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THE GEOMETRY OF LOVE

Name: THE GEOMETRY OF LOVE
Author: Margaret Visser
ISBN: 0-86547-618-7

SPACE, TIME, MYSTERY, AND THE MEANING IN AN ORDINARY CHURCH

by Margaret Visser ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2001

A mixed bag full of surprises—often erudite, sometimes entertaining.

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Idiosyncratic exploration of the history—political and archaeological—as well as the theology, iconography, and folkways to be revealed by close scrutiny of a single church in Rome.

An “anthropologist of everyday life,” Canadian writer Visser (The Way We Are, 1996, etc.) turns her gaze upon the church of St. Agnes, built on the Piazza Navona above the grave of a 12-year-old girl who was martyred in a.d. 305. The church’s own structure provides the organizing principle for the author’s discussion, which opens with a description of the entrance. Entering a church, according to Visser, brings to mind mystical experiences, and her first chapter contains an essay on personal epiphanies, as well as comments on collective memory and the initiation of church visitors. As she moves through the church’s hallways and chambers, describing just what the visitor will see, she explains the symbolism of the ground plan and discourses on the nature of sacred spaces, including the ancient Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The nave leads her to a discussion of Roman catacombs, Constantine’s building of basilicas, the significance of labyrinths, and the function of columns; consideration of the altar brings up Communion and the origin of canopies; a capsule history of mosaics follows from examination of the apse. Thus Visser progresses through the church, describing what is visible on the ceiling, walls, and floor, decoding the symbolism of the art and architecture, and providing brief essays on such topics as bells and bell towers, baptism and other rituals, various popes and saints, controversial beliefs surrounding relics, and folklore concerning the importance of virginity in female martyrs. For Catholics, many of her little lectures will be superfluous, but to outsiders, they can be enlightening.

A mixed bag full of surprises—often erudite, sometimes entertaining.

Pub Date: April 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-86547-618-7

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2001

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE GIFT OF THANKS
by Margaret Visser

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WAY WE ARE
by Margaret Visser

- BOOK REVIEW
THE RITUALS OF DINNER
by Margaret Visser

ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

by Timothy Paul Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

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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 â€œHow 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

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Albert Camus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1955

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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.