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

Rating:
Summary: now I know how He did it
Review: This is a wonderful book, even if, in literary terms, Cahill is a somewhat limited / journalistic writer. It has helped me to understand what was going on in the Old Testament and relieved my irritation at some of the more frustrating aspects of this eternal work - the lists, the prescriptions etc. etc. Now I can read the OT with greater understanding - a good primer. His "modernization" tactics are a bit unnerving, but, once I got used to them, I managed to proceed quite well. The most exciting fact: now I know how all the words of the Ten Commandments managed to appear on those relatively little tablets Charlton Heston brought down from the mountain - one word Commandments - great!

Rating:
Summary: Cahill: Exaggertation and distortion, not elucidation
Review: I found this book to be an insult to one's intelligence, completely undeserving of the book jacket claim to having been written with the "rigor of a scholar." Had I, as a freshman at Wellesley College, attempted to make vast and unsubstantiated claims such as Cahill makes on nearly every page of this book, I would have flunked every course I took. The Jews were the only ones to value education and records of geneology? These claims are offensive to put it mildly. The Jews changed the way everybody thinks and feels? Where are Cahill's sources? Where is his bibliography? We get a note in the back that Cahill had permission to excerpt from a song by Bob Dylan, but no reference to books about ancient Sumeria or the cultures he dismisses so breezily. What about China, with the greatly advanced civilization they developed? What about every explorer from the time of the cave man who ventured out and away from his or her immediate tribal group? During the same week that I was reading Cahill, PBS rebroadcast a remarkable and thoroughly researched scientific program about "The Journey of Man" and the earliest journeys taken from Africa which eventually peopled the world with homo sapiens. What a difference between the approach of this brilliant and convincing presentation of the genetic history of mankind and that of Cahill and his foolish oversimplifications.
Cahill, do you ever look beyond your own convenient theory which you want to turn into a best-selling book which panders to a certain audience? Count me out. If this work is "scholarly" and you are depicted as having the skills of a "gifted teacher" then I fear for the present generation and its ability to look at and think deeply about history or any other subject. This book is to good scholarship as MacDonald's is to nutritious food.

Rating:
Summary: well-written, enjoyable read, even if you disagree...
Review: PERSPECTIVE: theologically interested reader, unfamiliar with Cahill's work

The Gifts of the Jews is a wonderfully written exploration of the pivotal role the Jewish people have played in the shaping of our modern perceptions and life, irregardless of faith. Cahill brings extensive theological and historical training to bear, and goes to great lengths, including travelling the world, to do research for his chosen topic. His thesis, as he calls it, is that the Jewish people were the first to break out of the "cyclic boredom" of ancient world views. Through their culture, beliefs, and history, they have given the entire modern world crucial "gifts" of individuality, prospective thinking, freedom, justice, and many more. To illustrate this, he uses a wide variety of historical documents, texts, and commentaries, including several translations of the Hebrew Bible, and weaves them together with a style that is remarkably eloquent, delightfully funny, and impressively accessible.

Whatever your religious or political beliefs, this thought- (and spirit-, if you are so inclined) provoking novel worth a read. Although it is, at its heart, an academic treatise, and as such is eminently open for debate, as exemplified by the many editorial discussions - with much heated agreement and dissention - it is important to note that it is easily enjoyable on a different level.

FINAL WORD: Read this book! Buy it, check it out from the library, or buy it and donate it to your local library.

Rating:
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.

Rating:
Summary: From a tenth-grader's mouth:"I loved The Gifts of the Jews"
Review: I have always believed that reading "good" books is important in forming our ideas, and this book reasserts that belief. The Gifts of the Jews, by Thomas Cahill, is not for the strong of traditional views. I myself was interested, not only because it is a comprehendible look at the Old Testament events (and I needed to do something else for religion when I missed watching the movie necessary for project #1), but it also explains why Judaism is so key in the development in Western civilization. The Jews broke away from the concepts of other cultures in the same epoch, from the idea that everything repeats and nothing new could occur, and set out to follow a Voice and a new way. The thoughts Cahill projects are clear and interesting, never leaving me bored with the book. I strongly recommend this book anyone who is open to a more modern reading of the Biblical translation, not in a politically correct inclusive way but in the language of now, and is just starting to understand.

