The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and FeelsKnopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 17/08/1999 - 304 من الصفحات NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The author of the runaway bestseller How the Irish Saved Civilization takes us on another "captivating...persuasive as well as entertaining" journey into history (The New York Times), 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. |
المحتوى
The Jews Are It | 1 |
THE TEMPLE IN THE MOONLIGHT The Primeval Religious Experience | 9 |
THE JOURNEY IN THE DARK The Unaccountable Innovation | 51 |
حقوق النشر | |
11 من الأقسام الأخرى غير ظاهرة
طبعات أخرى - عرض جميع المقتطفات
عبارات ومصطلحات مألوفة
Amos ancient world anointed Avraham Avram BABYLON biblical called Canaan Canaanite century B.C. Children of Israel Commandments covenant culture David death desert Dumuzi earth earthly Egypt Egyptian Enkidu Epic of Gilgamesh episode eternal Euphrates Exodus faith father Genesis Gilgamesh give god-king God's goddess gods Harran heart heavens Hebrew Bible human imagine invention Isaiah Ishtar Israelites Jerusalem Jewish Jews Joshua JOURNEY Judah king kingdom Kingdom of Israel land literature look LORD Lugalbanda ment moon MOONLIGHT Moshe Moshe's Mountain narrative never nomadic NOTES AND SOURCES numbering Pharaoh Philistine priests PRIMEVAL RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE promise prophets Psalms reader religion sacred sacrifice Samuel Sara Sarai Saul Saul's Semitic sexual Shamhat Sinai SLAVERY TO FREEDOM Song of Songs story Sumer Sumerian tablets TEMPLE Terah things thou tion Torah translation TRIBE TO NATION UNACCOUNTABLE INNOVATION Uruk voice warrior wife women words worldview Yaakov YHWH YHWH's Yitzhak