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Amazon.com Review
Thomas Cahill, author of the bestselling How the Irish Saved Civilization, continues his Hinges of History series with The Gifts of the Jews, a light-handed, popular account of ancient Jewish culture, the culture of the Bible. The book is written from a decidedly modern point of view. Cahill notes, for instance, that Abraham moved the Jews from Ur to the land of Canaan "to improve their prospects," and that the leering inhabitants of Sodom surrounded Lot's lodging "like the ghouls in Night of the Living Dead." The Gifts of the Jews nonetheless encourages us to see the Old Testament through ancient eyes--to see its characters not as our contemporaries but as those of Gilgamesh and Amenhotep. Cahill also lingers on often-overlooked books of the Bible, such as Ruth, to discuss changes in ancient sensibility. The result is a fine, speculative, eminently readable work of history.

From Library Journal
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. (LJ 3/15/97)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Cahill, the author of How the Irish Saved Civilization (1995), turns his attention to how the Jews' concept of one God changed world culture forever. Setting the scene, he offers an extended tour of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), looking at the stories and characters found there with a keen and often-amusing eye. He begins with Avraham (Abraham), who heard a voice and was willing to follow it, and explores how that voice made Avraham's descendants think and believe in ways that were so radically different as to change even the concept of time. When Cahill directly addresses the thesis of his subtitle--the Jews' contributions to the evolution of society--his book is at its most interesting. Particularly insightful is his discussion of the Ten Commandments and how they changed the hearts as well as the behavior of humankind. Although there are numerous points here with which readers may disagree, they will enjoy the thought-provoking and spirited (in both senses of the word) discourse. Ilene Cooper

Customer Reviews

Deceptive but Sellable Book
This book was written as a sensationalist bit of entertainment, not as a serious study of the Jewish legacy. It's a skillful work in that it will leave the uncritical reader believing they have just experienced something enlightening and mind expanding. And this is where the deception comes in. He sets forth his philosophical position and then uses imagination and anachronistic thought attribution to the ancients as well as huge massive generalizations to render a complex and, in some ways, unknowable subject area simplistic and appealing. But nuance and uncertainty are boring and do not sell books, so you wont find any of that here.

Also, there is no presentation of the downside. You know, the mutilation of the sex organs of infant boys, the insane misogyny (see the story of Lot as an example of how they valued women), slavery, etc.

All in all, this is a cynical book that looks to cash in by presenting fanciful ideas and imaginative scenarios as hard fact. If you want the real story, look for books by accredited academics with actual reputations of intellectual integrity. It might be a bit more boring, but you'll see the world through more insightful eyes.

And don't buy this book, it'll just encourage him to write another.

Excellemt Glimpse Into Our Common History
This book should be required reading in that it shows that through our common history, we have more in common with each other, than we have differences.

How God changed the world
Look around his occasional skepticism and viewpoint of higher criticism. This is a classic account of how God changed the world, and how the Jews and their God helped create a civilization to save.

Cahill has a light and at the same time profound touch that hits at the heart.