A History of Ireland: How Religion Poisoned Everything Has Jesus, acknowledged as the most influential person in world history, really made any difference?This book traces the development of the early Christian church from its setting in the ancient world of Greek and Roman hegemony and Jewish roots through the life of Jesus through the writing of the New Testament and the developing of theology across the first 100 years. "Divertingly instructive—gratifying—. The outlines of the story are well known, to say the least. The most amazing parts of the book are the translations of the Gospel from the original language. It provided a lot of insight into the context of Jesus and the birth of Christianity. The best chapter of all is on Paul, whose theological contributions are beautifully recapitulated for the layperson (Cahill also rightly highlights "Paul's perceptiveness, even craftiness, in dealing with other human beings"). Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Also, the authors ability to really dive into the difficulties of translating a meaning or idea from one language to another was fascinating. From his beginnings in the cosmopolitan city known as Tarsus through his calling, like the patriarchs and prophets before him, he becomes "the perfect vehicle for this moment in the development of the Jesus Movement."

So why do I read Thomas Cahill's books?

The third installment of the "Hinges of History" is Cahill's latest gift to us. Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus (Hinges of History Book 3) Although this idea is by no means original, Cahill presents Jesus with infectious energy, and his take on Mary is certainly fresh.

Whether you hold any Judeo-Christian beliefs or not, Cahill makes a compelling case for their influence on the modern Western world. This is one book that ought to be on every Christian's bookshelf and read frequently. Then, in turn, he examines each of the New Testament authors, showing how they were shaped and how they shaped later Christianity.

It was pretty depressing.This book started out so well!

I enjoy Cahill's easy to read style, full of anecdotes that not only gets the message across but makes you want to read more.

This always bothers me since we actually have a lot of very early manuscripts.Cahill's work is as much a bold historic narrative as it is a theological commentary. Please try againSorry, we failed to record your vote. For all these reasons, the diaspora cities of the first century saw a marked increase in gentile initiates to Judaism. They possessed a dignified library of sacred books that they studied reverently as part of this weekly reflection and which, if more than a little odd in their Greek translation, seemed to point toward a consistent worldview. Cahill is a believer, but he's a scholar as well, and he points out that not everything taken for granted as dogma was understood as such at every stage of development.

Too bad they are mostly of the world and not-so-much of the spirit governed by a group of people who co-opt the name and leave all the caring concepts - love, gentleness, inclusivity, non-judgement - entirely out of the picture.I've see-sawed time and time again with the religions of the world.

Buy Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus (Hinges of History) Reprint by Cahill, Thomas (ISBN: 8601400420324) from Amazon's Book Store.

The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels (Hinges of History Book 2) Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App.

the book was in good condition and arrived on time.

(114) Each of these authors' lives is reconstructed in such a way that the richness of their writing and their subject matter is wonderfully enhanced. I only had a vague understanding of the ways Christianity changed from a belief in a Messiah to the belief in God dwelling among men, and Cahill does a great (and downright entertaining) job of charting the changes between each Gospel and the work of Paul.