Biased? No.
Fabricated? No.
Exagerated? Not always.
But it is intriguing and clever.
Those who are fond of alternative history might not like the book. But those who follow the Bible to the letter will enjoy reading this book.
The author takes us back to the early days of Judaism, and the birth of monotheism. Abraham, Abaraham, Avraham, whatever, whoever becomes an intriguing and supernatural personality in the book.

His influence on his surrounding and people is predominant.

His relations with a powerful contemporary Sumerian civilizations shed light on several socio-religious conditions and factors that catapulted the creation of the Hebrew vision of the world.

The book is intriguing. Historical facts mixed with personal opinions in every single chapter. A sort of personal interpretation of the multiple phases of the Hebraic history. Nevertheless, this book is stimulating and well-written with fervor, lots of intellect, and above all creative historical visions. You should read it.

The Gifts of the Jews, by Thomas Cahill is a very intriguing, yet complex and opinionated book. Thomas Cahill is am American scholar and writer, and is most well known for his series of books called the Hinges of History, which tell the story of Western Civilizations roots. The Gifts of the Jews is the second book in The Hinges of History collection. The Gifts of the Jews is about what the Jewish people did in the earliest of civilizations to begin to shape the civilization that we now have. The book begins by talking about the beginning of civilization, and Cahill uses it to break in his view about how the Jews changed ancient civilization by thinking outside of the world that everyone was stuck in. Chapter one goes on to talk about and tell stories of Sumer, the first civilization. It talks about Gilgamesh, who was supposedly half human half God, and King of Uruk (A city in Sumer). Cahill talks about ancient symbols, and what they mean, and then goes on to talk about how civilization in the time of Sumer was going in a never-ending circle, round and round. From there, he begins to talk about the bible's Abram (who became Abraham). His family was one of Semites, who had settled in the city of Ur. Cahill goes into stories about the Bible and of ancient Sumer, including stories about Isaac and Sarah. The next chapter goes into how Abraham had a different kind of thinking about God then everyone else at that time, and preached to his family and beyond. Then goes into how Joseph was brought to Egypt because he could allegedly read dreams, and brings the rest of his family to Egypt in his new power position. He then tells stories of Egypt that are from the Bible, and talks about Jewish people in Egypt sending their babies down the Nile River to save them, and one happens to be Moses, who is picked up by an Egyptian. Moses goes on to become an Egyptian prince, but kills an Egyptian guard who is striking one of his slave brothers, and has to leave Egypt. When he is traveling, he sees out of the corner of his eyes, a burning bush, and this is where he first talks to God. God leads him on a mission to free the Jewish people from being slaves in Egypt. When the Pharaoh does not listen to Moses, God gives Egypt the Ten Plagues. Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt, only to travel the desert for forty years before he allows them to settle in Canaan. Moses is dead by this time, and they need a new person to lead them into Canaan, so Joshua, Moses' young general, leads the Israelites across Jordan to the "promised land." The Israelites reach a conclusion that they need a king, so they ask God, and God elects a man named Saul. Saul becomes a great leader, winning wars on neighboring enemies, but is not anymore liked by God. Cahill then goes on to talk about the story of David and Goliath, Goliath, the supposedly nine foot tall soldier who challenged Israel in one on one combat for the enslavement of the loser's people. David, learning that he can become rich if he challenges and wins, decides to accept the challenge, but at first, Saul will not allow him because it is an unequal challenge, but David convinces him by telling him that God wants him to fight. David wins the battle, and after a long sequence of events, becomes the new King of the Israelites. The chapter concludes with Cahill saying how his interpretation of David is of being Gods "little finger." Just doing whatever God wants him to, and showing only a little amount of courage, which is when he stands up to and fights Goliath. David's throne goes to his son Solomon, who Cahill says runs things very poorly, so that when Solomon dies to pass on his throne, it is to late to save and the United Kingdom of Israel dies. In the last chapter, Cahill talks about his view of everything, how he interprets certain events, that I feel are through a very opinionated view and that he does not give sufficient evidence for. The Gifts of the Jews is a very complex book, and I do not feel that it is an easy book to read. It goes very in-depth to events that were written in the Bible or Torah and Cahill tends to say how he feels about each story. I recommend reading this book if you are interested in reading about ancient civilizations and the path that the Jews went on throughout it, but I recommend reading lighter books about the subject before, because there is not very much explanation about people or places.

