The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast

by Giordano Bruno

Book Overview

The itinerant Neoplatonic scholar Giordano Bruno (1548-1600), one of the most fascinating figures of the Renaissance, was burned at the stake for heresy by the Inquisition in Rome on Ash Wednesday in 1600. The primary evidence against him was the book Spaccio de la bestia trionfante, a daring indictment of the church that abounded in references to classical Greek mythology, Egyptian religion (especially the worship of Isis), Hermeticism, magic,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803262345
• ISBN13: 9780803262348
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Why Bother to Review a Classic?

If you've found this review page, it stands to reason that you already have some interest in Giordano Bruno. I only wish to encourage you to read his works first-hand (or at least in a plausible translation like this one). The more knowledge of Renaissance culture you bring to the book, of course, the more you'll enjoy it. Even without that scholarly stuff, however, you'll find Bruno witty and thought-provoking.

The Martyred Genius, Giordano Bruno

On Febraury 16, 1600, this former monk was burned at the stake on charges of heresy. He died in the name of free thought. Yes, at first he offered to retract all of his heretical statements, but in the end, he decided that there was more honour in the penal fires than in a life like Galilei's. This book begins with an Explanatory Epistle. This letter alone is worth reading. The dialogues that comprise the body of the work were a trifle trying for me, as i have very little knowledge of the constellations, but please don't let this deter any possible readers from this work. As with any philosophical text, every reader should bring with him or her a willingness to concentrate on the book and the understanding that numerous re-readings will be necessary to appreciate the full depth of it. The bit where the messenger of the gods is telling Sophia all of the events Zeus has ordered to take place on Earth that day is very funny, so don't think this is all esoteric gobble-dee-gook that only some Ph.d. could enjoy. Shoot, I am only a high school graduate and I was glued to this thing the first time I read it.