Customer Reviews

Columbus & Cortez, Conquerors for Christ

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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.

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).

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!

My children and I are studying explorers. I picked up this book to get a better background on these two explorers, and I haven't been able to put this book down! I can't recommend this book highly enough! Eidsmoe pieces together lots of fascinating first-hand accounts (primary documentation) along with some personal explanations and conclusions to give the history of Columbus and Cortez and show how their main motivation was spreading Christ in these new lands. He does address how they were sinful just as we are, but their ultimate motivation was God's glory. It's so sad how contrary the information is in many of the books we have on the explorers compared to what the explorers and their fellow soldiers themselves expressed. He also briefly discusses Leif Ericsson and the Crusades. The book contains rather graphic details -- though he assures the readers he left a lot out, so this would not be suitable to read through in its entirety with children younger than high school age. However, you could read bits and pieces to younger children. Mainly it has been useful to me as I decide what sentences to leave out and/or add as we read children's books about the explorers.

It takes a lot of guts to go against the current prevailing Christian
bashing done by the pretenders to sophisticated intellect. Eidsmoe
does this and more as his pen makes a sweep through some of the
bloodiest carnage in tribal history. At the same time the author
reveals the blemishes in all, including Cortez or Columbus. The real
question one needs to ask is, Did the conquored people get a better
way of life? I think the Christian Haters ought to seek counciling
for their Christophobia. To bring history full circle, one should
contemplate the precolumbian "flowery war" with that of the Heglian
dialectic as applied to say the "cold war", fighting communism in one
part of the world while aiding it in others, WMD and Iraq, and ultimately
fighting a war on terror while simultaneously building a North American
Union while dropping any pretense at U.S. border security.
Professor you "done" good.

Dr. John Eidsmoe's treatment of Columbus' career (and character) is refreshingly grounded in real history, based upon diligent usage of the primary sources, as opposed to trite, dime-a-dozen journalist-"impressionism" that all-too-frequently foists socio-political opinions and judgmental dribble as substitutes for the hard work of actually digging out and reconstructing WHAT really hapened in world history, and WHY. Cortez defeated the 16th century Aztecs with an army of 99+% Native Americans (i.e., less than 1% of his soldiers were Europeans)! Why? And why is this unusual fact of history a "secret"? Dr. Eidsmoe, who teaches legal history, evidence rules re admissibility, and the like (at an East Coast law school), & has served as an international lecturer on 16th century Meso-American political history; Eidsmoe is over-qualified to screen the chaff from the mines of Euro-American history, and he does so like a judge who insists on discarding unreliable hearsay -- as he weighs the best evidence of what happened in the lives and documented exploits of Columbus, Cortez, and their contemporaries. [BTW: disregard the reviewer who ignores Eidsmoe's treatment of the Vikings and CORTEZ; -- that reviewer apparently skimmed some of the book's Columbus section, found historical info not to his liking, & rushed to (unscholarly) "judgment".] FYI, I have taught political history and international studies at local colleges since 1991, and I routinely use Dr. Eidsmoe's journal articles and his books as the definitive word on topics he has taken the unrushed time, scholarly accuracy, & insightful expertise to cover. Anyone who is especially interested in military issues will be delighted; Dr. Eidsmoe's military background comes through in his analysis and insights into how and why Cortez (and Columbus) achieved what they did. Also, Dr. Eidsmoe's generous inclusion of many extended quotations from 16th century diaries (of soldiers & other eye-witnesses) allows you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions about the trans-Atlantic adventures of Columbus & Cortez. Beware, tho'! Reading eye-witness quotations from the historical record for yourself may jolt a few preconceived impressions and/or grade school-learned stereotypes! ><> JJSJ
(a college professor, part-time judge, & internat'l lecurer)

This a great non-pc but extremely well researched honest view of Columbus and Cortez and the motives behind their exploits and results of their endevors.

This book argues that just because the European conquerors did "bad" things, that doesn't mean they weren't good Christians. The author never gets specific about the atrocities committed by the conquering Christians (enslavement, rape, torture, murder); he only vaguely, infrequently, and euphemistically refers to them as "sins" and "errors," and he rationalizes that Columbus and other conquerors were simply normal for the time period in which they lived. Here is a short summary from the first section of the author's perspective on Columbus: 1) Columbus was not obsessed with gold; he just had a natural and healthy desire for wealth. Besides, Columbus needed capital to finance his voyages, so his need for gold can be compared to a modern academic needing a research grant. 2) Columbus didn't steal land from Native Americans because they didn't have any real (i.e. European) concept of ownership. 3) Columbus made slaves of free people, but that was okay because slavery was widespread in the world, and besides, Christians could enslave other people as long as they weren't Christians. 4) It is true that Columbus forced Christianity and western culture on Native Americans, but as a result, millions of people are in heaven. Need I say more?

I was really appalled that Eidsmoe goes out of his way to glorify two of the men in American History with perhaps the most blood on their hands. The argument that one cannot judge historical figures by twentieth century standards is a moot point. Of course a modern person has to objectively consider that the world was different in the colonial period and that people are shaped by their environment, social expectations, RELIGION, etc. But that does NOT mean that we cannot say, "That was wrong, it was immoral, cruel, dehumanizing, and these figures are not heroes." We should not defend historical events and figures that committed genocide against fellow human beings, regardless of whether they were allegedly acting "with good intentions" or trying to get their victims into heaven. A review below says that Eidsmoe tells readers that these men were sinners "just like us." Columbus had Natives that defied him and refused to convert slowly tortured to death, meaning impaling, cutting limbs off, burning alive. Would you do that in God's name? Cortez incited wars between Meso-American bands to better conquer the area. Did the casualties of those conflicts get to heaven? And I want to state also that violence and attempted genocide toward Indigenous peoples of the Americas is STILL happening. Probably in your backyard. This is our legacy, it is not pretty, but it needs to be acknowledged. I highly recommend "Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide" by Andrea Smith to anyone who is ready to acknowledge the large role white supremacy and colonization still has in our society.

The underlying theme of this book is that God used Columbus to exercise His wrath on pagan people- another instance in which God is used to justify the selfish motivations of conquering nations. There is great emphasis on the pagan, sinful nature of the original peoples of the Americas. This is an awful book and I would not recommend it to anyone.