Laurent Murawiec: The Mind of Jihad
An exploration of the ideological and sociological roots of the cult of death that has grown up within (but is not entirely of) Islam. One of the half dozen books that anyone who wishes to understand our enemies ought to read and ponder. (*****)
John Emsley: Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases
Murderers and their poisons - some commonplace, some exotic. But don't try these at home! (****)
Robert Drury: The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat
An hour-by-hour account of a Korean War Thermopylae. In December 1950, single Marine company holds back five battalions of Chinese and plays a key role in saving the overextended U.N. forces from destruction. (*****)
Bernard Lewis & Butzie Ellis Churchill: Islam: The Religion and the People
A nonpolemical overview of Islam, co-written by one of the leading Western authorities. Valuable as a corrective to misleading analogies with Christianity and for its analysis of how contact with the West has altered Moslem ideas and attitudes. (****)
Joseph Cummins: The War Chronicles: From Chariots to Flintlocks: New Perspectives on the Two Thousand Years of Bloodshed That Shaped the Modern World
Except for an inexplicable absence of maps, this account of 22 great conflicts, from the Persian Wars to the American Revolution, is ideal for middle and high schoolers interested in military history. No "new perspectives", but that is fine in a work for neophytes. (***)
Jason L. Riley: Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders
A Wall Street Journal editor argues that immigration is good for the U.S. economy and no threat to our culture or national security. Immigrants fill jobs that otherwise wouldn't exist, are less likely than natives to commit crimes, and can become part of the American mainstream, if we will let them. (*****)
Guy Sorman: Empire of Lies: The Truth About China in the Twenty-First Century
The author traveled through mainland China for a year, talking to religious and political dissenters and to the 80 percent of the population that has been left out of the "Chinese miracle". He paints a sobering, though anecdotal, picture of poverty, oppression, corruption and deceit, mostly ignored by a complaisant West. (****)
- Robert G. Hoyland: Seeing Islam as Others Saw It: A Survey and Evaluation of Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian Writings on Early Islam
Much of the conventional picture of Islam's first century has little basis in the evidence. This exhaustive survey uses non-Moslem writings of the 7th and 8th Centuries to illuminate this dim period, for which contemporary Moslem sources are rare and later accounts are often anachronistic. (*****)
Michael Yon: Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope
While mainstream reporters keep their distance, Michael Yon covers the Iraqi campaign at close quarters. This book is his account on how an almost-lost war turned into a likely victory for the forces of civilization. (*****)
Douglas J. Feith: War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism
The best account yet of the opening years of the War on Terror, with an insider's analysis of its successes and setbacks. The author, who was the number three man at the Defense Department from 2001 through 2005, supports his narrative with contemporary notes and declassified documents, distinguishing it from the typical Washington memoir. (*****)
Jonah Goldberg: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning
Except for the lively writing, this unearthing of the historical and intellectual links between American progressives and European fascists could be an academic study. "Progressive" has positive connotations for most people; here is why it shouldn't. (*****)
Stephen Mihm: A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States
The early 1800's were the golden age of American counterfeiting. This history, while weak on monetary economics, gives a thorough account of the social side of the trade: who the counterfeiters were, how they operated, why countermeasures were so ineffective, and what effect the circulation of so much fake money had on everyday life. (****)
Andrew Rippin: Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices
An expert overview of the history, teachings and practice of Islam, with attention to the full spectrum of Moslem beliefs and only a minimum of academic jargon. Usefully dispels to myth that Islam emerged "in the full light of history" and has changed little since the 7th Century, though the author may be too optimistic about the prospects for moderates and modernizers. (*****)
Von Hardesty & Gene Eisman: Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race
The history of the Space Race through the first lunar landing, covering both the American and the Soviet space programs and showing why the USSR's early triumphs bore so little fruit. Real space buffs will find little that is new; for others, this is one of the best accounts available. (****)
Kristie Macrakis: Seduced by Secrets: Inside the Stasi's Spy-Tech World
Much fascinating data on the East German Stasi's spycraft, extracted from formerly secret archives, marred by a plodding, ill-organized presentation. The reader must double as an editor, and the details are sometimes pointless or dull. The portrayal of real Cold War espionage makes these faults bearable. (***)
Tara Ross & Joseph C. Smith, Jr.: Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State
Thomas Jefferson wasn't the only Founding Father with ideas about church-state relations. This study examines the views of George Washington, which, the authors argue, furnish more accurate insight into the meaning of the First Amendment. Included are all of the first President's significant statements about the role of religion in public life. (*****)
David Bellavia: House to House
An infantryman's searing memoir of the battle for Fallujah in November 2004, a crucial, hard-fought victory over al-Qa'eda and its allies. Whatever history thinks about the war in Iraq, this book is a future classic of military literature. (*****)
Philip Sabin: Lost Battles: Reconstructing the Great Clashes of the Ancient World
A military historian tries to improve our picture of ancient battles by devising a wargame to reconstruct them. With the documentary sources mined to exhaustion, this approach is a new way to try to understand what really happened. Included are a move-by-move "replay" of Cannae and data for applying the model to 35 other battles. (*****)
