Thursday, September 26, 2019

October 19 - Burned with His Books: The Life and Times of Michael Servetus


Presented by Neil Inglis

Skeptics are drawn to stories of those who faced the threat of persecution to stand up against the forces of religious dogma. Michael Servetus lost that battle--and although the passage of time has brought vindication, he remains an unsung and elusive figure.

A physician and researcher by day, theologian and polemicist by night, the Spanish-born Servetus wrote on a variety of medical and other topics and announced an anatomical discovery shortly before his death. Intrigued by printing technology, Servetus worked closely (albeit discreetly) with publishers to produce some of the finest books of his age. These texts represent a moving and beautiful milestone on our faltering journey into the modern era.  Ironically, it was atop a pyre of his own books that Servetus was burned to death.

Recent developments in Spanish-language scholarship have addressed some of the gaps in the historical record, such as Servetus' suicidal decision to visit Geneva and confront his mortal foe, Jean Calvin.

Translator, author and long-term NCAS member Neil Langdon Inglis is editor of the "Tyndale Society Journal" (TSJ), a magazine honoring the life and work of the first published translator of the Bible in English, William Tyndale (1494-1536). Neil is also U.S. General Editor (and Parapsychology Editor) for interlitq.org, an on-line journal of opinion.  Neil Inglis last gave a presentation on Michael Servetus (1511-1553) at the Bethesda Public Library in January 2005.  Neil's most recent presentation for NCAS was on "Brian Inglis: Mortal Enemy of CSICOP" in the Fall of 2017. Neil is pictured with the Servet memorial in the Spanish Room at the IMSS Museum in Chicago in 2014.



Saturday, October 19, 2019
1:30 pm

Connie Morella Library
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD