History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion #1)

Average customer rating:

Not for the faint-hearted
Breath taking
greatest book ever!
Great Book
A Voice in The Wind

A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion #1)
Francine Rivers
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0842377506

Book Description

This classic series has inspired over half a million readers. Both loyal fans and new readers will want the 10th anniversary editions of this beloved series. These editions include a new foreword from the publisher, a new preface from Francine Rivers, and discussion questions suitable for personal and group use.

#1 A Voice in the Wind: Torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, a young slave girl clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of decadent Rome.

Download Description

Torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, a young slave girl clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of decadent Rome.

Customer Reviews:

Not for the faint-hearted.......2007-08-22

It was difficult for me to come up with a rating for this book. It was well-written with a captivating story. The ending left me wanting to know more about the characters and I will probably read the next book in the series just to find out what happens. I am also a fan of Francine Rivers and have loved a number of her other books.

The problem I had with the book was the graphic portrayal of the Roman empire during the time of the story. The author was very open about the society of the times and that meant that there was a lot of violence and sexual innuendo throughout the story. As I generally tend to like authors who do not sugar-coat their stories I was puzzled as to why this bothered me.

I do tend to be very squeamish when it comes to gory violence. The fights of the Roman Empire were quite violent and were vividly portrayed that way. The sexual content also bothered me. There weren't any details but the author gave enough information to leave little to the imagination. This is probably came from the fact that she wrote Romance novels before switching to Christian Fiction. I personally thought it was a little over done.

My favorite character in the book was Julia; the spoiled rich girl who reminded me of Lady Macbeth from Shakespeare. It was her story that kept me reading as I wanted to know more about what was going to happen to her and I wanted to see what other choices she might make. It was the flaws in her character that made her the most interesting to read about.

I tend to read books in the Christian genre when I'm looking for a good story without an overabundance of scenes I would prefer not to read. If this is not why you would pick up this book then it may be the right one for you. I would not recommend this book for young teens or anyone who wants to avoid reading material that has a lot of violence and sex as it is impossible to avoid in this book. When I make my choice in ratings I base it on whether or not I would own or would re-read the book. In this case I would not do either but I can easily see why someone else would answer yes to both of those questions.

In summary, if you are not bothered by violent fight scenes and/or sexual innuendo then you may very well enjoy this book. It was definitely an interesting read and it gave me a greater insight into the Roman Empire. For me, it proved a little too strong for my tastes.

Breath taking.......2007-05-30

From the moment I began reading this novel it simply took my breath away. I just could not stop, and when I had to put it down, I was counting the minutes or hours that I had until I could begin. I highly recommend this book.

greatest book ever!.......2007-05-20

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!! i just got finished reading the series for the third time and honestly, outside of the Bible, this book has done more to encourage my walk with the Lord than any non-fiction book...its wonderful! francine rivers has been blessed with words to make stories come alive. loved it! you should buy it and read it!!!

Great Book.......2007-01-12

Excellent Historical Fiction. Great series. This book and its sequel are wonderful. A great witness to those who would read romance novels. An engaging testimony without being to preachy or schmaltzy.

A Voice in The Wind.......2007-01-11

I ordered this book for my 16 year old daughter who had to read it for school. She enjoyed it so much that she wants me to read it as well...it is next on my list!

An Echo in the Darkness (Mark of the Lion #2)

Average customer rating:

It will blow you away.
Inspiration for Forever Changed
An Echo in the Darkness
Exquisite
As Good as the First!

An Echo in the Darkness (Mark of the Lion #2)
Francine Rivers
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Romance | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0842313079

Book Description

#2 An Echo in the Darkness: Turning away from the opulence of Rome, Marcus is led by a whispering voice from the past into a journey that could set him free from the darkness of his soul.

Download Description

Turning away from the opulence of Rome, Marcus is led by a whispering voice from the past into a journey that could set him free from the darkness of his soul.