Jaroslav Pelikan: Whose Bible Is It?: A Short History of the Scriptures
One of the foremost living church historians traces the development of the Biblical text and how Christians and Jews have read it over the centuries. A first rate example of scholarly popularization. (*****)
Michael Schmidt: The First Poets
Biographies of the major poets of ancient Greece, some enveloped in legends (e. g., Orpheus and Homer), some well-rounded figures, many barely knowable outside their verse. While separating fact from fiction is not the author's first priority, he presents a good picture of how the Muses' servants worked and what they accomplished. (****)
Amity Shlaes: The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression
A breezy, episodic picture of the New Deal, from its prehistory in progressive pipe dreaming through FDR's reelection in 1940. The author thinks that deflation, high taxes, erratic policy experimentation, class warfare and overregulation choked off recovery. That's probably right, but her approach is unanalytical and won't undermine the Left's satisfaction with eight years of stagnation. (****)
William Dalrymple: The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi, 1857
A sympathetic, though not misty-eyed, history of the fall of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last emperor of India's Mughal dynasty. Ruling little more than the Red Fort in Delhi, Zafar wrote poetry in four languages, navigated court intrigues, tried to preserve what little authority he had from the East India Company, and was fatally caught up in the Great Mutiny. The author draws on neglected native records to paint a vivid picture of the Mutiny and its aftermath. (****)
Christopher Clark: Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947
An account of both the historical kingdom of Brandenburg-Prussia and the idea of "Prussianism". A central theme is that both were more varied than the popular conception. The brief heyday of militarism, repression and junker ascendancy must be balanced against the Prussian Enlightenment, Pietism and a surprising role as a bulwark of democracy during the Weimar Republic. A touch of academic bafflegab is annoying but not fatal. (****)
Constantine Pleshakov: Stalin's Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of WWII on the Eastern Front
Portrays Stalin's blindly optimistic planning for the war against Hitler and inept reaction to the unexpected German assault, using material gathered during the brief opening of the Soviet archives. The author concludes that the pre-war purges instilled such fear of the vozhd that no one dared oppose his irrational strategy. Ironically, the same fear saved the regime from overthrow, so that it survived at the cost of immense damage to the hapless population. (*****)
William E. Odom: The Collapse of the Soviet Military
How a huge military establishment, prepped for offensive war in behalf of Marxism-Leninism, disintegrated in just a few years. The author attributes the collapse to perestroika, which, while incapable of truly reforming communism, undermined the military's ideology and the public's tolerance for the appalling conditions of service. The failure of the 1991 putsch, the last gasp effort to restore the old regime, was the outcome of this process of decay. (****)
Charles Allen: God's Terrorists: The Wahhabi Cult And the Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad
Islamofascism didn't emerge from nowhere on 9/11. It continues a tradition of violent jihad against everyone, including mainstream Moslems, who refuses to bow to a pseudo-primitivist interpretation of Islam. This book traces, albeit with many digressions, the history of the Wahhabi and Salafist sects, with special emphasis on their impact in what is now Pakistan and on their spectacular growth in the 20th Century. They may be the future of Islam, in which case a long, bitter "clash of civilizations" is scarcely avoidable. (****)
Stanley Wells: Shakespeare and Co.: Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Dekker, Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, John Fletcher and the Other Players in His Story
Shakespeare was far from the only Elizabethan dramatist. One of the grand old men of Shakespearean studies here offers appreciations of his contemporaries, including Jonson, Marlowe, Kyd, Dekker, Middleton, Fletcher and Webster - all notable dramatists in their own right. I doubt that we'll see The Alchemist or The Jew of Malta on Broadway soon, but Professor Wells makes a good case for regretting those losses to the repertory.
(****)
Lynne Olson: Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England
The story told in this book - how those who warned against an evil, aggressive ideology were scorned as warmongers and alarmists - has obvious contemporary resonance. I recommend it for those who are depressed by the self-inflicted blindness of the MSM and much of the electorate. Viewed as an historical work, it is well-written, colorful but not very deep, often glossing over the principles at stake in favor of retailing gossip. (****)
Josiah Osgood: Caesar's Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire
How did ordinary Romans feel about the prolonged civil war, sometimes hot and sometimes cold, among the members of the Second Triumvirate? This work reassembles the shards of chronicles, inscriptions and poetry to offer an well-rounded interpretation. Some prior knowledge of the period is required. (*****)
Richard Ostling & Joan Ostling: Mormon America: The Power and the Promise
Just about everything that non-Mormons need to know about the largest religious movement home-grown in America. The authors, evangelical Protestants, are fair-minded, neither hiding LDS eccentricities nor demonizing them. While a couple of chapters are superficial laundry lists, the book as a whole offers a valuable historical and theological overview. (****)
David M. Unwin: The Pterosaurs: From Deep Time
A leading expert on the air dwellers of the Mesozoic Era traces their evolution and explains their bizarre anatomy and physiology in terms comprehensible to non-experts. (*****)
Jeffrey Herf: The Jewish Enemy: Nazi Propaganda during World War II and the Holocaust
This detailed account of the Nazi regime's anti-Jewish propaganda argues that it reflected sincere paranoid beliefs rather than cynical manipulation of traditional bigotry. By failing to take seriously the repeated calls for Jewish "extermination", the outside world (and probably many Germans, though the author barely considers this possibility) missed blatant evidence of the Holocaust. The most chilling book of the year. (*****)
