Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the story of a man and his book.

The man is Michael Servetus. He was a brilliant young Spaniard born into a world of religious upheaval and burgeoning science. Though he would become a well-respected physician who was the first (even before Harvey) to discover pulmonary circulation, he ran into trouble when he passionately espoused anti-Trinitarian beliefs--beliefs deemed heresy not only by the Roman Catholic Church but by important Protestant strongholds as well.

The book is Christianismi Restituto. It was in this book that Servetus argued his unitarian stand and put forth his idea of pulmonary circulation. What was believed to be the last known copy of this book was chained to Servetus' leg as he was burned at the stake in Geneva in 1553. Of course, the book did survive; otherwise, there would be no story to tell and Servetus would be lost to history.

In fact, as we learn through the pages of this wonderful book by the Goldstones, three copies of the book survived and are now extremely valuable. As a book collector, the story of the provenance of the three surviving copies is fascinating in itself. But there is much more of interest here than the story of a book.

Much along the lines of the trend started by Dava Sobel in Longitude, the Goldstones tell the story of a much forgotten but most important moment in history. Amid the background of the development of printing and the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation, we learn of a man who made a huge scientific discovery that was basically forgotten for most of a century and re-discovered by the man who is usually credited with the discovery (Harvey). But, more importantly, we learn of a man who is swept up in the spirit of Protestantism and yet is destroyed by the very forces he helped to create.

In fact, the story of the conflict between Servetus and Calvin is the most fascinating part of this book. In a world where the word "Inquisition" is a staple of criticism against the Roman Catholic church, it is important to be reminded that Protestant churches were often quick to burn those they considered heretics as well. Which makes it even more ironic that one of the three original surviving copies of this heretical book is Calvin's personal copy.

All in all, this is a fascinating book. It is a wonderful history not only of a person but also of an era of upheaval and intellectual ferment. Anyone interested in book collecting, theology or Renaissance history will enjoy this book.

A book can be a dangerous thing. Ask Salman Rushdie. While it is true that most of western society has a heritage of press freedom, and such a concept has not yet become part of all societies, we did not get to it easily. In the United States, one can publish whatever one wants about religious ideas, and no legal charge of blasphemy can result; in no small part, this is due to the fate of Michael Servetus, who was burned at the stake for writing about unacceptable religious ideas in 1553. He became a hero for such lights as Voltaire and Jefferson, and a foundation for the Unitarian Church. His story is vigorously told in Out of the Flames: The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, a Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World (Broadway Books) by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. The Goldstones, who are book collectors, have made this a story of Servetus's physical books and of the history of publishing, as well as a history of intellectual progress against oppressive religious power.

The "fatal heresy" in the title comes from Servetus's ideas that were not only anathema to the Catholic church, but were also detested by the Protestants that had adopted doctrine from the Catholics. Servetus, for instance, abhorred the idea of the Trinity, and being a supremely knowledgeable biblical scholar, knew there was nothing in the Bible about any such Trinity. He also had biblical arguments against original sin, childhood baptism, virgin birth, and predestination. Knowing his Bible, however, didn't save him. He had to hide from both Catholics and Protestants, and under an assumed identity, became a doctor. In this role, he made discoveries about the circulation of the blood that predated Harvey's by seventy-five years. John Calvin eventually colluded with the Catholic Church to catch Servetus, there was a show trial, and a horrid burning at the stake. Calvin also thought that all of Servetus's books had been burned, but three survived. He also survived as an inspiration for the Unitarian Church.

The Goldstones have written a spellbinding biography of an important thinker. There are digressions here that always circle back to the main theme; an amazing description of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre is here, and appearances are made by many kings and queens, Newton, Liebnitz, Jonathan Swift, Ignatius Loyola, Emerson, William Osler, and many more. Reflecting their interest in book collecting, the Goldstones, starting with Gutenberg and winding up with the stories of the three remaining copies of Servetus's book, have also given a rousing history of books in western intellectual growth.

The Goldstone's write in the prologue that, Out of the Flames, is, "...the story of one book - Michael Servtus's book..." and even the title proclaims it is, "The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, A Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World." But I think the Epilogue contains a better characterization of what this book aspired to, and sometimes achieved: "But there were also those, no less brilliant, who did not succeed, whose ideas could not take root before they were crushed. Their vision and passion were no less intense, and what they had to say no less vital to the human spirit. It was only circumstance that separated them from the others [Newton, Shakespeare, etc.]."