Customer Reviews:

It will blow you away........2007-07-01

If you're like me, you couldn't put down the first book (A Voice in the Wind)... you will be less able to stop reading this one. Good fiction holds your interest and passes the time. Great fiction grabs you and refuses to let go...all the while inspiring you to greater thoughts and actions in your own life. You will LOVE following Marcus and Hadassah through their journeys in this book. If you haven't purchased the whole series yet, start clicking away!

Inspiration for Forever Changed.......2006-10-22

Reading Francine Rivers was an immediate encouragement to contine writing my historical novel Forever Changed, a Journey in Jericho. Her attention to detail is outstanding. Her characters are fully fleshed out. I learned much from her novels about ancient times and the thrill of the read.

An Echo in the Darkness.......2006-08-28

In Francine Rivers second book of the Mark of the Lion Series she leads you on a journey with Marcus through Jerusalem as he searches for God. Julia, Marcus' sister, also goes through a personal journey of her own as she sows what she reapt in the first book. It gives the reader a historic look at the Roman Empire without overloading you on facts. This book was a fabulous book ending the story of Julia, Marcus, & Hadassah.

Exquisite.......2006-07-13

Rivers produced another book replete with interesting characters, a compelling plot, and rich, vivid imagery. This is a story of love between people and the Lord who loves them, but that sentence does very little to describe the story. Highly recommended.

As Good as the First!.......2006-06-09

It is a rare find when a sequel is as good as the original, but Francine Rivers has succeeded admirably with her second installment of this trilogy in AN ECHO IN THE DARK. After reading the first one, I knew I had to read on, but never expected this book to be as good. I don't read a lot of fiction, but have a strong feeling there will be many books by this superb writer in my future.

God gives us each unique gifts in life, and he gave Francine Rivers the blessed gift of writing. She has recognized her gift and deftly uses it to glorify Christ by witnessing through her stories. I do not believe it is possible to read either of these first books of this trilogy without them strengthening ones faith, or perhaps even altering your life altogether. That's how profound these books truly are.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but readers here will most likely have already the first installment, so I will say that Rivers will make your heart ache for Hadassah's identity to be revealed, only to keep your incessantly turning page after page, mired in anguish and crying out for her precious soul to be rewarded. Throughout this book, as in the first, your emotions will run high as you smile, you cry, you rejoice in the glory of God as others accept His salvation.

I anxiously await the third and final installment in this trilogy, as well as exploring other works by this author. God has blessed Francine Rivers with a wonderful gift. I urge everyone to partake in that gift.

Pastor Monty Rainey

"Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern

Average customer rating:

"Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern
Paul Gauguin , Ezio Bassani , Christian Feest , Sidney Geist , Donald Gordon , Jean Laude , Gail Levin , Jean-Louis Paudrat , Philippe Peltier , Laura Rosenstock , Alan Wilkinson , Evan Maurer , Richard Oldenburg , Jack Flam , Rosalind Krauss , Constantin Brancusi , Jacques Lipchitz , Amadeo Modigliani , Henri Moore , Alberto Giacometti , and Kirk Varnedoe
Manufacturer: The Museum of Modern Art, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Prehistoric & Primitive | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0870705342
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Book Description

"In 1906 tribal sculpture was ""discovered"" by 20th century artists; these objects had suddenly become relevant because of changes in the nature of modern art itself. These two volumes comprise the first comprehensive scholarly treatment in half a century of the crucial influence of the tribal arts--particularly those of Africa and Oceania--on modern painters and sculptors. In this visually stunning and intellectually provocative work, 19 essays confront complex aesthetic, art-historical, and sociological problems posed by this dramatic chapter in the history of modern art. The main body of the book contains a series of essays on primitivism in the works of Gauguin, the Fauves, Picasso, Brancusi, the German Expressionists, Lipchitz, Modigliani, Klee, Giacometti, Moore, the Surrealists, and the Abstract Expressionists. It concludes with a discussion of primitivist contemporary artists, including those involved in earthworks, shamanism, and ritual-inspired performances."

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Modern Primitives: Interesting Historical Reference
My first view into modern primitives
The book that started my journey
THE Seminal Work -- Brilliant!