Boring book but it did arrive in good condition as described. But a very boring read. Thanks

Cahill's Gift of the Jews is a terrific and fairly unique exposition of the scholarship about the ancient Jews and what they did and how it has influenced civilization. He is one of the best historical writers out there and this book is fabulous in being accessible to the non-scholar and especially engaging to those interested in religion and how it has influenced society, directly and indirectly.

Book arrived in great condition. I gave it to my son as a gift. Cahill is great too.

I found this book to be so biased as to be virtually a tract of propoganda. As someone who is not Jewish or Christian, although familiar with both faith traditions, I found the boundless admiration expressed by Cahill to be shallow, uncritical and unexpected. I have read three of his other books, and enjoyed their mulit-faceted summaries of the cultures involved; in this one, I think Cahill's theological background took precendence over his academic analysis, resulting in a much weaker book.

Well, this was a change from the other Hinges books, and is definitely my least favorite. The other books are popularized histories: this reads like a long, rambling essay; it's embellished to the point of ridiculousness in places; and the folksy recap of the Bible is not only annoying, but a classic example of a blind man describing an elephant. Cahill doesn't "get it," not at all, not even slightly, and he tries to "take charge" of the Bible with a combination of buzzwords and sly interjections of his own opinions.

It gets a 3 because it was fun light reading. If you're easily offended, look elsewhere; if you know nothing about the Bible, Judaism, Christianity, etc, but would like to, start elsewhere. The subject deserves a more accurate, dignified, and less "state of the question" (as Screwtape so aptly put it) introduction.

Cahill has a fondness for speaking in hyperbole, I think, which is honestly a bit of a turn-off from his writing. He relies heavily on sweeping generalizations and a very casual way of speaking that would have had my professors going crazy had I employed the same style in my own writing.

However, it DOES make for an enjoyable read, and as long as you can ignore some of the more blatant blanket statements, he brings up some very interesting points. It's indeed true that the Children of Israel had a very profound impact on how much of the world today views time, space, and their relationship with the divine. I am not attempting to say, as Cahill does often, that the Hebrews were the first to think of a lot of these revolutionary ideas, but the fact is that they're the ones who first spread those ideas easily.

I appreciate the amount of effort he went in explaining the Biblical Hebrew's relationship with God and the relationship that their concept of God had with the rest of the local world.

All in all, I found this a very interesting and thought-provoking work, although it's far too casual in style and presentation to be considered a scholarly piece. Still, I think it's well worth a read for anyone who is interested in Judaism and Jewish culture.

Dr. Cahill's text serves as a very brief overview of a topic with great depth but does not promise to be anything other than that. It is not written in a style which looks to present a fully academic, detailed historical reprise of Judaism. Instead, it is written with one (blatantly stated) intention: That the Judaism and its concept of God are foundational for the West (and indeed for the world).

In light of this, Cahill explains those Jewish dispositions which grew as they came to realize (and experience) a God who was more than a deity of cyclical immutability. While he presents some of his arguments in terms which are somewhat caustic toward other cultures, he does not stray from this pivotal realization in history. The Jewish experience has influenced Billions of people (through Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and all the societies which they have encountered). Indeed, some scholars like Hans Urs von Balthasar would argue that it is impossible to view post-Christian civilizations as though they were unaffected by the ontological and praxeological reflections of Christianity.

Because of this influence, the Judeo-Christian realization of human dignity in the Image of a freely-loving, creative God is a leaven for the world which was truly a hinge of history. While Cahill sometimes uses imagery which (as he even admits) is somewhat questionable, his central point remains true and is as well defended as it can be in such a short text. While the text is deficient in this as well as by having a somewhat untouched (yet briefly mentioned) understanding of brutality in Scripture, I still give it 3.75/5 stars and suggest it as a quick, but thought-provoking read. If nothing else, it will get you thinking about the world through the light of Jewish revelation.

