During the reigns of Abd-ar-Rahman III and his son Al-Hakam II two “Golden Ages” occurred: The Golden Age of Arab rule in Iberia and The Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain. During the half-century reign of Abd ar-Rahman (also sometimes written as Abd al-Rahman), Islamic Spain rose to its grandest and most prosperous era…. Read more »
Category: Biographical Stories
WAYNE TEASDALE (1945-2004)
Wayne Teasdale’s spiritual career began as a Trappist monk at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Massachusetts. After 10 years under the direction of Abott Thomas Keating, founder of the centering prayer movement, Teasdale received an invitation that changed the direction of his spiritual journey. He was invited to study in India at the Benedictine ashram of… Read more »
JALALUDDIN MUHAMMAD AKBAR (1542-1605)
Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar ruled the Mughal Empire in India from 1556 to 1605. Known more popularly as Akbar the Great he is considered to be the greatest of the Mughal rulers. He expanded the Empire with key military victories against threatening neighbors. He also established greater internal stability through his long steady reign. Akbar was… Read more »
AARON JEAN-MARIE CARDINAL LUSTIGER (1926-2007)
Aaron Lustiger was born in Paris in 1926 to Jewish parents who had emigrated from Poland. When World War II broke out, the family fled to Orléans. After reading the Christian Bible, the teenage Lustiger felt drawn to the Orléans Cathedral. He decided to convert to Catholicism, with the reluctant consent of his parents, adding… Read more »
Roger Williams (1603-1684)
Roger Williams a visionary early-American who advocated for religious liberty and separation of church and state. He founded Rhode Island in 1636 as a pure democracy.