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

Reformation-era physician and theologian Michael Servetus is remembered today for two things: he was the first anatomist to accurately describe the circulation of the blood through the heart, and he died a heretic's brutal death at the stake in John Calvin's Geneva. Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone tell the story of Servetus's life and thought in Out of the Flames., with a special emphasis on the fate of Servetus' written works, many of which moldered in obscurity for years.

Calvin (aka "the Ayatollah of Geneva") held a personal grudge against Servetus because the scholar had written a scathing line-by-line critique of Calvin's magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. The reformer was determined that his rival's work would show more not outlive him. After an unjust trial, Calvin had Servetus burned at the stake along with his books, and ordered all remaining copies destroyed. Today, only three copies of his Christianismi Restitutio, the book in which Servetus famously rejected the doctrine of the Trinity and described the circulation of the heart, are known to have survived.

Although he was a martyr, the Goldstones do not portray Servetus as a saint. He was brilliant, but also arrogant and in some ways, foolish. He courted his own death by insisting on stopping by Geneva on his way to exile in Italy.

The Goldstones did a lot of research, and it seems they didn't want to leave a single bit of it out. The book gets confusing and a little ponderous as they tell the back stories of many figures through the ages, some of whom were only tangentially related to Servetus. Nonetheless, this is a good introduction to the life and work of a man who held fast to his convictions in the face of murderous opposition. show less

Not the dissertation some might wish, but rather a gripping story told in the manner, perhaps, of the old Connections series. There is much to be learned here about the history of religious institutions (to be honest, I hadn't paid much attention to Unitarianism), the seductive allure to power of anyone who believes they have "the" moral truth that cannot abide nonconformers (I knew John Calvin was a dry humorless preacher, but I had been unaware of his parallels with Hitler: both were failed humanists/artists, who then made it their life missions to destroy or at least pass judgment over the societies that had rejected their mediocre talents). And behind it all, the book that managed to survive, showing yet again the enduring force of show more the written, published word, beyond anything imaginable for the its pale digital reflection. show less

This book had been sitting on my shelves for how many years? Forever. But once I picked it up I was completely hooked and could hardly put it down. At first it is the story of Michael Servetus, a man who refuted Calvin's repressive theology and was burned at the stake for it -- it is also a history of the printing press, The Reformation, the Inquisition, medicine, rare book collecting, and heresy. There is so much in this book that it sometimes feels like it is maybe spinning off the rails, but it is all so interesting that you can hardly help but want to follow wherever it goes.

Myself, I did sometimes want to read a little more of Servetus's actual writings, but then, I guess that just gives me more books to add to my TBR pile, which show more is fine. show less

The story of Michael Servetus, a 16th century scholar who couldn't keep his mouth shut and pissed everybody off--it was a toss-up if he was going to be burned at the stake by the Catholics or by Calvin. It was Calvin, and it was because Servetus espoused unitarianism--the idea that there is one God, one embodiment--not a trinity.
The fantastic thing about this book is that it starts by tracing the threads of information that lead to the person of Servetus--universities in the Middle Ages, his family, etc.--then goes on to tell about his life, scholarship, persecution and death--and finally traces the three copies of his book down through the ages to the present day.

I love these authors! This text describes a book considered destroyed (by John Calvin) in the 1500's. That book was written by an eccentric genius - Michael Servetus. Some copies did survive. The first part of Out of the Flames, authors trace the history of the writing of the book with the religious background at the time, lots of detail about education and medical knowledge in the 1500s.
I would normally never read about organized religions, but this was never dry, and always made me curious to know what happened next. The history of discovering the few copies found is described as a mystery unfolding. The last third of the book gives credit to those people in history that recognized Michael Servetus's genius and kept his name and show more theories alive. I found the Doctor in the 1800s (Sir William Osler) very appealing, and reading his mini biography I was so involved I forgot the Servetus connection for many pages.
Its a great read for anyone that loves history, mysteries and understands the hunt and appreciation of rare books. show less

Michael Servetus was not only the anti-trinitarian heretic burned at the stake by John Calvin in Geneva in 1553; he was also a learned physician who theorized micro-circulation of blood in the human body some 7 decades before William Harvey. His story and the story of the suppression of his book in which he theorized circulation of the blood are both historically important and of much interest to those who care for history.
Yet I found this book to be a bit of a disappointment. Although fun to read, the authors tend toward glib historical generalizations. They jump about to whatever aspects of the Servetus story happen to catch their fancy. Do we really need ten pages on the medical career of the late 19th century Canadian physician who show more took up Servetus' cause and made it known to the medical historians of his generation? A more systematic and scholarly presentation of the material would have been in order, at least for this reader. show less

This is the history of a particular book of theology in the 1500's by Michael Servetus (who also discovered pulmonary circulation in the human body). It's interesting but a bit dry as it revolves around his refutation of Calvinistic Christianity.