Modern Primitives (Re/Search)
V. Vale
Manufacturer: Re/Search Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0965046931

Book Description

Modern Primitives is the Bible of Body Modification, including tattoo, piercing, and scarification. An amazing 30-page interview with Fakir Musafar, as well as in-depth interviews with Ed Hardy, Lyle Tuttle, Leo Zulueta, Bill Salmon, Vyvyn Lazonga and other tattoo giants is featured. This book describes non-tribal people who felt and responded to strong "primitive" urges. A classic; this is the first book to chart out all the basic ways to creatively express one's individuality using the body as a canvas, especially emphasizing the need to find something rooted in one's own personal experiences and mythology. Inspiring and wide-ranging, Modern Primitives provides a vast anthropological context for implementing a truly unique body-decoration expression. An illuminating section of quotations rounds out this volume.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-05-14

The book is great. It should be required reading for any anthropology class.

Modern Primitives: Interesting Historical Reference.......2006-07-11

A brilliant introduction to the evolution of western piercing and tatoo culture and its inspiration. Very much of it's day: mid 1980s to early 1990s, but a very interesting read never the less.

My first view into modern primitives.......2006-04-22

This book is how most people I've run into became aquainted with the modern primitive and body modification culture. Re/Search has done an excellent job of putting this work together and suprisingly enough in the days of the internet providing instant access to most aspects of subculture, it has stood up to the test of time. This isn't a photobook, rather its an illustrated series of interviews and some critical essays regarding the modern primitive movement. If you're expecting hot chicks with pierced nipples, you'll be sorely dissapointed but if you're actually interested in seeing what drove people to engage in these body practices, you'll find it a favorite item in your library.

The book that started my journey.......2006-04-12

This is the book that really began my journey into an alternative lifestyle and body modification. I have bought many copies over the years to pass on to other people as a reference tool to answer questions about themselves and me.

THE Seminal Work -- Brilliant!.......2006-02-03

A Masterpiece. This is the book that launched the "Modern Primitive" revival at a time when tattoos, body piercing, and scarification were still deeply underground and "fringe." The book features in-depth and sympathetic interviews with leading lights in the field, from tattoo artists and piercers to historians and writers immersed in this world. "Modern Primitives" provides a window into a world of people who refuse to accept the often hypocritical rules of polite society, showing us people who have reclaimed their own bodies for sensual, aesthetic, or sacred purposes -- sometimes all three.

It's a deeply subversive work, all the more so for the love and respect it displays towards its subject. I first encountered the book about fifteen years ago and it totally transformed me; it literally changed my life. There's no better place to begin an exploration into the myriad ways people have decorated and otherwise used their own bodies.

Average customer rating:

Great novel in words of Johnny Cash
Great Novel
Forever changed
Blinded by the Light
Should have been a classic

Man in White
Johnny Cash
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Biblical | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 159554237X

Book Description

Johnny Cash. The Apostle Paul.

Passionate. Controversial. Fiery. Destructive. Redeemed.

Two legendary men. Two thousand years apart-yet remarkably similar.

Both struggled with a "thorn in the flesh." And both had powerful visions from God.

Paul's encounter with the Man in White knocked him to the ground and struck him blind. It also turned him into one of the most influential men in history.

Johnny Cash's vision was of another man entirely-his recently deceased father-a vision that helped spark his imagination to write this historical novel about the amazing life of the intriguing figure with whom Cash identified so deeply-the Apostle Paul.

See Paul as you've never seen him before--through the creative imagination of one of the greatest singer-songwriters America has ever known. Subsequently see Johnny Cash, the man in Black, as you've never seen him before--as a passionist novelist consumed with the Man In White.

Customer Reviews:

Great novel in words of Johnny Cash.......2007-01-11

I think Johnny Cash did a tremendous amount of research & thought to write this novel of the Apostle Paul. I was impressed how Cash put it into simple words, easily understood in the flow of the very interesting story line.

Great Novel.......2007-01-11

This helps put the greatest evangelist in a human perspective. I would highly recogmend it to any Christian or any Johnny Cash fan. Johnny Cash's autobiography "Man In Black" is also an incredible book. Bottom line, Johnny Cash was a wonderful author, not to mention an incredible musician.

