The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels (Hinges of History)

Editorial Review:

The author of the runaway bestseller How the Irish Saved Civilization has done it again. In The Gifts of the Jews Thomas Cahill takes us on another enchanting journey into history, once again recreating a time when the actions of a small band of people had repercussions that are still felt today.
The Gifts of the Jews reveals the critical change that made western civilization possible. Within the matrix of ancient religions and philosophies, life was seen as part of an endless cycle of birth and death; time was like a wheel, spinning ceaselessly. Yet somehow, the ancient Jews began to see time differently. For them, time had a beginning and an end; it was a narrative, whose triumphant conclusion would come in the future. From this insight came a new conception of men and women as individuals with unique destinies--a conception that would inform the Declaration of Independence--and our hopeful belief in progress and the sense that tomorrow can be better than today. As Thomas Cahill narrates this momentous shift, he also explains the real significance of such Biblical figures as Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the Pharaoh, Joshua, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.
Full of compelling stories, insights and humor, The Gifts of the Jews is an irresistible exploration of history as fascinating and fun as How the Irish Saved Civilization.

Thomas Cahill, author of the bestselling How the Irish Saved Civilization, continues his Hinges of History series with The Gifts of the Jews, a light-handed, popular account of ancient Jewish culture, the culture of the Bible. The book is written from a decidedly modern point of view. Cahill notes, for instance, that Abraham moved the Jews from Ur to the land of Canaan "to improve their prospects," and that the leering inhabitants of Sodom surrounded Lot's lodging "like the ghouls in Night of the Living Dead." The Gifts of the Jews nonetheless encourages us to see the Old Testament through ancient eyes--to see its characters not as our contemporaries but as those of Gilgamesh and Amenhotep. Cahill also lingers on often-overlooked books of the Bible, such as Ruth, to discuss changes in ancient sensibility. The result is a fine, speculative, eminently readable work of history.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

How God changed the world:

Look around his occasional skepticism and viewpoint of higher criticism. This is a classic account of how God changed the world, and how the Jews and their God helped create a civilization to save.
Cahill has a light and at the same time profound touch that hits at the heart.

EXCELLENT:

Excellent book detailing the beginning of the first monotheistic religion
The author tells the story in a wonderful proseful way and most important suggests the importance of the beliefs mentioned in the book to the world.

For Racists:

This is a great book if you are in fact a westerner with very low esteem. It will teach you that everything about you is good and everything about everyone else is bad. But seriously. There are so many untrue things in this book that I am not even going to bother (Nobody wrote linear History except the Jews. Ha! I say it again. Ha! ). If you are generally unreflective and have a need- that deep urge towards group/ social/ racial superioity- by all means purchase this book. If you are reflective, this is not... more info

Intriguing and Clever:

Biased? No.
Fabricated? No.
Exagerated? Not always.
But it is intriguing and clever.
Those who are fond of alternative history might not like the book. But those who follow the Bible to the letter will enjoy reading this book.
The author takes us back to the early days of Judaism, and the birth of monotheism. Abraham, Abaraham, Avraham, whatever, whoever becomes an intriguing and supernatural personality in the book.
His influence on his surrounding and people is... more info

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