History and Presence

In his book "The Holy Invasion: Conquest, Conversion, and the Reformation of the World," Robert Orsi offers an alternative to the future of religion that early moderns predicted was inevitable. He explores the Catholic experience of God's presence through the material world, recapturing the idea of God's breaking into the world and explaining the difficulties and values inherent in recognizing God in the world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 11 June 2018
Publisher: Harvard University Press

The renowned historian and scholar of religion, Robert Orsi, presents an alternative vision to the future of religion, challenging the notion that it was inevitable as proclaimed by early modern thinkers. In his profound exploration, Orsi delves into the metaphysical debates that unfolded in the sixteenth century, exploring the nature of Christ's presence within the host. His evocative portrayal of the full reality of the holy in the world is filled with wonder and horror, captivating readers.

"Orsi's evocation of the full reality of the holy in the world is extremely moving, shot through with wonder and horror." - Caroline Walker Bynum, Common Knowledge

"This is a meticulously researched, humane, and deeply challenging book. The men and women studied in this book do not belong to 'a world we have lost. They belong to a world we have lost sight of." - Peter Brown, Princeton University

"A brilliant, theologically sophisticated exploration of the Catholic experience of God's presence through the material world... On every level—from its sympathetic, honest, and sometimes moving ethnography to its astute analytical observations—this book is a scholarly masterpiece." - A. W. Klink, Choice

"Orsi recaptures God's breaking into the world... The book does an excellent job of explaining both the difficulties and values inherent in recognizing God in the world." - Publishers Weekly

"This book is classic Orsi: careful, layered, humane, and subtle...a thought-provoking, expertly arranged tour of precisely those abundant, excessive phenomena which scholars have historically found so difficult to think." - Sonja Anderson, Reading Religion

Weight: 544g
Dimension: 203 x 182 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674984592