This book's perspective offers the freshness of a different lens on the history of Judaism. I enjoyed how it allowed me to see a new view of the cultural interactions and developments of the tribe of the nominal Jews and their neighboring ancient civilizations that grew into kingdoms and city states. You learn new information about origins of labels like Hebrew, plus contextual changes in the purpose and way stories were told and recorded. The diverse and often unknown perspective of the authors' purposes in various written histories were discussed. Concepts of faith and Godly power and holy writings, along with the corresponding developments of spiritual practices were unwoven with humor. Presentation is well organized and may be more like an academic lecture than some may appreciate. This was well worth the time for me, as it opened up some new insights regarding the cultural possibilities that fed into the puzzles of early written histories leading up to medieval times. Sorting reality from tradition in the confusing oral histories that were later written seems to be an art and a science across cultures regardless of the continent. The theory of the Jews originating the concept of an individual purpose that developed into Western thought is well developed and proofed. We will fail to get the truth of early history right without a breadth of knowledge and an acceptance that we may never know the whole of what we do not know and how it fed into what we are now. But, I truly enjoyed this piece of the puzzle! ( )

This book's perspective offers the freshness of a different lens on the history of Judaism. I enjoyed how it allowed me to see a new view of the cultural interactions and developments of the tribe of the nominal Jews and their neighboring ancient civilizations that grew into kingdoms and city states. You learn new information about origins of labels like Hebrew, plus contextual changes in the purpose and way stories were told and recorded. The diverse and often unknown perspective of the authors' purposes in various written histories were discussed. Concepts of faith and Godly power and holy writings, along with the corresponding developments of spiritual practices were unwoven with humor. Presentation is well organized and may be more like an academic lecture than some may appreciate. This was well worth the time for me, as it opened up some new insights regarding the cultural possibilities that fed into the puzzles of early written histories leading up to medieval times. Sorting reality from tradition in the confusing oral histories that were later written seems to be an art and a science across cultures regardless of the continent. The theory of the Jews originating the concept of an individual purpose that developed into Western thought is well developed and proofed. We will fail to get the truth of early history right without a breadth of knowledge and an acceptance that we may never know the whole of what we do not know and how it fed into what we are now. But, I truly enjoyed this piece of the puzzle! ( )

Kniha poutavě popisuje, jak kmen pouštních kočovníků změnil způsob, jakým většina z nás myslí a cítí. Thomas Cahill, autor bestselleru Jak Irové zachránili civilizaci, odhaluje vznik západní civilizace. V kolébce starých náboženství a filozofií se na život pohlíželo jako na součást věčného cyklu zrození a smrti, dokud staří Židé nezačali vidět život jako vyprávění, jehož vítězný závěr přijde v budoucnosti. Z tohoto vhledu vyšla nová koncepce mužů a žen jako jedinců s jedinečnými osudy a naše optimistická víra v pokrok a pocit, že zítra může být lépe než dnes. Kniha Židovské dary je plná podmanivých příběhů, porozumění a humoru. ( )

Just read the last chapter for his conclusion. The rest of the book is a pseudo Jewish history lesson of the oral tradition with YHWH (God) playing the lead. ( )

This was one of the books I read in the summer of 1998. Cahill's books are excellent works of history, and I have enjoyed reading them over time. ( )