Worlds Made Flesh

Lauryn Mayer examines chronicle histories that have been largely ignored by scholars, bringing these neglected texts into dialogue.

At the beginning of Europe's turbulent seventeenth century, no one knew how the brain worked. By the century's close, the science of the brain had taken root, helping to overturn many common misconceptions about the human body as well as to unseat centuries-old philosophies of man and God. Presiding over this evolution was the founder of modern neurology, Thomas Willis, a fascinating, sympathetic, even heroic figure who stands at the centre of an extraordinary group of scientists and philosophers known as the 'Oxford circle'. Chronicled here in vivid detail are their groundbreaking revelations and often gory experiments that first enshrined the brain as the chemical engine of reason, emotion, and madness - indeed as the very seat of the human soul.

In an age of cloning, cyborgs, and biotechnology, the line between bodies and bytes seems to be disappearing. Data Made Flesh is the first collection to address the increasingly important links between information and embodiment, at a moment when we are routinely tempted, in the words of Donna Haraway, "to be raptured out of the bodies that matter in the lust for information," whether in the rush to complete the Human Genome Project or in the race to clone a human being.

The untold story of a turning point in modern history--how the brain was discovered to be the seat of human consciousness--from an author The "New York Times" calls "as fine a science writer as we have, in the company of David Quammen and John McPhee."

Most theologians believe that in the human life of Jesus of Nazareth, we encounter God. Yet how the divine and human come together in the life of Jesus still remains a question needing exploring. The Council of Chalcedon sought to answer the question by speaking of one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in divinity and also perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly a human being. But ever since Chalcedon, the theological conversation on Christology has implicitly put Christs divinity and humanity in competition. While ancient (and not-so-ancient) Christologies from above focus on Christs divinity at the expense of his humanity, modern Christologies from below subsume his divinity into his humanity. What is needed, says Ian A. McFarland, is a Chalcedonianism without reserve, which not only affirms the humanity and divinity of Christ but also treats them as equal in theological significance. To do so, he draws on the ancient christological language that points to Christs nature, on the one hand, and his hypostasis, or personhood, on the other. And with this, McFarland begins one of the most creative and groundbreaking theological explorations into the mystery of the incarnation undertaken in recent memory.

The Black Jewels Trilogy established Anne Bishop as an author whose “sublime skill...blend[s] the darkly macabre with spine-tingling emotional intensity”(SF Site). Now, the saga continues in this collection that includes four more adventures of Jaenelle and her kindred… Jaenelle is the most powerful Witch ever known, centuries of hopes and dreams made flesh at last. She has forged ties with three of the realm’s mightiest Blood warriors: Saetan, the High Lord of Hell, who trains Jaenelle in magic and adopts her as his daughter; Lucivar, the winged Eyrien warlord who becomes her protector; and the near-immortal Daemon, born to be Witch’s lover. Jaenelle has assumed her rightful place as Queen of the Darkness and restored order and peace to the realms, but at a terrible cost. Collected here are the beguiling stories about the origin of the mystical Jewels, the forbidden passion between Lucivar and a simple hearth witch, the clash between Saetan and a Priestess, and the choice Jaenelle must make, between her magic and happiness with Daemon...

Endorsements: ""Robert Stamps offers us a compelling case for the significance of the theology of Thomas Torrance to current discussions about Trinitarian doctrine and worship. He shows that Torrance's Christology and Eucharistic thought validates the Reformed confession of a profound, real spiritual presence in the Eucharist. This book serves as a helpful introduction to Torrance, especially his framing of revelation. Moreover, it invigorates our understanding of the theological meaning of sacramental devotion. Its readers will be stimulated, provoked, and, dare I say, inspired by its insights into--and critiques of--one of the most important and recent Reformed thinkers. In sum, this is a timely and exciting book. It will well serve pastors, theologians, and thoughtful Christians of many theological perspectives."" MARK VALERI, E. T. Thompson Professor of Church History, Union Theological Seminary, Virginia ""One of the values of this work is that it has deliberately sought not so much to discuss a particular problem or a collection of issues as to identify Torrance as an example of an archetypal Reformed theology of the Eucharist. To say that Dr. Stamps has been industrious is patently an understatement: the truth is that he has been indefatigable in his search for the least morsel that Torrance offers. Yet it is not so much as a study of Torrance that this book is to be commended: its great value is that it offers a contextualization of Torrance's thinking on the Eucharist--in ecclesiology, the more general dimension of an incarnational theology--as well as his understanding of cosmology and epistemology. . . . I hope that Dr. Stamps' book will not only find grateful readers but will be repaid by profound reflection on this symbol of the heart of faith."" JOHN HEYWOOD THOMAS, Emeritus Professor of Theology, University of Nottingham