Craig Harline
Autor de A Bishop's Tale: Mathias Hovius Among His Flock in Seventeenth-Century Flanders
Sobre El Autor
Craig Harline, a professor of History at Brigham Young University, is the author of Conversions, A Brishops Tale, The Burdens of Sister Margaret, and Miracles at the Jesus Oak.
Obras de Craig Harline
The Burdens of Sister Margaret: Inside a Seventeenth-Century Convent; Abridged Edition (Yale Nota Bene) (2000) 56 copias
Way Below the Angels: The Pretty Clearly Troubled But Not Even Close to Tragic Confessions of a Real Live Mormon… (1900) 16 copias
Conversions: Two Family Stories from the Reformation and Modern America (New Directions in Narrative History) (2011) 11 copias
Obras relacionadas
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought - Volume 47, Number 2 (Summer 2014) (2014) — Contribuidor — 1 copia
Etiquetado
Conocimiento común
- Género
- male
- Nacionalidad
- USA (birth)
- Educación
- Brigham Young University (1980)
Rutgers University (PhD|History|1986) - Ocupaciones
- Associate Professor of History, Brigham Young University
professor - Relaciones
- Harline, Paula Kelly (wife)
Thatcher, Hallie (great-grandmother) - Organizaciones
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Brigham Young University
Miembros
Reseñas
Listas
Premios
También Puede Gustarte
Autores relacionados
Estadísticas
- Obras
- 11
- También por
- 1
- Miembros
- 346
- Popularidad
- #69,043
- Valoración
- 3.7
- Reseñas
- 5
- ISBNs
- 31
- Idiomas
- 2
Most histories written with the general public in mind adopt an approach whereby a specific case-study is then used as a pretext for an exploration of the wider cultural context. This book is no exception - but it should be said that Harline is particularly good at this. As the chapters progress, the link to "miracles" becomes more tenuous but the subjects touched upon increase exponentially. A chapter regarding an ex-prostitute who blasphemously disposes of the Sacred Host, gives us an insight into (i) the world of prostitution and the criminal underworld in the 17th century (ii) investigative procedures of the church tribunals (iii) Catholic theology about the Eucharist (iv) witches, spells, black magic and witch-trials. Similarly, a chapter about the trial of "natural scientist" Jan Baptista van Helmont, author of a text about an inventive cure for gun wounds (spoiler - one of the ingredients involved is moss from a human skull), sparks a discussion on alchemy and its role the development of science. Detailed biographical notes at the end of the book show the extent of the subjects covered and the depth of research carried out by the author, whilst providing a tantalising reading list for anyone wanting to delve deeper into specific topics.
Harline also knows how to write entertainingly - he recognizes a good story when he sees one and recounts it with gusto and a sense of humour. As a historian worth his salt, he treats his subject at arm's length and with a dose of scepticism. Yet, his approach is balanced and fair - it is refreshing to read a popular history text which genuinely tries to understand and explain the cultural context rather than relying on lazy assumptions (for instance, that the religious establishment was always opposed to science or that miracles were merely "church propaganda"). The personal touches in the prologue and epilogue also show that academia need not be dry and aseptic. On the contrary, it is the human element which makes a historian emphatize with his subjects, treating them uncondescendingly and bringing them to life for our enjoyment and instruction.… (más)