Michael Frassetto
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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> World -> Medieval
Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4
Average rating: 5.0 of 5
"Kill them all. God will recognize his own." 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
When you've attended, as I have, Catholic schools from kindergarten through college, you tend to get the Church's view of orthodoxy and heresy. This book tends to balance out that somewhat skewed view I received in my education. The several people, and movements, delineated in this well-written book range from the thoroughly heretical even by lax religious standards, to those wrongly accused, whose views sometimes were later adopted as heterodox by the Church authorities. Reading this book shows how intolerant any church (organization, government, etc.) can become if it feels that it has the ultimate position on truth and righteousness. There may be good people in charge, but they can also be blinded by their view of themselves, and anyone who disagrees with their world view in any way, no matter how insignificantly, is wrong and should be condemned. It's a wake-up call for tolerance to all points of view; we don't have to burn at the stake those who don't agree with us, or even issue religious death pronouncements against them. Everyone is entitled to his or her view of religion, and as long as it doesn't unduly interfere with the free exercise of relgion by others, that view should be, at least, respected.
Editorial Review:
Replete with terror, passion, and hope, this gripping narrative history explores the intricate mysteries of medieval Europe through the lives of the great heretics whose beliefs and practices challenged the teachings of an all-powerful church. Five centuries of social and spiritual turmoil are covered through a vivid and telling mix of events, personalities, and ideas. A host of figures are discussed in detail, including Bogomil, an obscure priest from the Balkans who introduced Manichean ideas to parishioners; Henry the Monk, who eluded capture and prepared southern France for the Cathars; Marguerite Porete, the great mystic who was burned at the stake; Fra Dolcino, whose brigand followers terrorized northern Italy; and the heralds of the Reformation, John Wyclif and Jan Hus. By the end of the Middle Ages, the courageous lives and beliefs of these and the other heretics discussed had transformed the religious, cultural, and political map of Europe.
