The rights of heretics

Author: [Austria] Stefan Zweig
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: A story of a "war between a fly and an elephant," a heart-wrenching biography of those who fight for a losing cause. The idea of tolerance ultimately saves the insignificance of the individual. The Rights of the Outcasts reveals the truth of a historical period: when Protestant dissenters, as dissenters, attempted to gain their rightful place, they were mercilessly persecuted by the Roman Curia; and when Calvin, as a representative of the Protestant movement, took control of a city, he proved more decisive and cruel in persecuting dissenters. This gave rise to a story of a "war between a fly and an elephant," a heart-wrenching biography of those who fight for a losing cause. When the entire era plunged into the boundless darkness of hysterical madness, Castellio, a small figure who upheld independent faith, faced the brutal destruction of the "Pope of Geneva," Calvin, without fear. Although he died in solitude amidst poverty and illness, his spiritual courage and tolerant nature made his name shine brilliantly in human history. Ideas save the insignificance of the individual, and the fragile life of reeds thus gains the dignity of existence. In this struggle between "authority" and "heresy," we clearly see the root of humanity's repeated cycles of madness and slaughter.