Farnham's Freehold

Book Description

Hugh Farnham was a practical, self-made man, and when he saw the clouds of nuclear war gathering, he built a bomb shelter under his house, hoping for peace and preparing for war. What he hadn¿t expected was that when the apocalypse came, a thermonuclear blast would tear apart the fabric of time and hurl his shelter across two thousand years into a future both strange and appallingly familiar. In the new world order, Farnham and his family, being members of the race that had nearly destroyed the world, were fit only to be slaves. After surviving a global nuclear war, Farnham had no intention of being anybody¿s slave, but the tyrannical power of the Chosen Race reached throughout the world. Even if he managed to escape, where could he run to. . . ?

Customer Reviews:

My first exposure to Libertarianism.......2007-08-17

It's been close to 30 years since I first read Farnham's Freehold, and I've read it once or twice since then. Don't get too wound up in "liking" Farnham; he's a bastard, you're not gonna like him. Heinlein just went through a libertarian period, and this is the result of that. The message isn't "only the strong survive, and screw everyone else", I got out of it "We make our own choices, and a responsible adult lives with the consequences of those choice and isn't a big crybaby when things go bad". Don't get me wrong, I'm not an insane libertarian (more of a Green Party/Ralph Nader sympathizer), just read it with an open mind, and not through the PC filter of today.

Where is the Sequel!!!.......2007-06-08

I found myself interested in the actual storyline after the characters were returned in time.

A world with no sign of other humans........2007-03-05

Robert Heinlein's FARNHAM'S FREEHOLD is an old classic brought to new life in a new Baen paperback edition. Hugh Farnham is a self-made man who builds a bomb shelter under his house, only to find nuclear war sends him back in time to a world with no sign of other humans.

This book is from 1964.......2007-02-05

I won't bother repeating the plot of the book, as many others have already done so.

I have read most of Robert Heinlein's books, and although Farnum's Freehold is far from his best it is memorable with typical several typical Heinlein characters. The father is the self sufficient, thinking "hero" who does not have to be perfect, the mother a traditionalist with no original thoughts, the friend a younger, female match for the father, etc.

This book is from the early 1960's, and should be judged for the time it is written. I have the advantage of having read the book closer to its original publication date. Many of the ideas were new at the time - the idea of the reverse slave society, the time travel due to some extreme event - these are all being done again and again by current authors (think some of Turtledove's stories, and Flint's "1632" and its sequels). They might seem hackneyed now, but let's remember who came first.

Many think of Heinlein as sexist, but little could be further from the truth. His frequent use of strong female characters was way ahead of its time, both in and out of science fiction. Yes, he shows some of the stereotypical weak female characters - but usually as the antithesis of his strong, female heroines.

Oh My God! What is this crap you've given me to read........2006-12-17

That's what I told the guy who gave me this book by the time I got to chapter three. And it only went downhill from there.

Conceptually it's a good story. A fairly average household of that time, plus one guest, live through a nuclear attack and end up in a very foreign world. You can get the gist of the story from other reviews.

The problem with the book is two-fold.
Firstly, the characters all fall nicely into various stereotypes and they carry out those stereotypes perfectly. When different situations come up, they all act exactly as they would be expected to from the very beginning of the book. I'm not even sure that Hugh Farnham would have been seen as a mold breaker because there were certainly plenty of non-racist White men at that time.
Secondly, I take issue with certain aspects of the future world. I don't want to go into details because I want you to have the same shock I had when reading it. But I will say this, certain things are too convenient, certain things are blatantly unnecessary, and one conversation in particular between Joe and Hugh is completely unrealistic.

That said, the book is worth reading because the situations that this group of people perpetually end up in are completely unexpected even though their reactions to them are.

Average customer rating:

Not Heinlein's best
BEHOLD...THE FUTURE...
Be prepared for a shock

Farnham's Freehold
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000EOB7WC

Customer Reviews:

Not Heinlein's best.......2006-11-30

Submitted for your approval... one Hugh Farnham, the slightly henpecked patriarch of a typical "Father Knows Best" 1950's family. He is a man ridiculed by his loved ones for building a basement bomb shelter and endlessly scanning newscasts for any signs of Commie aggression. But when the Reds drop the big one right in Uncle Sam's backyard, Hugh and his clan, his house boy and daughter's friend Barbara, gets more than some radioactive fallout. They are transported into a future dimension where the Africans rule and all others are slaves.

