The dictionary contains terms covering the following fields and subfields of arts and antiques: painting, drawing, engraving, sculpture, architecture, dressmaking, armament, heraldry, ceramics, styles and art criticism, music, furniture, religious monuments and objects, textile, gilding, numismatics, jewels, cabinet-making etc.
Nineteenth-Century Religion and Literature: An Introduction by Mark Knight and Emma Mason Recent scholarship in nineteenth-century
literary studies consistently recognizes the profound importance of
religion, even as it marginalizes the topic. There are few, if any,
challenging yet manageable introductions to religion and literature in
the long-nineteenth century, a factor that serves to fuel scholars'
neglect of theological issues. This book aims to show how religion,
specifically Christianity, is integral to the literature and culture of
this period. It provides close readings of popular texts and integrates
these with accessible explanations of complex religious ideas. Written
by two scholars who have published widely on religion and literature,
the book offers a detailed grounding in the main religious movements of
the period 1750-1914. The dominant traditions of High Anglicanism,
Tractarianism, Evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism are contextualized
by preceding chapters addressing dissenting culture (primarily
Presbyterianism, Methodism, Unitarianism and Quakerism), and the
question of secularization is considered in the light of the diversity
and capacity for renewal within the Christian faith. Throughout the
book the authors untangle theological and church debates in a manner
that highlights the privileged relationship between religion and
literature in the period. The book also gives readers a language to
approach and articulate their own 'religious' readings of texts, texts
that are often concerned with slippery subjects such as the divine, the
non-material and the nature of religious experience. Refusing to shut
down religious debate by offering only narrow or fixed definitions of
Christian traditions, the book also questions the demarcation of sacred
material from secular, as well as connecting the vitality of religion
in the period to a broader literary culture. (Amazon.com)
The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy
The authors, both science writers, argue that science in the West has progressed because of, rather that in spite of, Christian faith, since belief in an ordered universe, governed by God-given laws, was essential for its advance. The authors show a good grasp of both science and theology, something rare these days, although, as the authors show, not quite so rare among the earlier scientists. This is a well-presented and much-needed contribution to the discussion about the so-called conflict between religion and science, although it is perplexing that Stanley Jaki's The Savior of Science (Regnery Gateway, 1988), which already made the same point, and at a more sophisticated level, is not mentioned. For lay readers and specialists alike.
Pearcey and Thaxton deliver what they call a more accurate portrayal of the progress of science by . . . recognizing the influence of Christianity on science. Refuting the popular impression that great discoveries were made despite or in refutation of Christian beliefs, rather than within the framework of religious and philosophical ideas, the authors show the influence of the medieval church upon scientific advancement, and demonstrate that Newton, Descartes, and others were working to prove or expand upon their religious principles. Moving from history to contemporary scientific thinking as it relates to or contests religious thinking, their story is interesting, but not as free of polemics as they assert.
(48 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture) Taught by Robert Bucholz Loyola University of Chicago D.Phil.,
During the 229-year period from 1485 to 1714, England transformed itself from a minor feudal state into what has been called "the first modern society," and emerged as the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. Those years hold a huge story. The English people survived repeated epidemics and famines, one failed invasion and two successful ones, two civil wars, a series of violent religious reformations and counter-reformations, and confrontations with two of the most powerful monarchs on Earth, Louis XIV of France and Philip II of Spain.But they did much more than survive.
