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Summary: Thomas Cahill's The Gifts of the Jews
Review: ...This book is extremely readable and spellbinding because it is done in the narrative history style almost like a historical novel and because Cahill is always looking for lessons and relationships and has an eye for the critical facts like a great detective. His discussion of the three meanings of God in the Old Testament is rivetting: God as a verb (YHWH as an archaic form of the verb TO BE) which carries the idea of existence and creation, God as an "independent verb" which cannot be magically controlled by uttering the name of God, and God as a "communicating/caring verb" who is always there for us. The first meaning was taken by Saint Thomas Acquinas for the theology of God as the only being whose essence is existence, with all other beings being contingent on God. This is a deep point not only in theology but in the Philosophy of Being. I found the emphasis on the Prophets of the Old Testament and their relationship with God as a voice (of justice) which they heard to be remarkably relevant to the present time when the main voices that are heard are those of politicians having affairs with interns half their age and skipping out on their wives. For all the detailed Jewish customs in the Bible that Cahill omits (for which some editorials criticize him), there is one thing that stands out remarkably in modern times - the Prophets not only did not condone irresponsible behavior, but they preached against it and thereby contributed immeasurably to civilization. When the Supreme Court tells you not to pray in public school, remember that the Prophets through God were our first teachers, and by the grace of God will be among our last teachers
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Summary: Absolutely Terrible
Review: I won't need all thousand words for this. Quite simply this is a shocker - possibly the worst book I've ever read. I have seldom seen worse writing paired with such an interesting topic. Think I'm being nasty? Read the section on the early sexual-religious rites. Quite unlike old Tom's colleagues who he mentions in the forward as being 'shocked' (it's actually very mild, but very out of place in the book) I was just plan sad that so many trees had to die for this rubbish.
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Summary: A book with limited scope and hence, limited impact
Review: In Gift of the Jews, Thomas Cahill's goal is to demonstrate how everything the Western World values are Jewish concepts. Concepts such as progress, freedom, individuality, community, redemption, and the like can trace their origins to the Hebrew Bible. He does this by starting with Abraham and contrasts his relationship with an unseen God (i.e. one that cannot be manufactured out any material substance and hence, one that cannot be manipulated by the worshipper) to the religions in existence in the ancient world with an emphasis on the religious practice of Abraham's attested people, the Sumerians. Through his analysis of the Biblical text, Mr. Cahill shows how the worldview of the Hebrews developed and how the concepts that we, in the Western World, hold dearest were born. In order to do this form of analysis, Mr. Cahill approaches the Five Books of Moses as a man made document developed over many centuries (Biblical Criticism). While this approach is heretical from a traditional point of view, it is critical for Mr. Cahill to implement to show how the development of Hebraic thought out paced that of the rest of the Western, Middle Eastern, and North African thought with regards to the moral and ethical codes we use to this day. While the implementation of Biblical Criticism was crucial to the writing of this informative text, Mr. Cahill's assertion that anyone who believes that God gave the first five books of the Bible to Moses is self-delusional, "scrupulously avoiding all forms of scientific inquiry," is itself lacking scientific validity. With all the work generated on both sides of the Biblical Criticism debate both textual and archeological, it is impossible to know with any certainty which approach is correct. What the author fails to realize is that when the morals and ethics exposed in the Hebrew Bible are taken to be man generated, they can be jettisoned by society as archaic which is starting to happen throughout the Western World. The end result of Biblical Criticism is not a society based on peace and justice for all, but on individual's rights at the expense of that of others.
