"An admirable and impressive work of synthesis that will give insight and satisfaction to thousands of lay readers."
THE WASHINGTON PO... read full description
THE WASHINGTON PO... read full description
reviews
Oct 31, 2011
Paul
rated it: 
A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH RELIGION
(You may have already thought of a few, but this is my current thing.)
Religious thought is metaphorical and the constant danger is that the unlettered will take the metaphor literally. For instance, the Holy Trinity in Christianity - sorting out a satisfactory formula expressing the relationships between God the Father & Jesus the Son & the Holy Spirit presented hideous problems which took around 300 years to resolve and - it seems to me - the More...
(You may have already thought of a few, but this is my current thing.)
Religious thought is metaphorical and the constant danger is that the unlettered will take the metaphor literally. For instance, the Holy Trinity in Christianity - sorting out a satisfactory formula expressing the relationships between God the Father & Jesus the Son & the Holy Spirit presented hideous problems which took around 300 years to resolve and - it seems to me - the More...
31 comments
like
(13 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
I still can't decide if it's good or not. That's that problem with being kinda dumb.
4 comments
like
(9 people liked it)
Jan 30, 2008
Leslie
rated it: 
Whew. I thought I'd never finish this book. But two months later, I somehow managed to get to the end. Now, what to say about it?
I started this book knowing a moderate amount about the history of Christianity, a small amount about Judaism, and much too little about Islam. I relied heavily on my previous knowledge of Christianity and Judaism to make sense of Armstrong's extremely dense, often repetitive, and (to use her favorite word) esoteric prose. I found it a real challenge to kee More...
I started this book knowing a moderate amount about the history of Christianity, a small amount about Judaism, and much too little about Islam. I relied heavily on my previous knowledge of Christianity and Judaism to make sense of Armstrong's extremely dense, often repetitive, and (to use her favorite word) esoteric prose. I found it a real challenge to kee More...
0 comments
like
(12 people liked it)
Aug 07, 2008
Palsay
rated it: 
Buku ini memang tebal, hardcover pinjaman neng Erry. Ternyata benar kata broda Graha, meski tebal (dan gada gambarnya ;)), namun tidak membosankan untuk dibaca.
Dalam buku ini, Ms. Armstrong menitik beratkan pada tiga agama samawi di dunia, dengan sedikit meyinggung Buddha, Hindu dan kepercayaan lainnya. Dengan merujuk pada para Tokoh filsafat dan religi dari masa kebudayaan Pagan hingga agama modern, Ms. Armstrong secara sabar menuntun pembaca untuk menemukan benang merah pada ketiga More...
Dalam buku ini, Ms. Armstrong menitik beratkan pada tiga agama samawi di dunia, dengan sedikit meyinggung Buddha, Hindu dan kepercayaan lainnya. Dengan merujuk pada para Tokoh filsafat dan religi dari masa kebudayaan Pagan hingga agama modern, Ms. Armstrong secara sabar menuntun pembaca untuk menemukan benang merah pada ketiga More...
23 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Feb 23, 2008
John
rated it: 
This is one of those books that make me feel woefully deficient in a certain subject. Having never taken a comparative religion class, and in fact bordering on an antiestablishment stance when it comes to organized religion, I can only conclude that this book was not the place to start.
The first couple of chapters which reviewed mankinds evolution from a polythesim to the monothesims of Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam were interesting, and for me blessedly linear and understand More...
The first couple of chapters which reviewed mankinds evolution from a polythesim to the monothesims of Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam were interesting, and for me blessedly linear and understand More...
Jan 03, 2009
Camille
rated it:
If I could give a book six stars, I would give them to this book. I feel like I learned something new on nearly every page.
This book is truly a history book on a grand scale. It reminds me of the type of history Will Durrant wrote, where he would take a period of time and write extensively about all the facets of history within that time. Armstrong, on the other hand, takes just one facet of history and writes extensively about it over a long (4000 year) period of time. Reading it More...
This book is truly a history book on a grand scale. It reminds me of the type of history Will Durrant wrote, where he would take a period of time and write extensively about all the facets of history within that time. Armstrong, on the other hand, takes just one facet of history and writes extensively about it over a long (4000 year) period of time. Reading it More...
