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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.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Subjects
Bible, Civilization, History, History of Biblical events, Jewish influences, Jews, Judaism, Nonfiction, Western Civilization, History to 70 A.D., Bible. O.T., History of Biblical Events, Large type books, New York Times reviewed, Bible, history of biblical events, o. t., Judaism, history, to 70 a.d., Civilization, history, Jews, history, to 70 a.d.Times
To 70 A.D.Showing 7 featured editions. View all 7 editions?
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"Somewhat more than five millennia ago, a human hand first carved a written word, and so initiated history, mankind's recorded story."
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First Sentence
"Somewhat more than five millennia ago, a human hand first carved a written word, and so initiated history, mankind's recorded story."
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- Created April 29, 2008
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August 5, 2010 | Edited by IdentifierBot | added LibraryThing ID |
April 24, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs. |
April 16, 2010 | Edited by bgimpertBot | Added goodreads ID. |
April 14, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the edition. |
April 29, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record. |