- Wilfred Cantwell Smith: Islam in Modern History
Though first published 50 years ago, this examination of Islam's efforts to reject or adjust to modernity is more insightful than most recent commentary. It includes a superlative analysis of the fundamental ways in which traditional Islamic thought differs from both Judaeo-Christian and Enlightenment concepts and shows the full extent of the challenge that Moslem modernizers face. (*****)
Andrew Lintott: The Constitution of the Roman Republic
This analysis of how the Roman Republic was governed avoids undue theorizing about abstract concepts like the nature of imperium and disputes the common notion that the popular elements of the Roman political system were a fraud. (****)
Mark Steyn: America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
As Europe's non-Moslem population plummets, and its cultural self-confidence plummets even faster, America faces a long-term challenge from medieval obscurantists who will soon carry atomic weapons. Mark Steyn makes a valiant attempt to warn about the future that is almost upon us. (*****)
Melanie Phillips: Londonistan
In the years before 9/11, London became a center of Isalmic fascism, thanks to British officialdom's confidence that Moslem beneficiaries of the welfare state would never turn on their benefactors, whatever they might do to foreigners. The London train bombings showed up the naivete of that attitude but didn't expunge it. Melanie Phillips shows how Britain, particularly the British Left, continues to appease, even collaborate with, the enemies of civilization. (*****)
Tom D. Dillehay: The Settlement of the Americas: A New Prehistory
A leading authority on South American archaeology reviews, in sometimes exhausting detail, what is known about the earliest human presence in the New World, focusing on the southern continent. Much remains obscure and perplexing. While the author argues for his own theories, he does not try to impose unwarranted certainties. (****)
Jim Geraghty: Voting to Kill: How 9/11 Launched the Era of Republican Leadership
The author may have been an overconfident prophet, but his account of Democratic fecklessness on terrorism and national security is well worth reading. And he may turn out in the long run to be right about the electoral effects of one party's refusal to take the War on Terror seriously. It is unlikely that the Islamofascists will stop fighting. If only one party is interested in fighting back, either it will become dominant or our future will be much like the one foreseen by Robert Ferrigno. (****)
Martin Meredith: The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair
Again and again, bright hopes for African countries have been undermined by endemic corruption and the megalomania of "Big Men", recently compounded by the scourge of AIDS. While not analytical, this account by a veteran reporter tells the depressing story is grim but fair-minded detail. (****)
Nicholas Wade: Before the Dawn : Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors
A journalist's overview of the information about human prehistory brought to light by DNA research. The author's enthusiasm for finding genetic bases for everything sometimes leads to ill-supported guesswork, but he is generally level headed and has much better documentation than most popularizers. (****)
Andre Gerolymatos: The Balkan Wars: Conquest, Revolution, and Retribution from the Ottoman Era to the Twentieth Century and Beyond
An episodic account of Balkan conflicts from the Battle of Kosovo (1389) through the Second Balkan War (1913). While emphasizing the dramatic and sometimes drawing on dubious sources, the book gives a sense of how the past appears to today's inhabitants of the region. (***)
Peter Heather: The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
A narrative of the last century of the Western Roman Empire from the "Late Antiquity" point of view, according to which accident played a larger role in the barbarian triumph than institutional failure or economic crisis. As an account of politics and warfare, the book is first rate, but neglect of culture and (especially) religion makes it one-sided. An editor was desperately needed to weed out slang, clichés and over-cute parallels to the 21st century. (****)
Jung Chang & Jon Halliday: Mao : The Unknown Story
A relentless exposé of one of history's great monsters, whose self-centered ambition destroyed tens of millions of people. China will never recover fully until it renounces Mao's tyrannical legacy, a project that, alas, is far from being completed. The book's only weaknesses are occasional naivete about geopolitics and a prose style that reads like a literal translation from Chinese. (*****)
Charles Spencer: Blenheim: Battle for Europe
An energetic history of the campaign of 1704, which destroyed Louis XVI's prospects for dominating Europe. The viewpoint is strongly partisan (anti-French, pro-Marlborough), which leads to some simplification and distortion, but the book is excellent as an overview of an historical turning point. (****)
Arthur Cotterell: Chariot : The Astounding Rise and Fall of the World's First War Machine
The military use of the chariot is a topic badly in need of a definitive analysis. This book isn't it. The author's theory, that chariots were primarily platforms for archery, may be correct but is advanced without a solid foundation of evidence. The discussion is digressive and overly credulous of literary and semi-historical sources, while scanting archeology. On the positive side, the materials gathered here are full of intrinsic interest. (***)
Toby Wilkinson: Genesis of the Pharaohs
"Gift of the Nile" may be a misnomer. A leading expert on Egyptian prehistory argues that the civilization of the Pharoahs originated on the savannahs (now deserts) to the east of the river. Well written and accessible, though oversimplified on occasion. (****)
N. A. M. Rodger: The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain 660-1649
This account of 1,000 years of English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh naval history is full of surprises, showing how Anglo-Saxon seapower fell apart under the Normans and revived only sporadically until Henry VIII, Elizabeth and (surprisingly) Charles I laid the foundations for the Royal Navy. Sprightly writing, a plethora of facts and no fear of shattering myths. (*****)