2 comments
like
(6 people liked it)
Jan 26, 2010
Sebastian
rated it:
I chose to read this simply because it was in my fathers bookshelf, and it was actually in English...but its turning out to be a really good book. Like the title implies, it talks about the 3 major monotheistic religions and how they've shaped the humans view on a God, or higher power. It doesn't only talks about monotheism, it talks about a wide variety of sources and philosophers. To describe it its basically like one of those "how its made" books but with religious points of view. O
More...
Mar 10, 2008
Barry
rated it: 
This book by Karen Armstrong covers the development of the world's three major monotheistic faiths. Although I am incredibly interested in the subject, this book was a tough read for me. It is very dense with information and I probably ended up skimming the text more than I should have. I'll most likely end up re-reading it some time down the road to gain a greater appreciation of the subject.
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Oct 01, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This book would be difficult to process for anyone who didn't have at least some background in religious studies. It was recommended to me as a great way to "jump in" to the history of Abrahamic religions, but Armstrong's sources and references are obscure and complex. Beyond that, this book is bursting with tons of fantastic comparisons between Abrahamic and Eastern beliefs, and the level of detail in documenting every theological change, movement and debate for the last few millennia
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 14, 2008
Joseph
rated it:
tough read esp the middle part
but basically liked the end because:
(1) for believers - you'll see how the conception of GOD changes through time and it's sort of inevitable ( however real GOD is and can be). We fit GOD into our needs
(2) for atheists - that even at the end of the day when you remove GOD from your life, you'll end up filling that emptiness with sth else. Basically you still need that spiritual stuff there in your brain (whatever you call it)
More...
but basically liked the end because:
(1) for believers - you'll see how the conception of GOD changes through time and it's sort of inevitable ( however real GOD is and can be). We fit GOD into our needs
(2) for atheists - that even at the end of the day when you remove GOD from your life, you'll end up filling that emptiness with sth else. Basically you still need that spiritual stuff there in your brain (whatever you call it)
More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 23, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
While this is an excellent summary of the history of the idea of God in Abrahamic religion, and I highly recommend it, I cannot give it five stars for third reasons. First, the author is overly generous in her assumptions concerning the literal interpretation of myth. For example, she asserts that the creation myths of Sumeria, Canaan, and Egypt were not intended to explain the origins of the world. Second, in her attempts at syncretism she sometimes overlooks very real, significant and extremel
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 18, 2011
Tej
rated it:
I had a really hard time keeping my attention focused on this one, but I think I was more at fault than the writer. I really enjoyed the last three chapters, which covered material that was already familiar to me. I think the words and concepts of the early days of Judaism and Islam were just too foreign for me to absorb. Lots of information to digest and even more thoughts to ponder. It's probably one I'll pick up again when I've done more studying.
As an inside joke to anyone wh More...
As an inside joke to anyone wh More...
Jun 18, 2011
Vivian
rated it:
I highly recommend this book! While it took me a good bit of time to slog through (+/- six weeks, with the occasional light novel thrown in for brain relief!), I learned so much about the three major monotheistic religions: their origins, their changes over time, and their answers to the continuing question of who or what is "God". I could probably have spent six months studying everything Armstrong discusses in this work, since I was tempted many times to go off and find more detailed
More...
Jun 12, 2011
Judy
rated it:
Question: Can you distill a history of the way in which humans have understood and experienced God over the past 4,000 years into one volume? Answer: Apparently, yes. This is a fascinating look at the religious developments and traditions of Jews, Christians, and Muslims from Abraham to the modern age. Armstrong includes the philosophes and mysticism that has been present in all three monotheistic religions over the centuries and clearly places the evolution in religious thought into its hi
More...
May 01, 2011
Sam
rated it:
A must read for any Muslim, Christian or Jew. A must share for anyone with a Muslim, Christian or Jewish friend. A sure conversation starter for anyone with an interest in the Ibrhimic faiths and an interesting (if not overly documented) argument against fundamentalism. There is an incredible amount of documentation of who said what, when they said it, who they said it to and sometimes, why Armstrong thinks they may have said it. She attempts to show that the emphases of the Ibrhimic 'god' h
More...
Jan 19, 2011
Shakeel
rated it:
Hmm...
This is the first time I've read anything by Karen Armstrong. I would say two things about the book. One positive and the other negative.
I think the title should have been "The evolution and history of God". Simply because throughout the narrative, you can see that initially God starts off as a very anthropomorphic being who is actively involved in human affairs, to the being who is transcendent and can't be described.
