A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Paperback)

~ Karen Armstrong (Author) "IN THE BEGINNING, human beings created a God who was the First Cause of all things and Ruler of heaven and earth..." (more)
Key Phrases: uncreated reality, pagan vision, ineffable reality, Middle East, Holy Spirit, The Zohar (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Armstrong, a British journalist and former nun, guides us along one of the most elusive and fascinating quests of all time--the search for God. Like all beloved historians, Armstrong entertains us with deft storytelling, astounding research, and makes us feel a greater appreciation for the present because we better understand our past. Be warned: A History of God is not a tidy linear history. Rather, we learn that the definition of God is constantly being repeated, altered, discarded, and resurrected through the ages, responding to its followers' practical concerns rather than to mystical mandates. Armstrong also shows us how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have overlapped and influenced one another, gently challenging the secularist history of each of these religions. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

This searching, profound comparative history of the three major monotheistic faiths fearlessly illuminates the sociopolitical ground in which religious ideas take root, blossom and mutate. Armstrong, a British broadcaster, commentator on religious affairs and former Roman Catholic nun, argues that Judaism, Christianity and Islam each developed the idea of a personal God, which has helped believers to mature as full human beings. Yet Armstrong also acknowledges that the idea of a personal God can be dangerous, encouraging us to judge, condemn and marginalize others. Recognizing this, each of the three monotheisms, in their different ways, developed a mystical tradition grounded in a realization that our human idea of God is merely a symbol of an ineffable reality. To Armstrong, modern, aggressively righteous fundamentalists of all three faiths represent "a retreat from God." She views as inevitable a move away from the idea of a personal God who behaves like a larger version of ourselves, and welcomes the grouping of believers toward a notion of God that "works for us in the empirical age." 25,000 first printing; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Softcover Ed edition (August 9, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345384563
• ISBN-13: 978-0345384560
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (216 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,651 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Armstrong, Karen
  #3 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Ritual
  #8 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > History

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

435 of 458 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb overview and a wonderful distillation of monotheism., February 27, 2000

By	Petros of Marathon (Antioch, California) - See all my reviews

Karen Armstrong has put together an impressive work that examines in depth the evolution of God and our perceptions of the transcendent. It's a wonderful starting point, however a dedicated reader should certainly explore other books to round out topics that the author touched lightly upon (Paul) or even omitted entirely (the influence of Eastern religions).

I think some of the criticisms levied at this book are misplaced. There seems to be a theme in these reviews that the author tends to slam Western Christianity and goes easy on Islam. This seems true to a certain extent, yet deliberate. The book is obviously aimed at Western readers; Christianity is so deeply imbued in so much of our culture that it bears a fearless scrutiny. While no doubt painful for some (Christian) readers, it's illuminating and honest. The author is obviously learned in Muslim history, yet she may have covered it in more depth than many Western readers might want. Also as one reviewer noted, "by failing to extend to Islam the razor of her sarcasm, she invites distrust". True, yet again there is so little positive perception of Islam in the West, that this appears intentional. This is the most notable flaw in the book, but not a fatal one.

What she did explain *very* well:

1. How pagan idol worship evolved into Jewish monotheism.

2. How the Trinity concept came about and grew.

3. The intellectual rift between and differences in Western and Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

4. Mysticism and it's ramifications. One reviewer called this a modern "dead end". I couldn't disagree more.

Overall, quite excellent and probably the best starting point for someone who wants to explore this fascinating topic. She has struck the best balance I've seen so far between depth, complexity and readability. Highly recommended.

143 of 157 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If this won't shake your thinking, nothing will!, April 18, 2000

By	Missing in Action (Idaho Falls, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

A History of God was one of the most important books I've read. Karen Armstrong fearlessly, yet respectfully, traces the history of monotheistic thought from its earliest conception to the present day, all in a readable, lay-language book. It doesn't get much better, in my opinion.

However, be cautioned. If you are inclined to cling to old dogma, or frightened by the possibility that God might not be exactly what you were taught in Sunday School, then don't bother picking up this book. It will haunt you. On the other hand, if you are seeking a more clear picture of who God might really be, if you are open to the possibility that our concept of Him has evolved enormously since the days of Abraham, then this might be an excellent read for you.

Besides a good history lesson, it is insightful for the Western reader to gain an understanding of the "non-Christian" monotheistic traditions, i.e. Judaism and Islam. Armstrong does a wonderful (and contrary to some critics, I believe a FAIR) job of explaining how both Christianity and later Islam branched off of the Judaic traditions. Above all, it places the evolution of the God-concept into its cultural context, without which, our current God-concept is little more than a wholesale belief in so much mythology.

Be prepared to think, to change your mind, and to emerge from the end of this book a changed person.

182 of 206 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Made me think -- maybe too much?, November 19, 2002

By	Tanja L. Edwards "Tanja L. Edwards" (Norman, OK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Karen Armstrong gives the readers a comprehensive view of the evolution of the three monotheistic faiths. In many respects, this is an eye-opening history, and will probably make many fundamentalists of all three faiths weep and gnash their teeth, and with good reason. We need to see that God is as much an evolving idea as He is a Being (or, perhaps, "Non-being") that creates and sustains us. Armstrong deftly shows us how the early Hebrews developed their concept of Yahweh from the early pagan war and fertility cults, how the concept of Jesus as savior and sacrifice for our sins developed, how the issue of the Trinity was addressed, and how Islam came to be.

What was distressing, though, is that while Armstrong correctly, in my opinion, points out the dangers of a literal God, goes too far in condemning an anthropomorphic God. I found myself depressed by the end of the book, questioning the conclusion, it seemed, that God did not exist, or if he did, he wasn't there as a Being. Reading this book certainly shook my faith, and I recommend reading this book with care, especially as one gets into the later chapters that focus on the development of atheism. Readers who are in a state of spiritual upheaval could find this book extremely challenging, though I believe that faith grows from our doubts.