Why does God exist? How have the three dominant monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—shaped and altered the conception of God? How have these religions influenced each other? In this stunningly intelligent book, Karen Armstrong, one of Britain’s foremost commentators on religious affairs, traces the history of how men and women have perceived and experienced God, from the time … time of Abraham to the present.
The epic story begins with the Jews’ gradual transformation of pagan idol worship in Babylon into true monotheism—a concept previously unknown in the world. Christianity and Islam both rose on the foundation of this revolutionary idea, but these religions refashioned ‘the One God’ to suit the social and political needs of their followers. From classical philosophy and medieval mysticism to the Reformation, Karen Armstrong performs the near miracle of distilling the intellectual history of monotheism into one superbly readable volume, destined to take its place as a classic.
Praise for History of God
“An admirable and impressive work of synthesis that will give insight and satisfaction to thousands of lay readers.”—The Washington Post Book World
“A brilliantly lucid, spendidly readable book. [Karen] Armstrong has a dazzling ability: she can take a long and complex subject and reduce it to the fundamentals, without oversimplifying.”—The Sunday Times (London)
“Absorbing . . . A lode of learning.”—Time
“The most fascinating and learned study of the biggest wild goose chase in history—the quest for God. Karen Armstrong is a genius.”—A.N. Wilson, author of Jesus: A Life
more
Very detailed so not for those looking for a short journey through history of God. But if you want to know the who and why of religions then this is the book for you.
I have read other books by Karen Anderson. This is my favorite. Lots of history of the evolution of people’s understanding of who God is. It is presented in an easy to understand, yet scholarly format. If you wonder why we believe what we are taught about God, this is very eye-opening.
“A History of God” is a brilliant, clearly written study of the three dominant monotheistic religions. Armstrong, an ex-nun, is a well-known and accomplished religious scholar. Beginning with Judaism she writes about the origins of monotheism and the graduation transformations that lead to Christianity and Islam. She continues her history through …
I appreciate the approach that Karen Armstrong takes in each of her books. I believe that we might build mutual respect and understanding among faiths of the Abrahamic tradition by knowing this unique History of God.
Insightful. Itt brought me back to church after a decades long absence.
At the root…perhaps buried too deeply to remember, we share the Source…let’s try to remember.
Provided thoughtful information about how religions have evolved and changed within the context of their place and time in world events
Armstrong has culled the histories of religions to extract a history of cultural beliefs about Gd. If I’m remembering correctly, she’s an atheist with a bit of a chip on her shoulder about Gd. It’s informative cultural history, but not a book about Gd.
Like all of Armstrong’s books (IMO): monotonous prose but superlatively informative.
Excellent scholarship.
A bit tedious.
Paints an engrossing history of Christian thought. Final chapters reveal a shallow, even misleading understanding of science however. Armstrong is a religious scholar, not a scientist, and the first nine-tenths of the book is excellent.
Highly personal appra
The first half was great. Some of the later chapters got a little bogged down and repetitive.
Uh…sort of interesting, but I didn’t finish it.
Was looking for more of a layman’s analysis. This seems written for theologians.
Read anything Karen Armstrong writes. Her work on religion is the truth and wisdom we need today.
Still reading. I read her book Fields of Blood which I found very informative but a difficult read. I find this book also hard to follow with many references to unfamiliar works. I hope to eventually finish but realize I won’t retain much. Probably enjoy it more if I had a better background in the subject.
Excellent history.
Poorly written and researched. Not worth the time or effort.