Our imagination reveals our experience of ourselves and our world. The late philosopher of science and poetry Gaston Bachelard introduced the notion that each image that comes to mind spontaneously is a visual representation of the cognitive and affective pattern that is moving us at the time - often unconsciously. When such a mental image inspires a picture or text, it evokes in the mind of the reader or beholder a replication of the internal pattern that originally inspired the artist or writer. Thus mental images are rarely empty phantasies. Whereas intellectual concepts are conscious constructions of abstracted relations, mental images evoked by texts and pictures often point - like dreams - to pre-verbal experience that patterns itself through multiplying associations and analogies. These mental images can also manifest their own limits, pointing indirectly to experiences beyond what can be expressed and communicated. The six essays in this volume seek to uncover the dynamic patterns in verbal and pictorial images and to evaluate their potentialities and limitations. Thematically ordered according to their specific focus, the essays begin with material images and move on to increasing degrees of immateriality. The subjects treated are: verbal descriptions of an icon and of a statue; imaginative visions and auditions evoked by material depictions; verbal imagery describing imagined sculptures and scenes as compared with drawings of a moving historical pageant; drawings of symbolic figures representing subtle relationships between verbal expositions that cannot be syntactically represented; dream images that precipitate actual healing; and aural patterns in a sounded text that are experienced as 'images' of affective dynamisms.

In 300 C.E. the Roman Empire stretched from Britain to Mesopotamia, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert. A mere three hundred years later the Roman imperial structure was gone, replaced by a series of barbarian kingdoms that became the basis of Europe's eventual medieval and modern states. In this anthology Thomas F.X. Noble presents a collection of key articles, written by leading scholars over the last twenty years, that examine how and why the dominance of the Roman Empire ended and how new forms of government and society were established.
Since the Renaissance, historians have tended to understand the events of the period in terms of a dramatic "decline and fall" of Rome. However, these revisionist essays provide an overview of how contemporary historians have furthered the debate, reassessing how abruptly the shift from Roman Empire to barbarian Europe occurred, and the origins and causes of the development of the Middle Ages and the new order. Rome played a key role in guiding this transformation and these essays also include a wealth of material on the characteristics and experiences of the barbarian tribes, the relationships they forged with the Romans and how far their new kingdoms were influenced by Rome.
With an accessible and informative introduction, and thorough editorial material accompanying each section," From Roman Provinces to" "Medieval Kingdoms "is highly readable and informative compilation of current work and recent perspectives, making complex debates accessible to students and exposing them to the key debates surrounding the study of the era.

In 300 C.E. the Roman Empire stretched from Britain to Mesopotamia, from the North Sea to the Sahara Desert. A mere three hundred years later the Roman imperial structure was gone, replaced by a series of barbarian kingdoms that became the basis of Europe's eventual medieval and modern states. In this anthology Thomas F.X. Noble presents a collection of key articles, written by leading scholars over the last twenty years, that examine how and why the dominance of the Roman Empire ended and how new forms of government and society were established.
Since the Renaissance, historians have tended to understand the events of the period in terms of a dramatic "decline and fall" of Rome. However, these revisionist essays provide an overview of how contemporary historians have furthered the debate, reassessing how abruptly the shift from Roman Empire to barbarian Europe occurred, and the origins and causes of the development of the Middle Ages and the new order. Rome played a key role in guiding this transformation and these essays also include a wealth of material on the characteristics and experiences of the barbarian tribes, the relationships they forged with the Romans and how far their new kingdoms were influenced by Rome.
With an accessible and informative introduction, and thorough editorial material accompanying each section," From Roman Provinces to" "Medieval Kingdoms "is highly readable and informative compilation of current work and recent perspectives, making complex debates accessible to students and exposing them to the key debates surrounding the study of the era.

Our imagination reveals our experience of ourselves and our world. The late philosopher of science and poetry Gaston Bachelard introduced the notion that each image that comes to mind spontaneously is a visual representation of the cognitive and affective pattern that is moving us at the time - often unconsciously. When such a mental image inspires a picture or text, it evokes in the mind of the reader or beholder a replication of the internal pattern that originally inspired the artist or writer. Thus mental images are rarely empty phantasies. Whereas intellectual concepts are conscious constructions of abstracted relations, mental images evoked by texts and pictures often point - like dreams - to pre-verbal experience that patterns itself through multiplying associations and analogies. These mental images can also manifest their own limits, pointing indirectly to experiences beyond what can be expressed and communicated. The six essays in this volume seek to uncover the dynamic patterns in verbal and pictorial images and to evaluate their potentialities and limitations. Thematically ordered according to their specific focus, the essays begin with material images and move on to increasing degrees of immateriality. The subjects treated are: verbal descriptions of an icon and of a statue; imaginative visions and auditions evoked by material depictions; verbal imagery describing imagined sculptures and scenes as compared with drawings of a moving historical pageant; drawings of symbolic figures representing subtle relationships between verbal expositions that cannot be syntactically represented; dream images that precipitate actual healing; and aural patterns in a sounded text that are experienced as 'images' of affective dynamisms.