On the positive side, as More...
This is the first time I've read anything by Karen Armstrong. I would say two things about the book. One positive and the other negative.
I think the title should have been "The evolution and history of God". Simply because throughout the narrative, you can see that initially God starts off as a very anthropomorphic being who is actively involved in human affairs, to the being who is transcendent and can't be described.
On the positive side, as More...
Dec 08, 2010
Laura
rated it:
Part Fascinating, Part Dense: I found this book to be fascinating in parts and really dense in others. I am rating it somewhat low because, while I really enjoyed the ideas, I found the writing style to be very heavy in places and I am holding unto my stars for a more enjoyable read on the topic. The first three chapters were by far my favorite. They deal with the history behind the Old and New Testaments. The middle chapters deal with the evolution of Christian/Muslim/Jewish theology and were l
More...
Sep 03, 2010
Faith
rated it:
From the back:
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, traced the history of how men and women have perceived and experienced God from the time of Abraham to the present.
My review:
Karen Armstr More...
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, traced the history of how men and women have perceived and experienced God from the time of Abraham to the present.
My review:
Karen Armstr More...
Aug 29, 2009
Adrian
rated it:
Armstrong, a former Catholic nun, traces the histories of Christ, Yahweh, and Allah from their common roots to the present, taking brief excursions along the way to explore some of the more interesting and eccentirc sects that have sprung up and usually been exterminated with extreme prejudice along the way. She points out, for example, that all three trace their claims of Truth back to a single man, Abraham, who believed in a god named El, who is none of the three major monotheistic deities of
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jun 14, 2009
Ryan
rated it:
One of the most informative, relevant, and fascinating books I've ever read. It was by no means an easy read. But for the amount of education you get out of it, the read is well worth it.
The author traces the history of monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and shows not only their interconnectedness, but also their literal unity. The detail in the exploration of the history of monotheism was indeed comprehensive - but also appropriate as it shows how religion has developed fro More...
The author traces the history of monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and shows not only their interconnectedness, but also their literal unity. The detail in the exploration of the history of monotheism was indeed comprehensive - but also appropriate as it shows how religion has developed fro More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
May 17, 2009
M Mushthafa
rated it:
URL: http://rindupulang.blogspot.com/2001/07/...
Tuhan yang Menyejarah
Diskusi tentang Tuhan termasuk dalam kategori problem abadi yang tak kunjung mencapai titik final. Setiap zaman, bahkan sejak 4000 tahun yang lalu, manusia sebagai homo sapiens merekonstruksi konsep-konsep tentang Tuhannya. Tak jarang, bertolak dari konsepsi mereka terhadap Tuhan, lahir gerakan-gerakan sosial yang bersifat liberatif atau bahkan juga muncul tindakan “anarkis” demi menegakkan citra Tu More...
Tuhan yang Menyejarah
Diskusi tentang Tuhan termasuk dalam kategori problem abadi yang tak kunjung mencapai titik final. Setiap zaman, bahkan sejak 4000 tahun yang lalu, manusia sebagai homo sapiens merekonstruksi konsep-konsep tentang Tuhannya. Tak jarang, bertolak dari konsepsi mereka terhadap Tuhan, lahir gerakan-gerakan sosial yang bersifat liberatif atau bahkan juga muncul tindakan “anarkis” demi menegakkan citra Tu More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 11, 2009
Eric_W
rated it:
I know I'm an atheist and all, but I still enjoy Armstrong. Wrote this review several years ago:
Rarely does one come across a book that is recognized as erudite, essential, and readable simultaneously. Karen Armstrong's The History of God has brilliantly analyzed the rise of fundamentalism as a reaction to the emphasis on logos of the Enlightenment as opposed to mythos that had been essential to one's view of the world. "The economic changes over the last four hundred years hav More...
Rarely does one come across a book that is recognized as erudite, essential, and readable simultaneously. Karen Armstrong's The History of God has brilliantly analyzed the rise of fundamentalism as a reaction to the emphasis on logos of the Enlightenment as opposed to mythos that had been essential to one's view of the world. "The economic changes over the last four hundred years hav More...
