Out of the Flames: The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, a Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World

''The task we have set ourselves here is truly sublime; for it is nothing less than to make God known in his substantial manifestation by The Word and his divine communication by the Spirit, both comprised in Christ, through whom alone do we learn how divineness of the Word and the Spirit may be apprehended in Man.''Servetus 'task is make God known by The Word.'''Hidden from human sight in former times, God is now both manifested and communicated to the world… to the end that we may see him face to face as it were in Creation, and feel him intuitively but lucidly declared in ourselves. It is high time that the door leading to knowledge of this kind were opened; for otherwise no one can either know God truly, read the Scriptures aright, or be a Christian.'' (2064)How to open 'the door leading to knowledge'?''Of all his exceptional talents, it was Miguel's facility with languages that was initially most striking. By the time he was thirteen years old, in addition to his native language, he could read French, Greek, Latin, and, most significantly, Hebrew.''This was risky! Why?''In most of Christian Europe, Hebrew was a forbidden language. It was considered dangerous, mystical, and subversive. The Church was adamantly against it: knowledge of Hebrew meant that the Old Testament could be read in its original form without resorting to approved translations.''''“WHAT IS A BOOK? Paper, cardboard, vellum, calfskin, glue, ink? The embodiment of our ideas, the corporeal representation of our souls? This is the story of one book—Michael Servetus's book—an old book, a rare book, a book that contained the mystery of a great scientific discovery. But unlike other old, rare books, this book was attacked almost from the moment of its publication, viciously and systematically, with the goal of total eradication, by forces of overwhelming power. And yet, somehow, with no commensurate organized defense operating on its behalf, three copies survived. ''Touches the heart and enlightens the mind!ProloguePART I  Servetus (1511–1553)PART II  Servetus and CalvinPART III  The TrailEpilogueBibliographic NotesSelected BibliographyRelates the effect of the Erasmus translation of the Bible and Complutensian polyglot. Reading the Bible became a constant and regular part of the students lives. They ignored the threat of being burned at the stake. Servetus was in a unique position because he read not only Greek but also Hebrew, which meant he could read the full text of the polyglot in the original languages and see the differences between ancient passages and the Vulgate translation.But Servetus's extraordinary scholarship took him one step further. He added Arabic to his repertoire so that he could read the Koran as well, he was still only 17 years old. From these studies, Servetus concluded that only a return to classic biblical scholarship could save the religion.Goldstone's summary of the debate about the trinity at Nicaea was excellent. He provides the following reason for the debate:"If Jesus was concluded to be less than divine, he might have been simply a man made divine through faith and acts. And if that were true, might not that same potential be available to all men? And if that were so, how could the church hold itself to be the irreplaceable intermediary between God and man, a position from which, even back in the fourth century, it derived its enormous political power?" Interesting reasoning.Notes that Servetus motive in writing his inflammatory book, On the Errors of the Trinity, was to facilitate the conversion of Jews and Muslims. Both Jews and Muslims are strict monotheists. Servetus, a devout Christian, understood the need for a Christian to make disciples. The doctrine of the trinity prevented them from converting.Decades later, Servetus wrote another book, Christianismi Restitutio, as an answer to Calvin's famous book. This book is plays the central role in Goldstone's book. This book has acquired incredible value at the present time.Even though focused on Servetus, this book could also be viewed as a history of Unitarianism. Recounts the movement in Poland and other places. Mentions other famous supporters such as Priestley, Newton, Milton, Locke and Jefferson. Fascinating account of the survival of three copies the Servetus book, one of them Calvin's!Explains the long lasting relationship between Calvin and Servetus since their college days. Gives profound insight into Servetus trial. Detailed analysis of the trial and Calvin's role. Covers the role of Voltaire in defending Servetus centuries after his death due to his intense hatred of Calvin. Mentions Jefferson's disgust of Calvin's murder of Servetus and Jefferson's determination to defend religious freedom.Anyone interested in the development of the doctrine of the trinity will like this history. Also, the courage to suffer for truth is inspiring. Adds to the understanding of the reformation and the creation of the modern world. For example, mentions the goal of Emperor Joseph II, who distrusted the authority of the Catholic Church and sought to replace its influence with the moral authority of the state.Both Calvin and Servetus were intolerant to what they believed as error. The difference is, one was willing to die for Truth and the other was willing to kill for it. Sobering.Well written. Historical. Covers centuries with ease. I enjoyed it.Twenty seven illustrations, maps, photographs.

