God of Battles

by Peter Partner

What makes a war "holy," and who decides that it is? God of Battles examines the origins of holy war, and how it affects the modern world. Peter Partner shows how the ideal of the crusade, "God's War," came to permeate medieval Christendom, and how it influenced later Western societies, especially in their attitudes to colonialism. Above all, this book examines the reasons behind the fear that Islamic fundamentalism excites in the West. From the pre-Christian era to the Gulf War, this book places the jihad of the East and the Crusade of the West in their historical context, and warns against allowing crusading war propaganda to affect our judgments today.

Genres: History

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[David Ingrum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having seen this book on sale at a local used book store, I looked forward to reading it. I found the subject matter discussion very informative. However, the lack of organization in the style of writing employed by the author was very disappointing. Run-on sentences, "jumping around" in dates and subjects from paragraph to paragraph, and constant asides, rendered the text nearly incoherent. Had it been possible, I would have given this book two and one-half stars.