- AUTHOR: Thomas. Cahill
- PUBLISHER: Nan A. Talese; First Printing edition (1998)
- ISBN: 978-0385482486
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.