I love everything I've read by the Goldstones and this is starting out as no exception. They begin with a fascinating account of Gutenberg's invention (his patron Johann Fust attempted to take all the credit for it) of movable type. He did more than just that though, inventing the ink and a new press, as well. I was struck by the fact that he presented some of his first printed books at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1640. I had the good fortune to attend this fair several years ago and it's a librarian's wet dream. 9000 publishers (and that year attendance was down because I attended in October of 2001). I had no idea the fair had such an illustrious and long history.Anyway, the 16th century was a battle between Charles V, Francois of France and Henry VIII, and control of ideas was vital. Gutenburg threatened to upset the applecart. But the real enabler was the printer Aldus Manutius who invented the octavo, making books portable, which, in turn spread ideas (coupled with the rise of humanism) around Europe. He worked with Erasmus to produce popular translations of many classic works, another seditious behavior.Michael Servetus, a child prodigy, grew up in northern Spain, surrounded by an unusual heterodoxy, the political battles between France, England and Spain, the mixture of Muslim and Jewish cultures, and religious minorities battling for recognition. He learned Hebrew, a language usually forbidden at the time in order to prevent the Old Testament from being read in the original. (It wasn't until 1531 under Francis I in France that Hebrew was permitted to be taught openly in universities.)For a thousand years, the Catholic Church had prohibited general reading and distribution of the Bible wanting no stray interpretations to be promoted. Finally the Complutensian Polyglot Bible was approved by the Vatican in 1522. It placed the entire Bible side by side in Hebrew, Greek and Latin Vulgate. Unusually, Servetus (he had changed his name from Miguel Serveto partially because of prejudice against the Spanish) could read all of them. Additionally, he could read Arabic and so he read the Koran as well. He was seventeen years old. He decided that only a return to "classic biblical scholarship could save religion."Servetus was so horrified by the pomp and waste of Pope Clement's (he had been captured following the sack of Rome in 1527 when Charles V's troops mutinied and went nuts) coronation of Charles that he left his service and moved to Basel, then a hotbed of the Protestant Reformation under Johannes Oecolampadius (aka Hausschein or Hussgen.) Servetus had come to the conclusion, after reading the original Biblical texts, that Arius had been correct (see When Jesus Became God The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome) and that no intermediary was needed between man and God.By this time, Protestantism, like all revolutionary movements, had become reactionary and was more interested in accommodation with Rome than removing its underpinnings. Realizing he was risking Protestant wrath, Servetus fled to Strasbourg where he found a publisher for De Trinitatis Erroribus (On the Errors of the Trinity.) The book had a major flaw: "Servetus was SO smart that it never seemed to occur to him that his arguments would be more effective if he didn't imply that anyone holding an opposing view was an idiot." Despite this -- or perhaps because of it -- and heretical views being all the rage, the book sold very well but it placed Servetus squarely in the sights of the Inquisition. Servetus, much like Salman Rushdie, had underestimated the zeal of his opponents.

I like books that surprise me with new information about great characters like this one. I only wish the Goldstones had explained the theology of Servetus, because too many different religions are read into this historical leader. He is not a revolutionary on the side of evil, but striving to ascertain Truth buried in the customs and traditions of men. He did his own research, digging into the original languages of Scripture, with his fluent understanding of them. Whether or not I would agree with his resulting concepts, I love how he championed Truth, because I do.Goldstone does take side trips to explain the setting of the story, and what I know matches up. One reviewer, here, gave a scalding criticism that was totally false. It illustrates how previous dogma which has been assumed, can spoil minds(Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceits, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily." -- Col 2:8-9)I found myself falling in love with this man, for his genius, studies and discoveries, and passion to share his gifts with the world. It was a foolish thing to be caught on Calvin's turf, but Servetus was probably gathering information from the source he opposed, which is honest research, another reason why I admired him so much.Such is my hunger for great men, that upon reading the last sentence of this book, I did what I have never done before. I flipped it over to the beginning and read it once more.

Outstanding. I've read and admired Nancy Goldstone's work but this, with her husband, surpasses them all. It covers a wide sweep of Renaissance and Enlightenment Europe; the research is amazing and it joins together so many threads of intellectual life, yet is written in a superb laconic style that makes it sound like the best of detective stories. There are goodies and baddies, accidents and serendipity.The book is for anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the period who wants to know more. You'll learn more than you every bargained for

Good book

Good read,many profound aspects added.

In 1553 at Geneva, a man was burned at the stake, a book chained to his side. The man was Michael Servetus, one of the most brilliant individuals of the sixteenth century. The book was Christianismi Restitutio (The Restoration of Christianity). Lawyer, doctor, scientist, (he discovered and wrote about pulmonary circulation years before Harvey), linguist (he read and wrote Latin, Greek and Hebrew), Servetus was also, unfortunately for him, a biblical scholar, and the book in which he outlined his beliefs cast him as a heretic both to the Catholics and the right wing Protestants chief of whom was John Calvin.He was tried before a kangaroo court, led by Calvin, and after a terrible imprisonment died a horrible death. All copies of his book were seemingly destroyed, except it turns out, for three, whose subsequent odysseys make for compelling reading.The Goldstone`s have done a remarkable amount of research for this present book. We learn a little about the history of printing, medicine, the lives of those as disparate as Voltaire and William Osler. But through it all the overriding theme is the intolerance of religious fanaticism which gives rise to wars, bloodshed and multiple atrocities.Unfortunately this is still with us today.

