jjares reviewed Prester John: The History of the Legendary Patriarch and His Fabled Christian Kingdom in Africa on + 3275 more book reviews
The Prester John myth played an essential part in world exploration. This book tells how the story of Prester John began and evolved. During the 1100s, a letter emerged from Prester John describing the riches of his kingdom in India. As a result, Marco Polo looked for his kingdom, and the Crusaders searched for him. Also, Henry the Navigator (Portugal) sent ships out hoping to find Prester John.
By the time of Christopher Columbus, maritime explorers carried two widely-read books referring to Prester John: Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. This is amazing because the books predated the 1440 CE invention of the printing press. After searching for Prester John, eventually, explorers found a Christian kingdom in the middle of Muslim lands -- Ethiopia.
One new fact I learned was regarding Prester John's belief in Nestorianism, which was the belief that Christ had distinct human and divine persons. In 431 CE, the Church condemned the idea that Jesus was a God-inspired man. Instead, the Church preaches that Jesus is the God-made man.
I was amazed that Charles Rivers could write a book about the Prester John myth. However, the author made the story entertaining because explorers of the period spent time and money investigating the report from the 1100s. It took about 600 years for the story of Prester John to be labeled a myth.
By the time of Christopher Columbus, maritime explorers carried two widely-read books referring to Prester John: Travels of Marco Polo and The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. This is amazing because the books predated the 1440 CE invention of the printing press. After searching for Prester John, eventually, explorers found a Christian kingdom in the middle of Muslim lands -- Ethiopia.
One new fact I learned was regarding Prester John's belief in Nestorianism, which was the belief that Christ had distinct human and divine persons. In 431 CE, the Church condemned the idea that Jesus was a God-inspired man. Instead, the Church preaches that Jesus is the God-made man.
I was amazed that Charles Rivers could write a book about the Prester John myth. However, the author made the story entertaining because explorers of the period spent time and money investigating the report from the 1100s. It took about 600 years for the story of Prester John to be labeled a myth.
