Reviewer: Thomas J. Brucia from Houston, TX USA
An enormous and fascinating compendium..., July 1, 2000
This 402-page volume is very densely written. (It is more
than 235,00 words in length!) Let it be made clear most of
this book is NOT a biography of Michael Servetus (1511-1553).
That is only one-third of the volume... It is a wide-ranging,
mind-bogglingly detailed, idiosyncratic history of an idea:
freedom of conscience. ---- The first third of the work, entitled
"Institutionalized repression of freedoms: religion,
thought, and conscience, from Constantine to Vatican II and
beyond" is historical in nature. Covering more than 1,000
years of history in 150 pages is a daunting task, and the
general reader can best approach this overview as that --
as a guide to 'further reading I'd better find time to do.'
Nonetheless there's a lot of fascinating material here. Just
one of scores of gems strewn through this section of Dr. Hiller's
work is the text of the first Imperial decree (43 years AFTER
Constantine's death!) making the Christian the obligatory
religion of the realm. It calls non-conformists "demented
and insane". To give you an idea of the Dr. Hiller's
writing style, let's look at page 102 (selected at random),
describing Mohammed: "He was born in Mecca of the Quraaysh
tribe, and since he was orphaned at an early age, he was reared
by his uncle, Abu Talib, a teacher. In his youth he had a
chance to travel extensively with the trading caravans...."
Direct and to the point! Another example, from page 323: "Calvin
differentiates between two types of victims of religious persecution:
those who are martyrs and those who are blasphemers. Though
both meet similar punishment, they differ in their offense:
the just and righteous zealot follows knowledge, but the perverse
and unconscionable one follows temerity and blind impulse."
Again, telegraphic in style ---- Part II (about one-third
of the work) directly deals with Servetus's fascinating life
and death, in the 16th century. Caught between the Catholic
Church (during the Inquisition) and fanatic John Calvin, Protestant
pioneer, this man was considered a dangerous heretic by both
camps. John Calvin had the satisfaction of having him burnt
alive in 1553. Much like the millions who perished under Stalin
400 years later, his crime was telling people what he really
thought. Like all true believers, Calvin couldn't stand the
fact that someone disagreed with him - and took the usual
route: extermination. ---- The last third of Dr. Hiller's
book is entitled "The significance of Servetus' supreme
sacrifice, the bankruptcy of post-Nicaean Christianity, and
the struggle for freedom of conscience." It examines
the lives of Sebastian Castellio, Bernardino Ochino, Laelius
Socinus, Matteo Gribaldi, and others. Dr. Hiller makes his
point in his Preface: "Michael Servetus [was] the central
figure in history whose martyrdom initiated new trends in
religious mentality and inspired Sebastian Castellio to his
critical analysis of the pervasive repression of religious
thought and intellectual investigation. The ferment that Servetus
and Castellio originated eventually found its expression first
in the religious movement of Socinianism and later in the
Enlightenment." Whether or not one agrees with this thesis,
the mass of fascinating material he has assembled in overwhelming
and fascinating!
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