Arts Podcasts
Librivox: Foxe's Book of Martyrs Vol 1, A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant Deaths of the Early Christian and the Protestant Martyrs by Foxe, JohnJoin Now to Follow
The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, is an English Protestant account of the persecutions of Protestants, many of whom had died for their beliefs within the decade immediately preceding its first publication. It was first published by John Day, in 1563. Lavishly illustrated with many woodcuts, it was the largest publishing project undertaken in Britain up to that time. Commonly known as, "Foxe's Book of Martyrs", the work's full title begins with "Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church." There were many subsequent editions, by Day, and by other editors down through the years. Foxe's original work was enormous (the second edition filling two heavy folio volumes with a total of 2,300 pages, estimated to be twice as long as Edward Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." This edition is much abridged from Foxe's original. This book was first published shortly after the death of Queen Mary. During Mary's reign, common people of Protestent Christian faith were publicly burned at the stake in an attempt to eliminate dissension from Catholic doctrines. Foxe's account of Mary's reign and its martyrdoms form a significant part of the work. Foxe intended to justify the foundation of the Church of England as a continuation of the true and faithful ancient church, rather than as a new denomination. The work has a historic perspective. It begins with early Christian martyrs, and continues with the Inquisition, Wycliffe, and the Marian Persecutions. For the English Church, Foxe's book remains a fundamental witness to the sufferings of faithful Christian people at the hands of the anti-Protestant Roman Catholic authorities, and to the miracle of their endurance unto death. Roman Catholics often view Foxe's record of this period as extremely partisan and the primary propaganda piece for English anti-Catholicism. Among other objections, the accuracy of Foxe's claims regarding martyrdoms under Mary ignore the mingled political and religious aspects of the time period. Some of the victims may have been intent on removing Mary from the throne. Although the work is more accurate when dealing with events during Foxe's time, it is generally not a correct or impartial account of the period, and includes occasional "wilful falsification of evidence" (Summary abridged from Wikipedia by Karen Merline)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Eusebius History of the Christian Church by Eusebius of CaesareaJoin Now to Follow
Eusebius presents the history of the Church from the apostles to his own time, with special regard to the following points: 1. the successions of bishops in the principal sees 2. the history of Christian teachers 3. the history of heresies 4. the history of the Jews 5. the relations to the heathen 6. the martyrdoms. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia)
By LibriVox
Confessions by AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, SaintJoin Now to Follow
Confessions (Latin: Confessiones) is the name of an autobiographical work, consisting of 13 books, by St. Augustine of Hippo, written between AD 397 and AD 398. Modern English translations of it are sometimes published under the title The Confessions of St. Augustine in order to distinguish the book from other books with similar titles, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions. (Summary by Wikipedia)
By LibriVox
The Chronological Man: The Monster in the Mist by Andrew MayneJoin Now to Follow
When the citizens of Boston begin to go missing in the fog in 1890, it’s up to the mysterious Smith, inventor and adventurer, to figure out what’s going on with the help of his assistant, April Malone. They’ll have to face off against a secret society, corrupt policemen and a mad psychologist hell-bent on dissecting Smith, in order to find out what’s going on and to save the city from a graver threat. This science adventure novella is the first story about Smith, a mixture of Tony Stark, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who. Written by Andrew Mayne Narrated by Justin Robert Young
By Andrew Mayne
Librivox: Interior Castle, The by Teresa de Jesus (Avila), SantaJoin Now to Follow
El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas (trans.:The Interior Castle or The Mansions) was written by Saint Teresa of Ávila in 1577. After being ordered to write her autobiographical La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Life of S. Teresa of Jesus), Teresa was hesitant to begin writing again on her views of the perfection found in internal prayer. In the hands of the Inquisition at that time, her Life was commonly believed to be the weight in the scale of whether to call her experiences heretical or not. Her humility and claims that, “I am not meant for writing; I have neither the health nor the wits for it,” almost prevented Teresa from composing The Interior Castle. However, according to a letter written by Fray Diego, one of Teresa’s former confessors, Teresa was finally convinced to write her book after a she received a vision from God. Diego wrote that God revealed to Teresa, "...a most beautiful crystal globe, made in the shape of a castle, and containing seven mansions, in the seventh and innermost of which was the King of Glory, in the greatest splendour, illumining and beautifying them all. The nearer one got to the centre, the stronger was the light; outside the palace limits everything was foul, dark and infested with toads, vipers and other venomous creatures."[1] With that, Interior Castle was born. It contained the basis for what she felt should be the ideal journey of faith, comparing the contemplative soul to a castle with seven successive interior courts, or chambers, analogous to the seven heavens. Teresa's consumption of chivalric romances as a child subsequently influenced such imagery, which is prevalent in many of her mystical works.[2] It is also not unduly speculative that living in a walled city like Ávila must have influenced her thinking. The concept of an "interior" life is still important in Spanish thinking in the twenty-first century. An English translation was published in London in 1852. (from wikipedia.org)
By LibriVox
Librivox: Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Burroughs, Edgar RiceJoin Now to Follow
In this novel the focus shifts from John Carter, Warlord of Mars, and Dejah Thoris of Helium, protagonists of the first three books in the series, to their son, Carthoris, prince of Helium, and Thuvia, princess of Ptarth. Helium and Ptarth are both prominent Barsoomian city state/empires, and both Carthoris and Thuvia were secondary characters in the previous two books. (Summary by Wikipedia)
By LibriVox
Life of St. Teresa, The by AVILA, St. Teresa ofJoin Now to Follow
<p>Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515, at Gotarrendura (Ávila), Old Castile, Spain – October 4, 1582, at Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, Spain) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be, along with John of the Cross, a founder of the Discalced Carmelites. In 1970 she was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI. (Summary from wikipedia.org)</p> Spanish version may be found here: <a href="http://librivox.org/el-libro-de-la-vida-by-santa-teresa-de-avila/">El Libro de la Vida</a><br>
By LibriVox
Viking Tales by HALL, JennieJoin Now to Follow
<p>Viking tales are tales from Iceland, featuring the king Halfdan and his son Harald. (Summary by Nadine)</p>
By LibriVox
Introduction to the Greek of the New Testament, An by CARY, George LovellJoin Now to Follow
<p>A collection of lessons (primarily in grammar) for New Testament Greek (also known as Koine) collected by a professor at Meadville Theological School of Pennsylvania. There are over 80 short lessons, each covering an aspect of verbs, nouns, etc. (Summary by IWYLLPA)</p>
By LibriVox
Librivox: Politics by AristotleJoin Now to Follow
The Politics , by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, is one of the most influential texts in political philosophy. In it, Aristotle explores the role that the political community should play in developing the virtue of its citizens. One of his central ideas is that "Man is a political animal," meaning that people can only become virtuous by active participation in the political community. Aristotle also criticizes his teacher Plato, classifies and evaluates six different types of constitutions and political institutions, and describes his vision of the ideal state. Aristotle's views on women and slavery are unenlightened by today's standards, but his work remains enduring and relevant to this day. (Summary by Leon Mire)
By LibriVox
