Customer Reviews

Echoes of the Old Darkland: Themes from the African Eden

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dr. Finch is a scholar whose work is well researched and wonderfully written. I first ran across this book about five years ago and this seminal work has affected my life every since. The author discusses the humankind's earliest cultures and the roots of Christianity. The great thing in this book is that the collection of essays gives the reader a broad overview of the history of humankind by looking at our myths, cosmologies, and stories about the universe.

Delving into the human psyche while also meshing solid scientific facts and findings is one thing. But writing in a clear fashion that encompasses the technical aspect of the work is another thing. Dr. Finch has a gift for sliding humor and humanity into a subject some may deem as dry. An underrated, underappreciated work from one of my favorite scholars--I recommend this book with the highest regard.

UPDATE (03/07/11): The last couple of chapters in this book are absolutely golden as they distill the work of Gerald Massey and the topic of the Egyptian influence on Christianity to bite-sized morsels. They provided an introduction to Massey for me and later I began to check out his work (especially Ancient Egypt: Light of the World which is now available on the fantastic website: masseiana.org). Massey's work is humongous and it isn't until you read Massey that you can appreciate Dr. Finch even more for summarizing Massey and making his work a bit more intelligible.

I also think that Dr. Finch's discussion of the Great Year in this book provides a real key into understanding how myth, especially Egyptian myth, informed both Judaism and Christian faiths. Since the publication of this book, a movie called Zeitgeist came out that provides another stellar overview of the material covered by Finch and Massey. I recommend checking out the first 30 minutes or so of Zeitgeist while reading the chapter starting with the Great Year.

Finally, Dr. Finch has published another article that updates his research on the Egyptian Great Year. It is called "Nile Valley Chronology and the Double Great Year" and is available online if you google the title. It is another fantastic article that further extends the material he discusses in this book.

This book provided me with a sense of my heritage that I probably would not have been able to find eslewhere. The author is very knowledgeable about the subject and clearer lays it out for all to see. I really recommend this book for all cultures and races to read.