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At the time of Jesus' birth, thousands of people were leaving their families and tribes behind and flocking into brand new multi-ethnic cities. The world was undergoing the first phase of globalization, and in this ferment rulers and ruled turned to religion as a source of order and stability. The world was full of gods, competing and merging with one another. Selina O'Grady takes the reader on a journey across the empires of the ancient world and introduces us to rulers, merchants, messiahs, priests and holy men. Throughout, she seeks to answer why, amongst the countless options available, the empires at the time "chose" the religions they did? Why did China's rulers hitch their fate to Confucianism, a philosophy more than a religion? And why was a tiny Jewish cult eventually adopted by Rome's emperors rather than the far more popular and widespread cult of Isis? O'Grady looks at why and how religions have had such an immense impact on human history and in doing so uncovers the ineradicable connection between politics and religion--a connection which still defines us in our own age.--From publisher description.… (altro)
This book contains frequently interesting historical facts within a completely incoherent logical framework. It's full of unnecessary repetitions and baffling inconsistencies. Definitions are stipulated then ignored. Claims are asserted without argument, then later contradicted. It reads like the first draft of a dissertation: one its supervisor rejected and sent back for further revision.
In general, I very much like the idea of interested amateurs engaging with 'scholarly' subjects. I don't mind the overgeneralizations, the narrative passages--I'm even willing to let the poor sourcing slide. But, for *Chrissakes*, at least know what your book is about, and let the reader in on it. Find a thesis. Here, the introduction is a concatenation of factoids and the conclusion is literally nonexistent; it just sort of trails off in a baffling nonsequitur. Even the title make no sense: it's not a position argued in the book, or quoted, or in any way otherwise referred to. As far as I can tell, it seems like controversy fodder developed by some algorithm from the publisher's marketing department.
For examples on how this kind of book can be written well (or at least better), see the work of Jared Diamond and Reza Aslan, off the top of my head.
At the time of Jesus' birth, thousands of people were leaving their families and tribes behind and flocking into brand new multi-ethnic cities. The world was undergoing the first phase of globalization, and in this ferment rulers and ruled turned to religion as a source of order and stability. The world was full of gods, competing and merging with one another. Selina O'Grady takes the reader on a journey across the empires of the ancient world and introduces us to rulers, merchants, messiahs, priests and holy men. Throughout, she seeks to answer why, amongst the countless options available, the empires at the time "chose" the religions they did? Why did China's rulers hitch their fate to Confucianism, a philosophy more than a religion? And why was a tiny Jewish cult eventually adopted by Rome's emperors rather than the far more popular and widespread cult of Isis? O'Grady looks at why and how religions have had such an immense impact on human history and in doing so uncovers the ineradicable connection between politics and religion--a connection which still defines us in our own age.--From publisher description.
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(3.3)
2
In general, I very much like the idea of interested amateurs engaging with 'scholarly' subjects. I don't mind the overgeneralizations, the narrative passages--I'm even willing to let the poor sourcing slide. But, for *Chrissakes*, at least know what your book is about, and let the reader in on it. Find a thesis. Here, the introduction is a concatenation of factoids and the conclusion is literally nonexistent; it just sort of trails off in a baffling nonsequitur. Even the title make no sense: it's not a position argued in the book, or quoted, or in any way otherwise referred to. As far as I can tell, it seems like controversy fodder developed by some algorithm from the publisher's marketing department.
For examples on how this kind of book can be written well (or at least better), see the work of Jared Diamond and Reza Aslan, off the top of my head.
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