Die Geschichte eines Mannes – Michael Servetus, der im calvinistischen Genf den Flammentod starb, zu seinen Füssen das damals letzte bekannte Exemplar seines Buches Christianismi Restitutio.Die Geschichte eben dieses Buches, von dem drei Exemplare auf wundersame Art und Weise der Zerstörung entkommen konnten.Nicht nur Religionsgeschichte, sondern auch Medizingeschichte, da Michael Servetus in seinem Buch auch eine bedeutsame Entdeckung niedergeschrieben hatte. Vor allem aber die Geschichte einer Epoche, die von Umbrüchen gekennzeichnet war.Michael Servetus wurde am 29. September 1511 als Miguel Serveto Conesa alias Reves in einem kleinen Dorf in Aragon geboren. Der Älteste von drei Söhnen. Seine Eltern gehörten zum Landadel. Schon früh fiel Miguels Sprachtalent auf. Mit 13 Jahren sprach er neben seiner Muttersprache bereits Französisch, Griechisch, Latein und Hebräisch, was bedeutete, dass er das Alte Testament im Original lesen konnte. Seine Hebräisch-Kenntnisse waren vor allem deswegen aussergewöhnlich, weil es in der damaligen Zeit keine gängige Sprache war. In Frankreich durfte Hebräisch zB erst ab 1531 offen unterrichtet werden. Miguel wurde nach Zaragossa zum Studium geschickt, wo er Juan de Quintana kennenlernte, den späteren Beichtvater von Karl V. Eine wichtige Begegnung. Servetus sollte nach einem Studienaufenthalt in Toulouse zu Quintana zurückkehren, um am Hof von Karl V zu arbeiten. In der Folge der Krönungszeremonie in Bologna quittierte Servetus jedoch den Dienst.Damals war Basel ein Ort, in dem sich Gelehrte zum Austausch trafen. Servetus fand Unterschlupf bei dem früheren Assistenten von Erasmus Johann Hausschein, auch unter dem Namen Oecolampadius bekannt. Schon bald überwar sich der Spanier aber mit seinem Gastgeber. Ursache des Streites waren die unteschiedlichen Auffassungen zur Dreifaltigkeit. Servetus floh und veröffentlichte im nahen Strassburg einen 120 Seiten langen Aufsatz den Fehler der Dreifaltigkeit. Ein Bestseller. Die erste Auflage war ruckzuck ausverkauft. Aber auch ein Verhängnis, denn jetzt war die spanische Inquisition hinter dem jungen Mann her. Fortan war er immer wieder gezwungen zu fliehen und unterzutauchen. Etwas, das ihm lange Zeit überraschend gut gelang. Bis zu dem Tag, an dem er in Genf erkannt wurde.Lawrence und Nancy Goldstone verfolgen aber nicht nur den Lebensweg von Michael Servetus, sondern beschreiben auch die wesentlichen Zeitgenossen. Sehr viel Raum nimmt dabei ein gewisser Jean Chauvin ein, der unter dem Namen Calvin bekannt werden sollte. Ein unnachgiebiger Gegenspieler von Michael Servetus.Neben der Religionsgeschichte werden medizinische Fortschritte beschrieben, denn Michael Servetus studierte in Paris erfolgreich Medizin. So erfolgreich, das er die Assistentenstelle von Andreas Vesalius übernahm als dieser nach Padua fliehen musste. Derselbe Vesalius, der später ein 663 Seiten langes umfassendes Anatomiebuch veröffentlichte, welches in den folgenden Jahrhunderten als Standardwerk galt. Eines hatte Vesalius im Blutkreislauf jedoch übersehen, und Servetus entdeckte es. William Harvey sollte später die Lorbeeren für diese Entdeckung ernten. Tatsächlich hatte Michael Servetus den Sachverhalt aber schon in seiner Christianismi Restitutio beschrieben.Der Bericht endet nicht mit dem Tod von Michael Servetus. Im dritten Teil folgt das Autorenpaar den Spuren des Buches und sie beschreiben die Auswirkungen der Ideen des Michael Servetus. Dabei haben sie mich mit immer wieder mit unerwarteten Verknüpfungen überrascht. Von Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz bis William Osler, dem berühmten amerikanischen Mediziner. Der Faktenreichtum, den Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone für diese ganz besondere Biografie zusammengetragen haben, ist überwältigend. Man kann die dahinter stehende Rechercheleistung nur bewundern. Eine ausführliche Bibliografie und ein umfangreiches Register schließen das Buch ab.Mein Fazit:Beeindruckend!Es wäre toll, wenn sich ein Verlag finden würde, der eine deutsche Übersetzung in Auftrag gibt, damit dieses Buch möglichst viele Leser erreicht.