Navigating your way through the important events of any period in history can be tricky. And the Goldstone's have a lot of ground to cover in a relatively short book - Servetus' story encompasses much of the period generally labeled the Reformation. Only those events and characters in some way related to the story of Servetus', Christianismi Restitutio are included in Out of the Flames. But even this narrowing still leaves a lot of interacting events and characters to write about in only a few hundred pages. The author's do an admirable job in their selections. The narrative does seem to jump around, but the Goldstone's rarely take a long time in bringing it back to Servetus and the Christianismi Restitutio. And, at times, their journey through the Reformation landscape is marred by oversimplification and the occasional twentieth century viewpoint ascribed to sixteenth century characters. Take the Goldstone's brief treatment of the origins of the printing press. Not enough documentary evidence exists to assign motives to any party or even to really know what Gutenberg was up to during significant portions of the experimental phase - Gutenberg periodically "disappears" for stretches of several years. Yet their coverage suggests historians have a complete, concrete picture of Gutenberg and portrays Fust and Schoeffer as greedy men whose sole aim was to steal the invention of someone else for their own profit. Not all of the events covered are oversimplified in this manner. But enough are that it must, in the end, detract somewhat from the story as history.

Out of the Flames is not solely a biography of Michael Servetus. Perhaps half, maybe less, of the book is actually devoted to his life. The Goldstone's spend time on other important sixteenth century characters; John Calvin, Francis I, Marguerite d'Angouleme to mention a few. The "climax" of the book comes when the story gets to Servetus' trial in Geneva - in many respects a clash between two titanic intellects, Calvin's and Servetus'. Here the Goldstone's clearly have their favorite. Calvin comes across as a rabid animal, foaming at the mouth in his desire to execute Servetus at the first possible moment. Granted, Calvin can't really be excused for his actions, but the irony of arguably one of the most effective reformers of the sixteenth century trying to suppress a dissenting opinion is often lost in that bias toward Servetus which softens his own faults (a towering ego and often intemperate, abusive language) and magnifies Calvin's. Such bias doesn't mean that the story the Goldstone's tell isn't worth reading. But it is something readers should be aware of - if for no other reason than to keep some perspective.

In addition to the thread of antitrinitarianism (the heresy that got Servetus burned at the stake) the story of Michael Servetus is about a scientific discovery that lay buried in the primarily theological, Christianismi Restitutio. Servetus was trained in the medical profession, though theology seems to have been of greater interest to him. As an assistant to Vesalius, one of the great anatomists of the sixteenth century, Servetus discovered the role of the heart in circulating blood throughout the body. Even Vesalius, who got so much else right, missed it. But Servetus never mentioned it until much later, and only in passing. Because the Christianismi Restitutio was suppressed for its heretical ideas, William Harvey would receive credit for his independent discovery several decades later. Here is the circumstance the Goldstone's talk about in the Epilogue that separated Servetus from celebrated men like Newton and even Harvey.

The last few chapters of the book are devoted to tracing ownership of the remaining copies of Christianismi Restitutio up to the present. Here the irony that one of those copies happened to be Calvin's own is not lost; it was Calvin who ordered that all copies of the book be burned to ensure that Servetus' heresy would not spread.

Despite the faults I have noted, I enjoyed reading Out of the Flames. The bibliography at the end of the book contains some useful entries for biographies of Charles V and Francis I.

Although halfway through the book he is dead and gone (no spoiler here: the book begins with his execution, then flashes back for a while) the spirit of Michael Survetus haunts these pages throughout. His spirit is at the center of OUT OF THE FLAMES.

OUT OF THE FLAMES is intellectual but accessible; a mystery of history, true and compelling. If you like mystery, history, religious disputation, books (or any cobination of the four) you should find this book fascinating. The Goldstones imbue their research with their own enthusiasms, and it can be a happily infectious experience.

Perhaps more to the point, there is a timeliness about this book. Its themes of questioning absolutes and religious reform resound tellingly these days, and readers abreast of current events in the Catholic Church today will find much within that resonates with relevance. The emphasis on intellectual survival which underlies OUT OF THE FLAMES speaks to us all, and its unstated lesson might just be: "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

There is a delightful passion to the writing in this book. It puts faces to the past, and real personalities to those faces. OUT OF THE FLAMES is peopled with characters (from JohnCalvin to Voltaire) who, while not always likeable, are true, and are all the more powerfully drawn for that honesty. A stubborn, irrascible, intransigent character who nevertheless was fervently dedicated to truth, Michael Servetus would have been pleased.

