Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction

Book Description

The Hermetica are a body of mystical texts written in late antiquity, but believed during the Renaissance (when they became well known) to be much older. Their supposed author, a mythical figure named Hermes Trismegistus, was thought to be a contemporary of Moses. The Hermetic philosophy was regarded as an ancient theology, parallel to the revealed wisdom of the Bible, supporting Biblical revelation and culminating in the Platonic philosophical tradition. This new translation is the only English version based on reliable texts, and Professor Copenhaver's introduction and notes make this accessible and up-to-date edition an indispensable resource to scholars.

Customer Reviews:

Very good, could have been better..........2007-09-26

Copenhaver's new edition and translation of the Greek corpus hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius provide the interested reader with an immensely readable and professionally done English translation, as well as a solid introduction and copious notes.

Copenhaver intends to replace Scott's classic edition and translation, and claims to improve upon what he sees as the rather idiosyncratic Greek and Latin texts which Scott put together and from which he translates. But the extent to which he succeeds is difficult to judge--read on.

The one, major drawback of this volume is that while Copenhaver offers extensive endnotes which fill in--to some extent--for a full critical apparatus, he does not give us the Greek and Latin texts. Without these, it is difficult for a professional scholar or an informed general reader to evaluate Copenhaver's work for him/herself.

In fairness to Copenhaver, it was never his intent to produce a work that could be used in the way I describe. In one sense, then, he succeeds magnificently at what he set out to do. But the addition of facing page texts in the original languages (provided in Scott's classic edition) would have made this book much, much better--and much more useful to a wider audience. Although the size of such an audience is not exactly vast, it may well be greater than Copenhaver imagined.

In short, it's an excellent text for anyone interested in the Hermetica who does not read Greek or Latin. It is a very good text for students and scholars who will find much in Copenhaver's insightful editing, translation, and commentary, but may feel disappointment over the missing original texts and will only be able to use it within its obvious limitations. If he ever puts out a fuller edition with the Greek and Latin, I'll be first in line to buy it.

A Western Spiritual Classic.......2007-09-08

Modern "occult" and "channeled" works pale before the spiritual sublimity of this all-time Greco-Egyptian classic. In my opinion the Corpus Hermeticum is one of the most galvanizing expressions of spirituality to emerge from the Western tradition (along with Plotinus' Enneads). This is a superb translation of an amazing ancient text.

Excellent scholarly collection of the Hermetic Corpus.......2006-11-18

The Hermetica is a corpus of mystical-theological-philosophical literature on diverse themes which was originally believed to have been supernatural wisdom passed down to man by the mysterious Egyptian deity Thoth. It was initially thought these works pre-dated the Bible and also the works of Plato and Aristotle, though it is now accepted they were written in about the 3rd century CE.

The Hermetica contain thirteen diverse discourses between divine figures or teachers and various initiates. They cover several themes, including God and his relationship to humans, the relationship between the world and the divine, practices of mystery religions, the nature of true reality, mystical Gnosis and ethics. At times the literature can rise to beautiful heights, but at many others it is deeply incoherent and overall, the Corpus is not self-consistent and often contains contradictory notions about the world and the divine.

Nevertheless it is an important document from the ancient world and worth studying by anyone interested in this time.

better than Scott's.......2005-07-02

Although I enjoy the poetic spirit of Walter Scott's translation, this is undeniably a superior translation and is important for reasons aptly mentioned by other reviewers. I think this is the definitive translation. Superb.

Worth a lifetime of study.......2004-01-20

This is a fantastic translation of the Pymander or Corpus Hermeticum and Asclepius. Since it's the only one I've read, I don't know how to compare it to others. This text was apparently rediscovered by the court of Cosimo di Medici in the 1400's, probably obtained from some source in Harran. Texts such as this were at the forefront of the syncretic mysticism and platonic/classical revival of the Italian Renaissance. This text might be something like a pagan hellenistic answer to scriptures or very obscure mystical and gnostic texts which describe very esoteric ideas that can only be understood through some kind of experience. On many levels it is very compatible with Christianity, Judaism or Islam because it may represent a kind of philosophical precursor of these religions from late antiquity. Even many of the early patriarchs of the orthodox christian tradition understood this compatibility and considered this text to represent a kind of sanctified pagan tradition or philosophy of sorts, which they actually used as proof of the validity of christianity. They did this by arguing that since pagans could come up with ideas so close to christianity, that this supported a belief in the new faith. For this reason, on the level of mundane theological and philosophical history, this text is very important for an understanding of how early christians and other monotheists viewed their relationship to paganism in a world that was still very pagan. The notes in this book are also extremely helpful and worthwhile.

