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

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Summary: A History of A Scholar, His Book, And Book Learning
Review: 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.

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Summary: Out of the History Books
Review: 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.

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Summary: A fascinating journey...
Review: 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.

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Summary: Information Age
Review: Calling this book a biography of heretic Michael Servetus is almost an injustice. It's also the story of the First Information Age when the print revolution and venture capitol gave rise to the blossoming of the Renaissance,an explosion in scientific thought and a sometimes fatal rise in the exercise of religious freedom.The Goldstones'account of the intellectual hotbeds that were the universities of 16th c. Europe is more compelling than 90% of today's novels and a reminder of where church/state thought control can lead.

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Summary: A fearless scholor + an idea = a remarkable story
Review: How can a nonfiction story about an almost unknown book, by a nearly forgot author, who wrote about the esoteric question of the existence of the Trinity-in Latin--be a page-turning, stay-up-all-night-reading book?

Is it because all but three copies of the book were burnt? Or the fact that its author's dying words proclaimed his unrelenting belief as green wood burns him to death? Is it because the author was one of history's unsung geniuses who discovered the pulmonary circulation long before society knew of it, but the fact is written only in the heretical book? Perhaps, but not all.

It takes a husband & wife team of bibliophiles who have wit, a love of the age, an insight into human nature, an understanding of the conflict of the strong egos of the dedicated, and a panoramic view of history.

OUT OF THE FLAMES traces the biblical scholarship of Christianismi Restitution from its inception in 1533 through Renaissance Europe, through Leibniz, Voltaire, Jefferson, and William Osler by starting with the invention the printing press.

It is a series of stories of the foibles of each person, from Gutenberg as a poor businessman, Calvin who has control issues, and the idealism & stupidity of Christianismi Restitution's author, Servetus, who is caught by ..... but that would be giving away one of the best parts.

But most of all it is a story about how ideas are infectious.



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Summary: Very interesting!
Review: I bought this book because I am interested in the early history of book publishing. I had never heard of Michael Servetus and found his story fascinating. What a brilliant man. And what an unlucky man!! How could anyone be so smart and so stupid at the same time? He managed to figure out how blood circulates before anyone else, and then buries this info in a treatise against the belief in the trinity! Most of his books were destroyed (along with him), but a few managed to survive. The story of that survival is also fascinating. The biggest question I had, and it is one that no one can answer, is why when Servetus managed to get away from the inquisition did he run to Geneva, where his bitter enemy Calvin was waiting to burn him?? Just about the only thing the Catholic church and Calvin agreed on was that Servetus should die. This book is, thus, also about a time with attitudes that are incomprehensible to most of us....a time when people wanted to murder others for not believing the same. No one seemed to honor freedom of conscience! So, this book was very interesting, told me about someone I had not heard of, and described a very tense time in the history of western religion. I highly recommend it.

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Summary: Brings Servetus into the light-Thank you Goldstones!
Review: 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.

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Summary: An excellent book for school and church libraries
Review: 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.)

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Summary: I have been looking for this book for seven years.
Review: I have been reading books on history, philosophy, religion and spirituality for years. For every book I have read, I have selected three references I have wanted to know more about. I identified the name of Michael Servetus seven years ago out of my grandfather's book collection. It was a Mormon history of the restoration called "The Hand of Providence as shown in the History of Nations and Individuals" by J. H. Ward, published in the late 1883 by the Juvenile Instructor's Office. Later, I learned about the life of Michael Servetus from Dr. Laurence Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History Ancient and Modern (printed by the Church of England). Each time I have come to the name of Michael Servetus I have felt like I have been struck by lightning. He is a stellar star over the middle ages. You can imagine my joy to find a reference to this book last year. It is well written and does the story justice. However, I do think that it treats lightly the truths that Michael Servetus knew. The book is more about him then it is about what he believed, in that area it could be improved on. It is about the rarest book on earth, but says very little about what it has to say. I would hope that this book is very soon, recovered, translated into English and published. That is my wish, to see "Christianity Restored" published. Many today believe that truth is relative and that someone like this amazing individual is interesting only because of what "the protestant religion" has done to him. Well, that is not the point is it? He died for something that he Knew to be True. Well I am still hungry after reading this book. I know more of his story, but I am more interested then I was ever before to see what he wrote. Here this book falls short (but it is still worth the five stars).

After reading this book I have sought out and bought an old 1724 edition of "An Impartial History of Michael Servetus Burnt Alive at Geneva for Heresie published in London." I was told it was the same version photocopied for this book. This book has helped me answer many questions about my own faith. While I still struggle with the faith my Mormon pioneer forefathers handed down to me, this book has helped me understand that there was a valid historical basis for many of their beliefs that is superior to that of the protestants, and similar to primitive Quakers.

Calvin's doctrines have become (in part) the doctrines of today's protestant Christianity. I have been attending various Christian churches for the past eight years but have not been satisfied with them. The doctrine of the trinity is an error, and Michael Servetus was able to prove it. He was not only a great physician and discover of blood circulation, but a greater theologian than Calvin. I believe that Calvin was appointed by the Lord God to give aid to Servetus. But for Calvin's pride the historic breaches in the Protestant reformation between Ante-Baptists, Socians, and Protestants may have been resolved. Unfortunately, Calvin and Ferrel played the part of a Pharisees while Servetus played the man.

I have found through a deep study of the best of the best in history that Mormon history was hurt by the character flaws of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. However, to me, they are nothing compared to the crushing blow given by John Calvin to the truth in this instance. It leads me to the conclusion that Protestant history and theology is as deeply flawed (or more so) than Mormon theology. I pray that we will all learn from this story, and come to the unity of the faith and recover the breach caused by this instance within the overall Church of Christ. It is my solemn opinion the theological and experiential issues raised by Servetus have been replaying themselves out in the history of William Penn and the Quakers, in the Mormon faith, and will continue to be until acknowledged by all parties (as well as previously by the Socians in Poland, and Ante Baptists in Germany and Switzerland). I find it also to be a matter of personal interest to me that the dying testimony given by Servetus resolves one of my main questions about the contradictions of Mormonism and am fairly consistent with Joseph Smith's final testimony about the nature of God, and reconciles well with the Gnostics, and Muslim points of view. There is a basis for reconciliation, if we are willing to look at it through the eyes of this, the greatest Christian Reformer who is not Luther, and not Calvin, but Servetus.

"...But to make three Gods by nature equal, is the master-piece of blasphemy, and a cursed impiety. We must ascribe all things to one, viz. to him, who is the author of all things, and who for his own pleasure created them; for he only by nature is of himself God; all the rest are not Gods of themselves, they receive and acknowledge their measure of the Godhead from the one God the Father: From God they are called Gods; For the supreme and sovereign God is able to sanctify the creatures, and fill them with the divinity..."

(P. 202, Servetus, An Impartial History of Michael Servetus Butnt Alive at Geneva for Heresie, final testimony).

If anyone has an actual translated copy of "Christianity Restored" I would love to purchase it. [e-mail].


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Summary: Religious cruelty
Review: I've read numerous accounts of religious cruelty, but it never fails to amaze me how religious zealots will stop at nothing to force their beliefs on others. But what is more amazing is how they will even kill each other over trivialty of doctrine. The extra history concerning the printing press and the evolution of books was a bonus. Now with the internet and the information age at hand it will be more difficult for the church to control the minds and bodies of intelligent people.