The Hand of God: Thoughts and Images Reflecting the Spirit of the Universe [Paperback]

Michael Reagan (Editor), Sharon Begley (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001

The Hand of God combines inspiration for the mind and spirit by juxtaposing what Astronomy magazine has called “the most beautiful astrophotos ever taken” with illuminating words of scientists, poets, and theologians. Introduced by an essay from award-winning science writer Sharon Begley, this revised edition includes more than sixty new images and creates for the reader an unforgettable experience of the wonder of the universe.

It was once believed that to look into the heavens was to look into the face of God. The first Hubble telescope images from space, which appeared in 1990, confirmed that sentiment in ways that are beyond imagination. These eerily luminous landscapes, splendid with color and motion, gave us a glimpse into the outermost reaches of the universe—a vast, unexplored realm where spiraling galaxies cartwheeled, nebulae shimmered, and stars were born. Dark clouds parted like gauzy curtains and allowed us to peer directly into the heart of a mystery. Since that time, more images have been captured on film that are simultaneously wondrous and troubling, restoring to our lives that very mystery that seems to be part of the human experience.

 

Throughout history, scientists and theologians, artists and writers, poets, and philosophers have struggled eloquently to make sense of the universe and God’s part in it. Together the images in The Hand of God and the accompanying reflections encourage a sense of awe and, perhaps, purpose in an age hostile to both.

 

“We cannot take a single step toward heaven,” French mystic Simone Weil once said. “If, however, we look heavenward for a long time, God comes and takes us up.” Perhaps it is time to look up once again.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Founder of Lionheart Books, Reagan has produced the ideal smaller coffee-table book for the 21st century. The Hand of God combines dozens of dazzling images of starscapes and far planets captured by the Hubble telescope with reflections on the self, the stars, and the universe, from writers as various as Oscar Wilde, Albert Einstein, Annie Dillard, and Edward Taylor. To Reagan's credit, the writers selected are admirable, and the quotations from their works are well chosen, but the images alone are worth the price of admission and are as profound as the writings that surround them. Highly recommended.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Michael Reagan is the president and founder of Lionheart Books. Before that, he was the head of Turner Publishing, where he was responsible for a number of bestsellers such as Moonshot, Dinotopia, and Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book. He is a graduate of Georgia State University. He and his wife live in Atlanta, Georgia, with their three children.

Sharon Begley is an editor at Newsweek magazine and was previously the science editor of the Wall Street Journal. She has won the Aviation/Space Writer’s Association Premier Award, a Global Award for Media Excellence, and the Educational Press Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Templeton Foundation Press; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890151521
• ISBN-13: 978-1890151522
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Psychology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspire Your Vision, Beautifully., December 16, 2005

By 

JAD (The Sunshine State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hand of God: Thoughts and Images Reflecting the Spirit of the Universe (Paperback)

If you are looking for a book to provide snippets of inspiration for others who are dear to you, or, perhaps one that will spark your own prayer and devotional time, this may be the book you are seeking.

"The Hand of God" is a collection of photographs taken in space, many by the Hubble Telescope, showing the vast and awe-inspiring wonder of the universe. These photos, a new "eye on the heavens" show every manner of nebula, comet and star formation for the wondering earthbound traveler. Presented in deep and vivid colors, the photos are thoughtfully paired with inspirational quotations, both familiar and obscure.

Of the many gorgeous images, surprises abound. A view of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and its surroundings looks every bit like a segment of Van Gogh's "Starry Night". A shimmering white cross-like photograph of Galaxy NGC 4640A is coupled with these lines from an ancient Jewish proverb: "God said to Abraham, 'But for me, you would not be here.' 'I know that, Lord,' Abraham answered, 'but were I not here, there would be no one to think about you.'"

Here are page after page of vast and panoramic views--both in word and in photograph, ranging from the tender greens and blues of our own earth, to a halo-like image of a filament eruption on our sun.

One would not classify this as a coffee table book per se, since its 8" x 8 1/2" dimensions are much smaller. It is perhaps best called an end table or nightstand book, suitable for an occasional glance or prolonged study. Either way, the unfamiliar images are profoundly inspiring, and invite the reader to move beyond Arthur Schopenhauer's observation, "Everyone takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world." This book is sure to expand your limits and inspire your vision, beautifully.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, September 16, 2004

By 

Liberty (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hand of God: Thoughts and Images Reflecting the Spirit of the Universe (Paperback)

One of the more awe inspiring books I've ever read. The pictures alone are incredible. The images are tastefully paired with quotes ranging from Stephen Hawking to Galileo, Scripture to Huck Finn, John Glenn to Shakespeare... I don't recall seeing this quote in the book, but the lines it most strongly reminds me of come from the Psalms: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. . ."

This book is well worth five stars. I have ordered half a dozen copies for myself and others, and expect to buy more.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behold!, October 18, 2005

By 

Adventurer "Lina" (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hand of God: Thoughts and Images Reflecting the Spirit of the Universe (Paperback)

Whatever your religious/spiriual leaning, the inexpressible mystery of creation is evident in these Hubble Telescope photographs coupled with quotations from the world's best minds and hearts.