Rating:
Summary: Gee-Whiz!
Review: Much of this book is a rehash of Sumerian legend from Gilgamesh and biblical stories from Genesis and Exodus, without getting into the unique characteristics of the Jews that made them so important to present civilization. Eventually he does get into the subject, but in such a peripheral way that he seems to be straining to try to make his argument. He should have concentrated more on those aspects of Judaism that have truly shaped the west (and he says the undeveloped world also, but that seems to be a real stretch) rather than try to show us that he has read the Old Testament and various versions of Gilgamesh. There is much less to this book than would appear, and his gee-whiz style starts to grate on the reader, at least on this reader.

Rating:
Summary: A Unique View
Review: In "The Gift Of The Jews", Thomas Cahill advances the theory that the Jews introduced unique world views. In his view the Jews, unlike antecedent societies, viewed history as progressive, not cyclical. The Jews recognized the worth of each individual rather than seeing people only as members of a group. The Jews see human action as making a difference, rather than being the results of unalterable fate. The Jews see God as a person who talks with His people and who invites them to have a personal relationship with Him.

Cahill makes his case by telling the history of the Jews as told in the Old Testament, from the call of Abraham to the return form the Babylonian Captivity. Through his selection of Biblical stories he demonstrates the evolution of the Jewish world view over the millennia.

This book's depiction of the evolution of the Jewish understanding of God and man's relationship to Him makes for a very interesting read. It is generally consistent with what I had learned in collegiate scripture classes.

From the perspective of an analysis of development of Jewish thought as reflected in the Bible, it is very good. My only question is whether the insights identified as being Jewish are truly unique. Cahill says yes, but I lack the knowledge to form an independent judgment. Overall, it is a fascinating book concluding with challenging questions for all readers.

Rating:
Summary: well-written, enjoyable read, even if you disagree...
Review: PERSPECTIVE: theologically interested reader, unfamiliar with Cahill's work

The Gifts of the Jews is a wonderfully written exploration of the pivotal role the Jewish people have played in the shaping of our modern perceptions and life, irregardless of faith. Cahill brings extensive theological and historical training to bear, and goes to great lengths, including travelling the world, to do research for his chosen topic. His thesis, as he calls it, is that the Jewish people were the first to break out of the "cyclic boredom" of ancient world views. Through their culture, beliefs, and history, they have given the entire modern world crucial "gifts" of individuality, prospective thinking, freedom, justice, and many more. To illustrate this, he uses a wide variety of historical documents, texts, and commentaries, including several translations of the Hebrew Bible, and weaves them together with a style that is remarkably eloquent, delightfully funny, and impressively accessible.

Whatever your religious or political beliefs, this thought- (and spirit-, if you are so inclined) provoking novel worth a read. Although it is, at its heart, an academic treatise, and as such is eminently open for debate, as exemplified by the many editorial discussions - with much heated agreement and dissention - it is important to note that it is easily enjoyable on a different level.

FINAL WORD: Read this book! Buy it, check it out from the library, or buy it and donate it to your local library.

Rating:
Summary: Cahill: Exaggertation and distortion, not elucidation
Review: I found this book to be an insult to one's intelligence, completely undeserving of the book jacket claim to having been written with the "rigor of a scholar." Had I, as a freshman at Wellesley College, attempted to make vast and unsubstantiated claims such as Cahill makes on nearly every page of this book, I would have flunked every course I took. The Jews were the only ones to value education and records of geneology? These claims are offensive to put it mildly. The Jews changed the way everybody thinks and feels? Where are Cahill's sources? Where is his bibliography? We get a note in the back that Cahill had permission to excerpt from a song by Bob Dylan, but no reference to books about ancient Sumeria or the cultures he dismisses so breezily. What about China, with the greatly advanced civilization they developed? What about every explorer from the time of the cave man who ventured out and away from his or her immediate tribal group? During the same week that I was reading Cahill, PBS rebroadcast a remarkable and thoroughly researched scientific program about "The Journey of Man" and the earliest journeys taken from Africa which eventually peopled the world with homo sapiens. What a difference between the approach of this brilliant and convincing presentation of the genetic history of mankind and that of Cahill and his foolish oversimplifications.
Cahill, do you ever look beyond your own convenient theory which you want to turn into a best-selling book which panders to a certain audience? Count me out. If this work is "scholarly" and you are depicted as having the skills of a "gifted teacher" then I fear for the present generation and its ability to look at and think deeply about history or any other subject. This book is to good scholarship as MacDonald's is to nutritious food.

Rating:
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.