Perhaps this book would have seemed less trifling and annoying if I had never read any of the Scriptures, and had no previous knowledge, however slight, of Middle Eastern history or mythology. But since that was not the case, I thought this book was a very poor introduction to this fascinating subject. It begins with a DeMille-like soft porn depiction of an imagined ancient pagan ritual which had me laughing out loud. To be fair, the author doesn't claim to have any historical documentation for the temple scenes he describes. It probably seemed like just the sort of thing that polytheistic goddess-worshipping simpletons were likely to get up to under the influence of hallucinogens and muddled thinking. Perhaps this is a good introduction after all, as muddled thinking plays a major role throughout this book. As long as the reader understands this, there is probably no harm in reading the rest for its entertainment value.

Maybe if you are interested in learning about the ancient world and its religious thought, and don't know where to begin, this is better than nothing. However, please don't don't let this lightweight feel-good fluff be the only thing you read. If you want to find out what people in the ancient Near East really wrote and thought, you might start by reading primary sources, such as the Bible, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the many other ancient documents which have been translated by scholars who actually care about historical accuracy. Museum websites and publications are another great source of easily accessible information. If you persevere, you will soon know enough to understand why this book seems so silly.

Going back that far into history requires some imagination. Thomas Cahill had some very interesting views on what could have happened back then. He rightly points out that Abraham lived a couple of thousand years before the bible as we know it, was actually written down. He made some points in it that forces me to go back into the old testament and reread some printed oral traditions that were put on paper at the time of Moses. Historically, there are still many questions as to what happened 3000 years ago. Heck, we are still speculating about King Arthur and the round table! I thought it was an interesting read, provoked some thought, and he had some points that do make sense. After all, historians keep telling us that history repeats themselves. Maybe he's just trying to prove that point with today's international sagas.

This menure is almost as bad revisionism as the irish fairy tale book! He as usual does not sight his sources, and appears to make it up as he goes. Miss MacDonald's review said it very well. If you believe in anything Cahill spews, you may as well believe the "Sun rises in the west." I won't waste another nano-second on anything this hack writes.

More self-lauding and vomitous rhetoric spewing forth from the Yahadim unto ye Goyim. Wake up!

"History has a beginning and it works logically toward a conclusion." The only ancient religion that had this proposition as an article of faith was the Jewish religion. All others taught that history was an endless progression of ever-repeating cycles. You can find an echo of that philosophy in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

The revolutionary nature of the Jewish concept of history having a beginning and working toward an end can easily be overlooked, so ingrained is it in modern thought.

The Old Testament is not an easy read, even in a modern translation. Cahill gives a selective abridgement of the Old Testament story, along with a commentary. You can fault him for his selectivity or disagree with his analysis, but he elucidates a very important concept.

This concept, the non-cyclical nature of history, was adopted by Christian theology, and it served to help engender the rise of the West. Cahill's book, along with the others in his "Hinges of History" series, is well worth reading.

If you've read the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Tanakh/Old Testament, skip to the last chapter. Cahill gives the reader a condensed (and highly selective) version of the Old Testament/Tanakh history preceded by a condensed (and highly selective) version of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Those who are completely ignorant of the Tanakh/Old Testament will find this book an engaging introduction. Those with a fair knowledge of the Bible will better spend their time reading a study with a little more depth.

As for Cahill's study of Gilgamesh, the epic is short, and can easily be enjoyed in its entirety, either in the Penguin Classic translation or the new translation by Steven Mitchell.

Falwellian Fundamentalists and Borgian Liberals will find much to hate in this book, as will hard-line scholars who will no doubt demand footnotes, endnotes and references.

As a popular presentation of the story and tenor of the Hebrew Scriptures (or Old Testament) this book is a resounding success. It presents the Mr. Cahill's perspective on this history in a clear and even persuasive manner. The vital contribution of the "Jews" to human destiny is plainly set forth in beautiful prose from cover to cover.

