Alexander VI? Heaven help us. History is written by the rich and powerful. No matter that it is as full of holes as a rusty colander. My sense of Faith tells me this saintly Dominican held the Truth, and was martyred for it.
One of the first “celebrity priests” gone bad… it seems like extremism in religion must be born of too much self-love, of thinking you have God’s ear to yourself. A sad tale.
For me, Savonarola is a reminder not to put our complete trust in "celebrity priests". He could be preaching well, but he should not be the full basis of faith.
I would like to verify, as I am not a subscriber, are you an academic or a devoted Catholic? Judging by the footnote in your article, if you are relying on a academic press written by an academic, your probably going to get a misleading picture. A twenty first century academic is probably going to be a hostile witness. Might I suggest Professor Vilari's book ; The life and times of Girolamo Savonarola. Even though he's a protestant, he's even handed and fair to Father Savonarola. There are 3 take aways from the life of Father Savonarola: 1. He was NO proto-protestant, he wrote a Orthodox Catholic catechism that was NEVER condemned by the Magisterium. 2. He was very holy preaching repentance to a corrupt renaissance Florence. 3. The reason he was degraded and turned over to his Florentine political enemies was he preached AGAINST the very corrupt Pope Rodrigo Borgia. BTW, Borgia was NOTORIOUS throughout Christendom for his lack of morals.
Alexander VI? Heaven help us. History is written by the rich and powerful. No matter that it is as full of holes as a rusty colander. My sense of Faith tells me this saintly Dominican held the Truth, and was martyred for it.
I think that many others over the years have shared your opinion.
One of the first “celebrity priests” gone bad… it seems like extremism in religion must be born of too much self-love, of thinking you have God’s ear to yourself. A sad tale.
A very sad tale, indeed.
For me, Savonarola is a reminder not to put our complete trust in "celebrity priests". He could be preaching well, but he should not be the full basis of faith.
One could argue that there is a deep and permanent incompatibility between celebrity status and the Gospel.
What a great essay. Thank you. Look forward to the next posts on this topic!
You're welcome, and thank you for the positive feedback!
Bon Fire of the Vanities !
Good analysis.
I would like to verify, as I am not a subscriber, are you an academic or a devoted Catholic? Judging by the footnote in your article, if you are relying on a academic press written by an academic, your probably going to get a misleading picture. A twenty first century academic is probably going to be a hostile witness. Might I suggest Professor Vilari's book ; The life and times of Girolamo Savonarola. Even though he's a protestant, he's even handed and fair to Father Savonarola. There are 3 take aways from the life of Father Savonarola: 1. He was NO proto-protestant, he wrote a Orthodox Catholic catechism that was NEVER condemned by the Magisterium. 2. He was very holy preaching repentance to a corrupt renaissance Florence. 3. The reason he was degraded and turned over to his Florentine political enemies was he preached AGAINST the very corrupt Pope Rodrigo Borgia. BTW, Borgia was NOTORIOUS throughout Christendom for his lack of morals.
I am an academic 𝘢𝘯𝘥 a devoted Catholic. And thank you for the book recommendation.
Thank YOU for the answer!