History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The City Of Light: The Hidden Journal of the Man Who Entered China Four Years Before Marco Polo

Average customer rating:

many indications that this is largely a 20th Century work
Ian Myles Slater on: A Remarkable Book, as Memoir or Fiction
Excellent.
Boring!
Brilliant. ...One way or another.

The City Of Light: The Hidden Journal of the Man Who Entered China Four Years Before Marco Polo
Jacob D'Ancona
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1559725230

Book Description

In 1270 a scholarly Jewish merchant called Jacob d'Ancona set out on a voyage from Italy. A year later, he arrived in China at the coastal metropolis of Zaitun, the "City of Light" (now known as Quanzhou), four years before Marco Polo arrived at Xanadu in 1275. Nothing was known of this epochal journey until 1990, when David Selbourne was shown d'Ancona's account of his travels, a remarkable manuscript that had been hidden from public view for more than seven centuries. Eventually translated and edited by Selbourne and published in Great Britain in October 1997 as The City of Light, the account was praised as providing an unparalleled insight into life in the medieval world.

Controversy followed. Selbourne had pledged to the manuscript's owner that he would not reveal its whereabouts, and that raised doubts about its authenticity. As a result of U.S. sinologists' criticism of plans for American publication, the first edition was canceled.

Now, a year later, Birch Lane Press happily publishes the controversial work. Criticisms of the textual evidence of d'Ancona's account have been answered by Selbourne. Most notably, other academics--particularly and significantly, in China--have come to the support of d'Ancona's account. The work is to be published in a Chinese translation.

Vivid and insightful, this account has great historical significance. It not only describes the adventures of a medieval trader, but also comments on Chinese society and manners through the eyes of a European man of learning. The City of Light brings spectacularly to life d'Ancona's encounter with one of the world's great civilizations.

Customer Reviews:

many indications that this is largely a 20th Century work.......2004-05-27

This volume starts out as a plausable enough chronicle of a Jewish merchant from Italy who travels to China and so on, but very quickly it becomes apparent that this is just the setting for a series of philosophical debates that the merchant partakes in with other groups in the "City of Light".

It is written like no other narrative from the past I have seen and is quite long as well. Although I am no expert on that time and place, and there are none who truly are, what really makes it suspect is the fact that most of the work fails to give details of how people lived and what things were like at that time and place and instead concentrates on the dialogues that he is invited to and partakes in. And all of the matters that they discuss are those that would preoccupy the mind of a person in the late 20th Century. Which either means that people in the 13th Century had identical problems to those we have today, or that this was written by someone in the late 20th Century. He even forsees the Holocaust at one point.

There is nothing that would secure it as authentic and many indications that this is largely a 20th Century work, enough to make it well accepted as a forgery until proven otherwise (which I never expect to happen). As for what it contains and the value of its philosophical debates, it offers nothing in the way of secure arguments, unless you already accept the Jewish religious teachings as a source of unchallenged wisdom. It also was rather long without adding much. It might have been better to publish this as a modern philosophical novel, which would have permitted it to be a better novel, without attempting to mislead scholars, that can cause trouble for years. Although I realize that from a publishing standpoint, it gets more attention to claim authenticity.

Also, he (Selbourne) clips off the return journey, which might have been one of the only authentic parts in the book. I paid full price for this book when it was first published and I consider it was not worth it.

Ian Myles Slater on: A Remarkable Book, as Memoir or Fiction.......2003-10-17

I am glad to see that the (delayed) American edition of this book is now in paperback. It differs from the UK edition (which I have also reviewed) mainly by including "Remarks on The City of Light " by Wang Lianmao, in which modern Chinese scholarship is used to reply to some of the criticism directed against it by Westerners. Specialists in the history of the region find some puzzles, and probable errors made by a foreigner, but nothing to suggest a modern fraud. They seem willing to accept it as an authentic account of southern China by a foreigner, describing events shortly before the arrival of Marco Polo in the following of the Mongol (Yuan) conqueror. (Probably wisely, they do not seem to have offered an opinion on how authentic the foreigner -- an Italian Jew -- looks to them.)

