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The Gifts Of The Jews (Abridged): How A Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels Audiobook
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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.
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“Cahill argues that the greatest gifts of the Jews are the linear theory of history (vs. the cyclical theory of other ancients), with its implication that life can get better and avoid decline, and the idea of the equality and dignity of each individual that culminated in the declaration that ‘all men are created equal.’ Other gifts include the concepts of universal brotherhood, peace, and justice.”
— Library Journal
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“Charming and poetic... an entirely engaging, delectable voyage into the distant past. . .a small treasure.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A lovely tale…graceful and instructive.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“He exalts his ancient subject; their hearts, minds and experienes resonate in his compelling contemporary narrative.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Thomas Cahill places the spiritual journey of biblical-era Jewry firmly in a historical context while simultaneously making it come alive in a way that is almost sensory in its immediacy.”
— Jewish Journal -
“Thomas Cahill looks at history with the rigor of a scholar but explains it simply with the skill of a gifted teacher. . .He conveys with a fresh lens a legacy 'so much a part of us' that we scarcely recognize it.”
— Jewish Bulletin -
“In an age crowded with bloated, pedantic tomes, Cahill offers a refreshingly succinct, illuminating, and readable summary of the Hebrew bible’s enduring wisdom and influence.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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About Thomas Cahill
Thomas Cahill, was a historian best known for How the Irish Saved Civilization, which he published in 1995 that made him a publishing star. He was also author of the Hinges of History series. His appealing approach to distant history won the attention of millions of readers in North America and beyond.
About Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom, CBE, is an English film and stage actress, known for leading roles in plays such as Streetcar Named Desire, A Doll’s House, and Long Day’s Journey into Night, along with nearly sixty films and countless television roles, during a career spanning over six decades. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Queen’s birthday honors for services to drama.