The Cheese and the Worms is a study of the popular culture in the sixteenth century as seen through the eyes of one man; a miller brought to trial during the Inquisition. Carlo Ginzburg uses the trial records of Domenico Scandella; a miller also known as Menocchio; to show how one person responded to the confusing political and religious conditions of his time. For a common miller; Menocchio was surprisingly literate. In his trial testimony he made references to more than a dozen books; including the Bible; Boccaccio's Decameron; Mandeville's Travels; and a "mysterious" book that may have been the Koran. And what he read he recast in terms familiar to him; as in his own version of the creation: "All was chaos; that is earth; air; water; and fire were mixed together; and of that bulk a mass formed―just as cheese is made out of milk―and worms appeared in it; and these were the angels."
#1384649 in Books Erik Hornung 2001-01-25Original language:GermanPDF # 1 8.50 x .37 x 5.50l; .48 #File Name: 0801487250160 pagesAkhenaten and the Religion of Light
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An Enjoyable Book on the Heretic KingBy DellaThis is a transcription of a lecture of some type by Hornung himself. Characteristic of Hornung; he tends to stick with the facts and tries not to interpret from them too much. If the facts as we know them don't support his theories; then he tends to shy away from personal interpretations. He mentions other people's thoughts; though; and closer to the end Hornung gives us his opinion on Akhenaten. It's a mixture of positive and negative--not uncommon among a lot of people; I've found.I think part of Hornung's reticence is in part because there's a lot of rumors and occasionally outright hysterics surrounding Akhenaten. Sometimes it's hard to get through the fluff that surrounds him. I found myself deeply appreciating the near bare bones facts Hornung presented.Like one or two other reviewers; I also think this isn't a good "first book" on the subject. Akhenaten's revolution needs to be understood in the context of the New Solar Theology and the other changes in religious thought that were occurring in this time period.For those who are interested in a deeper interpretation of Akhenaten; the Aten; et al; I would recommend Mind of Egypt by Jan Assman. Jan Assman tends to interpret a little too much sometimes; but between him and Hornung; you can get a really good picture of different aspects of ancient Egypt.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. a lack of new scholarship was very disappointingBy doc peterson_Die Religion des Lichtes_ -or "The Religion of Light" - was originally a lecture given at the Eranos Conference in 1988; hence its berevity (the book weighs in at just over 100 pages.) Perhaps because it was originally a lecture; it is light on original scholarship and long on a restating of previous work by other scholars. In itself this is fine; I was disappointed because I anticipated this would be a more detailed consideration of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) and the Amarna Period. Beyond my initial disappointment in its scope is the lack of evaluation and assessment of the Amarna Period - even when merely discussing the work of other scholars it is enlightening to weigh; critique and assess the ideas and pet theories of fellow scholars.For those unfamiliar with Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) and the Amarna Period there is some value to this book; although I think readers would be better served reading the chapters in a survey text on Ancient Egypt like The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt or perhaps The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Informative full of opinions.By Lorraine JonesInteresting in both detail and the author's opinions. We'll never really know what; why and exactly how the entire "Amarna" period played out since we can't know what the main participants in this strange royal family saga were thinking and feeling; what dynamics they lived in and how they met their final fates. It almost seems that the more detail that is revealed about these people and their lives; the deeper the mystery and the more room for speculation and opinion. It's all a fascinating puzzle with lots of pieces still missing.................It will always hold my interest.
