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THE VATICAN PROPHECIES

INVESTIGATING SUPERNATURAL SIGNS, APPARITIONS, AND MIRACLES IN THE MODERN AGE

While Thavis makes no attempt to verify or disprove the authenticity of the phenomena he covers, his book is an engaging...

From angelic apparitions to demonic possessions, the realm of the supernatural makes its presence felt in Catholic communities around the world—but the Vatican often maintains a certain distance.

Former Catholic News Service Rome bureau chief Thavis’ (The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church, 2013) second book is a lively, far-reaching exploration of the paranormal aspects of the Catholic faith, investigating both the role that such phenomena play in the lives of parishioners and the official stance of the institutional church. Given his previous job, the author is well-positioned to tackle this subject, bringing to bear an impressive knowledge of the inner workings of the Catholic bureaucracy. Relying on correspondence and interviews with a panoply of colorful characters, he introduces readers to an embalmer described as “taxidermist to the saints” and to a nonagenarian exorcist who “says he has performed more than one hundred thousand exorcisms…[and] believes that Hitler and Stalin were possessed, that yoga is Satanic, that Halloween is a devil’s trick, and that Harry Potter books can open a dangerous door to the world of black magic.” Each chapter begins in an ethnographic vein, probing how the faithful respond to a certain type of perceived miracle or relic, before transitioning to a political and theological analysis of how the Vatican determines the authoritatively endorsed perspective. Frequently, as with the Marian visions at Medjugorje, this is one of carefully worded ambiguity, cognizant of the potential inexplicable events have to attract believers but mindful that “excessive attention” to the supernatural “is considered spiritually unhealthy for Christians, a distraction from their journey of salvation.”

While Thavis makes no attempt to verify or disprove the authenticity of the phenomena he covers, his book is an engaging introduction to the subject for lay readers—though it may prove dull for those expecting the drama of The Da Vinci Code.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-525-42689-9

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.

This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955

ISBN: 0679733736

Page Count: 228

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955

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