Curiously, Frances Wood, whose "Did Marco Polo Go to China?" argues that the Venetian merchant stayed in western Asia, and got all his information from others, who left no record of their adventures, seems to have joined in denouncing Jacob of Ancona as a fabrication, even though this must have seemed like manna from heaven for her theory. (By the way, it seems clear to me that, despite various major and minor interpolations and deletions in the manuscript tradition, Marco Polo did travel in East Asia -- so maybe I'm gullible.)

I would add, from my own cursory research, that I have some problems with the supposedly convincing argument that the use of the term "mellah" for "Jewish Quarter" in Muslim lands is anachronistic. This argument depends on accepting one version of the etymology and history of the word. It is, however, less than completely certain; Roger Le Tourneau, in "Fez in the Age of the Marinides" (English translation 1961), reviewed the complicated evidence, and suggested that the consensus, including how long the word was in use and when and where it was adopted, might be wrong.

From a Jewish perspective, I can accept Jacob of Ancona as a plausible figure (and perhaps more typical than Selbourne, to judge from his notes, realizes). The combination of length and literary quality in a memoir seems unusual for the period, but the translator reports omitting some sections at the end, and felicitous translation can add charm without being unfaithful. Some medieval writings *are* inordinately long -- and long-winded.

Jaob's report of debates with Chinese officials leaves me wondering if both his contacts and his discussions were really on such a high level (especially with both sides using some sort of "trade speech" and translators), but self-congratulatory memoirs are not a modern invention.

On the basis of Chinese reactions, I am prepared to accept the work as authentic, although not completely reliable as a record of fact (is anything?). If it is a fraud -- and only an examination of the manuscript seems likely to prove it -- its creator would surely have been better rewarded by emulating Eco's "Name of the Rose," and publishing it as historical fiction of a high order.

Excellent........2002-04-11

OK, nobody else has seen the original, so there's no way of verifying if this is a true translation or a hoax. If it is a hoax, it's a danmed good one, written so well, with lots of research to back it up, that I for one don't care.
This is just brilliant, true or hoax, it gives a deep insight into the Jewish support network and all the opposition & prejudice that Jews had to deal with.
It knocks Marco Polo's account into a cocked hat; incisive philosophy, intimate desriptions of mediaeval life and trade are enough to grant this a place on anyone's bookshelf, true or not.

Boring!.......2001-08-03

In a word: BORING! This book would have been twice as good were it half as long. Selbourne has cut the end and would have done well to cut the middle as well. Jacob's incessant protestations of piety are tedious. He hypocritically condemns everyone around him for greed and self-interest but his own actions, though ostensibly high-minded, are also dictated almost solely by financial motives. For this reason his criticism of others rings hollow. His world view is remarkably narrow and parochial for someone so widely traveled. While he makes extensive observations of the conduct of others, there is no effort to appreciate their viewpoints. I am also skeptical of the provenance of this book. The social debates described have a very contemporary tenor and are relevant to our own times. If this were in fact an authenticated manuscript, this resonance would be remarkable. However, the provenance of the book is in dispute and much space is devoted to supporting its authenticity. The resolution of this issue must await examination of the original manuscript but in the meantime I am skeptical because the discussions seem too modern.

Brilliant. ...One way or another........2001-07-14

This is simply one of the best books I have ever read. And it is definitely, hands down, with a doubt, the single funniest book I have ever read... though it isn't actually intended to be. Until the actual Ancona manuscript itself is made available for scrutiny, we will never know for sure if this text is authentic or a stunningly brilliant, almost cruelly sharp-witted satirical hoax. If it is the latter, it is still extremely impressive, informative and entertaining. Nearly every sentence is punctuated by the author Jacob's constant use of "May God be praised" or "May God spare me", or, for those individuals and groups he really despises: "May God strike them down" or "May God shorten their lives". I just could not stop laughing! - nor could I put the book down. Mr. Selbourne, wherever you are, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, sir. One way or another you have given us an amazing piece of work. May God magnify and bless you, and may He extend your life! Amen, Amen, Amen!