Do Not Leave Your Language Alone: The Hidden Status Agendas Within Corpus Planning in Language Policy

Average customer rating:

Do Not Leave Your Language Alone: The Hidden Status Agendas Within Corpus Planning in Language Policy
Joshua A. Fishman
Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0805850244

Product Description

This book, focused on corpus planning in language policy, provides a broad, integrative framework and also discusses multiple languages in detail. It provides readers with great familiarity with a wide range of language cases and at the same time gives them the theoretical tools and analysis to see how they inter-relate. The novelty of this volume is twofold: First, it deals with corpus planning alone (modernizing a language per se), and second, it does so in terms of a systematization of the often unconscious language status aspirations that both guide language planners themselves and motivate the lay public (the target population of all language planning). Corpus planning is going on all over the world today and inevitably becomes an expression of the societal goals, ideologies, and aspirations of the societies and cultures that support it. The implication is that the distinction between corpus and status planning, which has a long tradition in language planning research, must be critically re-examined. DO NOT Leave Your Language Alone: The Hidden Status Agendas Within Corpus Planning in Language Policy begins with a brief introduction to language planning as a whole, to corpus planning in particular, and to the unavoidability of a status component in the execution of all corpus planning past, present, and future. Topics of the central chapters include: corpus planning and status planning: separates, opposites, or Siamese twins?; the directions and dimensions of corpus planning; does "folksiness" come before or after "cleanliness"?; the bi-polar dimension of uniqueness vs. Westernization; the classicization vs. "panification" bi-polar dimension; the Ausbau vs. Einbau bi-polar dimension; the interdependence and independence of dimensional clusters; and can opposites and incommensurables be combined? Written at an introductory level assuming no prior knowledge of the field, this book is intended as a text for higher undergraduate and lower graduate level courses in language planning and policy. It is equally valuable for researchers in the field of language planning, policy, and politics, as well as those in sociolinguistics, political science, and communication studies more generallythat is, for all who are interested in fostering or limiting human intervention in the language change processes that are ongoing worldwide. Finally, an introduction to corpus planning that is full of historical vignettes, good humor, visual illustrations, and cutting-edge thought!

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOC)

Average customer rating:

Good content - bad handling of the software and cd-rom
A small glitch. (One of the best dictionaries ever!)
Must-have for any non-native English speaker
Perfect for English learners, Couldn't be better !!
my dictionary

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOC)
Longman Corpus Network , and British National Corpus
Manufacturer: Pearson P T R
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Dictionaries | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Oxford ESL Dictionary

ASIN: 0582288622

Customer Reviews:

Good content - bad handling of the software and cd-rom.......2004-05-22

Because of my eyes I bought the book with the CD-ROM. The explanations are well done and really helpful (they earn a 5). The size of the text is good for my eyes too. But the handling of the program is a nuisance.

If you reduce the size of the window the size of the frames and letters remains unchanged and you end up hiding parts of the content. If you want to use all the features you need a full sized window.

There is virtually no thesaurus or I am not able to use it.

Last but not least: when I had completely installed the program I put the book and the CD-ROM in a cupboard far away to leave my desk tidy, believing it was for ever. Unfortunately at Longman's they want to control you and they force you to insert the disk into the cd-rom player from time to time. As it happened to me, when you mostly need an explanation you may have to frantically search in your cupboards for the cd-rom.
5 for the explanations, 2 for the handling: 3 stars for the CD-ROM.

A small glitch. (One of the best dictionaries ever!).......2004-01-26

I like the book very much. I love it. I keep it in a saft place, I always put it away after studying. NOTE:
I've found a bug on page 1637, look at the entry "widow", (NOT window).
the entry has "-see aslo GRASS WIDOW" cross-reference, but I can't find the entry "grass widow", the nearest entry found is "grassy". I'm not complaining. The dictionary is very useful, very handy. I'm a foreign student studying Computer Science in US. Excuse my English.