Flat pros, one-dimensional characters and stiff dialogue keeps this flight of fantasy earthbound. Some might be shocked by its treatment of sexuality in a post apocalyptic world, others by its depiction of racial stereotyping.

BEHOLD...THE FUTURE..........2006-06-17

This is an entirely plot driven book with one dimensional characters that are, for the most part, unlikable. The core characters are twentieth century citizens who find their lives forever changed by a nuclear holocaust. The plot itself is a relatively simple one.

The main protagonist, Hugh Farnham, is a farsighted, twentieth century guy who builds a bomb shelter and stocks it with the necessities of life so as to be prepared in the event that nuclear war erupts. When it does, he, his wife, Grace, son, Duke, and daughter, Karen, as well as her friend, Barbara Wells, and Joseph, Hugh's employee, find themselves saved from destruction but hurled by the nuclear blast into a world two thousand years into the future.

The future, however, into which the characters are hurled, is a future in which the world is ruled by dark skinned people. All light skinned people are slaves to their dark skinned masters. Since the Farnhams and Barbara Wells are white, they do not fare too well in this new world order. The only one who comes out on top is Joseph, who happens to be black. He also happens to be the only reasonably likable character in the book.

While the future is an interesting one, the novelty of it is undone by the fact that the main characters are so unlikable. Hugh Farnham is nothing more than an insensitive bully and egotist married to a lush, whimsically named Grace. Barbara Wells is a woman who thinks nothing of abusing the hospitality of her hostess, Grace, by sleeping with her husband, Hugh, shortly after meeting him.

As luck would have it, Barbara's friend, Karen, also think that it is perfectly fine that her friend should be sleeping with her father, who just happens to be her mother's husband. Though, why Barbara would want to, however, is beyond me. Once in the future, however, Karen, for whatever sick reason, also seems interested in copulating with her father. Meanwhile, her brother, Duke, is nothing more than his drunken mother's enabler, at odds with his father, and a secret racist. The only remotely normal person is Joseph, and even he, too, has his moments.

One simply does not care about most of the characters. In terms of plot, however, the author is on firmer ground. The future that the author has created provides a lot of food for thought, as he covers many issues. Incest, cannibalism, race role reversals, women as sex toys, the neutering of males, as well as using some humans as breeders, are all interesting, though somewhat controversial, concepts. While touched upon, however, these issues are never fully explored or realized. Consequently, the plot, which is, at times, quite interesting, finds itself undone by the unlikability factor of its characters.

Be prepared for a shock.......2006-06-12

War is inevitable so a family and friend move into a fallout shelter for the duration. Due to some quirk they come out in another time after the war has finished off civilization, as we knew it. Now prepare for a different civilization.

This book is a classic example of Late Heinlein as opposed to his early works i.e. "Past Through Tomorrow Future History Stories." However as in any discipline the early product is usually more structured and well inside the curve of accepted norms. You can only carry that so far. Then any artist that is to stand out must experiment and take chances beyond the norm. That is what made "Stranger in a Strange Land" (be sure to read the full length version) so great. What do you do after that? Die? No you ether stagnate or further define your point. I can not tell you which this book does. However it is definitely worth reading.

Farmer in the Sky. Farnham's Freehold / Fermer v nebe. Svobodnoe vladenie Farnkhema

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Farmer in the Sky. Farnham's Freehold / Fermer v nebe. Svobodnoe vladenie Farnkhema
Robert Khajnlajn
Manufacturer: EKSMO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 5699019561

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Farnham's Freehold
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0000CMNN3

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Farnham's Freehold
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Berkley Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PJWRH0

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FARNHAM'S FREEHOLD
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IOV8NG

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Farnham's Freehold
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000TPNO7M

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Farnham's Freehold
Robert Heinlein
Manufacturer: Corgi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M67Z2S

FARNHAM'S FREEHOLD - in Worlds of IF Science Fiction Vol. 14: Nos. 3, 4, & 5

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FARNHAM'S FREEHOLD - in Worlds of IF Science Fiction Vol. 14: Nos. 3, 4, & 5
Robert A. Heinlein
Manufacturer: Galaxy Publishing Corp.; N.Y.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Product Description

Rare copy of this first appearance of this title; a 3 part serial in these 3 issues, edited for magazine publication, and preceding the book publication.

