Juhani Sarsilia, . Part I: . Berlin, Bern, et al.: Peter Lang, 2020, pp. 569.

The title of this 3-vols. study promises a wealth of fascinating insight, or does it? For the present review, I had available only vol. 1, but the essential approach, methodology, and concept behind the entire work is clear enough to provide critical comments. The pairing of faith and reason is already virtually an oxymoron, and it is rather doubtful whether they should be regarded as opposites. We can operate as rational, reasonable beings, and yet be faithful. So, the opposition of religion and science, for instance, seems to pursue the wrong goal, and this already in antiquity and the Middle Ages. The subtitle is more informative, but I wonder about that as well because intolerance is basically synonymous with hatred and violence. What, hence, would be the purpose of this study since it focuses on one of the fundamental sources of all history? To me, this sounds like addressing universal, human life in one mighty stroke; we as a species are, unfortunately, violent and tend to be intolerant. Would it not be much more relevant to investigate the history of tolerance, which has been the topic of a number of important studies in recent year (see my own two books from 2018 and 2020, here not consulted).