Dear And Glorious Physician (1982) - Plot & Excerpts
This story gives a different perspective of Roman/Greek/Biblical times and events within, including the birth and life of Jesus. I enjoyed the story as well as the fresh perspective. The most "out of brain" moment was reading the tribune's rant on Rome and realizing you could put America in for every time he said Rome and President for every Caesar and practically be describing today's world from a book written in 1959. A bit strange or prophetic...can't decide which. Here's the quote if you want to try for yourself...(p.268, 271, 272)"Let the tribune speak" shouted the senators...He drew a deep breath, and his breast swelled with passion and strength. "I come not to honor Rome, but to bury her." A voice shouted, "Treason!".... "Let me move your hearts!" he cried. "It is not yet too late! The course of the empire leads only to death. Senators, look at me! Listen with your hearts, and not with your evil minds. Turn back to liberty, to frugality, to morality, to peace, to Rome. Think no longer of those who appoint you, those whose bellies demand to be satisfied by the very look of Rome, the very flesh of Rome, the head-earned gold of Rome. Bow no longer to false Caesars, who, defying our very Constitution, issue mandates against the welfare of Rome and place themselves above the law which our fathers formulated, and for which they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor." "Rome was conceived in faith and in justice, and in the worship of God, and in the name of the manhood of man. Return our country to the rule of law and strike down the rule by men. Restore the treasuries. Withdraw our legions from foreign lands which hate us, and will destroy us at a moment's notice when it serves their interests. Repeal the taxes which crush those who work hard and industriously. Tell your multitudes that they must work or they shall starve. Drive from the Palatine itself the masses of toadies and self-seekers and thieves! Drive from the Palatine the puny freemen who say 'Yes, yes!' to Caesar, and bow before him as though he were a god and not human flesh! Cleanse this chamber of rascals and mountebanks and demagogues who declaim in rounded phrases that the welfare of the people is close to their hearts but who really mean that they will do the will of the mob in exchange for vile plaudits and power and bribery!" He lifted his hands to them in an attitude of importunity, and his fierces eyes filled with tears as he surveyed the motionless senators. "Romans! In the name of God, in the name of Cincinnatus, the Father of his Country, in the name of heroism and peace and manliness and freedom and justice, I beg of you to restore yourselves as the guardians of Rome, to cast out the usurper of the powers which rightfully belong to you, to impeach and to punish those who seized those powers in order to pervert the laws of our father! Let your Roman hearts speak and your Roman spirits cry out against the expedient and the corrupt, against the vainglorious and the traitors, against Caesars who anoint themselves as gods and hold court for the depraved and the ambitious and those who would dissipate the strength of your people, our Consittution, and our traditions! If you turn from your country, then she will die, and a thousand thousand legions shall not save her and a thousand bloody Caesars will vainly shout to the winds." His eyes roamed their faces in despair. Then his head droppped to his cheast and he stepped from the podium and walked slowly, in that cowardly silence, to the doors, not looking back. The young soldiers there gazed at him with shining faces and stood at attention and saluted, and he turned his blink and terful eyes upon them and smiled like a brokenhearted father. Then he straightened, and like a wounded general expireing for his country, he returned their salutes.Excellent words from the author, I don't believe she intended irony at the time, yet has achieved it through historical repetition. OVERALL...great read, interesting descriptions, sound characters, interesting perspective on medicine practices of the times, too.
Médico de cuerpos y almasTaylor Caldwell“¿Quién de nosotros preferiría pasar sin el conocimiento del bien y del mal? No saber es no ser hombre. Oh dioses.”Esta novela se encuentra inspirada por la vida de uno de los más leídos y conocidos escritores de la historia, San Lucas. Cada día miles de personas, sin importar el credo que profesen, encuentran en sus palabras consuelo, enseñanzas, historia y lecciones importantes para su vida. La Biblia sin lugar a dudas es uno de los libros más importantes en la historia de la humanidad, sin embargo, son pocas las veces que nos aventuramos a indagar en quiénes fueron esas personas iluminadas que le dieron forma, ¿cuál fue su historia de vida?, ¿qué los llevó a documentar la historia de Jesús?, ¿cómo la conocieron? y ¿por qué decidieron escribirla al costo mismo de sus vidas?Taylor Caldwell, con maestría, nos adentra en un tiempo que comenzó el tiempo. A través de una escritura sencilla pero bien documentada trae a la vida el ajetreo de la vieja Roma imperial. Hace palpable la opresión sentida por los pueblos conquistados, los vicios de la sociedad aristocrática, la indiferencia ante las naciones que formaban este gran imperio y los magníficos paisajes naturales que predominaban y ocupaban el espacio de las personas. Al leer esta novela, el lector se ve transportado a un pasado lleno de tensiones, de miseria, de fuertes creencias y de una sociedad dividida entre su elevado estudio de la filosofía y una desbordante rendición a sus pasiones. Es este panorama, de