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

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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