Forever changed.......2006-10-23

I would not call myself a huge fan of Johnny Cash, but I'm certainly a huge fan of this book and its story. Making direct application of Biblical characters is the whole point of the Biblical characters in the first place. If we don't live vicariously through ancient personalities we don't learn a thing from them. Mr. Cash draws an uncanny parallel between himself and the converted Paul. He too had a blinding flash of the obvious. I am so impressed when a celebrity shares his/her faith in Christ unashamedly with no intent to criticize or for self-gain. The direct connection with scriptures teaches life changing experiences.

Blinded by the Light.......2006-06-04

Anyone familiar with the tenets of Christianity know the conversion story of the apostle Paul, a persecutor of Christians, who came to faith in Jesus. After his conversion he became one of the early church's biggest missionaries, converting hundreds upon thousands and building churches wherever he visited. His life story is astounding, and Johnny Cash has done a remarkable job in telling his story in "Man of White", a fictional account of the life of Paul.

"Man in White" paints an overwhelmingly realistic portrait of Saul of Tarsus, a zealous Jew who felt called to persecute his fellow Jews who had turned to faith in Jesus. His conversion and blinding on the road to Damascus changes his life; his encounter with the Man in White affirming that his mission in life is not one of persecution but of love. Cash's narrative is fast-paced, Biblically grounded and well-written. The reader is swept into the time and trials of the early Christians, the deadly persecutions they suffered and the fearlessness they had to have in order to give their lives over to Christ. Cash has created a backstory for the apostle Paul that fills in the gaps with clarity and intuition, a daring task for anyone, but one that Cash accomplishes with seeming ease.

For those familiar with Johnny Cash only through his music and his history of drug problems, it may seem strange that he chose to write a novel about the apostle Paul. Yet one could draw parallels between what Cash went through to overcome his demons and finally get his life on track, with what Paul went through as he tried to run away from the Lord. Cash is a fitting author for this novel because he knew all about running away from a calling; this novel ate away at him for years before he was able to finish it. He didn't think himself worthy to write about Paul, struggled with the conversion scene, until he too had a dream about a vision on a road. Johnny Cash was the "Man in Black" who wore that color for "those who never read / or listened to the words that Jesus said", and talks straight to those who would listen through the "Man in White".

Should have been a classic.......2005-03-14

As an avid reader, I find many books today are written and then published when they should be going through edits and re-writes. Characters are flat, mistakes in timelines, and no attention to flow, but the effort and commitment of Johnny Cash in this novel is obvious. It is extremely well written so that the reader becomes engaged and able to vividly see the story as it is read. The reason I think this book isn't a classic (yet) is that it is so long out of print.

Average customer rating:

The Titus Diary reviewed
Paul's Third Missionary Journey Leaps to Life
Read on as Paul goes on...
After you read this book, the writings of Paul become richer

The Titus Diary (First Century Diaries)
Gene Edwards
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Biblical | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0842371621

Book Description

In this fictionalized account of the apostle Paul's second missionary journey, told through the eyes of Titus, readers accompany Paul as he travels throughout Asia Minor and Greece, and they listen in as he writes his letters to the Thessalonians. Churches are started, disagreements are settled, persecution is endured--and the life-changing gospel moves forward.

Customer Reviews:

The Titus Diary reviewed.......2005-10-24

This is an excellent read and undoubtedly brings the book of Acts to life in a whole new light. Gene Edwards is a great storyteller and has a technique to his writing that portrays his Biblical characters down-to-earth and authentic to the reader.

Sometimes we like to put Biblical characters on a pedestal. This book offers a human side to the Apostle Paul, Silas, Luke and Timothy, which is very refreshing. One realizes that when it comes down to it we are all the same - spiritual beings incased in a temporary earthly body. The Titus Diary has a way of compelling the reader to look inward to the issues of the inner man. Taking the Christian to a deeper level of faith and leading to a journey of the spirit.

After reading The Titus Diary, the travels of the disciples in the New Testament will have a new reality when read. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is on a spiritual journey to know God more.

