This was a fascinating fictional treatment of the conversion and martyrdom of Antipas. The book contains a lot of background on first century life in This was a fascinating fictional treatment of the conversion and martyrdom of Antipas. The book contains a lot of background on first century life in Rome. The only irritation, which was not small, was the use of CE on the dates. Still, quite good....more
A very fun read. Convinced me regarding Richard III. Not necessarily on the other examples of "Tonypandy."A very fun read. Convinced me regarding Richard III. Not necessarily on the other examples of "Tonypandy."...more
This book was a lot of fun. Apparently there are a lot of European king lists that go back a long ways, in ways that make the left eye of the seculariThis book was a lot of fun. Apparently there are a lot of European king lists that go back a long ways, in ways that make the left eye of the secularist historian twitch....more
This OUP title is by my son-in-law, Benjamin Merkle. I read it once in manuscript, back in the dissertation times, and just now finished it again in iThis OUP title is by my son-in-law, Benjamin Merkle. I read it once in manuscript, back in the dissertation times, and just now finished it again in its published form. Just great stuff....more
This volume was informative and challenging, and sometimes both. I particularly enjoyed reading Lactantius, who was the tutor for Constantine's childrThis volume was informative and challenging, and sometimes both. I particularly enjoyed reading Lactantius, who was the tutor for Constantine's children. His citations of the Sybils were enough to make you go huh....more
Okay, so the title is completely misleading, and I feel I have to explain myself. This book appears to have been compiled by a very helpful crank, I tOkay, so the title is completely misleading, and I feel I have to explain myself. This book appears to have been compiled by a very helpful crank, I think both an evolutionist and spiritualist. I don't remember exactly how I got it, although I think it was a gift from a friend, and there it was sitting on my shelf. I was on the phone one day, and my eye fell upon it. Getting off the phone, I pulled it off and opened it at random. There was a news clipping from The New York Times in 1924, describing how some road workers dug up the skeleton of a woman over eight feet tall, south of Lewiston, Idaho. That's right here in my neighborhood, so I decided to read the whole thing. The book is largely a compilation of news stories, letters, and reports from all over the United States, dating from the late 19th century to early 20th century, including newspapers like the Washington Post and the NYT, chronicling how various people had dug up gigantic skeletons, eight feet or more in stature. Lots and lots of reports of lots and lots of big bones. So I think a crank assembled all these accounts, but all the accounts themselves were written by regular folks, of the kind who would then write the Smithsonian.
Of course, for Christians, the issue is not the existence of giants, but rather the question of whether any of them made their way here. So, there you are....more
As a former submariner, I really enjoyed this. But I mostly enjoyed it because it was a memoir written by a plank owner of my old boat, the USS Ray. CAs a former submariner, I really enjoyed this. But I mostly enjoyed it because it was a memoir written by a plank owner of my old boat, the USS Ray. Charles Jett was on the boat as it was being built, and it was commissioned in 1966. I didn't serve on the Ray until 1973-1975, so he was a bit before my time. But at the same time it was really enjoyable to read about some of the significant contributions the Ray made in the cause of the Cold War. And the photo on the cover is the same one that hangs in my study. ...more
Greatly enjoyed this. It is a history of the relationship of Rome and the early Church over the course of the first three centuries. Much of it is takGreatly enjoyed this. It is a history of the relationship of Rome and the early Church over the course of the first three centuries. Much of it is taken up with the politics of numismatic interpretation, and it is quite revealing....more
In 2001, Tom Reilly published a book called Honourable Enemy, which sought to vindicate Oliver Cromwell from the charges of war crimes against the civIn 2001, Tom Reilly published a book called Honourable Enemy, which sought to vindicate Oliver Cromwell from the charges of war crimes against the civilian population of Ireland during his campaign there in 1649. The principal accusations come from his siege and capture of the cities of Drogheda and Wexford.
That book set up a howl among the learned, and Reilly was roundly attacked for questioning "what everybody knows." The uproar was considerable, especially in Ireland, "where history has an irritating habit of not going away" (p. 7). As Faulkner once put it, apropos of another situation entirely, "The past is never dead. It's not even past."Cromwell
I have Honourable Enemy on my shelves, and hope to get to it at some point in the gloaming of my years. But I decided to read this book first, Cromwell Was Framed, in order to get to the interaction between Reilly and his critics.
"The first casualty when war comes is truth." This is purported to have been said by Sen. Hiram Johnson of California in 1918. Samuel Johnson expressed a similar sentiment -- "Among the calamities of war may be jointly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages.' Not many of us knew that Johnson (either Samuel or Hiram) knew anything about Facebook in wartime.
Regardless of who made this observation first, the reality has been with us as long as war has been. A basic tactic of warfare has always been to lie about what the enemy is doing, and about what you have done, etc. After the Restoration of the monarchy, the allegations about Cromwell in Ireland began to be firmly established. But how we got to that point is really interesting.
What Reilly does in this book -- and it is fascinating -- is to publish facsimiles of the earliest (contemporary) publications that discussed Cromwell's exploits in Ireland. He surrounds these facsimiles with his own commentary, along with some modernized reprints of the facsimiles (which are difficult to make out in places). The hinge of the controversy lies with the phrase "and many inhabitants" that was inserted in one of those publications. Who inserted it, and why?
For myself, I find Reilly convincing, and do not think Cromwell a hypocrite or war criminal. But at a bare minimum, I believe Reilly shows that this is an open question. This is the kind of book that every history teacher should get and read. It demonstrates how easily something that is highly debatable can nevertheless become the "received consensus," get plonked into textbooks for the kids, and shortly thereafter become a Fact.
This book is highly recommended, but with one caveat. Some of the layout makes it difficult to follow at places. Still very much worth your while....more
An enjoyable read. When it comes to the history of the Protestant tradition in Ireland, this book filled in some lacunae in my brain. If my knowledge An enjoyable read. When it comes to the history of the Protestant tradition in Ireland, this book filled in some lacunae in my brain. If my knowledge of the Reformation were a decrepit road, Gribben filled in numerous potholes....more
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