The key focus of this book is the vitality and dynamism of all aspects of Christian experience from late antiquity to the First Crusade. By putting the institutional and doctrinal history firmly in the context of Christianity s many cultural manifestations and lived formations everywhere from Afghanistan to Iceland, this volume of The Cambridge History of Christianity emphasizes the ever-changing, varied expressions of Christianity at both local and world level. The insights of many disciplines, including gender studies, codicology, archaeology and anthropology, are deployed to offer fresh interpretations which challenge the conventional truths concerning this formative period. Addressing eastern, Byzantine and western Christianity, it explores encounters between Christians and others, notably Jews, Muslims, and pagans; the institutional life of the church including law, reform and monasticism; the pastoral and sacramental contexts of worship, belief and morality; and finally its cultural and theological meanings, including heresy, saints cults and the afterlife."

In the year 726 C.E., the Byzantine emperor Leo III issued an edict declaring images to be idols, forbidden by Exodus, and ordering all such images in churches to be destroyed. Thus commenced the first wave of Byzantine iconoclasm, which ran its violent course until 787, when the underlying issues were temporarily resolved at the Second Council of Nicaea. In 815, a second great wave of iconoclasm was set off, only to end in 842 when the icons were restored to the churches of the East and the iconoclasts excommunicated. The iconoclast controversies have long been understood as marking major fissures between the Western and Eastern churches. Thomas F. X. Noble reveals that the lines of division were not so clear. It is traditionally maintained that the Carolingians in the 790s did not understand the basic issues involved in the Byzantine dispute. Noble contends that there was, in fact, a significant Carolingian controversy about visual art and, if its ties to Byzantine iconoclasm were tenuous, they were also complex and deeply rooted in central concerns of the Carolingian court. Furthermore, he asserts that the Carolingians made distinctive and original contributions to the whole debate over religious art. Images, Iconoclasm, and the Carolingians is the first book to provide a comprehensive study of the Western response to Byzantine iconoclasm. By comparing art-texts with laws, letters, poems, and other sources, Noble reveals the power and magnitude of the key discourses of the Carolingian world during its most dynamic and creative decades.

St. Boniface, the early eighth-century English cleric who became known as "Apostle to the Germans," was an important agent in the conversion of the North German tribes from paganism to Christianity. His efforts were devoted as well to organizing and concentrating all of Germanic Christendom under the leadership of Rome. He numbered among his correspondents the popes as well as colleagues in England, France, and Rome. His letters provide unique insights into the religious, ecclesiastical, political, and social history of early medieval Europe.

Europe's place in the world throughout the narrative and in the primary source feature, "The Global Record." The seventh edition has been carefully revised and edited for greater accessibility, and features a streamlined design that incorporates pedagogical features such as focus questions, key terms, and section summaries to better support students of western civilization. The reconceived narrative and restructured organization, featuring smaller, more cohesive learning units, lend to greater ease of use for both students and instructors. History CourseMate, a set of media-rich study tools with interactive eBook that gives students access to quizzes, flashcards, primary sources, videos and more, are available for this new edition. (CourseMate may be bundled with the text or purchased separately.) Available in the following split options: WESTERN CIVILIZATION: BEYOND BOUNDARIES, Seventh Edition Complete, Volume I: To 1715, Volume II: Since 1560, Volume A: To 1500, Volume B: 1300-1815, and Volume C: Since 1789. Available with InfoTrac (R) Student Collections http://gocengage.com/infotrac.

"The Republic of St. Peter" seeks to reclaim for central Italy an important part of its own history. Noble's thesis is at once original and controversial: that the Republic, an independent political entity, was in existence by the 730s and was not a creation of the Franks in the 750s.Noble examines the political, economic, and religious problems that impelled the central Italians--and a succession of resolute popes--to seek emancipation from the Byzantine Empire. He delineates the social structures and historical traditions that produced a distinctive political society, describes the complete governmental apparatus of the Republic, and provides a comprehensive assessment of the Franco-papal alliance.

The key focus of this book is the vitality and dynamism of all aspects of Christian experience from late antiquity to the First Crusade. By putting the institutional and doctrinal history firmly in the context of Christianity's many cultural manifestations and lived formations everywhere from Afghanistan to Iceland, this volume of The Cambridge History of Christianity emphasizes the ever-changing, varied expressions of Christianity at both local and world level. The insights of many disciplines, including gender studies, codicology, archaeology and anthropology, are deployed to offer fresh interpretations which challenge the conventional truths concerning this formative period. Addressing eastern, Byzantine and western Christianity, it explores encounters between Christians and others, notably Jews, Muslims, and pagans; the institutional life of the church including law, reform and monasticism; the pastoral and sacramental contexts of worship, belief and morality; and finally its cultural and theological meanings, including heresy, saints' cults and the afterlife.

Carolingian historical texts have long stood at the base of our modern knowledge about the eighth and ninth centuries. The ninth century gave birth to a new revival of secular biography, which has come to be recognized as one of the brightest bands in the spectrum of Carolingian historical writing. This collection brings together, for the first time in one volume, the five royal/imperial biographies written during the Carolingian period.