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Farnhams Freehold
Robert A Heinlein
Manufacturer: G P PUTNAM & SON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QBA6AC

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Hist of the Church)

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Scholarly, Well Organized . . . and Enjoyable?
The Highpoint of Civilization?
Good book, terrible printing
Superb treatment of the subject!
Church and State in the Middle Ages

Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (Hist of the Church)
R. W. Southern
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

History | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0140137556

Customer Reviews:

Scholarly, Well Organized . . . and Enjoyable?.......2007-06-25

Don't let the title (or Southern's reputation for excellent scholarship for that matter) scare you. This book is a paperback of just over 350 pages, is easy to read, and is very well organized.

Southern makes it easy to follow the big trends of the western medieval church. At the same time, he makes excellent selections of anecdotes and details of history to illustrate his points.

Often, those details are downright entertaining. For example, Southern quotes a letter from Pope Innocent IV in 1244 to illustrate that the Franciscans had a reputation for *ahem* aggressive recruitment methods:

. . . the schoolmaster's servants had been bribed to dope his drink. Whereupon certain friars induced him to join their Order by pronouncing (he was incapable of further speech) the simple word "Yes" . . . They were about to tonsure him when he came to his senses, seized the scissors, and chased his attackers from the house. . . .

I can't praise Southern's book enough. If only all scholarly works were so well written, well organized and, yes, enjoyable even.

The Highpoint of Civilization?.......2007-05-28

As readers of my reviews may notice, I am fairly sparing in awarding "5s". These are usually reserved for books which have an unusual impact on me. "Western Society and the Church in The Middle Ages" has earned its "5".

This book does an excellent job of explaining Western Society of the Middle Ages and the Church's role in it. It starts by explaining Western Society at the start of the Middle Ages and how that era developed out of the ruins of the Roman Empire. The Middle Ages is defined as the middle era between the fall of the Roman Empire in the West and the coming of the Modern Age. It describes a society in which everything is viewed as part of a divinely ordered plan, perhaps the only era in history to hold that view. It goes on to weave the story of the Church into the society of its era. On these pages, the reader comes to understand how the Ecclesiastical structures took on many of the duties of the state, either in the absence of, or with the encouragement of, the secular authority. The role of the Church in creating and administering wealth present a society much different from our own. I was surprised to read that, at the start of the Middle Ages, the Eastern Empire was a more prosperous and cultured realm than the, then barbaric, West. The explanation of the gradual drifting apart of the Eastern and Western Church, leading to the schism of 1054, is brought into much clearer focus than I had ever before experienced. The alien pressure brought upon the Eastern Church by rising Islam created one last surge for unity, but it was too little, too late.

The Middle Ages, running from about 700-1300, are depicted as an era of evolving political and religious structures, each of which fulfilled a need of its time. This was an era during which the Papacy grew from a first among equals to a role of primacy, despite its struggle with secular leaders for control of ecclesiastical appointments and local bishops for supremacy within individual dioceses. The papacy emerged from this era as an institution which could hold its own against the nation states, the development of which defined the advent of the Modern Era. The development of the office of bishop is shown in its relationship to the rising papacy and the secular powers of each age and locality.

A fascinating part of the book is the sections dealing with the religious orders which were born during the Middle Ages and which continue to serve the Church. The charisms of the Benedictions are contrasted with the later orders of Augustinians, Cistercians, Dominicans, Franciscans and others. The explanations of the differences between them and why each succeeded in turn opened my eyes, even though they generally conformed to other information which I had heard.

I started out by saying that I reserve "5s" for books which have an unusual impact on me. This one impacted me by leaving me with questions to ponder, such as "Was the Middle Ages, with its vision of a divinely ordered universe, the highpoint of civilization, or was the entrapment of the Church into the service of the secular order a fatal flaw in the life of the age?" Before I read this book, the Middle Ages were too long ago and too alien to the modern world to be of much interest to me. Now I feel that I understand it much better and am left with a hunger to know more. I want to know about the saints, such as Francis and Clare of Assisi who shaped the era. I want to know more about Charlemagne and the society which he shaped. I want to know enough to enable me to understand how the Middle Ages shaped our world and how the institutions and attitudes which it engendered affect our lives, for better and for worse. A book that can do that deserves a "5".

