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 destiniesa conception that would inform the Declaration of Independenceand 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. show more