Paul's Third Missionary Journey Leaps to Life.......2003-03-04

The Bible presents a general outline with details of some major
events. Gene Edwards fills in the gaps of Paul's Second Missionary Journey in his book, The Titus Diary. Gene broadens
the Biblical account by using realistic, natural explanations which are fictional but in no way do harm to the Biblical records.

His amplifications create a human element to the Biblical account. He paints vivid pictures of Paul's struggles and of
the life of the early churh. You begin to feel what Paul felt
as he faced the rejection of the Jewish leaders and the pagan
culture of the Greek and Romans. At the same time, you will
experience the joys of new believers in Christ as they meet in
their homes--their new found faith, the joy of sharing and
encouraging one anoher in a natural and spontaneous manner.

Gene develops not only the character of Paul but also of
numerous others including Silas, Luke and Timothy. He also
creates numerous other fictional characers, one of which is

Blastinius, a man determined to undo everything that Paul sets
out to accomplish.

In short, Gene makes the book of Acts leap to life right before
your eyes. I recommend that you read all of his books on the
Book of Acts, The Revoltion, The Silas Diary, The Titus Diary, The Timothy Diary, The Priscilla Dairy and The Gaius Diary.
By doing so you will have covered the entire Book of Acts and
will have a completely new appreciation of not only this book
but of the letters of Paul recorded in the New Testament.

Read on as Paul goes on..........2002-12-19

If you read the first one, the Silas diary, you don't even need to read a review to want to read the second one. But if you're still unsure, you have nothing to fear! Once again, the new testament comes to life through Paul's journey. The action, the passion, the love these first missionarie had for the world are fictionalized in these diaries and presented in such an awesome first hand view, you have to sit back in awe. I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 star only because the first book made me cry. This one didn't, although it was still moving.

After you read this book, the writings of Paul become richer.......1999-09-01

Gene Edwards can make you see the works of Acts and the New Testament in a fresher light. You seem to understand what happened to make Paul address certain issues. It also ushered a much awaited healing for me. No matter what we walk through, or the lies spoken against the church today, Paul and the strength he walked in from Christ shines through for us today. It said to me, "Hey! If he can forgive those people, then I can forgive too!" It is really a must read for every believer!

Caliban and the Witch: Women, The Body, and Primitive Accumulation

Average customer rating:

Magnificent study of women and original accumulation
Witch Hunts R Us

Caliban and the Witch: Women, The Body, and Primitive Accumulation
Silvia Federici
Manufacturer: Autonomedia
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Women in History | World | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1570270597

Book Description

Caliban and the Witch is a history of the body in the transition to capitalism. Moving from the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages to the witch hunts and the rise of mechanical philosophy, Federici investigates the capitalist rationalization of social reproduction. She shows how the struggle against the rebel body and the conflict between body and mind are essential conditions for the development of labor power and self-ownership, two central principles of modern social organization.

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent study of women and original accumulation.......2007-04-25

Silvia Federici's book "Caliban and the Witch" demonstrates the absolute necessity of women's studies for a thorough and scientific understanding of history. Focusing on the role of women and the body in the process by Marx and Adam Smith described as "original accumulation", i.e. the violent expropriation of the feudal commons in the movement towards a capitalist society, Federici demonstrates that a true war against women was an important part of the ruling class' strategy.

The book assesses various aspects of this development, including witchcraft and the witch-hunts, the "Christianization" (or rather Catholization) of the North and South American native civilizations, the role of philosophical mechanism and the developers of the scientific method (Bacon, Descartes, Newton, Hobbes, etc.), and the early slave trade. In each case Federici masterfully shows how this development came to be, what role it played in the process of 'original accumulation', and why it was favored temporarily by the ruling class. She also gives very strong evidence that things like fear of witchcraft, patriarchy, racism etc., often seen as the inevitable and 'natural' results of ignorance and superstition in those societies, were in reality forced onto the common people as part of a top-down campaign to destroy the backbone of the feudal communities.