J. E. Lendon: Soldiers and Ghosts : A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity
A deftly argued challenge to accounts of ancient military history that overlook the influence of cultural traditions on the way that wars were fought. (*****)
Michael Brown: The Wars of Scotland : Scotland, 1214-1371 (The New History of Scotland)
Despite its title, this work is a political rather than military history. In fact, the first part of the period covered is rather peaceful, and the central theme is how that internal peace broke down. (****)
Scott McCrea: The Case for Shakespeare : The End of the Authorship Question
A solid review of the evidence for the identity of the English language's greatest writer. Review (*****)
G. Edward White: Alger Hiss's Looking-Glass Wars: The Covert Life of a Soviet Spy
Credible, though necessarily speculative analysis of why Alger Hiss persisted in denying his role as a Soviet spy and why so many leftists remain determined to believe him despite overwhelming proof of his guilt. The author's summary of the case and the evidence is unusually lucid. (*****)
- Frank E. & Fritzie P. Manuel: Utopian Thought in the Western World
A detailed study of utopias and the psychology of their inventors from Thomas More through Herbert Marcuse. The authors brilliantly trace the various strains of utopian thought, with ample attention to significant though now neglected figures. (*****)
Thomas V. Cohen: Love and Death in Renaissance Italy
Six tales of love. adultery and murder, culled from 16th Century Roman court records, give unusual insights into the emotional life of the era. The author's arch diction and lit-crit pretentiousness are irritating but not fatal to the interest of his material. (****)
Lynn Struve: Voices from the Ming-Qing Cataclysm: China in Tigers' Jaws
These first hand accounts of the Manchu invasion of China, many of them written by ordinary people whose lives were shattered by the turmoil, remind us that we do not live in the worst of times. (*****)
E. Viollet-Le-Duc: Annals of a Fortress: Twenty-Two Centuries of Siege Warfare
This combined novel and treatise traces the history of an imaginary French fortress from the 4th Century B.C. through the Napoleonic Wars, featuring detailed accounts of seven sieges. (****)
John H. Fund: Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy
Essential, urgent reading for all citizens who want every genuine vote to count. (*****)
N. B. Aitchison: Macbeth: Man and Myth
An historian brings together the few facts and many fantasies about Scotland's most famous King. (****)
Pat Pierce: The Great Shakespeare Fraud: The Strange, True Story of William-Henry Ireland
Breezy, superficial, ill-edited but nonetheless compelling biography of a "backward" boy whose fake Shakespeariana briefly fooled the English literary world. The recent CBS forgeries make it topical. (***)
Burton Watson: Early Chinese Literature
Incisive survey of the genres and principal works of the Chou and Early Han dynasties. (*****)
Michael Hicks: Richard III
Not a biography but a study of the shaping of Richard's reputation. Lucid and informative but naive in places and distinctly hostile to its subject. (***)
Henry Kamen: The Duke of Alba
This compact life of Philip II's premier general highlights his efficiency and loyalty without excusing his brutality and arrogance. (****)
Jonathan M. House: Combined Arms Warfare in the Twentieth Century
Civilian version of well-regarded military textbook surveying the interaction of technology and doctrine from World War I through the mid 1990's. (****)
Donald E. Queller & Thomas F. Madden: The Fourth Crusade: The Conquest of Constantinople
Balanced account of one of history's great crimes, blaming the crusaders' looting of Christendom's greatest city more on miscalculation than malice. (*****)
Justin Phillips: C. S. Lewis at the BBC: Messages of Hope in the Darkness of War
The often amusing story of Lewis' wartime radio broadcasts, which made him the world's best-known Christian controversialist. (****)
Abraham Eraly: Gem in the Lotus: The Seeding of Indian Civilization
Cultural history of India from the Indus Civilization through Asoka. Fascinating but uncritical in its use of sources. (***)
Hugh Elton: Warfare in Roman Europe, AD 350-425
Argues that the later Roman army was more successful and less barbarian than traditionally assumed. (****)
Adrian Keith Goldsworthy: The Roman Army at War: 100 BC-AD 200
An attempt, partially frustrated by shortage of data, to look at the Roman army from the bottom-up, emphasizing the realities of combat rather than institutional features. (****)
David Frum: The Right Man : The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush
Partly memoir of the author's service as a White House speech writer, partly an analysis of the President's leadership style. Vivid but sometimes superficial. (****)
Ibn Warraq: The Quest for the Historical Muhammad
Essays by non-Moslem scholars on the dubious historicity of the traditional account of Mohammed's life and teaching. (****)
Ibn Warraq: The Origins of the Koran: Classic Essays on Islam's Holy Book
Scholarly, non-Moslem studies of the Islamic holy book. Occasionally too dense for lay readers. (****)
Michael Cook: The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
Written without animus, this slim guide explains what the Koran says and how Moslems read it. (*****)
Richard J. Evans: The Coming of the Third Reich
The collapse of the Weimar Republic, 1919-1933. Excellent on the cultural and social roots of the Far Right's ascendancy, less successful as a narrative history. (****)
Frank Kermode: The Age of Shakespeare
Good introduction to the playwright and his period. Acute though not always deep. (****)
Michael Oren: Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
The definitive account of the most crucial war in Israel's modern history. (*****)
Ronald Reagan: Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan That Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America
Ronald Reagan was a compulsive writer. This volume collects the surviving scripts for his 1970's radio broadcasts, showing the wide range of his ideas and basic thoughtfulness of his opinions. (*****)
Andrew Gurr: Playgoing in Shakespeare's London
Study of the characteristics of Shakespeare's audience and the experience of theater going in his day. Essential for students of theatrical history. (*****)
William C. Burger: Perfect Planet, Clever Species: How Unique Are We?