0 comments
like
(5 people liked it)
Jan 14, 2011
Joe
rated it:
I remember when my friend, Jane Williams, recommended this book to me. Jane figured that as much as (she reckoned) I knew about church history I would really enjoy it. Well, when I finally picked it up and—after one false start—pushed all the way through 2-3 pages at a time, I just kept wondering how many times I would have to read through this tome to start hanging onto the names and dates and theaters and shapes in this incredibly comprehensive history of religious thought…3-4-5-6 times? P
More...
Jan 04, 2012
Vincent
rated it:
Is Armstrong a good writer? Yes.
Is she knowledgeable? Immensely.
But is she credible??? Here I have my doubts.
She should have been more careful in her introduction. Some quotes...
"I entered a religious order..."
"I applied myself to apologetics, scripture, theology..."
"I delved into the history of monastic life..."
"I wrestled with myself in prayer, trying to force my mind to encounter God..."
"[ More...
Is she knowledgeable? Immensely.
But is she credible??? Here I have my doubts.
She should have been more careful in her introduction. Some quotes...
"I entered a religious order..."
"I applied myself to apologetics, scripture, theology..."
"I delved into the history of monastic life..."
"I wrestled with myself in prayer, trying to force my mind to encounter God..."
"[ More...
Jan 27, 2008
Matthew
rated it:
This is a fascinating book, and I love Karen Armstrong's insights. It gets pretty dense in the middle, but that seems unavoidable. I feel like I'm going to have to read it over and over again to start to get my mind around a lot of the more obscure theology and to have a better appreciation of different mystical sects and movements. But I don't feel like that will be a chore at all.
Jan 31, 2012
Gary
rated it:
A tour de force through the history of the predominant Western human conceptions of God that have emerged, changed, co-merged, diverged, died out, and re-emerged across the centuries, across regions and cultures, and within religious communities.[return][return]While Armstrong does have a personal perspective in her writing, she is a powerhouse in history of religion.[return][return]If one is wanting a contemporary scholarly overview of the historical origins and developments of Judaism, Christi
More...
Dec 30, 2010
Gabriel
rated it:
A comparative study of the three dominant branches of Western monotheism (sorry Zoroastrians), Karen Armstrong’s densely worded and largely unselfcritical “A History of God” is a well-intentioned but disappointing effort. Armstrong makes broad assertions about religion’s role, value and transformation in various societies, without giving the reader a proper historic context or, critically, asserting how we know what we know about the subject. She describes many interesting parallels between cu
More...
Dec 06, 2009
Anggun
rated it:
stop in the mid of book, maksud hati ingin mendapat pencerahan terkait sejarah agama2 monoteisme tapi bukannya semakin tercerahkan tapi malah semakin bingung. mungkin sebaiknya harus memiliki pengetahuan teologi yg memadai terlebih dahulu sebelum membaca buku ini.
buku ini juga menunjukkan bahwa Tuhan terlalu besar dan agung untuk dibahas dan dipahami secara rasional. perubahan definisi dan pemahaman akan Tuhan di tiap jaman dan bangsa bukan berarti bahwa Tuhan selalu berubah2 mengikuti pe More...
buku ini juga menunjukkan bahwa Tuhan terlalu besar dan agung untuk dibahas dan dipahami secara rasional. perubahan definisi dan pemahaman akan Tuhan di tiap jaman dan bangsa bukan berarti bahwa Tuhan selalu berubah2 mengikuti pe More...
Dec 29, 2008
Chase
rated it:
From the knowledge that this book imparted, I either learned some more history of religion or reinforced what I already know; however, during my reading I noticed a couple startling points that constantly made me hesitate.
1. While talking about the ideas/opinions others had of God, she would write positive things about that religion. Given how it many parts of the book are written you cannot be sure if she is paraphrasing that particular person or stating something she believes. Afte More...
1. While talking about the ideas/opinions others had of God, she would write positive things about that religion. Given how it many parts of the book are written you cannot be sure if she is paraphrasing that particular person or stating something she believes. Afte More...
Apr 14, 2009
Jason
rated it:
If I could memorize one page of this book I would appear a genius on the subject...it's objective, informative, insightful, and brilliant! I went to Parochial (aka Orthodox Catholic) school for K-12 and I feel that this book has addressed the majority of the nagging questions I was left with after my childhood experiences. This book is exactly what I was looking for and exactly what anyone looking for a deeper understanding of humankinds 5,000+ year endeavor to find meaning in life through the
More...