Good book, terrible printing.......2004-09-19

This is a good book, although I would not recommend it as an introduction to the subject. If you're not already familiar with the characters and events to some degree, you'll just be lost, because he doesn't refer to specifics too often. It deals in generalizations and large sweeps. And it's no good for research for the same reason. What it's good for is in helping those of us who already have some familiarity with the subject to see it in a new way, and to draw connections that probably escaped us. The value of the book is in the perspective of an accomplished and perceptive expert that it provides.

Sadly, the quality of the printing in this Penguin edition is absolutely deplorable. It is the worst I have ever seen. It looks like a bad photocopy. Apparently Penguin is too cheap to reset the type, and is using plates that should have been thrown out long ago. Buy a used copy. Don't patronize Penguin for producing such a shoddy product.

Superb treatment of the subject!.......2002-08-27

What Southern attempts is daunting, to say the least: In 360 pages, he seeks to analyze how the church and society interacted during the entire 700-year period of the Middle Ages. And he has done a superb job of it. His book is comprehenisive without sounding platitudinous nor mired in detail, subtle without being rarefied. Another reviewer criticizes him for not giving enough attention to spiritual and theological aspects of the Middles Ages. The first part of this criticism is flatly false--the spiritual, insofar as they interact with society, abound in the book--and the second part is unwarranted, since Southern states in his first chapter that theological discussion lies outside the purview of the book. The reviewer, however, is correct in saying that it's a highly readable book. If you love church history--or want to learn how it should be written--this is a book you can't miss.

Church and State in the Middle Ages.......2001-02-12

R.W. Southern's book is the second in a series of seven on the history of the Church. It begins with Pope Gregory II in the early eighth century and traces the development of the Church to the beginning of Henry VIII's reign in the early sixteenth century. Southern's emphasis is on the relationship between the Church as a religious institution and the political institutions of the Middle Ages, giving little attention to the Church's spiritual and theological components. The bulk of this volume covers the East-West schism of 1054, the papacy, the archbishops and bishops, and the various religious orders of this period. This book is scholarly in its approach, yet writtten in a very readable style. It gave me a much better understanding of the complex interactions between the Church and state during this period. I can recommend this volume to anyone interested in learning more about this era.

Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages

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Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages
R.w. Southern
Manufacturer: Pelican
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KAFOZ6

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Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages
R.W. Southern
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UV5LRG

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Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages
R. W. Southern
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ0PSY

Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (The Pelican History of the Church)

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Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (The Pelican History of the Church)

Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H00M88

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WESTERN SOCIETY AND THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES.

Manufacturer: Pelican Reprint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HISF1Q

Franks, Romans, Feudalism, and Doctrine: An Interplay Between Theology and Society (Patriarch Athenagoras Memorial Lectures)

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Blame the Franks

Franks, Romans, Feudalism, and Doctrine: An Interplay Between Theology and Society (Patriarch Athenagoras Memorial Lectures)
Ioannes S. Romanides
Manufacturer: Holy Cross Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0916586545

Customer Reviews:

Blame the Franks.......2005-11-14

Romanides writes a short concise book (or lecture as it is) on the nature of East/West estrangement. His argument rests on the idea that the west was still Roman (in the sense that Byzantium is the true Roman empire) in theology if not culture till the advent of the Frankish incursion into papal and doctrinal affairs, mainly under the influence of Charlemagne. Romanides sees the East and West more or less uniform until that pivotal point. The Frankish theology was so misguided due to the singular influence of Augustine. Romanides is very critical of Augustine and clearly points out the problems with Augustinian theology and why it was such a break from the patristic viewpoint.

Romanides argues quite well for his points. I would have like to seen more references though and less seemingly unfounded statements.

The highlight for me was the chapter on empirical theology vs. speculative theology. For the first time I read a nice treatment of Orthodox epistemology which I've been looking for, for some time.

Overall, if you're interested in the breakup of East and West, this book should offer some interesting insights.

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WESTERN SOCIETY AND THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES
R.W. Southern
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RB6376

Average customer rating:

WESTERN SOCIETY AND THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES
R.W. Southern
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RB6EAC

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