Michael Baizerman Author

  My recent contribution to the re-editing project of the initial chapters of my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East," has commenced. View it https://www.academia.edu/143090131/Where_is_the_Heart_of_the_World_The_Location_of_Jerusalem_on_Medieval_Mind_Maps The article places Jerusalem in the center of the papal vision of the Crusades, the pilgrim's desire to visit the Holy City, and the mapmakers' intention to establish the spatial center of the world.  The previous chapters are available: https://www.academia.edu/127139711/What_if_the_Earth_Is_the_Sphere https://www.academia.edu/127881027/How_to_measure_the_Earths_circumference https://www.academia.edu/128448718/How_Long_Spans_the_Inhabited_World https://www.academia.edu/129455182/The_World_as_the_Trefoil My upcoming Zoom lecture titled "The Siege of Chandax," based on the article of the same name, will take place on August 11 . View https://www.academia.edu/126933976/The_Siege_of_Chandax_The_Byza...

  Since the end of March, I have been making progress with my galley proof for "The Enchanting Encounter with the East."  Before making corrections, I checked each unit using my new editorial program. I redesigned many paragraphs, and the list of amendments has topped 70 pages after finishing four units out of six. I imagine my editor will be discontented.  Next week, I will re-edit Unit V, which is the story of Prester John, and if all goes well, I will complete my task by the end of April.  Listeners liked my lecture    "The Saga about Humankind: the View on the Habitable World during the European Middle Ages and the Renaissance." Some of them asked where they could read the book. I directed them to my Academia page,  where they read 18 chapters of my second book (out of 29). The rest I will upload throughout this year.  I will continue to collaborate with the Institute of Integration concerning future lectures.  https://independent.academi...

My next chapter is devoted to the location of Jerusalem on European medieval mind maps. This is the second part (out of four) of Unit 2, titled The Saga of All My Sons, from my book, "The Enchanting Encounter with the East". The site of Jerusalem on the sixth century Madaba Map https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madaba_Map The T-O maps, whose function we cleared up in the previous discussion, centered Jerusalem amid the circle of lands. Image 1: Jerusalem, the Holy City from the sixth century Madaba map mosaic (1) They did it, following in the footsteps of the Hebrew Bible, which draws a convincing picture of the Holy City located at the heart of the world. Ezekiel, the prophet and the enthusiastic creator of this vision, copies the Lord’s very words, announcing: “This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her”. (2) The idea of the centrality of Jerusalem was deeply implanted into the Jewish thought. The Book of...