Thomas F. X. Noble's new English translations of these five important texts--Einhard's Life of Emperor Charles, Notker's Deeds of Charles the Great, Ermoldus Nigellus's Poem in Honor of Louis, Thegan's Deeds of Emperor Louis, and the Life of Louis by "the Astronomer"--are each accompanied by a short introduction and a note on "Essential Reading." Offering details on matters of style, sources used by the author, and the influence, if any, exerted by the text, Noble provides a context for each translation without compromising the author's intended voice. By "reuniting" these five essential medieval texts in an English translation, this volume makes these voices accessible to scholars and non-experts alike throughout the Anglophone world.

Soldiers of Christ brings together for the first time in one volume eleven critical writings about the saints from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.

To understand European culture and society in the Middle Ages it is essential to understand the role of Christianity. And there is no better way to understand that role than to study that religion's greatest human heroes, the saints. For if Christians regarded God as their king, then the saints were the Christian nobility, human members of the divine court. To use one much-repeated phrase, they served as "soldiers of Christ." The purpose of this volume is to present in English translation some of the most significant records of the lives of those people considered to be saints. In exploring these works the reader will be presented with rich evidence about the development of religion and society in western Europe from the late Roman empire to the great changes that transformed European society around the year 1000.

Each text is newly annotated and prefaced by the editors, and a general introduction on saints and saints' lives makes the volume ideal for students and general readers. Included are lives of Martin of Tours, Augustine of Hippo, Germanus of Auxerre, Boniface of Crediton, Sturm, Willibrord, Benedict of Aniane, Leoba, Willehad of Northumbria, and Gerald of Aurillac, as well as the Hodoeporicon of Saint Willibald.

Carolingian historical texts have long stood at the base of our modern knowledge about the eighth and ninth centuries. The ninth century gave birth to a new revival of secular biography, which has come to be recognized as one of the brightest bands in the spectrum of Carolingian historical writing. This collection brings together, for the first time in one volume, the five royal/imperial biographies written during the Carolingian period. Thomas F. X. Noble’s new English translations of these five important texts—Einhard’s Life of Emperor Charles, Notker’s Deeds of Charles the Great, Ermoldus Nigellus’s Poem in Honor of Louis, Thegan’s Deeds of Emperor Louis, and the Life of Louis by “the Astronomer�—are each accompanied by a short introduction and a note on “Essential Reading.� Offering details on matters of style, sources used by the author, and the influence, if any, exerted by the text, Noble provides a context for each translation without compromising the author’s intended voice. By “reuniting� these five essential medieval texts in an English translation, this volume makes these voices accessible to scholars and non-experts alike throughout the Anglophone world.

Essays in this volume explore wide-ranging topics: Constantinople, Cloistered Women, Popes and Holy Images, Kingship, Pastoral Care, and Pilgrimages to the works or lives of Sidonius Apollinaris, Gregory of Tours, John Damascene, and Anselm of Havelberg. Like the scholarship of the man who inspired the essays (Richard Sullivan) the essays are broad and incisive.

Developed to meet the demand for a low-cost, high-quality history book, this text is an economically priced version of WESTERN CIVILIZATION: BEYOND BOUNDARIES, 7e. The Advantage Edition offers the high level of scholarship and engaging narrative of the full text, while limiting the number of features, images, and maps. Each volume is packaged in a paperback, two-color format that appeals to those seeking a comprehensive, trade-sized history text. Like its full-length counterpart, the Advantage Edition of WESTERN CIVILIZATION encompasses the full social and political story of Western Civilization within a wider definition of Europe that includes Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and European frontiers. The text emphasizes Europe's interaction with the world and encourages readers to question why and how history unfolded as it did.

Developed to meet the demand for a low-cost, high-quality history book, this text is an economically priced version of WESTERN CIVILIZATION: BEYOND BOUNDARIES, 7e. The Advantage Edition offers the high level of scholarship and engaging narrative of the full text, while limiting the number of features, images, and maps. Each volume is packaged in a paperback, two-color format that appeals to those seeking a comprehensive, trade-sized history text. Like its full-length counterpart, the Advantage Edition of WESTERN CIVILIZATION encompasses the full social and political story of Western Civilization within a wider definition of Europe that includes Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and European frontiers. The text emphasizes Europe's interaction with the world and encourages readers to question why and how history unfolded as it did.

Developed to meet the demand for a low-cost, high-quality history book, this text is an economically priced version of WESTERN CIVILIZATION: BEYOND BOUNDARIES, 7e. The Advantage Edition offers the high level of scholarship and engaging narrative of the full text, while limiting the number of features, images, and maps. Each volume is packaged in a paperback, two-color format that appeals to those seeking a comprehensive, trade-sized history text. Like its full-length counterpart, the Advantage Edition of WESTERN CIVILIZATION encompasses the full social and political story of Western Civilization within a wider definition of Europe that includes Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and European frontiers. The text emphasizes Europe's interaction with the world and encourages readers to question why and how history unfolded as it did.