A biological history of the world disguised as debate on the Fermi Paradox. Informative but unpersuasive. (***)
Anthony Clayton: Paths of Glory: The French Army 1914-1918
Overview of the French army's doctrine, leadership and performance in World War I. Covers more ground than feasible in its limited space but otherwise valuable. (****)
Susan Rose: Medieval Naval Warfare, 1000-1500
Short, useful survey of an obscure aspect of military history. (****)
Rich Lowry: Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years
Written by a conservative, this book delivers a balanced verdict on the Clinton Presidency: a period of wasted opportunities rather than fatal disasters. (*****)
John Charles Pollock: Kitchener: Architect of Victory, Artisan of Peace
Admiring life of the great imperial soldier. One-sided but informative, eschewing the temptation to debunk Victorian heroes. (****)
Stephen Webb: If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens... Where Is Everybody? Fifty Solutions to Fermi's Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life
Wide-ranging introduction to the paradoxes arising from standard assumptions about technological progress, the abundance of sapient life and the age of planets. (****)
M. E. Durham: High Albania: A Victorian Traveller's Balkan Odyssey
A rugged Edwardian (not Victorian) lady's travels through Ottoman-ruled Albania. Colorful, with surprising empathy for the feud-ridden natives. (****)
Philip Jenkins: Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way
Solid, though slightly plodding, refutation of the bizarre "Jesus Seminar" theories about early Christian history. (****)
Walter E. Kaegi: Heraclius, Emperor of Byzantium
Life of the Emperor who saved Byzantium from the Persians but could not fend off the Moslem advance. Good on military affairs and government; weak on the important religious side of the story. (****)
R. J. Knecht: The French Civil Wars, 1562 - 1598
Succinct account of the Wars of Religion, considering the religious, social and economic factors that made them prolonged and indecisive. (****)
Noel Emmanuel Lenski: Failure of Empire: Valens and the Roman State in the Fourth Century A.D.
Life of the ruler who lost the crucial Battle of Adrianople (A.D. 378). Ably researched but marred by excessive hindsight and anachronistic view of how the Roman Empire functioned. (****)
J. E. Lendon: Empire of Honour: The Art of Government in the Roman World
Superb analysis of the mainsprings of Imperial Roman government. The author has an eye for the telling detail and empathy with a culture whose root assumptions differed from our own. (*****)
Donald Keene: Emperor of Japan
The history of the Meiji Restoration from the viewpoint of its Emperor. Despite a wealth of detail, however, the mind of the central figure remains enigmatic. (****)
Jennifer Loach: Edward VI (Yale English Monarchs)
Left incomplete at the author's death and finished by her students, this life of Henry VIII's son challenges his reputation for sickly piety and portrays a fairly typical, though bright, adolescent. (***)
Laurence Kelly: Diplomacy and Murder in Tehran : Alexander Griboyedov and the Tsar's Mission to the Shah of Persia
The brief life and tragic death of a brilliant soldier-playwright turned diplomat. (****)
Edward J. Erickson: Defeat in Detail : The Ottoman Army in the Balkans, 1912-1913
Examination of the First Balkan War from the Ottoman point of view. Explains how incomplete modernization led to disastrous defeat. (****)
Trevor Royle: Crimea: The Great Crimean War, 1854-1856
Covers all theaters of a conflict that was not limited to the Crimea. (****)
Richard Osgood & Sarah Monks: Bronze Age Warfare
Survey of the fortification sites, weapons finds and other archeological evidence relating to warfare in Bronze Age Europe. Stronger on description than interpretation but excellent at what it does. (****)
Kenneth M. Pollack: Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991
Since 1948 Arab armies have been uniformly unsuccessful against non-Arab enemies. This thorough history and analysis tries to identify the reasons for this record of failure. (*****)
Azar Gat: A History of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to the Cold War
Revisionist survey of military theory that tries, with mixed success, to show the impact of general ideological trends on ideas about how to fight wars. Strongest when discussing the 19th Century; hit and miss as it approaches the present. (****)
Hello,
Interesting discussion!