Must-have for any non-native English speaker.......2003-05-22

I've been using this excellent dictionary since the last 8 years. Actually, I can undoubtedly say that this is the BEST dictionary I have ever used for learning English! It's very simple and user-friendly.
Features include:

- Clarifications of the use of a word in a spoken compared to written English.
- Graphs to show the difference in frequency of the use between words in speech and writing, between synonyms etc.
- Highlights thousands of phrases and collocations in the nearest possible way.
- Color and black-and-white illustrations from the parts of a car to the sounds !
- Over 80,000 words and phrases with easy-to-understand definitions.
- Pronunciation key with the proper stress in the word syllabus.
- Signposts in longer entries to help you find the meaning that you need.
- References to other words and phrases, and to pictures and usage notes.
- Words that are often used together are shown in dark type, and followed by an example or an explanation e.g. under the word (argument) you will find (have an argument) (get into an argument) (win / lose an argument) etc.
- Grammatical information is shown in brackets, or in dark type before an example.
- Shows the difference between British and American English including: the pronunciation & spelling differences, words & meaning, differences in grammar, and differences in phrases & collocations.
- Appendix contains Tables (Numbers, Weights & measures, Military Ranks, Word formation, The verb "be", Irregular verbs, Geographical names,
- 3rd Edition comes in 1668 pages, published in 1997.

This is a full discipline for teaching English, not just an ordinary dictionary ! It's essential for your desk, especially if your mother tongue is not English.

Perfect for English learners, Couldn't be better !!.......2002-11-25

This is perfect dictionary if you wanna learn english of all kinds: formal, informal, slang, literary. etc. It only uses the most common words to define a word. It defines a word in American/British/Australian/Canadian/NewZealander/Pakistani/ Indian meanings. This was the first English to English dictionary i ever used, i was scared at first, but i was tired of unsatisfactory results in English to my native language. This dictionary proved to be amazing, its easy as 1-2-3. The usage notes, wonderful pictures, other illustrations to define words are extremely helpful useful. There's simply no other dictionary like this. I recently moved to USA from Pakistan. Looking at how i speak and write/read english ,nobody can believe believe that i just moved here. Some people assume i'm born american. I even learned that word 'assume' with help of this dictionary that is more helpful than the dictionaries translated in my couple of native languages. By the way, after moving to USA, i soon bought Longman dictionay of american english with CD-ROM. :-)

my dictionary.......2002-03-26

My nephew just immigrated from China and asked me to get a dictionary for him. I told him that I would get the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.

I bought the dictionary when I was a student in London about ten years ago. I tried a number of dictionaries before I was introduced this one. My landlady used to show my dictionary to other foreign students as I used too often to keep in a good shape.

Book Description

If Abraham Lincoln was known as the Great Emancipator, he was also the only president to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. Indeed, Lincoln's record on the Constitution and individual rights has fueled a century of debate, from charges that Democrats were singled out for harrassment to Gore Vidal's depiction of Lincoln as an "absolute dictator." Now, in the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Fate of Liberty, one of America's leading authorities on Lincoln wades straight into this controversy, showing just who was jailed and why, even as he explores the whole range of Lincoln's constitutional policies. Mark Neely depicts Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus as a well-intentioned attempt to deal with a floodtide of unforeseen events: the threat to Washington as Maryland flirted with secession, disintegrating public order in the border states, corruption among military contractors, the occupation of hostile Confederate territory, contraband trade with the South, and the outcry against the first draft in U.S. history. Drawing on letters from prisoners, records of military courts and federal prisons, memoirs, and federal archives, he paints a vivid picture of how Lincoln responded to these problems, how his policies were actually executed, and the virulent political debates that followed. Lincoln emerges from this account with this legendary statesmanship intact--mindful of political realities and prone to temper the sentences of military courts, concerned not with persecuting his opponents but with prosecuting the war efficiently. In addition, Neely explores the abuses of power under the regime of martial law: the routine torture of suspected deserters, widespread antisemitism among Union generals and officials, the common practice of seizing civilian hostages. He finds that though the system of military justice was flawed, it suffered less from merciless zeal, or political partisanship, than from inefficiency and the friction and complexities of modern war. Informed by a deep understanding of a unique period in American history, this incisive book takes a comprehensive look at the issues of civil liberties during Lincoln's administration, placing them firmly in the political context of the time. Written with keen insight and an intimate grasp of the original sources, The Fate of Liberty offers a vivid picture of the crises and chaos of a nation at war with itself, changing our understanding of this president and his most controversial policies.

