In this fascinating work, Jean Dietz Moss shows how the scientific revolution begun by Copernicus brought about another revolution as well—one in which rhetoric, previously used simply to explain scientific thought, became a tool for persuading a skeptical public of the superiority of the Copernican system. Moss describes the nature of dialectical and rhetorical discourse in the period of the Copernican debate to shed new light on the argumentative strategies used by the participants. Against the background of Ptolemy's Almagest, she analyzes the gradual increase of rhetoric beginning with Copernicus's De Revolutionibus and Galileo's Siderius nuncius, through Galileo's debates with the Jesuits Scheiner and Grassi, to the most persuasive work of all, Galileo's Dialogue. The arguments of the Dominicans Bruno and Campanella, the testimony of Johannes Kepler, and the pleas of Scriptural exegetes and the speculations of John Wilkins furnish a counterpoint to the writings of Galileo, the centerpiece of this study. The author places the controversy within its historical frame, creating a coherent narrative movement. She illuminates the reactions of key ecclesiastical and academic figures figures and the general public to the issues. Blending history and rhetorical analysis, this first study to look at rhetoric as defined by sixteenth- and seventeenth-century participants is an original contribution to our understanding of the use of persuasion as an instrument of scientific debate.

In this fascinating work, Jean Dietz Moss shows how the scientific revolution begun by Copernicus brought about another revolution as well—one in which rhetoric, previously used simply to explain scientific thought, became a tool for persuading a skeptical public of the superiority of the Copernican system. Moss describes the nature of dialectical and rhetorical discourse in the period of the Copernican debate to shed new light on the argumentative strategies used by the participants. Against the background of Ptolemy's Almagest, she analyzes the gradual increase of rhetoric beginning with Copernicus's De Revolutionibus and Galileo's Siderius nuncius, through Galileo's debates with the Jesuits Scheiner and Grassi, to the most persuasive work of all, Galileo's Dialogue. The arguments of the Dominicans Bruno and Campanella, the testimony of Johannes Kepler, and the pleas of Scriptural exegetes and the speculations of John Wilkins furnish a counterpoint to the writings of Galileo, the centerpiece of this study. The author places the controversy within its historical frame, creating a coherent narrative movement. She illuminates the reactions of key ecclesiastical and academic figures figures and the general public to the issues. Blending history and rhetorical analysis, this first study to look at rhetoric as defined by sixteenth- and seventeenth-century participants is an original contribution to our understanding of the use of persuasion as an instrument of scientific debate.

The Encyclopedia of Heaven is an extensive study of paradise, gathering diverse interpretations of the glorious afterlife from around the world and across the ages. Covering everything from ancient mythic images of splendid ethereal kingdoms to modern "near death experience" apparitions of luminous tunnels, this volume offers hundreds of fascinating depictions of the great beyond. Sources include religious texts, works of art and literature, television and film productions, epic poems, opera and stage plays, reincarnation concepts, African legends, and Native American beliefs. The Encyclopedia of Heaven also looks at how the glories of paradise have been incorporated into contemporary pop culture, figuring into Rap music, merchandising fads, comic books, and more. From the Elysian Fields to Avalon; Dante's Paradiso to the African paradise Asamando, take a look at the thrilling, compelling, sometimes startling depictions of the sweet hereafter that have emerged over the ages. The perfect companion guide to Encyclopedia of Hell, the Encyclopedia of Heaven invites you to join the legions of souls who have pondered over the millennia what ultimate reward awaits the chosen in some unseen great beyond.

In a hospital in a small New Mexico town, a father sits by the bed of his young son, who is in a coma. Outside, a group of locals gather to hold vigil for the boy, each drawn by their own reasons. Every member of the group has their own story. There's Dannie, a 33-year-old woman, desperate for children, and fighting to salvage her relationship with her 20-year-old boyfriend. Then there's Cecelia - a musician who is grieving for a man who never knew he was the love of her life. And then there's Mayor Carbrera - half-heartedly trying to keep the town afloat, and holding out hope that a religious cult will move in and become the answer to all his problems. Hugely acclaimed when published in the US, A Million Heavens is an extraordinary novel by one of the most promising young American authors.

Engaging resources for understanding the importance of bodies and spaces in producing and interpreting persuasive language This volume collects essays that represent intellectual milestones that are informing sociorhetorical interpretation during the twenty-first century. The essays are arranged into five parts: (1) Topos; (2) Cultural Geography and Critical Spatiality; (3) Rhetorolects and Conceptual Blending; (4) Rhetography; and (5) Rhetorical Force. Features: Tools for integrating multiple approaches to biblical interpretation Resources that emphasize the importance of language that prompts mental pictures in effective rhetoric Essays from classicists, rhetoricians, and biblical scholars