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Summary: Their History Is Our History
Review: Thomas Cahill's "The Gifts of the Jews" provides an insight into a thousands-year-old civilization that has markedly shaped modern-day Western society. The thought that thousands of years ago a small clan of believers in a mere Voice could have affected the West to the extent that it did is extraordinary. The Jews separated themselves from their contemporary civilizations such as the Assyrians, Egyptians, and Sumerians in their concept of time: the latter three did not really grasp the idea of time, believing that life was cyclical in nature, while the Jews believed time was linear and that the future was dependent on actions of the present. The Jews also emphasized the importance of the individual. Other civilizations believed that only the gods could accomplish great feats, emphasizing deference to the gods and a devalued belief in individualism. Jews, while they revered their God (not gods), believed in the inherent worth of each and every human being inasmuch as each is said to have been created in the image of God. Thus Jews believed that every human being should be treated with dignity and that the rich and well-off had an obligation to assist the poor and marginalized. This view of universal equality among humans can be found in our legal system, where the ideal exists that all men are created equal and that no one is above the law. Regarding law, the foundations of our legal system also trace back to the Jews and the Ten Commandments; although many laws come straight from Rome and Greece, the idea that one should not steal, kill another, or commit adultery came from Mt. Sinai. Cahill writes about the lives of three famous Hebrews: Abraham (Avram), Moses (Moshe), and David. The personalities of each are quite different (Avram a well-to-do Sumerian who was ready for whatever he encountered, Moshe a humble mediator between God and His people, and David a blithe, likeable politician), yet all of them never lose faith in God, regardless of the misfortunes they are faced with. Although the Jews saw time as linear, there is indeed a cyclical nature found in their relationship with God. Throughout their history there have been periods where they have deeply placed faith in God and subsequent periods where they have lost faith in God. Such an ebb and flow is an exemplary allegory to life: everyone goes through highs and lows, but one can always be certain of one thing, and this thought comes straight from the Jews: tomorrow the sun will rise.
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Summary: A wonderful perspective on Jewish civilization
Review: It is wonderful to see Thomas Cahill's perspective on Jewish civilization. Too many popular images of the Jews today are political or sentimental, whether accounts of Middle Eastern politics or funny Jewish New Yorkers on TV. In _The Gifts of the Jews_, Cahill reminds us that Judaism has remained vibrant for so many years because it contains great fundamental ideas. He says that the major gift of Judaism is the concept of Progress. The worth of the individual is another gift, related and potentially even more valuable. Who can read the biblical stories of Abraham and not see their influence on the morality of today's world?
The book was also an understandable overview of ancient history and the bible, a feat that, given the varying nature of biblical narrative, few teachers or writers accomplish. While it's the trend to keep footnotes out of non-academic publications, the book would have been stronger with more direct attribution to its sources. The book is not for those looking from proof of historical facts, it's for those who want to think logically about the ideas we have today. In this respect, the book succeeds. It shows that after 4,000 years, the gift of the Jews is a lasting, comprehensive, and influential outlook, making Judaism deserving of its place among the world's greatest religions.
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Summary: Cahill's best work by far
Review: The Gifts of the Jews is Cahill's second book in his "Hinges of History" series, and his best work to date. Without prosletyzing or moralizing, Cahill clearly and simply elucidates the tremendous intellectual debt Western Civilization owes the Jewish faith. The "gifts" are everywhere - from our concept of law and justice, to the way in which we think about art and literature. Using the Old Testament as a template, Cahill demonstrates just how much of Western Civilization and Western thinking has been influenced by the stories and fables of the Jewish people. The Gifts of the Jews was enlightening, made all the more powerful by the simple, almost conversational tone of the book. It is rare to find a book that deals with religion neutrally while communicating its value and importance to the wider world. I am neither a Christian or a Jew - yet I fully appreciate and am thankful for the gifts of the Jews. I am also thankful to Cahill for bringing this to my attention.
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Summary: exaggerated
Review: How a tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels." This is the subtitle to Thomas Cahill's book The Gift of the Jews. Cahill, like some others, exaggerates the endurance of a single idea impacting history. In his book he makes much of the commandment "Thou shalt not commit murder." It was not an idea that originated with the Jews. If there had been no Judaism, murder would still be proscribed in a lot of societies, because it is considered right for the sake of order and liberty. Judaism was a way of looking at the world that differed from the view of the world of the ancient Greeks, but now we have a new book by Cahill claiming the importance of the Greeks in influencing the world. The Greek manner of viewing the world and the Judaic manner were contradictory -- until many Jews began being influenced by Hellenism after Alexander the Great and before the Maccabaean revolt. Cahill has a book out entitled How the Irish Saved the World -- which I am told includes a fictitious account of Ireland in fifth century. If Ireland had sunk into the sea in the fourth century, the world probably would have managed as well as it has without it.