Customer Reviews:

Pulitzer material for sure.......2007-06-12

I gobbled up this book, but then, it falls right into my current research topic. Others who found it dull have a point if they are not into this era or the topic, but I loved reading it. I might have given it 4 1/2 stars because occasionally Neely's liberal side sneaks through, as when he deemed the military draft of 1862 an odious event. That's a personal value judgment, not a fact. That it was PERCEIVED by many Northerners as odious, is a fact. But that is a tiny, tiny flaw, and the book is definitely deserving of the Pulitzer it received. (And I suspect those occasional liberal slips were vital to winning the Pulitzer.) Neely's marvelous academic study contradicts with extensively researched facts (the man read 137 rolls of microfilm searching for arrest records) the rantings of the Lincoln-was-a-despot Libertarians such as Thomas DiLorenzo. Not light reading but highly recommended for scholars.

Everything you want to know on the subject........2007-06-08

This is a very worthy and scholarly work with more detail than you could ask for on the subject. My problem with it is that is is a difficult read that is best taken in small doses. No doubt Neely is the award winning expert, it shows.

Crucial book on civil liberties during wartime.......2001-12-30

Neely gives an excellent and detailed review of how civil liberties suffered during the War Between the States. The right of habeas corpus is Neely's main concern, but trials by military commissons and international law are covered among other topics.

If you're not a Civil War buff, this book may seem pretty dry. For example, a lot of space is devoted to evaluating the various claims of how many military prisoners there were. While this is important historical data, it made my eyes glaze over and prompted me to skim several sections of the book.

Given the post-9/11 discussions of military tribunals and other curtailments of the Bill of Rights, this book is more relevant than ever.

Excellent study of a misunderstood aspect of the Civil War.......1998-08-07

This book gives an excellent look into the policies of the Lincoln administration and the effects of these policies on civil liberties in the United States. A common misconception regarding this subject is that the majority of those arrested as a result of the suspension of habeas corpus were political enemies of Lincoln. This book, however, demonstrates how many of the arrests were not based upon politics, but upon how the crimes committed affected the war effort. Most attention in the past has focused on a few famous cases such as Clement Vallandingham, but this book shows that this case was an exception to the rule.

Book Description

This book studies later medieval culture (c. 1150-1500) through its central symbol: the eucharist. From the twelfth century onward the eucharist was designed by the Church as the foremost sacrament. The claim that this ritual brought into presence Christ's own body, and offered it to believers, underpinned the sacramental system and the clerical meditation upon which it depended. The book explores the context in which the sacramental world was created and the cultural processes through which it was disseminated, interpreted and used. With attention to the variety of eucharistic meanings and practices, the book moves from the "design" of the eucharist in the twelfth century to its redesign in the sixteenth--a story of the emergence of a symbol, its use and interpretation and final transformation.

Customer Reviews:

important ideas.......2006-05-20

There are many important ideas in this book, which almost make it worth reading. Unfortunately, Dr Rubin is one of the worst writers of prose I have ever endured. She prefers fashionable jargon to plain spoken explanations, and if a page will do she writes ten. Where was her editor?

History of the Eucharist.......2000-04-04

Rubin consolidates an encyclopedic knowledge of the Eucharist and the rites of the feast of Corpus Christi into a balmy narrative, in this book, now in its sixth printing. The book, undoubtedly a standard in medieval and renaissance history and religion courses, can be viewed more as a textbook on the subject than an engaging read. In constructing her history, and it is extraordinarily intricate, fraught with untimely deaths, expulsions, and papal bulls never circulated, she draws from archival, apocryphal, and secondary sourse material. Considering the task she faced, she succeeds admirably. The reader wanting more will then face the task of combing through her extensive bibliograhy and copious footnotes.

