Columbus & Cortez, Conquerors for Christ [Paperback]

John Eidsmoe (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0892212233 | ISBN-13: 978-0892212231 | Publication Date: June 1992 | Edition: 1st

The controversy, the conquest, the mission, the vision. Columbus - conquistador or Christ-bearer? Did Christopher Columbus exploit the people of America, or did he evangelize them? What were his true goals, his motives, his reasons for undertaking the dangerous voyage? Cortez - militarist or missionary? Did Hernando Cortez subjugate the people of Mexico - or did he liberate them?

And why all the controversy over these explorers? Is it really to correct the historical record? Or is it an assault on the values of Western Civilization and Christianity which is the source of those values?

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: New Leaf Press; 1st edition (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892212233
• ISBN-13: 978-0892212231
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Columbus, Christopher

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Perspective, April 15, 2000

By 

Jeffrey A. Swanson (Shelby, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Columbus & Cortez, Conquerors for Christ (Paperback)

Eidsmoe provides a new or should I say old twist to the conquistadores, Columbus and Cortez. He points out that we often judge these men and many of the things they did with a twentieth century perspective. This, according to Eidsmoe, is unfair; therefore, it is his goal throughout this book to demonstrate historicially the "why" of the events that took place. It is his attempt to look at history through the eyes of a 15th and 16th century Christian coming out of the Medieval Age and just how different the thinking and perspective was then as compared to now. Taken from an honest look at history I think this book gives a great challenge to those who judge these characters today for certain "atrocities". Instead, Eidsmoe helps the reader to understand these. One thing I appreciated as well was the documentation the author does. He qoutes from primary sources readily and this lends weight to his arguments. A good and challenging read.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rebuttal to Those Who Bash Christopher Columbus, June 13, 2006

By 

Jan Peczkis "Scholar and Thinker" (Chicago IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Columbus & Cortez, Conquerors for Christ (Paperback)

Eidsmoe gives a refreshing perspective on Columbus. He does NOT defend slavery, but points out that slavery had been virtually universal for thousands of years, yet it was the Christians who eventually put an end to the very institution of slavery. Eidsmoe rejects the common relativistic idea that all value systems are equally good. He argues, for instance, that the Caribs were better off even if Christianity had been imposed on them than they had been earlier (when they engaged in cannibalism). Eidsmoe also shows that Columbus and Cortez cannot be blamed for bringing smallpox to the Indians, because the spread of disease was not understood at the time. Finally, it is interesting to note that, contrary to the portrayal of the European explorers as incurable racists who could never imagine Native Americans their equals, some Aztecs eventually married into the Spanish royal family (p. 269).

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History Book that reads like a Novel, January 10, 2009

By 

T. Laux - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Columbus & Cortez, Conquerors for Christ (Paperback)

As a senior highschooler I had to retake US History because my 8th grade public school course did not count for credit. This was a breath of fresh air! All that seemed strangely lacking in school was told here in remarkable clarity. The author (who has two doctorates) takes a realistic view at the motives of these two significant characters in history. He explains different viewpoints clearly, and gives ordered arguments for each. Most essential are the words given of the characters (or their contemporaries) themselves.

I love my Catholic/Christian faith and am proud of it, but realize that Christ's followers never have and never will be perfect. While Columbus and Cortez had blemishes their actions and lives were wholly interesting and certainly respectable.

Give this book a try for a unique perspective of our nation's history - you won't be disappointed!