It is well worth reading.

I first heard of this book on an NPR talk show while working on a school essay dealing with religious intolerance and the intellectual repression of religion. My paper was about complete, but I knew that I had to read this book. I am so glad I did!
A fascinating tale of Europe at the crossroads of religious orthadoxy and intellectual progression, it has more characters in it than a Tom Clancy novel. And they are all brought together to relate the story of Servetus, his views, and how those views caused him so much grief.
The reader comes away from this with much more than he/she could imagine. I was fascinated with the history of printing, the process and the business. While realizing the book was going to deal with religion, it is mind boggling to see what kind of grip it had on society in those days. (Judging by what is going on in the world today, it still does) Ever fearful of losing their hold on power, religious leaders resorted to whatever tactics were necessary to keep the flock intact and growing. Reminds one of a company wanting to retain a monopoly, but in a much more violent way. Scary.
The tale of Servetus's last book, Christianismi Restitutio,and its survival to modern day is an added bonus to this great revelation about a brilliant man, his contributions to humanity and the cruel, unforgiving world in which he lived. Thank you Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone for the enlightenment.

I first learned of "Out of the Flames" from a review written by The Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt in the November/December 2002 isssue of "UUWorld," the magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

McNatt's description of the personal conflict between Michael Servetus and the famous John Calvin and the martyrdom of a heretic at the hands of a Protestant founder intrigued me. As both a member of a UU congregation and a humanities teacher in the public schools, I wanted to learn more about this part of our religious struggle.

The book grabbed my attention right from the prologue, and, except for some detailed and belabored connections near the end, held me. Anyway, I was more interested in first two thirds of the work, the story of Servetus and his conflict with Calvin. The last section of the book follows the history of the surviving books by Servetus after his execution

The life of Servetus and his adventures is portrayed in an exciting fashion, fleshing out the characters, both obscure and famous. The trials and tribulations of this heretic who dared to question the Biblical foundation for the trinity, were captivating. The authors seemed to have a keen sense as to exactly how far they could take me down a path before bringing me back to the main story line, clarifying the importance of what at first may have seemed like an interesting but unimportant detour. With a summarizing statement or a simple declaration, the intrigue was palpable.

I was both saddened and appalled by the intolerance displayed by so many of our religious ancestors. The horrible fate of Servetus seems brought on more by personal enmity than by the disagreement over religious doctrine. But the antitriniatrian position held by Servetus was certainly not popular then and is still widely misunderstood today.

I would strongly recommend this book to all, trinitarians, antitrinitarians and those who are interested in our religious history and are not too apprehensive to encounter some uncomfortable and maybe some unsettling conclusions. To me, this story seems like a very important aspect of Protestant history that was omitted from my Sunday school lessons. I believe this work would make an excellent addition to almost any school or church library. (Our students can use all the support you can give.)

The husband-and-wife writing team of Nancy and Lawrence Goldstone deliver a delightful history of Michael Servetus and the book that got him killed -- a volume considered so infamous that all copies were ordered destroyed. Only three copies are still known to exist, making it one of the most valuable books in existence. The authors bring to life the man and his times, discussing religion, science, literature and history as well as Leibniz, Voltaire, Calvin, Priestley and Osler, incorporating a vast array of knowledge as they tell the story of a genius and his tragic end.

There are a fair number of illustrations, a bibliography and an index.

What a fascinating book. It is superbly written and almost impossible to put down. Nonfiction history books that read like bestselling thrillers are hard to find indeed. But that is definitely the case here.

Throughout the ages, how many individuals have markedly changed the world we live in, yet are not found in most history books? The name Michael Servetus is one that should be known by any serious student of Western Civilization, yet sadly his story has been missed by so many historians.

Kudos to the authors for a job well done.

This was a great book that finally gives credit to one of the overlooked figures of history. If you weren't aware of Michael Servetus, then 99.9% of the population are your brethren. This book explores not only his theological genius, but also examines his invaluable contributions in fields as widely varied as medicine and cartography. His long lasting impact on our political and religious life is also explained in fascinating (and well documented) detail. The authors are gifted historians.

It is this strength that also becomes the sole weakness of the book. The authors endeavor to capture the full historical context of the world in which Servetus lived. However, too much marginally relevant context is introduced, which in some cases served to detract from an otherwise great read.

A testament to the fickleness of fortune this book reads like a detective story for bibliophiles of every stripe. If you are interested in the history of ideas or just love books, this book is for you.