A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings IV: The Self-Portraits (Rembrandt Research Project Foundation)

Average customer rating:

A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings IV: The Self-Portraits (Rembrandt Research Project Foundation)
P. Broekhoff , M. Franken , and L. Peese Binkhorst
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History & Theory | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

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

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1402032803

Book Description

After the publication of Volume III the approach of the first three volumes needed to be revised. It had become clear that the strictly chronological method employed in those books would not be effective for the final period, covering 1642 until 1669 (the year that Rembrandt died). The project group therefore chose for a method in which larger groups of pictorially interconnected works were studied, such as the self-portraits, portraits, historical paintings etc. Rembrandt's workshop practice was scrutinised more closely as well. In Volume IV the focus lies on Rembrandt's self-portraits. During this research it became obvious that matters of authenticity cannot be viewed separately from questions relating to the original function and meaning of these works. Rembrandt's intriguing life-long practice of portraying himself in front of a mirror is examined in depth in this volume. As a result, not only has the group of approximately forty painted self-portraits gained transparency, but also new insights have been developed regarding Rembrandt's drawn and etched self-portraits. The problems of authenticity relating to a substantial amount of self-portraits which in the past were attributed to Rembrandt in this volume receive an unexpected nuance: through a combination of technical and stylistic research it is demonstrated that some of Rembrandt's self-portraits were in fact painted by others in his workshop. In clear and accessible explanatory texts the different paintings are discussed. Among the many illustrations are life-size colour reproductions of the faces of the self-portraits under discussion. Details are shown where possible, as well as the results of modern day technical imaging like X-radiography. The volume contains an — in several respects eye-opening — essay by the head of the Rembrandt Research Project, Ernst van de Wetering, on the problems of authenticity and function of Rembrandt’s self-portraits. In addition, the book includes groundbreaking contributions by Marieke de Winkel on the meaning of dress and costume in Rembrandt’s self-portraits, by Karin Groen on the use of grounds in Rembrandt’s workshop and in paintings by his contemporaries, and a study by Jaap van der Veen concerning 17th-century ideas about authenticity in art. This work of art history and art research should be part of every serious art historical institute, university or museum. The enigma of Rembrandt’s self-portraits, one of the most compelling phenomena in art history has been unravelled by Ernst van de Wetering with unprecedented thoroughness.

Average customer rating:

Corpus Christi
Well-Written
An Exquisite, Powerful Debut
Bittersweet Stories of Love and Death in Texas
A Wonderful Collection

Corpus Christi: Stories
Bret Anthony Johnston
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0812971876
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Book Description

From an acclaimed and award-winning young writer comes an intensely moving debut collection set in the eye of life’s storms. In Corpus Christi, Texas—a town often hit by hurricanes— parents, children, and lovers come together and fall apart, bonded and battered by memories of loss that they feel as acutely as physical pain.

A car accident joins strangers linked by an intimate knowledge of madness. A teenage boy remembers his father’s act of sudden and self-righteous violence. A “hurricane party” reunites a couple whom tragedy parted. And, in an unforgettable three-story cycle, an illness sets in profound relief a man’s relationship with his mother and the odd, shifting fidelity of truth to love.

Told in fresh, lyrical voices and taut, inventive styles, these narratives explore the complex volatility of love and intimacy, sorrow and renewal—and expose how often these experiences feel like the opposite of themselves. From the woman whose young son’s uncanny rapport with snakes illuminates her own missed opportunities to the man confronting his wife and her lover in a house full of illegal exotic birds, all the characters here face moments of profound decision and recognition in which no choice is clearly or completely right.

Writing with tough humor, deep humanity, and a keen eye for the natural environment, Bret Anthony Johnston creates a world where where cataclysmic events cut people loose from their “regular lives, floating and spiraling away from where we had been the day before.” Corpus Christi is a extraordinarily ambitious debut. It marks the arrival of an important, exquisitely talented voice to American fiction.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Corpus Christi.......2007-05-14

I liked it--a book of literary stories anchored around the town of Corpus Christi. By the end of the book all the stories fit together and gave it the feel of a novel. If you like literary short stories, you'll like Corpus Christi.

