描述
开 本: 32开纸 张: 胶版纸包 装: 平装是否套装: 否国际标准书号ISBN: 9780767908375
Michael Servetus is one of those hidden figureheads of history
who is remembered not for his name, but for the revolutionary deeds
that stand in his place. Both a scientist and a freethinking
theologian, Servetus is credited with the discovery of pulmonary
circulation in the human body as well as the authorship of a
polemical masterpiece that cost him his life. The Chrisitianismi
Restituto, a heretical work of biblical scholarship, written in
1553, aimed to refute the orthodox Christianity that Servetus’ old
colleague, John Calvin, supported. After the book spread through
the ranks of Protestant hierarchy, Servetus was tried and
agonizingly burned at the stake, the last known copy of the
Restitutio chained to his leg.
Servetus’s execution is significant because it marked a turning
point in the quest for freedom of expression, due largely to the
development of the printing press and the proliferation of books in
Renaissance Europe. Three copies of the Restitutio managed to
survive the burning, despite every effort on the part of his
enemies to destroy them. As a result, the book became almost a
surrogate for its author, going into hiding and relying on covert
distribution until it could be read freely, centuries later. Out of
the Flames tracks the history of this special work, examining
Servetus’s life and times and the politics of the first information
during the sixteenth century. Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone follow
the clandestine journey of the three copies through the subsequent
centuries and explore its author’s legacy and influence over the
thinkers that shared his spirit and genius, such as Leibniz,
Voltaire, Rousseau, Jefferson, Clarence Dorrow, and William
Osler.
Out of the Flames is an extraordinary story providing testament
to the power of ideas, the enduring legacy of books, and the
triumph of individual courage.
From the Hardcover edition.
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