In seventeenth-century Lisbon, Jesuit mathematicians taught their students how to build blood-ejecting crucifixes and similar religious devices. Together with the activities of experts in the canonization of Isabel of Portugal and in other contexts, these situations represent rare instances in which religious devotion interacted directly with science. Informed by the histories of science, art, and religion, this essay argues that a piety centered on materiality fostered these scientific practices, which became religious ministries in themselves. This analysis brings new light to lasting debates on science and religion and to the purpose of practicing science in the early modern period.

Recent years have seen a growing body of literature on relations between Renaissance Italy and the Ottoman Empire. One of the major lacunae in this research concerns the role of the Jews in the transmission of Italian humanist ideas. In order to address this topic, this article will focus on the “Crónica de los reyes otomanos” by the Sephardi polymath Moses ben Baruch Almosnino (ca. 1515–ca. 1580). My goal is to identify a shared set of themes present in Almosnino's thought and key fifteenth-century Italian sources on the correlation between magnificence and good government, and also to shed new light on the influence of Italian humanism in the Ottoman world.

The article explores the interpretation of sustainability from the Japanese perspective. Drawing from four case studies, the article asks: how is sustainability interpreted in the context of urban regeneration in Japan? Two case studies (Musashi Kosugi and Kashiwanoha) are high-rise, high-density developments that use new building technology but have little or no attention to the context. UR Yokodai danchi renovation and Kamakura ‘regional capitalism’ are community-led projects that preserve the existing buildings and the local community. These four developments are analysed in relation to sustainability criteria that includes socioeconomic targets and conservation of the townscape. The findings suggest that although Musashi Kosugi and Kashiwanoha are prime examples of urban densification and the use of smart technology, challenges posed by the post-population peak society, oversupply of housing, and consequences of the pandemic question the flexibility and sustainability of these developments. Yokodai danchi demonstrates the potential of postwar housing stock to accommodate sustainable renovation and provide affordable housing. Kamakura ‘regional capitalism’, rooted in joint venture between the local governance, entrepreneurs, and old residents, middle-density and mixed-use urban fabric, can develop into flexible, idiosyncratic, and family-friendly environments. The research suggests that the Japanese government’s new policies such as Super Cities Program should not restrict the vision of sustainable cities to new build developments and that urban densification should not always be taken as a synonym to sustainable city developments.