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Christopher Columbus: His Life and Discovery in the Light of His Prophecies
Book by Brigham, Kay
174 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1990
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September 29, 2017
In this short work Kay Brigham presents a version of Christopher Columbus that is well-worn— great man with a vision— and also excerpts from Columbus' unfinished work Book of Prophecies.
Brigham's goal is clear— show Columbus' great love for Scripture and determination that he was carrying out God's work. She succeeds on that front. She succeeds less in presenting a believable portrait of Columbus. She is not afraid to insert her own unvarnished, highly-favorable opinions of his endeavors and to downplay or excuse his shortcomings.
While it is true that there is no such thing as an impartial historian, Brigham borders on hagiography, consistently referring to Columbus as The Great Discoverer and downplaying the complications, to put it lightly, that come from trying to mass convert a population to Catholicism. She sees little incongruity between Columbus' belief and his actions, allowing his great vision to justify his incidental brutality. Columbus was a man of the times, yes, but so was Bartolomé De Las Casas, and he saw the evil of the times quite clearly.
There is also a complete absence of commentary on how deeply Joachim of Fiore influenced Columbus' very precise eschatology. What we're left with is a glowing review of a man who was convinced he was the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.
Brigham's goal is clear— show Columbus' great love for Scripture and determination that he was carrying out God's work. She succeeds on that front. She succeeds less in presenting a believable portrait of Columbus. She is not afraid to insert her own unvarnished, highly-favorable opinions of his endeavors and to downplay or excuse his shortcomings.
While it is true that there is no such thing as an impartial historian, Brigham borders on hagiography, consistently referring to Columbus as The Great Discoverer and downplaying the complications, to put it lightly, that come from trying to mass convert a population to Catholicism. She sees little incongruity between Columbus' belief and his actions, allowing his great vision to justify his incidental brutality. Columbus was a man of the times, yes, but so was Bartolomé De Las Casas, and he saw the evil of the times quite clearly.
There is also a complete absence of commentary on how deeply Joachim of Fiore influenced Columbus' very precise eschatology. What we're left with is a glowing review of a man who was convinced he was the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.
Displaying 1 of 1 review