un gran gobierno cuyas partes se rechazan entre sí, en el cual el hijo de una pareja de libertos hace su aparición. Lucano es resultado directo de las contradicciones y paradojas de su tiempo, el cual busca rendirlo a sus tentaciones al tiempo que no puede dejar de asombrarse de sus virtudes. Lucano, o San Lucas como llegaría a ser recordado por el mundo, fue antes que otra cosa un gran médico y es esta característica en principal medida la historia que es narrada en la novela. Siempre a favor de la vida y declarando desde temprana edad una afrenta directa contra Dios “el señor de la muerte”, Lucano comienza su viaje a través del mundo conocido realizando estudios en Alejandría, estancias en Roma y viajando por los alrededores en busca de vencer a la muerte y aliviar el sufrimiento de las personas humildes y de pocos recursos.A lo largo de la historia nos encontramos con personajes claves en la historia de lo que más tarde formaría su evangelio. Por medio de personas que estuvieron ante la presencia de Jesús, Lucano comienza a conocer a este hombre que cambiaría al mundo y despierta en su ser un llamado que quizás lo lleve a encontrar esa respuesta que a lo largo de su vida ha buscado por todo el mundo ¿qué sentido tiene la vida? Sin duda alguna se trata de una gran novela histórica, dado que te hace sentir entre las personas y circunstancias de una sociedad viva hace dos mil años; una gran novela bíblica para quienes profesamos esta fe, pues nos permite mirar desde otra perspectiva los hechos ya conocidos e inclusive emocionarnos al redescubrirlos; y un buen libro para aquellos que busquen una lectura amena en la que se discutan cuestiones políticas, filosóficas y religiosas que hoy en día aún causan controversia en el mundo.Recomiendo esta novela acompañada de un buen vino tinto (tanto hacen mención del mismo que en verdad se antoja) en algún lugar árido con vistas al mar, o en su defecto, a un jardín que recuerdo los oasis en medio del desierto.“La fuerza del espíritu- pensó- puede con frecuencia mantener a la muerte a raya y la fe conseguir en ocasiones lo imposible.”
What do You think about Dear And Glorious Physician (1982)?
My mother suggested I read this book about 30 years ago. I really don't like writers who take 30 words to say what 4 words will do, and Taylor Caldwell does just that. I however, fell in love with this wonderful book. It is a fictional account of the life of Luke, of the four gospel fame. It starts with his early childhood and goes thru his life. She weaves a beautiful story of a young man who realized that he would find his happiness in life by serving others. It goes thru his life until after he gathers information about Christ after his death. Luke writes one of the most loving, caring accounts of the Savior's life, gathered by interviewing those who interacted with him. Her story helps you to know Luke and his genuine, caring, interest in humankind.I would recommend this book to everyone.
—Kelly
This book deserves 3 stars, but I feel compelled to give it 2 just to combat all the folks who gave it 4 or 5 stars. I give it 2 as far as how I liked the book, and 3 for the work, devotion, and love that went into writing this.It is just when a reader (me) differs in such tremendous extent from a writer's philosophy, that the reader cannot truly enjoy or appreciate the book.Good points: well written, if verbose and too many descriptions of statues, the sky, the terrain, the trees. But the writing was okay. Characters: some very likeable, like Keptah the Physician, or Diodorus. Bad points: the author states that the Fall of Rome was caused by women being immoral and having too much power.Lucanus, the main character, has a stick up his back passage, and isn't likeable for much of the book, for all that he is definitely, a Saint. He is also a Fool. I thought of him as having Asperger's, so at least I could like him a little bit allowing for all his deficiencies as a man. Basically, Asexual, weird, judgmental, Schizoid. But damn, if I had his skills as a doctor, WOW. That would be, simply, awesome.I am not a Christian, and this book was written for Christians. I love Jesus, in my own way, but this version of The Christ story, to me, was rather silly and didn't inspire to convert from whatever I am to The Jesus Cult. In this book's defense, I highlighted some beautiful sentences or interesting passages, and I would say that it is worth reading, to learn more about Christianity, and if you are already kind of a Jesus Freak, well, it probably won't make you worse and you'd love this book.I do like, that this well-intentioned, very dated version of Jesus depicted as a Superhero, at least emphasizes Peace, Forgiveness, devotion to one's fellow man. If only Christians actually practiced what He preached. Sigh.
—Lenny Husen
Dear and Glorious Physician - Now correctly reviewed under its own title!I read this book (and several others by the author) a long, long time ago. Putting aside the "disciple" aspect of Luke (which wasn't a factor), I read it because a) he was a physician and b) it's set in the early Roman Empire.Since I've always been into science and did lots of Western (i.e. Greco-Roman) Ancient History and took Latin for six years as a teenager, this book hit on all three.From what I remember, I liked the book for its own sake. Her novels tend to be longish and rich with detail and plot. Of course this is a fictionalized account of Luke's life and I am pretty sure that Caldwell takes some expansive liberties with his life story. (Minor spoiler alert!) (view spoiler)[For example, I don't really think he met one of the Emperors! (hide spoiler)]
—Mike
