The Whistling Galilean

The Whistling Galilean

Shai, the ten-year-old son of a Galilean fisherman, deeply desires his father’s pride and respect. The frustrated, sometimes angry, boy is challenged by jealousy and competes for attention from a blood relative, his older brother, Ezra. Maturing into adolescence, Shai and his best friend each seek a girlfriend, even doing something ridiculous to gain their attention. Brutality surrounds Shai, ranging from a school bully to Roman torture. The term ‘payment or punishment’ spreads quickly as the unyielding Roman rulers enforce market taxes in Capernaum. Everything is about to change when Shai befriends a stranger from Nazareth one day while bathing in the waters of the Galilee. While his rabbi teaches him to become a man and to abide by Hebrew laws, Yeshua (Jesus) teaches loving care through action. Confused, Shai is faced with conflicting choices, one after another. As Yeshua reveals his power and destiny, people in Shai’s life react differently to his friend’s messages. Shai’s relationships evolve and change as his choices transform not just his life, but also the lives of others.

The Path to Post-Galilean Epistemology

This book casts new light on the process that in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries led to a profound transformation in the study of nature with the emergence of mechanistic philosophy, the new mixed mathematics, and the establishment of the experimental approach. It is argued that modern European science originated from Hellenistic mathematics not so much because of rediscovery of the latter but rather because its “applied” components, namely mechanics, optics, harmonics, and astronomy, and their methodologies continued to be transmitted throughout the Middle Ages without serious interruption. Furthermore, it is proposed that these “applied” components played a role in their entirety; thus, for example, “new” mechanics derived not only from “old” mechanics but also from harmonics, optics, and astronomy. Unlike other texts on the subject, the role of mathematicians is stressed over that of philosophers of nature and the focus is particularly on epistemological aspects. In exploring Galilean and post-Galilean epistemology, attention is paid to the contributions of Galileo’s disciples and also the impact of his enemies. The book will appeal to both historians of science and scientists.

The Emperor and the Galilean. A Drama in Two Parts. (Part I. Cæsar the Apostate, ... in Five Acts.-Part II. The Emperor Julian, ... in Five Acts.) Translated from the Norwegian by C. Ray