
The Jesuit and the Skull
Teilhard de Chardin, Evolution, and the Search for Peking Man
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Narrated by:
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Barrett Whitener
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By:
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Amir D. Aczel
About this listen
For Teilhard, both a scientist and a man of God, the discovery also exposed a deeply personal conflict between the new science and his faith. He was commanded by his superiors to deny all scientific evidence that went against biblical teachings, and his writing and lectures were censored by the Vatican. But his curiosity and desire to find connections between scientific and spiritual truth kept him investigating man's origins. His inner struggle and, in turn, his public rebuke by the Catholic Church personified one of the central debates of our time: How to reconcile an individual's commitment to science and his commitment to his faith.
In The Jesuit and the Skull, best-selling author Amir D. Aczel vividly recounts the discovery of Peking Man, its repercussions, and how Teilhard de Chardin's scientific work helped to open the eyes of the world to new theories of humanity's origins that alarmed the traditionalists within the Church. A deft mix of narrative history and a poignant personal story, The Jesuit and the Skull brings fresh insight to a debate that still rages today.
©2007 Amir D. Aczel (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Editorial reviews
Banished to China by the Catholic Church in the 1920s for his anti-doctrinal ideas about the evolution of humans, Father Teilhard de Chardin struck anthropological gold. His 1929 discovery of Peking man in Java gave science a missing link in the theory of evolution. Amir Aczel writes for all curious readers, regardless of their level of scientific expertise. Narrator Barrett Whitener makes the painless science even easier as he breezes through the French and Chinese names and technical terms. His voice seems reserved and unhurried, a plus when listeners want to absorb all the details without having to rewind. By making the discovery of evolution and its verifying evidence into a fun story, both author and narrator lighten education with entertainment.
Critic reviews
"An absorbing read [and] deeply moving personal story." (Ian Tattersall, curator, Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, and authorof Human Origins)
What listeners say about The Jesuit and the Skull
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Diane
- 01-30-24
Generally accurate and clear
Mispronounced foreign names. No excuse for this in the age of online sources. It’s especially fallout that narrator does this with Zhoukoudian, the often cited find place of Peking Man!
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- Vernon
- 07-30-12
Surprised...
What made the experience of listening to The Jesuit and the Skull the most enjoyable?
Just the history, was very interesting..
Who was your favorite character and why?
Teilhard
What about Barrett Whitener’s performance did you like?
Mellow voice, not harsh or over blown...
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Experience the History of the Mystery....
Any additional comments?
none
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- carolyn
- 03-01-08
A
If you're interested in anthropology and/or Teilhard de Chardin, this is a fascinating listen and an approachable introduction to the subjects. It could easily put most people to sleep, but since I remember much of the flap over the theory of evolution (and being Catholic), I found it a satisfying listen.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Robert T. Jackson
- 06-26-08
Triumph of ideas over dogma
Even the power of the Catholic Church could not silence the truth of science and, ultimately, came to embrace the revolutionary ideas of a thinking priest. Great history. Great story.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- connie
- 10-25-07
More skull than Jesuit
For some time, I’ve wanted to read a spiritual biography of Teilhard – This is definitely not it. It is a good review of the "descent of man" etc, and it brings to life many of Teilhard’s colleagues, but is a very dry, skeletal account of the man himself. After reading it, I have much less interest in reading a spiritual bio of Teilhard (who apparently could be friends with a drug dealing,arms trading fascist and spend decades in China without ever learning local language). Did Teilhard ever come into contact with ideas of some of his French contemporaries like Simon Weil or Peter Maurin or Jacques Maritain? Did he have ANY social philosophy? You won’t find out in this book.
Although a good read, I think those who enjoy reading “science” might find this a bit scanty on documentation?
I think Teilhard’s time has arrived – both in world thought and more specifically in Catholic/Christian mysticism – but Teilhard’s influence on and/or parallels with today’s cosmology is not really explored in this work.
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24 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Richard
- 09-26-09
entertaining and informative
Overall the book was quite good. It was very informative with regard to both Teilhard's life and the paleontology that was the greater art of his life's work. The only frustration for me was that it discussed almost nothing of the content of his attempts to unite science and religion in his theological writings, such as the Phenomenon of Man or the Future of Man or the Divine Milieu. If those ideas had been worked in along with the biography and paleontology it would have been excellent, as it is...its still quite good.
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11 people found this helpful
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- J. H. Robinson
- 06-24-21
Great story
Fascinating look at both Teilhard and the world of 1920s paleoanthropology. Highly recommended to anyone interested in either of the above, and essential for those interested in both.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Douglas Scroggs
- 02-20-20
I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book
I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book I was amazed at the amount of effort put into trying to save Peking man there's one part of the book where all the sudden he says Peking man was fake I went online to look up the DNA evidence I'm sure DNA evidence will put this to rest once and for all until then confusion
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- Jeremy
- 11-08-13
Mundane, fawning, and terrible all around
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
More objectivity and scholarship, less propaganda, bias appeals and half truths
What could Amir D. Aczel have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Hard to imagine
How did the narrator detract from the book?
a little dull
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
nothing redeeming, a waste of time
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1 person found this helpful