Well-Written.......2007-03-24

The book was well-written and read quickly, but the stories themselves were a bit on the depressing side, and many had the same theme: man and woman meet, fall in love, have kid, kid dies, relationship goes down the crapper.

An Exquisite, Powerful Debut.......2005-11-26

One of the biggest literary errors made by new (and even some veteran) writers is to trumpet THE BIG, EMOTIONAL EVENT. Not so with Bret Anthony Johnston's exquisite, powerful debut collection, "Corpus Christi." Whether dealing with madness, a father's violence or broken marriages, Johnston uses both restraint and often humor to paint characters who are as real and flawed as any in modern literature. "Corpus Christi" brings us to places plumbed by Annie Proulx and Dagoberto Gilb but with Johnston's own remarkable imprint.

Bittersweet Stories of Love and Death in Texas.......2005-03-10

Bret Johnston's debut collection of fiction signals the arrival of a master storyteller. These are glimpses of lives in a minor key, as his characters struggle to continue in the face of tragedy. At the heart of this book is a novella in three parts which tells the death by cancer of a woman and the son who cares for her in her illness. You won't forget this mother and son; their sadness is palpable, something so authentic you may feel like looking away but can't, it's that real, that wrenching.

A Wonderful Collection.......2005-02-09

Bret Johnston's debut collection of short stories is an excellent, powerful book. Such talent, compassion and insight coming from such a young writer is extraordinary. Johnston knows his craft, and "Corpus Christi: Stories" is beautifully written.

Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ: Corpus Christi in Colonial Cuzco, Peru

Average customer rating:

Not the book I thought it was going to be...

Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ: Corpus Christi in Colonial Cuzco, Peru
Carolyn Dean , and Carolyn Dean
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Incan | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Customs & Traditions | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

African American | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Religion & Spirituality | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0822323672

Book Description

In Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ Carolyn Dean investigates the multiple meanings of the Roman Catholic feast of Corpus Christi as it was performed in the Andean city of Cuzco after the Spanish conquest. By concentrating on the era’s paintings and its historical archives, Dean explores how the festival celebrated the victory of the Christian God over sin and death, the triumph of Christian orthodoxy over the imperial Inka patron (the Sun), and Spain’s conquest of Peruvian society.
As Dean clearly illustrates, the central rite of the festivalâthe taking of the Eucharistâsymbolized both the acceptance of Christ and the power of the colonizers over the colonized. The most remarkable of Andean celebrants were those who appeared costumed as the vanquished Inka kings of Peru’s pagan past. Despite the subjugation of the indigenous population, Dean shows how these and other Andean nobles used the occasion of Corpus Christi as an opportunity to construct new identities through tinkuy, a native term used to describe the conjoining of opposites. By mediating the chasms between the Andean region and Europe, pagans and Christians, and the past and the present, these Andean elites negotiated a new sense of themselves. Dean moves beyond the colonial period to examine how these hybrid forms of Inka identity are still evident in the festive life of modern Cuzco.
Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ offers the first in-depth analysis of the culture and paintings of colonial Cuzco. This volume will be welcomed by historians of Peruvian culture, art, and politics. It will also interest those engaged in performance studies, religion, and postcolonial and Latin American studies.

Customer Reviews:

Not the book I thought it was going to be..........2002-08-08

Dean's book examines the ambiguity of symbols inherent in the colonial experience. I often wondered-as with most historical reconstructions of "culture" and interpretations of practices long lost from memory-if there was enough "evidence" to make the claims she makes about the representation of sub-alterity. On the one hand, the Indian appears to constructing a colonial self through his/her dress, decoration, mannerisms, artistic expressive forms (such as dance or architecture), etc. But on the other hand, s/he is engaged in the hegemonic forces of "being Indian" within the dominant colonialist ideology. The question is, to what extent did the Indian have the freedom to make choices about dress, dance, decoration, etc. and to what extent was the image of the Indian under the control and creation of the colonialist/church?

