Jean-Pierre Isbouts

From time immemorial, prayer has provided comfort in our darkest hours, stirred us to action beyond what we thought possible, and shown us the way through seemingly insurmountable challenges. In this engaging tour of world history, author and historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts takes us on an inspiring tour of ten prayers that played a pivotal role in world events-from the divine inspiration of Joan of Arc to Martin Luther's powerful hymn, "A Mighty Fortress...

The story of the exploration and birth of America, is told afresh through the unique prism of hand-colored maps and engravings of the period. Before photography and television, it was printed and hand-colored maps that brought home the thrill of undiscovered lands and the possibilities of exploration, while guiding armies on all sides through the Indian Wars and the clashes of the American Revolution. Only by looking through the prism of these maps,...

Discover how Van Gogh makes an abrupt turn in his life trajectory and moves from ministry and missionary work to a life in art, aided by two influential men in his family. You will also begin to understand how difficulties with his parents and scandals with women will affect him.

It is unclear from the Gospels whether there was a true conspiracy against Jesus, or whether he was a victim of unfortunate events. To tackle this issue, Jean-Pierre introduces you to the Sadducees; the Pharisees; the legal scribes; and Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee. See how they each would have viewed Jesus-and what made Jesus seem dangerous to them.

As he settles down in Arles and opens himself to the power of bold, primary colors to evoke emotion, Vincent begins to feel the need for the companionship he had in Paris. Which of his artist friends will eventually agree to move to Arles and live with him in his Yellow House?

To understand the life and times of Jesus, you must first understand the world of the Roman Empire. After surveying the big-picture story of Rome, Jean-Pierre zooms in on the historical circumstances of Galilee, which included onerous taxation, hungry citizens, and something of a police state under Herod.

Examine parallels between the history of ancient Egypt and the book of Exodus. Observe historical evidence that the Hebrews living in Egypt were forced into slave labor for the Pharaoh. See how the biblical story of Moses correlates with earlier legends and Theban history, and how the event of the Burning Bush is connected with a physical location and the life of the prophet Muhammad.

Round out your study of Jesus's ministry by following him south to Jerusalem. By then, he had widened his preaching to include gentiles, and he perhaps hoped to reach a large audience in Jerusalem. What he found, however, was a Temple corrupted by sacrifices and money changers.

By the 1880s, the Impressionists have slowly begun to drift apart after the deaths of Frédéric Bazille and Édouard Manet. Follow Vincent's journey as he immerses himself in the artist life and absorbs all he can from the artists around him in friendship and work, such as Seurat, Bernard, Gauguin, and Toulouse-Lautrec.