What is an additional interesting contribution of this book is Federici's evidence that there was not only widespread peasant resistance against the process of enclosure, capitalization and expropriation, but more particularly that women often played a very major role in these resistance movements, especially after the German Peasant War ended in a massacre. Many of the women who would later be burned and persecuted as witches were likely survivors of these resistance movements and therefore both had strong connections with local farming communities and resentment against authority, a dangerous combination for the ruling classes. To me it was also remarkable new information to learn about how common female wage-labor in the cities was in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, as well as the degree of acceptance of sexuality and magic. Of course we should not in any way try to paint too rosy a picture of the late feudal era, which everyone knows had enough terror and tyranny of its own, but Federici shows that even then there was a strong current of people resisting both (proto-)capitalism and its predecessor.

In her historical panorama, Federici adresses many other writers on women and the body and their subjugation, in particular the feminists, Marx, Foucault and such people as Le Roy Ladurie and Carlo Ginzburg. In my view Federici overstates her case against Marx a bit; she is correct that the role of the subjugation of women in particular was not much addressed by him, but it certainly was by Engels, and I also think that the insights she shows in this work would have been able to count on Marx' full assent. She also seems to miss the fact that "primitive accumulation" is a mistranslation of Marx' term, so that accusations of Marx missing the fact that such expropriatory violence takes place as part of capitalism even today miss the mark.
Stronger is her case against Foucault, where she can show that Foucault not only completely ignores the importance of the witch-hunts and the Plague as turning points for feudal and post-feudal society, but that he also locates his famous instrumentalist subjugation of the body far too late in history (Foucault places it at the late 18th century, Federici rather in the 16th). In any case the scope of her knowledge of writers on these subjects is great, and the way in which she gives a context to the ideas of Descartes and other mechanists on "L'Homme Machine" (the term is 18th C.) is striking.

Overall, this is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in history, original accumulation and women's studies.

Witch Hunts R Us.......2004-12-01

Published the same month, April 2004, that Fallujah first turned back the American onslaught and that the photographs of American tortures in Abu Ghraib prison were displayed to the world, Silvia Federici's book, Caliban and the Witch, although describing a time and place remote from the lawless atrocities in Mesopotamia, being as it is a study of the witch-hunt, of medieval heretical movements, and of European mechanical and materialist philosophy from the 'Age of Reason,' nevertheless, it is essential for understanding either. At the same time, the paradox of the hideous pun of the Structural Adjustment Program and the Special Access Program as the SAP, or the grotesque contradiction found between chapter 39 of Magna Carta and order 39 of the Iraq occupation are explicated.

Nothing can so clearly help us understand the torture and the project of neo-liberalism as this, for Federici describes a foundational process creating the structural conditions for the existence of capitalism. This is the fundamental relationship of capitalist accumulation, or (as it is called in decades of technical literature) 'primitive accumulation.' This mystery perplexed (however coyly) Adam Smith. It was the 'original sin' of the political economists, and for Karl Marx it was written in "letters of blood and fire."

The birth of the proletariat required war against women. This was the witch-hunt when tens of thousands of women in Europe were tortured and burnt at the stake, in massive state-sponsored terror against the European peasantry destroying communal relations and communal property. It was coeval with the enclosures of the land, the destruction of popular culture, the genocide in the New World, and the start of the African slave trade. The 16th century price inflation, the 17th century crisis, the centralized state, the transition to capitalism, the Age of Reason come to life, if the blood-curdling cries at the stake, the crackling of kindling as the faggots suddenly catch fire, the clanging of iron shackles of the imprisoned vagabonds, or the spine-shivering abstractions of the mechanical philosophies can indeed be called "life."

Federici explains why the age of plunder required the patriarchy of the wage. Gender became not only a biological condition or cultural reality but a determining specification of class relations. The devaluation of reproductive labor inevitably devalues its product, labor power. The burning of the witches and the vivisection of the body enforced a new sexual pact, the conjuratio of unpaid labor. It was essential to capitalist work-discipline. This is what Marx called the alienation of the body, what Max Weber called the reform of the body, what Norman O. Brown called the repression of the body, and what Foucault calls the discipline of the body. Yet, these social theorists of deep modernization overlooked the witch-hunt!