I really enjoyed this book and I believe Cahill does a solid job of presenting his hypothoses. Clearly, as with all historians who speculate on the origins of the Jews, Cahill had limited cross-reference material to work with. In spite of this, I think he did a fine job explaining some _likely_ catalysts which may_have lent to the radical departure this tribe of nomads took in terms of their worldview. I found most of his promulgations plausible.

I absolutely loved Cahill's depiction of God and His demeanor as he engaged the early Jews. I thought it accurate, having always fought against the notion that He is timid, easily-explained, good-natured, easily placated, and/or a push-over. In my experience, He is surely not. And for good reason...

As Cahill explains, mankind on its own never shows very well. To the contrary, the absence of God (such as history prior to the God's hanging out with Abraham) meant for some pretty gruesome pagan practices. Then again, we need only look at what secular political movements have demonstrated to see modern examples of how ugly this can be (re: Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, PolPot, Mao, et cet). In any event, Cahill provides a pretty solid argument for how the paradigm shift from man as fodder to man as a dignified creature worthy of redemption might have come to be. That the inception of this movement started some 2000-3000 years BC is fasinating enough... but in typical Cahill style, he provides a perspective from which to appreciate how truly radical this tectonic shift has proved to be.

I also really enjoyed learning about the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and why... ultimately, God might have to sort it out Himself.

Finally, as a lifelong Papist and a lover of history throughout my adult life (surely more cynical than most), I found I came away with a deeper respect and appreciation of my (yes, my) Jewish heritage. Sure, who knows if I am a bloodline member of the tribe. And frankly who cares. But I will say this: but for the fact that Abraham, Moses and the rest of the early prophets listened to that quiet voice in their hearts, I wouldn't have the faith I have now. So, for that, I thank my Jewish brothers and all of those who kept the flame of YHWH in their hearts alive ensuring those of us here and now could enjoy the fruits of their faith. Sappy but true.

Like a great river flowing through a fertile valley, history is made up of many streams - each contributing its singular waters to the majestic confluence flowing to the sea. The "Hinges of History" are made up of many tributaries - philosophy, theology, culture, customs and rituals - of diverse peoples, blending to form the totality of our historical experience and human formation.

THE GIFTS OF THE JEWS examines the pivotal role of an ancient people, desert nomads at first, who changed humanity's perception of the universe, meaning of life, and understanding of God in relationship with His creations. Thomas Cahill, who bestselling HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION explored the influence of their role in preserving history, here examines the impact of Jewish history and thought in the Western World. A gifted storyteller, the author reveals his analysis within the context of other ancient civilizations, including the Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians and others. Unlike surrounding cultures of the time, which saw life as a wheel of continual birth, death and rebirth, the Jews saw life as a covenant relationship with their God, whose promise of faith and fidelity pointed to an end-time - one which would also depend on individual choices. In covenant, Judaism is seen as the origin of the "processsive worldview," where God unfolds His purposes to effect its end along with our human response. This transition of thought empowers individuals who are free to shape their unique destinies, and who experience the consequences of those individual choices.

Unlike other writers, Mr. Cahill does not hide behind mind-numbing posturing. Instead, he capably unfolds his thoughts in an engaging narrative that leaves a reader wanting even more. THE GIFTS OF THE JEWS is a fine book, one worthy of examination and reflection.