For more information about Judas, take a look at:
www.gnosticjudas.com
regards
Posted by: Mini | Friday, December 08, 2006 at 02:22 AM
i got one question to all. why does church got such hatred towards judas to think the church is the number one advocator of predestination that everything is in god's will and if it weren't for judas, no crucifixion would take place therefore what would become one of the main core of christianity, "jesus died, buried, and risen" to which we're all saved from our sins? and what had become of jesus' revolutionary teachings of loving ones' enemies and the concept of forgiveness if we are to eternally curse judas? it's not that im defending the gnostics (if the lost document is really a propaganda made by them), to be honest im not really interested if you could consider it as a gospel or not, but i think with the document's revelation, maybe it teaches us some rather new perspective in re-evaluating our faith. all of the gospels were merely 'hearsay' (if it were a written account of jesus himself, i would really appreciate it), but as for judas for example, he's a man, a sinner like most of us, and lots of people had done worst things than what he did, but i think we all have to exercise another great example of jesus' hardest lesson, learn and apply compassion and forgiveness. and what about predestination? well, i guess everything has a reason. although one cannot make it as an excuse, but usually, like to what i want to quote one who posted a comment before, "god works in mysterious ways"
Posted by: adrienne vergara | Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at 03:01 PM
HAHAHAHA! The more you rail against the old text, the more people will read it and think about it out of curiousity.
All the stories in the bible were ripped off from other cultures and older religions. The flood stories, the "Moses" stories, the "Eden" stories all existed in Mesopotamia, Egypt, northern Africa, and other areas long before Torah entertainers and storytellers decided to write them down. What's the big deal if there are dozens of differing legends about the myths regarding Jesus?
Posted by: Sarabaite | Saturday, April 15, 2006 at 11:21 PM
When you get right down to it, what does it matter if Judas betrayed The Christ of his own volition or because Jesus told him to do it. The point is that Jesus had to be put to death. Judas had to betray Jesus so the Crusifiction would happen. Judas was part of the story and we should not judge his actions. Why do we always require a scapegoat. I personally think the Gospel of Judas fits because Jesus had to insure that He would be put to death. As a lot of people say when they don't understand what's goin on, "The Lord works in mysterious ways".
Posted by: jmh | Friday, April 14, 2006 at 07:45 PM
I have just viewed the RBC produced special DVD debunking the Da Vinci code phenomenon. It was well scripted and documented but whether is was necessary is another matter etirely. By creating such attention only plays to the author's hands. Now, I am wondering if something similar will come out to defend the santity of the Holy Quartet. Life in the 21st century is becoming more dynamic everyday and the question has to be asked - should religious text remain immutable?
Posted by: Julian Yap | Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 03:57 AM
What is the truth? Is it possible that the only real truth is the search for truth itself?Simply beleiving a commonly accepted version of any reality does not make it true.It is possible that being so afraid to consider any alternative information regarding ones religious beliefs that you only impede any real spiritual growth.In the words of Jesus;In order that you be born again you must first make your mind over as a child.What is in a childs mind?Nothing.A child will remain curious of any new thing until at some point society,religion,christianity and other outside influences will likely force that curious mind to accept the common thought form and beliefs of the day in order to become more acceptable to that society.Who wants to be branded a heretic or a cult or new ager etc. for daring to think outside the box.Why does christianity impose such strict mental constraints on all of its followers.Is it so that the Jerry Falwells,John Haggees, Rod Parselys, Jim Bakers,Benny Hinns and the like can continue to live their lavish lifestyles of Rolex watches,$ 2000 suits,Multi-million dollar mansions,exotic vehicles and behind the scenes contradictory immorality while keeping the masses fooled into believing they have the truth.My studies of the bible and other historical research would lead me to conclude that christianity as we know it today is likely the complete opposite of what was intended by Jesus.I would also imply that were Jesus to retun today in our midst he would likely be denounced by the very ones proclaiming to know him so well.I find it remarkable that the word heresy is still used in the context of a defense for fear of ones religious beliefs being challenged.Is that not the word Christianity used to condem millions of peole to their deaths throughout the history of the church.It would appear to me that any real spiritual growth must have not made it past the dark ages.Scientists and scholars alike have not been able to conclude exact dates and times as to when any of the gospels were written or who wrote them or how long after Jesus died they were written.Based on that assumption ,all we have in reality is writings based on hearsay,not fact, including the gospel of Judas.I would think that Ireneaus's choice to include or exclude specific writings had huge political as well as personal and emotional motivations.Its possible that were a different individual chosen by the church to perform this selection we may have ended up with a whole different set of gospels than what we now have.And what if it were found at at a later date that Gnostics wrote Matthew,Mark,Luke and John.What a scarey thought for most.Does anyone have anything other than speculation,conjecture or unfounded conclusions to prove otherwise?It is possible that Irenaeus was nothing more than a Pediphile or sexual deviant appointed by the church to constuct a thought form for its followers that would allow the Christian leaders to remain hidden in their own immorality and maintane control over the herd at the same time.History has shown this to be a re-occuring scenario within the church and as we have seen with todays Priests,Cardinals and Bishops,it remains a reality.So which one of you theological experts can vouch for the credibility of this individual named Irenaeus? Have any of you met this man personally? Of course not.So how can anyone presume to know what was in this mans spirit at the time of his writings or for that matter, what the spiritual state was of the individual who wrote the book of Judas.
At one point or another in my life I have attempted to become deeply involved with Almost every religious sect in our american society to include Catholics, Baptists,Charismatics,Methodist,Nazarenes,Jehovas Witness ,Mormons etc.in search of spiritual truths.In all my personal Experience with all these groups that make up Christianity I have observed one common thread.All who participate are required to give up their own search for the truth and accept the herds preconcieved notion of reality and become an intellectual prostitute to someone elses interpretation of Biblical writings and reality itself.
