Books about Custodians from Amazon.com

The story of the Rex Deus families, direct descendents of Christ--who is believed to have survived the crucifixion--turns out to be much more extensive than the authors first thought. Instead of beginning during the time of Jesus, it stretches far back into antiquity, to the Egyptian Mystery Schools. Instead of being only a propagation of the holy bloodline, the Rex Deus families are also carriers of the secret teachings of Jesus.

Custodians of Truth reveals the purpose and secrets of the Rex Deus lineage. Jesus was not only a holy man, but an adept of ancient knowledge, which informed his own teachings. This secret knowledge was suppressed by the Church in their voracious quest for power and influence in the secular world. These teachings have manifested throughout history in different forms--Gnostic philosophy around the time of Jesus, the Order of the Knights Templar, Freemasons, and the current resurgence of interest in New Age thought. Finally, the time is right for the hidden message of Jesus to be revealed--a message of tolerance, brotherhood, and respect for nature..
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From the cleric-led Iranian revolution to the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, many people have been surprised by what they see as the modern reemergence of an antimodern phenomenon. This book helps account for the increasingly visible public role of traditionally educated Muslim religious scholars (the `ulama) across contemporary Muslim societies. Muhammad Qasim Zaman describes the transformations the centuries-old culture and tradition of the `ulama have undergone in the modern era--transformations that underlie the new religious and political activism of these scholars. In doing so, it provides a new foundation for the comparative study of Islam, politics, and religious change in the contemporary world.

While focusing primarily on Pakistan, Zaman takes a broad approach that considers the Taliban and the `ulama of Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and the southern Philippines. He shows how their religious and political discourses have evolved in often unexpected but mutually reinforcing ways to redefine and enlarge the roles the `ulama play in society. Their discourses are informed by a longstanding religious tradition, of which they see themselves as the custodians. But these discourses are equally shaped by--and contribute in significant ways to--contemporary debates in the Muslim public sphere.

This book offers the first sustained comparative perspective on the `ulama and their increasingly crucial religious and political activism. It shows how issues of religious authority are debated in contemporary Islam, how Islamic law and tradition are continuously negotiated in a rapidly changing world, and how the `ulama both react to and shape larger Islamic social trends. Introducing previously unexamined facets of religious and political thought in modern Islam, it clarifies the complex processes of religious change unfolding in the contemporary Muslim world and goes a long way toward explaining their vast social and political ramifications.