If I could I would personally thank Thomas Cahill for writing this book. Like Paul Johnson, Conor Cruise O'Brien ,the late James Parkes, and a very long list of others he is one of those non- Jewish , in this case Christian writers, who show a deep understanding and appreciation of the Jewish people's contribution to humanity.
I write this now with special feeling because the world recently has seen a rise in anti-Jewish feeling( admittedly more from the Islamic than from the Christian world) which so deeply distresses as it comes a little more than half a century after over one- third of the Jewish people were murdered simply because they were Jewish.
And here I think I come to one of the gifts of the Jews spoken about in the book. While the emphasis in the work is on the Jewish gifts of Monotheism, of deepening appreciation of human individuality, of understanding History as a progressive redemptive story ( and not a hopeless cyclical repetition) of social justice, I want to here focus one quality the Jews stressed.
It is the quality of being merciful and compassionate. And it is the commandment which of all commandments is repeated most in the Bible i.e. the commandment to be just and compassionate to the stranger because you were strangers in Egypt. And here it is important to note that the signature of the Jewish people, the name of founding father is Abraham ( in Hebrew Av-Rachum Merciful Father). And that this quality of mercy and consideration of valuing each and every human being as a special creation of God is the major idea the Jewish Tradition teaches Mankind should hold dear.
I know there is criticism of this book along the lines that the Egyptians also had some idea of Monotheism, and that the Greeks certainly( though their formative period came later) had an idea of 'individuality'. But it seems to me that the question is not one of taking credit or blame .
It seems to me rather that there are fundamental values which all of Mankind should share, and that one basic one is respecting the dignity and divine essence of every individual. I think that Cahill presents a convincing argument that the people of Israel helped make this contribution to Mankind.
It seems to me in this that the gift of the Jews, the greatest gift, the idea of a moral and loving God Who cares for each and every human being, and Who demands of them a walking in the way of mercy and justice is in this sense perhaps best spoken of not so much as a 'gift of the Jews' but as a gift of God to Humanity in which the Jews served as messenger of.

Much of this book is a rehash of Sumerian legend from Gilgamesh and biblical stories from Genesis and Exodus, without getting into the unique characteristics of the Jews that made them so important to present civilization. Eventually he does get into the subject, but in such a peripheral way that he seems to be straining to try to make his argument. He should have concentrated more on those aspects of Judaism that have truly shaped the west (and he says the undeveloped world also, but that seems to be a real stretch) rather than try to show us that he has read the Old Testament and various versions of Gilgamesh. There is much less to this book than would appear, and his gee-whiz style starts to grate on the reader, at least on this reader.

In "The Gift Of The Jews", Thomas Cahill advances the theory that the Jews introduced unique world views. In his view the Jews, unlike antecedent societies, viewed history as progressive, not cyclical. The Jews recognized the worth of each individual rather than seeing people only as members of a group. The Jews see human action as making a difference, rather than being the results of unalterable fate. The Jews see God as a person who talks with His people and who invites them to have a personal relationship with Him.

Cahill makes his case by telling the history of the Jews as told in the Old Testament, from the call of Abraham to the return form the Babylonian Captivity. Through his selection of Biblical stories he demonstrates the evolution of the Jewish world view over the millennia.

This book's depiction of the evolution of the Jewish understanding of God and man's relationship to Him makes for a very interesting read. It is generally consistent with what I had learned in collegiate scripture classes.

From the perspective of an analysis of development of Jewish thought as reflected in the Bible, it is very good. My only question is whether the insights identified as being Jewish are truly unique. Cahill says yes, but I lack the knowledge to form an independent judgment. Overall, it is a fascinating book concluding with challenging questions for all readers.

PERSPECTIVE: theologically interested reader, unfamiliar with Cahill's work

The Gifts of the Jews is a wonderfully written exploration of the pivotal role the Jewish people have played in the shaping of our modern perceptions and life, irregardless of faith. Cahill brings extensive theological and historical training to bear, and goes to great lengths, including travelling the world, to do research for his chosen topic. His thesis, as he calls it, is that the Jewish people were the first to break out of the "cyclic boredom" of ancient world views. Through their culture, beliefs, and history, they have given the entire modern world crucial "gifts" of individuality, prospective thinking, freedom, justice, and many more. To illustrate this, he uses a wide variety of historical documents, texts, and commentaries, including several translations of the Hebrew Bible, and weaves them together with a style that is remarkably eloquent, delightfully funny, and impressively accessible.

Whatever your religious or political beliefs, this thought- (and spirit-, if you are so inclined) provoking novel worth a read. Although it is, at its heart, an academic treatise, and as such is eminently open for debate, as exemplified by the many editorial discussions - with much heated agreement and dissention - it is important to note that it is easily enjoyable on a different level.

FINAL WORD: Read this book! Buy it, check it out from the library, or buy it and donate it to your local library.