The historic demonization of women is on the face of page after page in profuse and magnificent illustration. The book contains many and beautiful illustrations, such as Vegetable Man, the Land of Cockaigne, the Fountain of Youth, and the Witch's Herbary. It contains powerful images, many are woodcuts (one of the first uses of the printing press). One shows witches conjuring a rain shower, others show a 15th century brothel, Dürer's depiction of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the common land, Jacques Callot's Horrors of War, Dürer's woman's bath-house, The Parliament of Women, and the Anabaptist's communistic sharing of goods.

If one image from Abu Ghraib gave us a crucifixion, another as surely gave us a pyramid: these fundamental forms of graphic design, known to every art student. Hans Grien's Witches Sabbath (1510) or the title page of Andreas Vasalius' De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543). All its magic has gone: the human body has become a factory, or a mechanism of circulating blood, connecting tissues, little cells, obedient to commands of science. The mechanical body is depicted: to crown all, the hideous gathering in a Corinthian-style rotunda of the Renaissance mob of bourgeois at the anatomical theater where a pregnant woman's corpse lies naked in the middle, on a table, her womb gashed open as the assembly leers, gazes, peers, points, spies, shoves, elbows each other, scrutinizes, assesses.

Product of intense debates within the international women's movement, with a perspective on European history made possible by three years' residence in the mid-80s in Nigeria where a campaign of miscogyny accompanied the attack on communal lands under the direction of the 'structural adjustment plan' enabled her to understand the adjusting structures of European capitalism at its violent beginnings. Drawing on the non-conformity of British social history, on the lucid periodization of French scholarship, on Mediterranean openness to Asia and Africa, on the cultural endurance of indigenous people of the Americas, on the power of the women of west Africa, her scope is authentic and broad, from the Saracens in the east to the Incas in the west, with Europe in the north and the Caribbean in the south. Its zones of interest are west Africa, England, France, Germany, Mediterranean, Yucatan, Oaxaca, eastern Europe, and the Caribbean. The global perspective is one of a multiplicity of locales: not an envisioned totality but a manifold of villages, neighborhoods, common lands.

Average customer rating:

Outsider Art
Jean-Louis Ferrier
Manufacturer: Terrail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Prehistoric & Primitive | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Folk Art | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 2879391504

Average customer rating:

A Compilation Beyond the Ordinary

Raw Creation: Outsider Art & Beyond
John Maizels
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Contemporary Art | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Folk Art | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0714840092

Amazon.com

Primitive, folk, naive, self-taught, outsider--branding art made outside of the conventional art world has become a tender task. What defines it? Who are its creators? No matter what you call it, there's no denying the visceral appeal of raw creativity unbound by rules, class, or education. Long-overdue attention is finally being awarded to self-taught artists--so often marginalized by race, economics, and social structure--allowing them to carve a solid place for themselves and their work in the world of high art. Maizel's book examines the history, study, and appreciation of this century's self-taught art, from the maniacal drawings of asylum inmates to found-object sculptures made by street people to homes surrounded by monoliths or covered in mosaic. The book bills itself as an introduction to the topic, but it is in fact quite a comprehensive study. It is divided into three sections: part one explores early studies of the work of the insane, Dubuffet and Art Brut; part two chronicles folk art and self-taught artists around the world; and part three delves into the world of visionary environments. The contemporary busyness of the design-small type, footnotes printed perpendicular to text, and seemingly random increases in font size can be frustrating, but plow through--the content is informative and inspirational.

Customer Reviews:

A Compilation Beyond the Ordinary.......2000-11-24

Maizel has collected more than just the art of the emotionally disturbed and has illustrated, implicitly, the links between modernism and primitivism, folk art and creative genius. Both disturbing and provocative, his selections force one to confront and view these creations with a fresh perspective. Of particular interest is his writing on French artist Jean Dubuffet, who was among the first to recognize such works as real art with something worth exploring and accepting, on par with "formal" art. This book though is not overly intellectual and is primarily a collection of illustrations and prints, sometimes light on the text. I like the way the footnotes are treated on each page and would suspect that these footnotes could serve as a source for further explorations.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books