The Vatican Library contains the richest collection of western manuscripts and early printed books in the world, and its holdings have both reflected and helped to shape the intellectual development of Europe. One of the central institutions of Italian Renaissance culture, it has served since its origin in the mid-fifteenth century as a center of research for topics as diverse as the early history of the city of Rome and the structure of the universe. This extraordinarily beautiful book which contains over 200 color illustrations, introduces the reader to the Vatican Library and examines in particular its development during the Renaissance. Distinguished scholars discuss the Library's holdings and the historical circumstances of its growth, presenting a fascinating cast of characters - popes, artists, collectors, scholars, and scientists - who influenced how the Library evolved. The authors examine subjects ranging from Renaissance humanism to Church relations with China and the Islamic world to the status of medicine and the life sciences in antiquity and during the Renaissance. Their essays are supported by a lavish display of maps, books, prints, and other examples of the Library's collection, including the Palatine Virgil (a fifth-century manuscript), a letter from King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, and an autographed poem by Petrarch. The book serves as the catalog for a major exhibition at the Library of Congress that presents a selection of the Vatican Library's magnificent treasures.
Born on 21 September 1452, the very same year that Leonardo Da Vinci was born, Girolamo Savonarola: The Renaissance Preacher tells the story of a man who believed so wholeheartedly in God and the message that He was giving, that he gave his life for it. The book is an introduction to the life and times of this infamous preacher, a man who was witness to the dramatic downfall of the Medici dynasty in fifteenth-century Florence, who instigated some of the most dramatic events in Florentine history and whose death is still commemorated today. ------------ 'Thoroughly well researched and enthusiastically written. It is clear that Samantha Morris has great care for her subject and this is reflected in the quality of this work. A great introduction to Florentine politics in the late 15th century and the life of one of the most infamous individuals of the Renaissance'. - Katharine Fellows, St Peter's College, University of Oxford AUTHOR INTERVIEW What makes the medieval history of Florence special? Florence, unlike the majority of Italy's city states during the Renaissance, was a Republic, but run by the Medici family who were kings in all but name. It was also the city that birthed the Renaissance, a city full of political intrigue, violence, art and religion. Who was Savonarola? Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar who badly wanted to see Church reform not only within Florence but throughout the World. Unfortunately for Savonarola, despite his best intentions, the city turned against him and his hard lined ways, just as they had with the Medici family. Why should readers give your non-fiction history books a try? My books offer a well researched historical introduction to some of the most fascinating periods in both Italian and World history - a stepping stone, if you will, into the torrid history of the Renaissance. Within them you get to meet and learn about, personalities who lived and worked in this era - sex, violence, murder and religious fervour is only a little of what you will find within.
Joan Marble has lived in a 16th-century Roman Palazzo apartment for 30 years. A lifetime of integrating with the Romans and gardening on her beloved terrace above the rooftops has resulted in this memoir. Highly personal and containing anecdote, history, and insight, Joan's experience of Rome and Romans is infected by her contagious fascination for plants, a hobby she shares every week with The Women's Gardening Club of Rome.
An in-depth analysis of the different worldviews available to us in today's world, their underlying metaphysics, and the symbolism they use to convey their doctrines. The Metaphysical Compass is an exercise in both analysis and synthesis, delving deeply into complex religious and philosophical issues while providing summarized access to vast amounts of information that is difficult for non-specialists to access. It is based on the incontrovertible premise that, especially after the globalization of knowledge, we find ourselves in a highly complex world in which different incompatible worldviews uneasily coexist. To guide us in our search, the book focuses on the metaphysical answers underlying the different worldviews available to us, whether religious, mystical, esoteric, philosophical, or scientific. It also stresses the importance of symbolism in transmitting these doctrines, and its undeniable and growing prevalence in today's mass media and popular culture. The Metaphysical Compass was designed as an enjoyable synthesis capable of conveying a large amount of information in a visual and summarized, but not dumbed down, way. Furthermore, the book contains plenty of hyperlinks (digital editions) and notes through which those interested can expand their knowledge on specific topics. It is an ideal book for those with little time to investigate and confront the great questions of life. Also for those interested in discovering all the possible solutions to the oldest philosophical question of all, which lies at the core of each and every worldview: the conflict between the One and the Many. The Metaphysical Compass includes: .: A massive repository of knowledge (both ancient and modern), highly structured and profusely illustrated, designed to clear up all your metaphysical doubts and guide you in navigating the complexities of the modern world and its myriad worldviews. .: A comparative table with the 41 main current worldviews, in which their particularities are described, their main symbols discussed, and their central metaphysical beliefs defined, compared, and categorized. .: 15 summary diagrams that explain the complete argument of the book in a clear and pleasant visual way. .: Graphics highlighting the prevalence of certain recurrent metaphysical doctrines in modern popular culture.
At a fascinating moment in French intellectual history, an interest in matters occult was not equivalent to a rejection of scientific thought; participants in séances and magic rituals were seekers after experimental data as well as spiritual truth. A young astronomy student wrote of his quest: "I am not in the presence or under the influence of any evil spirit: I study Spiritism as I study mathematics." He did not see himself as an ecstatic visionary but rather as a sober observer. For him, the darkened room of occult practice was as much laboratory as church. In an evocative history of alternative religious practices in France in the second half of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries, John Warne Monroe tells the interconnected stories of three movements—Mesmerism, Spiritism, and Occultism. Adherents of these groups, Monroe reveals, attempted to "modernize" faith by providing empirical support for metaphysical concepts. Instead of trusting theological speculation about the nature of the soul, these believers attempted to gather tangible evidence through Mesmeric experiments, séances, and ceremonial magic. While few French people were active Mesmerists, Spiritists, or Occultists, large segments of the educated general public were familiar with these movements and often regarded them as fascinating expressions of the "modern condition," a notable contrast to the Catholicism and secular materialism that prevailed in their culture. Featuring eerie spirit photographs, amusing Daumier lithographs, and a posthumous autograph from Voltaire, as well as extensive documentary evidence, Laboratories of Faith gives readers a sense of what being in a séance or a secret-society ritual might actually have felt like and why these feelings attracted participants. While they never achieved the transformation of human consciousness for which they strove, these thinkers and believers nevertheless pioneered a way of "being religious" that has become an enduring part of the Western cultural vocabulary.
Written by a Vatican insider and accomplished church historian, this book is a unique behind-the-scenes look at the world's smallest nation and the spiritual center of the Catholic Church. Produced with the full cooperation of the Vatican, this is a beautifully illustrated insiders guide into the 2,000-year-long history of the Vatican and papal influence, daily life and governance of the world's largest religious body, and the art collections and other priceless treasures rarely seen by the public. In addition to a unique photographic tour, the book includes personal interviews with various Vatican employees and insiders who make their home there, from a Swiss Guard to a singer in the Sistine Chapel choir. This book is an unparalleled look into life inside the Holy City.
The Roman Church has lost its institutional legitimacy. Restore your Catholic faith; discern the truth, e.g., as a Weird Task Specialist via the Order of the Bewildered, Befuddled, Betwixt and Between. Bro. Jack Suss, O4B, is a non-denominational Catholic and a recovering sinner who believes in the power of soul, love, prayer, contrition, grace, goodness, and redemption. These Essays in Unlearning just may help you to condense the way of the pilgrim from out of today's cloud of unknowing, in a gentle move toward neo-anthroposophy-nothing short of Christianity for the mystic.