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

Lawrence Goldstone · Nancy Goldstone

Dec 2008 · Sold by Crown

About this ebook

Out of the Flames is an extraordinary story - providing testament to the power of ideas, the enduring legacy of books, and the triumph of individual courage.

Out of the Flames tracks the history of The Chrisitianismi Restituto, examining Michael Servetus's life and times and the politics of the first information during the sixteenth century. The Chrisitianismi Restituto, a heretical work of biblical scholarship, written in 1553, aimed to refute the orthodox Christianity that Michael Servetus' old colleague, John Calvin, supported. After the book spread through the ranks of Protestant hierarchy, Servetus was tried and agonizingly burned at the stake, the last known copy of the Restitutio chained to his leg.

Servetus's execution marked a turning point in the quest for freedom of expression, due largely to the development of the printing press and the proliferation of books in Renaissance Europe. Three copies of the Restitutio managed to survive the burning, despite every effort on the part of his enemies to destroy them. As a result, the book became almost a surrogate for its author, going into hiding and relying on covert distribution until it could be read freely, centuries later.

Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone follow the clandestine journey of the three copies through the subsequent centuries and explore its author's legacy and influence over the thinkers that shared his spirit and genius, such as Leibniz, Voltaire, Rousseau, Jefferson, Clarence Dorrow, and William Osler.

Ratings and reviews

This book is most definitely worth reading. It’s well written and researched, full of anecdotes and at the same time erudition. Quite a tall order! It follows the story of Michael Servetus, a Spanish theologian and physician who challenged the concept of the trinity, as being concocted in Nicea by the Catholic faith. Persecuted by the Inquisition he went underground and studied medicine in Paris. In a fascinating turn of events he ended up following Versalius, the father of anatomy, as assistant at the school of medicine and in his studies was the first to describe the pulmonary circulation. The problem was this great discovery was buried in one of his religious polemics, a work that was condemn and burned – like Servetus himself in 1553 – he was 43 years old. It is a sad history, reminding us once again how much we have evolved in matters of respect for freedom of opinion and religion. In a side note, it’s not hard to make a parallel between Calvin, in Switzerland, and the Taliban, in Afghanistan. Both were religious zealots put in power by a population scared of chaos and anarchy.

this book sucks and has no plot. it is completely random and just gives out random facts. dont read it.

Amazing book on the interesting life of Michael Servetus

About the author

LAWRENCE and NANCY GOLDSTONE are a husband-and-wife writing team who have authored multiple books on their book-collecting pursuits including Used and Rare, Slightly Chipped, and Warmly Inscribed.