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Summary: Overrated and Intellectually Insulting
Review: I expected more of Cahill's writing after watching him on a recent CSpan-televised lecture. His subject, aspects of which are fascinating, truly did not contain sufficient material for a book: an edited version would have made for a dandy essay. Some of the issues he raises are, indeed, revelatory (to me, at least), and, okay, those few items made the entire book worth the read; however, much of it seemed disjointed...a stream-of-consciousness ramble full of personal opinion (much of it contradictory), all couched within legitimate facts and pawned off in its entirety as irrefutable truth. This is not a book for the religious: Cahill likely would beg to differ, but it is chock full of what even moderate Christians and Jews would consider blasphemous. God's name, reputation,and motives are slung around just a little too carelessly for my taste.
Finally, I think the title of the entire series (of which this book is part, i.e., "The Hinges of History") is intellectually insulting. This particular volume is pop history written recklessly.
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Summary: A bold title, A very much incomplete work
Review: The title of this book, "The Gifts of the Jews", is very appealing. But this title might be considered as misleading by some readers once they have gone through the book. The title is indeed, bold: How, in over 250 pages, can Thomas Cahill pretend to include the many contributions of these people to the world as it is today, and to "the way everyone thinks and feels"? The book is certainly very much incomplete in that it ignores different aspects of the gifts of the Jews. For example, what is the contribution of the Jews to political ideas in the world? What is precisely their impact on other cultures? What about Israel? What is forgotten? Who is forgotten? In fact, the book is mostly a History of the Jews and Jewish ideas. If the prospective reader is looking for refreshing his memory or learning about the Hebrew Bible and Jewish history in a nutshell, this is an ideal book. Although the beginning of the book is quite slow, one soon feels inspired and captivated by the story. Some of Thomas Cahill's original ideas prove to be vivid and striking, as for example, the interpretation of the name of God (p.110), the implications of the Jews' invention of monotheism (p.156), as well as the meaning of chosenness of the Jews. Moreover, the book is very beautifully told. One thing is sure: Neither the title nor the book itself can leave the reader indifferent. This book allows the reader to discover or rediscover the Jewish heritage present in each and everyone of us, whether Jewish or not, from a fresh and modern perspective. After all, the greatest gift of the Jews is their historical legacy, and Thomas Cahill has perfectly understood this. Nobody should underestimate the contribution of these people to the world as it is today, and to "the way everyone thinks and feels". Anti-Semitism, racism, and intolerance in general proceed from misunderstanding, and hatred but more fundamentally, from an underestimation of all the people's contributions to the World. In other words, from real ignorance. As far as anti-Semitism is concerned, I truly believe that, if only these intolerant people read more (or at all...) on Jewish culture, they could not possibly be anti-Semite anymore. Besides, Judaism is a religion that highly values reading and studying. The best way to learn about Judaism is thus simply to read and study it. And one book, as this one, "the Gifts of the Jews" by Thomas Cahill, helps. Finally, the best advice I can give to people desirous of learning more about the subject, is to turn to more substantial works and encyclopaedias to bring the gifts of the Jews to better light. Two books that are for example very inspiring, are "The Lord is My Shepherd" by Harold S. Kushner, and "Judaism For Everyone" by Shmuley Boteach. To learn about Jewish traditions and spiritual practices, the best book, so far as I am concerned, is the "Jewish Book of Why" by Alfred J. Kolatch.
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Summary: Impractical
Review: If you are looking for practical insight into Judaism, look elsewhere. This book, while well researched, is written in an obscure manner that is not straight forward in delivering its message. While it is worthwhile to read, it did not satisfy my desire to learn about the practical contributions of the Jewish people
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