“There are some heavy conceptual seas between All the Names of the Lord’s point of departure in literary theory—I was already reaching for the deck rail—and its passage across such fearsome ports of call as the name theology of Dionysius the Areopagite and the Kabbalah. But Izmirlieva navigates them with such clarity of vision and steadiness of hand that the reader has both the time—and the powerful inclination—to pause and admire the seascape along the way. Clarity we expect, or least hope for, in a work that essays to tell us something about such profoundly embedded matter as the Names of God. Clarity Izmirlieva gives us, a great deal of it, but what we do not expect is an elegance of style and, what is rare in academic prose, an immediacy in the writing that makes this book an absolute pleasure to read. All the Names of the Lord is not only an intellectual adventure; it is a literary treat.”—F.E. Peters, New York University

F.E. Peters, New York University

“Izmirlieva’s wide-ranging book demonstrates an impressive grasp of religious literature covering many centuries and a geographic area from Eastern Europe to the western Mediterranean. Her ability to draw on primary sources from a variety of languages is quite astounding. This thoughtful and sensitive book will bring a considerable number of little-known religious texts to the attention of scholars across several disciplines, and her analysis will stimulate readers to consider a range of questions at the intersection of theology, philosophy, and personal piety.”—Lawrence E. Frizzell, Seton Hall University

Lawrence E. Frizzell, Seton Hall University

“A scintillating combination of historical knowledge, philosophical sophistication, and literary verve testifies to the intellectual vitality of this young scholar while also displaying the hallmarks of a superior teacher. Valentina Izmirlieva has laid bare the classical ‘names of God’ in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, leading inquiring readers to a veritable feast.”--David Burrell, University of Notre Dame

David Burrell

“One of the rare books that will redefine a field. Its insights and methodologies illuminate concerns at the very heart of cultural history, cutting-edge literary studies, religious studies, medieval studies, semiotics, and theology. Izmirlieva’s scholarship and erudition are virtuosic. She brings out beautifully the tension between the desire to submit and to control, to surrender and to order. This is a book for every scholar, indeed every person, interested in how human beings attempt to make sense of their lives and their relationship to God.”—Nadieszda Kizenko, University at Albany, SUNY

Nadieszda Kizenko, University at Albany, SUNY

"This is a fascinating and quite original book. . . . It is very rarely that, having read a work of scholarship, I want to read it again right through . . . . but that is what I felt as I approached--all too soon, it seemed--the end of this book. That is partly, too, because it is written so well, itself the sign of the clarity of expression and profundity of conception that the author combines. . . . [The book] suggests connexions that one would never have made before, and admits one to a kind of kaleidoscopic vision that will continue to disturb the more confined ideas with which one had approached these topics hitherto. It might even change your life."

Andrew Louth | Journal of Ecclesiastical History