I think the pressing need for an academic to take a "politically correct" stance in this day and age must sadly override the ability to present the honest truth in the case of colonial subjectivity. Allowing the indigenous people to speak for themselves is questionable in the case of iconic representation. For instance, where are the depictions of the Indians who carried the massive saints--where are these dark bodies in the paintings Dean examines. And if they are missing, why doesn't the author seem troubled by this?

Amazon.com

In the first hectic days of the American Civil War, the future of the Union was in doubt. Troops traveling to defend Washington were waylaid by mobs in Maryland. In the midst of this crisis, Abraham Lincoln sought to suspend the writ of habeas corpus to permit the military to detain those who were interfering with the prosecution of the war. When the Supreme Court limited his ability to do so, Lincoln complained that the Court was allowing "all the laws, but one, go unexecuted, and the government itself go to pieces, lest that one be violated." Eventually, civil liberties were curtailed for the duration of the Civil War--as they would be again in World Wars I and II.

That Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist's analysis of civil liberties in wartime is entitled All the Laws but One hints where he comes down on the subject. Rehnquist acknowledges and criticizes the excesses of civil liberties violations in wartime--during World War I, for example, editorial cartoonists critical of the government were prosecuted for sedition. But he defends the need to curtail some liberties in emergency situations--including, surprisingly, some instances of the evacuation and relocation of Japanese Americans that took place during World War II. Rehnquist's style can be disjointed at times--as when cursory biographical information of key players seems to have been tacked on to fill out the otherwise slim volume--but the historical analysis of martial law and other Civil War controversies, which comprises the overwhelming majority of the book, remains fascinating. --Ted Frank

Book Description

In All the Laws but One, William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States, provides an insightful and fascinating account of the history of civil liberties during wartime and illuminates the cases where presidents have suspended the law in the name of national security.

Abraham Lincoln, champion of freedom and the rights of man, suspended the writ of habeas corpus early in the Civil War--later in the war he also imposed limits upon freedom of speech and the press and demanded that political criminals be tried in military courts. During World War II, the government forced 100,000 U.S. residents of Japanese descent, including many citizens, into detainment camps. Through these and other incidents Chief Justice Rehnquist brilliantly probes the issues at stake in the balance between the national interest and personal freedoms. With All the Laws but One he significantly enlarges our understanding of how the Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution during past periods of national crisis--and draws guidelines for how it should do so in the future.

Customer Reviews:

"A citizen is a person owing allegiance to some organized government, & not a person in an idealized 'state of nature...'".......2006-09-12

"Without question the government's authority to engage in conduct that infringes civil liberty is greatest in time of DECLARED war" (emphasis added). But what exactly is meant by the notion of civil liberty? "It is not simply 'liberty' but CIVIL liberty of which we speak" (emphasis in Rehnquist's original). "The word 'civil', in turn, is derived from the Latin word 'civis', which means 'citizen.' A citizen is a person owing allegiance to some organized government, and not a person in an idealized 'state of nature' free from any governmental restraint." "This book,' Rehnquist states, is "limited to cases of declared war, together with the Civil War" (the equivalent of a declared war---and takes up 170 pages of this book; but excludes all others wherein Congress never specficially declared war, whether Congress authorized the use of force or not). Rehnquist: "There are marked differences between the government's conduct during the Civil War, during World War I, and during World War II. One of the main differences is that in the Civil War, the Lincoln administration relied on presidential authority or on the orders of military commanders to curtail civil liberties, while in the 20th century wars, the executive branch resorted much more to laws passed by Congress." Rehnquist concludes that "the President may do many things in carrying out a congressional directive that he may not be able to do on his own." But, regardless from the point of view of governmental authority under the Constitution "there remains a sense that there is some truth to the maxim 'Inter arma silent leges,' at least in the purely descriptive sense." "Inter arms silent leges" is latin for 'In the face of arms, the law falls mute,' or 'In time of war the laws are silent.' Hence "the reluctance of courts to decide a case against the government on an issue of national security during a war." Thus a main point of this work by William Rehnquist (written in 1998) is that a declaration of war makes even more of a difference during time of hostilities. (And it is why Tony Blankley in his book "The West's Last chance" has called for a declaration of war against Islamists.) "In any civilized society the most important task is achieving a proper balance between freedom and order. In wartime, reason and history both suggest that this balance shifts to some degree in favor of order---in favor of the government's ability to deal with conditions that threaten the national well-being. It simply cannot be said, therefore, that in every conflict between individual liberty and governmental authority the former should prevail" (Rehnquist's other main theme). As Lincoln asked in a message to a special session of Congress, July 4, 1861: "Are all the laws, but one, to go unexecuted, and the government itself to go to pieces, lest that one be violated?" In support of this view Rehnquist quotes Judge Learned Hand who opined that "A society in which men recognize no check upon their freedom soon becomes a society where freedom is the possession of only the savage few...." Cheers

