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!
|
|
|
|
