Description
Book SynopsisTells the story of a long-forgotten criminal case: the poisoning of the communion wine in Zurich's main cathedral in 1776. This work shows how this affair became a cause celebre, the object of a lively public debate that focused on an issue much on the minds of intellectuals in the age of Enlightenment: the problem of evil.
Trade Review"Freedman weaves together an erudite cultural history with obvious implications for our own age of commonplace random violence."--Publishers Weekly "Freedman branches out into the world of ideas, persuasively connecting the debate about the poisoned wine to rationalism to rationalism and the problem of evil, the relationship between Enlightenment and religion, and the interpretation of historical evidence itself. Along the way, however, he never loses grip of a strong narrative thread featuring sinister happenings [and] political intrigue. A Poisoned Chalice is the real thing an elegantly organized and impressively readable book by a talented historian."--Christopher Tayler, The Sunday Telegraph "Freedman's witty and well-told story lays out Zurich's bizarre criminal justice system in the context of the era's religious, political and philosophical tensions, and offers fascinating speculations on crime and radical evil."--Lev Raphael, Detroit Free Press "Freedman's detective work takes the reader on an extraordinary journey. He moves with great elegance and skill from the politics of Zurich to the wider world of the German Enlightenment: his book is a tour de force."--Joachim Whaley, Times Literary Supplement "Mr. Freedman is a historian who has a lively, thought-provoking style, and who is not afraid to risk a judgement... [He] has a real passion for the important issues at stake here."--Nigel Williams, Daily Telegraph "This book is an insightful work of microhistory that should rank with Carlo Ginzburg's The Cheese and the Worms and Natalie Zemon Davis's The Return of Martin Guerre."--Robert Anchor, American Historical Review "In addition to exploiting a good mystery's appeal to readers ... Freedman crafts his story to address serious intellectual issues... The book that results is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating--imagine, if you will, a Name of the Rose based on real sources."--Randolph C. Head, Central European History "The story itself is a rollicking good one, filled with colorful characters... The author's breezy prose keeps the story rolling along and his narrative choices preserve the mystery of a good whodunit... Freedman's bold interpretation of the Enlightenment and his successful repositioning of arguments about radical evil to the center of debate are breathtaking achievements. They are also, in their implication, profoundly disturbing."--Mary Lindeman, Journal of Modern History
Table of Contentslist of Illustrations ix Preface xi Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1. Murder in the Cathedral 8 CHAPTER 2. Proof and Persuasion 32 CHAPTER 3. "Not Wirz, Not the Gravedigger" 53 CHAPTER 4. The Enlightenment in German-Speaking Europe 80 CHAPTER 5. "And God Fell Silent": The Enlightenment on Trial (I) 93 CHAPTER 6. Radical Evil: The Enlightenment on Trial (II) 126 CHAPTER 7. The Sword of Justice 139 CHAPTER 8. The Search for Truth 154 Notes 161 Bibliography 213 Index 227