Brilliant and prescient.......2005-05-30

Rehnquist wrote this before Sept 11, but it is a book that has added meaning today. Mostly the Chief Justice focuses on the suspecnsion of Habeas Corpus by ABraham Lincoln and its ramifications for Civil Liberties and the abuse of them during war time. This is not a lively account, but it is accurate, well thought out and makes for interesting reading, having added strength of authority by nature of its author.

Seth J. Frantzman

An Informative Read.......2005-04-29

I rated this book at 4 stars, but probably would have given it 3.5 if I had that option. It is a good book -- better than average -- but is less than it could have been.

Rehnquist examines the suspension of the writ of habeus corpus during three periods of war in American history: the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Roughly 2/3 of the book is given to the Civil War issues, and one senses that the other two sections were added primarily to fill out the work. Rehnquist does a fine job of setting up the relevant historical background of each of these eras and of outlining the opposing viewpoints considered in the Supreme Court cases that resulted. At times, it is difficult to discern Rehnquist's own opinion regarding the events and decisions he describes. In the end, however, he stakes out a moderate position, acknowledging that at times the government had justifiable reason for exercising a Constitutional option to suspend habeus corpus while also arguing that in many of these instances authorities had overstepped their bounds.

The main criticism of the work is its cursory nature. What Rehnquist gives the reader is good. One only wishes he had given us more.

Oh well, impartiality doesn't make for great writing........2004-07-05

The Writ of Habeas Corpus is perhaps the most basic right established in common law. The phrase "habeas corpus" is latin for "produce the body", and a writ of habeus corpus is an order from a judge to an official requiring the official to produce a prisoner in the judge's court to justify the imprisonment. It is the testing of this basic right, in wartime, which Chief Justice Rehnquist examines in this book.

Rehnquist concentrates on three periods in American history where habeus corpus was suspended: the Civil War, World War One and World War Two. He describes, analyzes, and even criticizes how the courts, and ultimately the Supreme Court, decided how and to what extent civil rights can be suspended in wartime.

As insight into the Supreme Court's decisions on habeas corpus, the book is invaluable: e.g. holding civilians prisoners without charges is OK, but prosecuting them in a military court is not. As raw material this is timely. However as a whole the book fails to hold our interest, despite its brevity. The book's chief flaw is also possibly a good judge's virtue: impartiality. Rehnquist avoids conveying a strong position on what he thinks the law should be and what future course it should take. Just as well. Better to have as Chief Justice a known conservative unwilling to commit himself but willing to listen, than to have a clear doctrinaire who expresses opinions too clearly from which he won't deviate.

As timely as it can be.......2004-02-15

Worth reading if only because the Rehnquist court considers, in its 2003-4 term, the fate of wartime detainees, both US citizens and foreign prisoners, and whether they can be held without due process and possibly tried by military tribunals. He reviews past clashes between civil liberty and national security, notably the Civil War era. He does highlight some little-known cases -- the military courts' overreaching in WWII Hawaii, for example. Other commentators noted, however, he could've said more about the Youngstown (steel seizure) case of 1952 (he clerked for Justice Robert Jackson then), a major check to wartime Presidential power.

Still, worth reading with the 2004 cases in mind, though I would also recommend Mark E. Neely's "The Fate of Liberty" for another view of the Civil War cases, some of which are still current case law.

My guess (written 2/04), and that's all it is from reading this book, is that Rehnquist may be inclined to support the national security side, but would resist any attempt to exclude Federal courts from oversight or final review.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books