:

THOMAS J. CRAUGHWELL is the author of Great Books for Every Book Lover, Alligators in the Sewer and 222 Other Urban Legends, and the forthcoming The Wisdom of the Popes. His anthology, Every Eye Beholds You, was a Main Selection of Book-of-the-Month Club and Quality Paperback Book Club. He lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0151004838
• ISBN 13: 9780151004836
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Craughwell Thomas J.