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

Presented ideas, relationships, and interpretations of the Old Testament that I found compellingly. Provided a structure by which to keep track of characters and times.

Following "How the Irish Saved Civilization", I read volume 2 of Thomas Cahill's Hinges of History series: The Gifts of the Jews.In this bestselling book, Cahill sets out to show that the world we live in and everything we do and think, is purportedly a result of the Jewish "revolution" in history. The concepts expounded in the Bible were a dramatic break from the ancient religions and philosophies, that viewed the world as an endless cycle of birth and death in which human beings had no control over their lives. The Jews broke this way of thinking by defining time as continuous, as moving towards a better future through the decisions of men and women living here and now, in the present. Were it not for the Jews, argues Cahill, the world as we know it would not have come to be; we would have been unable to grasp concepts such as history, future, freedom, faith, hope, individual, justice and pretty much everything else.What a wonderful theory and, as a Jew, I'm obviously all for it. But unfortunately Cahill devotes most of the book not to providing evidence to support this theory, but rather to a recounting of the major stories of the Bible from his perspective. The few profound points he makes about the contribution of the Jews to the world are lost in the endless quotes from the Bible and in Cahill's somewhat simplistic theories about what really happened. For example, do we really need to know that he believes the Red Sea was a marsh and not a sea, or that the Manna the Israelites ate in the desert was most likely some white plant secretion? Such details are numerous and do not contribute to the main idea offered by the author.Cahill does not come through as a particularly believing person and he certainly does not view the Bible as the word of God. Therefore, it is interesting that he uses the following definition for the existence of God:"...the Jews developed a whole new way of experiencing reality, the only alternative to all ancient worldviews and all ancient religions. If one is ever to find the finger of God in human affairs, one must find it here." (p. 246)I wonder if Cahill was aware that this very definition was given by Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of Britain. When asked by Queen Victoria if he can provide proof that God exists, Disraeli (born Jewish himself) thought for a moment and replied: "The Jews, your Majesty".As a believing Jew I particularly liked the way Cahill defines how each and every one of us hears the Voice of God:"Each reader must decide if the Voice that spoke to the patriarchs and prophets speaks to him, too. If it does, there is no question of needing proof, any more than we require proof of anyone we believe in... one does not believe that God exists, as one believes that Timbuktu or the constellation Andromeda exists. One believes in God, as one believes in a friend - or one believes nothing." (p.250)

Going into this book, I had a lot of hope. Cahill's introduction showed promise. He briefly notes how ancient peoples thought in cycles. In other words, time isn't linear but cyclical. What has been, will be again. He then goes on to declare that "the Jews were the first people to...find a new way of thinking and experiencing, a new way of understanding and feeling the world, so much so that it may be said with some justice that theirs is the only new idea that human beings have ever had" (p.5).The first chapter sees Cahill expand on this idea by recounting how ancient peoples thought. He uses The Epic of Gilgamesh and other ancient near eastern writings to describe the worldview and religion of humanity's ancestors. And in so doing, he sets the background for Israel's contrasting worldview.According to Cahill, Israel was the first culture to view time in more linear fashion. Israel saw existence as including a beginning, middle, and end. This becomes especially apparent when we compare Israel's sacred writings with the myths and writings of other cultures. Genesis begins with the word 'in the beginning.' On the other hand, the stories of other ancient cultures often "begin in the middle and end in the middle."Though it might not seem like much, this was a huge accomplishment. This idea that time moves in a direction rather than cyclically helped people develop an adventurous, entrepreneurial spirit. Without this fundamental idea, the history of Western society would have been utterly altered. But this isn't the only gift of the Jews.Cahill also notes how the descendants of Abraham developed a sense of individuality. Whereas the writings of most other cultures lacked references to 'I', the Bible - especially the Psalms - is filled with personal reflection. Scripture also differed from the writings of other people by focusing on normal people. Think of Ruth or Job or even Abraham. These men and women weren't anything special. They weren't heroes or kings. They were just people.So, according to Cahill, the Jews helped humanity see itself as a collection of individuals rather than just a mass. All of these insights are worth considering - especially as a Christian.Unfortunately, the longer the book goes on, the weaker it gets. Cahill spends a lot of time in the early chapters describing these ideas and principles which Judaism bequeathed to Western society. But about halfway through, he exhausts the 'gifts' and ends up simply recounting the history of Israel from scripture. If you've ever read the Bible through, or you know the story of Israel fairly well, the latter half of the book will leave you wanting more.This isn't to say that Cahill does a poor job. He doesn't. I think he tells Israel's story well - hitting all of the high points. I just wish he would have been able to continue presenting different 'gifts of the Jews' in the latter chapters.For those wondering, I should also note that Cahill isn't exactly conservative (though he isn't exactly liberal either). He believes Abraham and Moses were real individuals. He even thinks that scripture communicates the general outline of their stories. Though he argues that scripture is also filled with errors and absurdities.Over all, I moderately enjoyed the book. Though I felt like it could have either been shorter or more fleshed out. My biggest takeaway was the reminder that the Bible and its people are unique in history. If not for Abraham and his descendants, the world - especially the Western world - would be a very different place.

This is a book worth reading because Cahill has a gift, his gift is he has a way with words. Having said that, I don’t necessarily think he is correct in all of his philosophical presuppositions. His treatment of Gilgamesh is outstanding though I think he could have done a better job of exploring the prophets more thoroughly.

Paperback book came carefully wrapped. Brand new copy but not recently released. Have read first chapter. Very pkeased

Study

So far, seems to be a good book. Haven't had much chance to read it more, to give it a fair evaluation.

Okay, parts are slow slow slow. But the one thing I got out of this and really needed to (and so do many who shake their fists at God and don't understand the whole Abraham/Isaac scene) is that the God of Abraham was a forgiving merciful God who didn't force religious prostitution/rape and child sacrifice on His Children (no matter what anyone says). In fact, Abraham was pulled OUT OF THAT pervasive culture and shown a God of mercy who has laws that prevent people from such crimes, when in the Spirit of the Law (Jesus later taught), and shows them how to be (lo and behold) good to each other....well, as much as humans can be compared to Jesus. But if people want to keep thinking "what a meany" for making Abe climb up that mountain and putting him on the spot like that: know from this book and archeology and history that this God, Abraham's God, provides a sacrificial lamb in each "sons" place. Other gods, not so much (not then anyway). That first son is you, my friend. Praise Him for giving us an avenue of escape from our "selves," through the Jews, who showed us Him.

A very interesting presentation of the stories of the patriarchs, and a helpful drawing out of the essence of the ideas that developed and continue to have influence today.

history from a modern perspective. good with the history; light on the gifts. enjoyable read nonetheless.m.e.

this is an interesting take on history specifically asked for by a family member

This book is not difficult to read. Cahill writes well and refers to many interesting facts with good insights and observations

Cahill digs deep into the origins of the Jewish faith. The reader will be fascinated, by how the religion evolved. The book covers many of the Old Testament Bible stories. Cahill then points out; how these Biblical tales, affected and changed Jewish society. Cahill is able to identify various characteristics, that are found within Jewish society. In the early stages, these characteristics were unique to the Jewish faithful. However as time moves on, many of these traits become integrated into mainstream ideology. Cahill points out, that the Jewish faith was the epicentre of many core western vaules. This book was very interesting and provided many new insights into our society.