Is there a Heaven or Hell? Ask any child what happens when they die or adult for that matter and they will all say they're going to heaven.Very few will say hell.Does anyone out there know this to be absolutely true? I haven't personally met anyone who has died and returned to confirm that.Nor have I found a dead person whom I can dicuss it with.Why do we teach our children these things when none of us really know for sure.Has the fear of death become so powerful to humanity that we should all give up our own unique,God given ability to think and use our brain to search for truth and understanding or should we just follow the herd because that is the safe and easy path.
In choosing to remain open minded and considering all possibilities that come to light,I feel I have gained a better spiritual understanding and may have become more like Jesus intended us to be in the process.Is it possible that allowing others to be in control of our own spiritual self is the greatest sin of all? The only True Gift we have is to choose what to think.Give that away and you have nothing.
If the blind lead the blind then they shall all fall into the pit.
Walt Aldridge
Posted by: WalterAldridge | Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 06:27 PM
We must all realize that the factions controlling the documents copied at the time were both religious and political. The allowed / agreed to text that make up the bible that we know today has been revised a number of times. These coptic texts were not allowed to become part of the bible because they did not support the beliefs of the person or persons (factions) in power at the time.
The Nag Hammadi library is a great example of Gnostic thought and recommended reading. Remember we are reading a new testament that is the "KING JAMES" Version.
I am surprised that we have any surviving text from the 3rd century about Christ and thrilled to have the opportunity to read about it.
Remember.... The truth shall set you free!
Posted by: Tad Dickson | Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 12:36 PM
NON NOBIS DOMINE, NON NOBIS SED NOMINE TUO DA GLORIUM!
Veritas vos liberabit! Beauseant!!!
Posted by: ren von dietk | Sunday, April 09, 2006 at 06:59 AM
Bishop Irenaeus of Lyon, an early orthodox Christian writer wrote a treatise called AGAINST HERESIES (A.D. 180) where he denounces the Gospel of the Cainite gnostics called the Gospel of Judas. But Seth rather than Cain is mentioned in the above Gospel of Judas. Are these two Gospels of Judas one and the same? A third century work ascribed to Tertullian, AGAINST ALL HERESIES, also attributes the Gospel of Judas to the gnostic followers of Cain. Is this the same Gospel of Judas? Are the Sethite gnostics really the same as the Cainite gnostics as the editors of this book published by National Geographic (2006) would have us believe? I am doubtful. So there is insufficent information in either of these accounts by the orthodox church fathers to be certain. Therefore, I am sceptical, at this time, of ascribing a second century date to The newly published Gospel of Judas ascribed to the Sethites merely because a (long-known but unfamiliar) Gospel of Judas acribed to the Cainites is mentioned and denounced by Irenaeus (180).
Posted by: Charles Puskas, Ph.D. | Sunday, April 09, 2006 at 12:32 AM
To make the quantum leap from this being a "new gospel" based solely on its antiquity (allegedly from the 4th/5th CE)to its being a testimony from one who lived at the time of Jesus is preliminary, at best. To be sure, Judas lived out his destiny, as Jesus predicted. However, it is speculative to suggest, as does this "gospel," that Jesus needed an accomplice in his betrayal, and offered the place in history to Judas.
Posted by: Albert Nunn | Saturday, April 08, 2006 at 04:12 PM
I think this is a very interesting gospel, some very modern concepts are included, but I think the Coptic translation is very poor, so some of the non greek translations dont make sense and totally miss the point.
(source http://reluctant-messenger.com/gospel-thomas-Paul_Halsall.htm).
Example greek version:
30/77) Jesus said: "Where there are [two, they are not] without God, and when there is one alone, [I say,] I am with him. Raise the stone, and there you will find me; cleave the wood, and there I am."
Coptic Version:
30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."
Now the greek version clearly makes sense, for peoples with religions with multiple gods, they still have god, and when they worship one god it is the same god. The coptic version is seperfulous rubish... And I think that allot of the other translations are equaly flawed. But the core messages, from my oppinion are definitely good messages.
Posted by: Mark Chambers | Friday, April 07, 2006 at 10:39 PM
"John's quasi-docetic, otherworldly Jesus who bleeds blood and water"
"Hematidrosis" is a medical term for sweating blood and water.
Also, any heart surgeon will tell you that if someone bleeds blood+water when cut, it means they have been stone dead for at least a minute. The blood coagulates into clotted blood and watery serum very rapidly after death.
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are based on over 5,200 manuscripts or pieces of manuscript written in original Greek (the trade language then). It is surprising how little these manuscripts differ from each other as well. Besides minor discrepancies that never alter the meaning of any text, the majority of these manuscripts agree word for word with one another. There is no other ancient document that even approaches the New Testament in manuscript integrity and evidence.
When reading these gospels--which are written in historic narrative--ask yourself, do these apostles sound like mere religious fanatics who are out of touch with real life, or do the apostles sound like they have a handle on what is real?
Finally, if Jesus was telling the truth, then he is God in human form, and things like wild exorcisms, miracle healings and ressurection from death are possible for an all powerful being. If not, and if he was simply a mere human, his wild claims point to him being a total nut and not worth our time.
Posted by: John Keeler | Friday, April 07, 2006 at 02:16 PM
I have been in Christ since 1975. Early on on I read all the New Age and Cultic nonsence. After getting aquainted with all the hype and fluff I settled down expecting not to hear anymore about fake gospels and the like. Well its back! What amazes me is that the story of Judas' gospel broke on NBC's morning show, featuring as the reporter, Katy Kuric. She smiled alot and looked like a kid getting an important lesson. If this is how she handles serious news, CBS would do better to put Dan Rather back in the anchor position.
Posted by: Frank J. Verderber | Friday, April 07, 2006 at 01:55 PM
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever
Isaih40:8
Posted by: M. Katz | Friday, April 07, 2006 at 09:42 AM
I am fascinated by these findings. I am not as versed as the professors in the comment section. I know more about religion than the average person though. I know that Saturday is the true day of worship. I know that this was changed for political reasons. I know politics and the church should be far apart, but not in the way most people cry about such as the flag. I truly believe various parts of the Bible have been tampered with via the desire of man, NOT GOD! Wasn't Mary M. cleared by the "Church" a few decades ago of being a prostitute. All this time as a child and a man I was under the impression that she was a whore. It brings questions about what else has been changed. Man has twisted the word of God to suit his sinful needs since the dawn of time. Maybe there is a gospel of Judas. Maybe the image of him was as distorted as the image of Mary M. All I know is Jesus died for our sins, and he is the son of God. There is so much I could say about religion right now. I know it has been made more patriarchal by man then God ever intended it to be. Faith is a hard thing to possess in today's world. I am a 33 year old black man. I have been through and seen enough to make me question everything I was taught, yet I still stand firm. I know there are missing parts of the Bible. More important than that is the fact that everything I need to be "saved" is in the Bible in it's present form. Argue on gentleman!
Posted by: Shaun McRoy | Friday, April 07, 2006 at 06:01 AM
Tom Pike wrote:
>> In response to Professor David Frankfurter's
>> comment:
>> "It really comes down to what kind of idiom
>> you like your theology..."
>> No Professor, it comes down to TRUTH, a word
>> that has been lost in our laughably
>> "intellectual" society.
"Truth" like parthenogenesis on jewish women? Like zombies walking by on first century's Jerusalem?
Like weather controlling prophets? Like "loving" gods that cannot find a better way to forgive humankind than the crucifixion of an innocent (or himself)?
Yeah, right!
Anyway, speaking of "down to earth" documents, just compare:
"They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them."
(Matthew 21,7)
"Jesus said, 'A person cannot mount two horses' "
(Gospel of Thomas, logion 47)
Good point, Professor Frankfurter.
Posted by: Hernán Toro | Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 07:35 AM
I would venture to say that most if not all Christian (myself included)could be considered "heretical" to some extent. We all have some wrong thoughts about God but that really isn't the point. The point is that we continue to strive to understand God better realizing mistakes will be made along the way. It wasn't that long ago that Christians used the Bible and theology to support sexism, racism, slavism, etc and it will continue until our Lord returns.
That being said I find discoveries such as these fascinating since they help to illuminate others thoughts on God regardless of accuracy.
Posted by: Brian Young | Thursday, March 09, 2006 at 01:35 PM
Whatever the case, this is an exciting time for biblical scholarship!
Posted by: Justin Farrell | Thursday, March 02, 2006 at 01:52 AM
In response to Professor David Frankfurter's comment:
"It really comes down to what kind of idiom you like your theology..."
No Professor, it comes down to TRUTH, a word that has been lost in our laughably "intellectual" society. It's humorous still how the ossuary of James that was discovered and quickly "shuffled off behind the curtain" by leading "experts", met with less scholarly attention than this gnostic heresy! The "scholars" of our day feign and swoon over a gnostic text while something like the Dead Sea Scrolls which were initially allayed as fake are now a triumph for Biblical accuracy.
I guess the Bible is true:
Rom 1:22 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools..."
Tom Pique
Biblical Christian
Posted by: Tom Pique | Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 12:09 PM
Just on your last point, I do think an objective view of the canonical gospels would indeed count some of them as equally extravagant to those left out -- deemed "heretical" or "apocryphal." Mark's and Luke's wild exorcisms, John's quasi-docetic, otherworldly Jesus who bleeds blood and water -- it's hard to see these as "sober" compared to some of the NHL texts that are meant as philosophical treatises or metaphorical tropes. It really comes down to what kind of idiom you like your theology; and in antiquity, demon-ridden pseudo-biographies were not necessarily revered as the most elevated or sophisticated. There may be historical reasons for the four gospel's "catholicity," but they are not "extravagance" vs. "sober tone."
Another point: for most churches in Irenaeus's and Athanasius's time, there was no idolization of the four. We know (from mss., from church historians of antiquity, and from art) that individual churches read widely in and with great influence from apocryphal gospels and acts.
David Frankfurter
Professor of Religious Studies & History
University of New Hampshire
Posted by: David Frankfurter | Saturday, April 23, 2005 at 01:24 PM