The Very Best Men: Four Who Dared: The Early Years of the CIA

Average customer rating:

the history of the company, "good shepherds" and all
tragedy and triumph on a dark stage
Surprised Not to See More Reviews
Just don't let friends borrow it
A college kid's opinion...

The Very Best Men: Four Who Dared: The Early Years of the CIA
Evan Thomas
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684825384

Customer Reviews:

the history of the company, "good shepherds" and all.......2007-05-28

this is a well written, insightful gem of a book covers the four major figures who defined the early years of CIA. their strengths, their bravado, their naivate, their luck - it's all here. more than just a history, there's a bit of understanding, as well, and some analysis. this book cuts through the cruft and to the meat of the story.

the company's changed a lot since then, but it's important to know where it came from. read this and you'll learn the foundations of that history, and america's second half of the 20th century, as well.

tragedy and triumph on a dark stage.......2005-01-17

Evans crafted a book that doesn't fall into non-fiction traps. Many non-fiction works miss the mark when it comes to drawing a reader in to a book about the Cold War. They show that the OUTRIGGER program was funded at $XX millions and opposed by X liberals in Congress but it collected Y amount of information from the Stassi.
Those are trivial and boring works.
This one doesn't miss at all -- it's a bullseye.
Evan Thomas' The Very Best Men reads like a thriller. You become wrapped up in the lives of Frank Wisner, Richard Bissell, Tracy Barnes and Desmond Fitzgerald and their early work in America's CIA.
Evans' book isn't just a flag waiver. There are low points, and political failures. Notably the Bay of Pigs and the tragic life of Frank Wisner.
One note: I read Robert Littell's The Company before I read this book, and I see where his characters are drawn from. What order is up to you, but if you are a fan of CIA/spy plots, then I'd read both books together for enjoyment.

Surprised Not to See More Reviews.......2003-12-05

What a great book. If you find the CIA fascinating, then this is a must read. In fact, if you find your country fascinating, you must read this book.

This isn't your typical James Bond, Tom Clancy sort of thing. Get the real stories in just about the perfect amount of detail. The characters are easy to follow and the scenarios do not require a history refresher course to delve into.

The "Four" who did dare are all geniuses and each has played a part in making sure you sleep well at night. Each person is handled deftly and the book follows in a natural chronological order.

The most fascinating part of the book definitely revolves around the Kennedy administration and Bay of Pigs fiasco. Once again, the politics of politics can turn something so clear into a mess.

The best part of the book is that it handles bigger and smaller points equally well. There are many, oh by the way type quick tales, but the larger campaigns are also handled extremely well. You will find yourself paraphrasing stories and anecdotes from this book to your friends. Great after dinner discussion stuff.

Top of my list for recommendation.

Just don't let friends borrow it.......2002-01-30

They will never return it. It is that good of a book. Starts with introduction on how these men started it from WWII and walks the reader through the history of how it all got started.

A college kid's opinion..........2000-04-26

This book was a required read for a college course that I took on the CIA & Congress. I found this to be an excellent book - full of substance, loaded with information, and a very easy read. Thomas's book was one of the very few required reads that I've actually completed of my own accord. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for an in-depth study on the inner workings of the CIA's beginnings.

Average customer rating:

A wide-ranging survey
Solid Amateur Scholarship

AD 33: The Year That Changed the World
Colin Duriez
Manufacturer: IVP Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 083083396X

Book Description

What was the world like in that momentous year, the year of Jesus' death? What is the history that lies behind the Gospel texts? Supplemented by maps, charts and timelines, this richly detailed book reveals what the world that saw the inauguration of Christianity was like. In this breathtaking book we follow the events in the Roman Empire and beyond to obtain a vivid picture of the year of Jesus' death.

Market/Audience

General readers
Readers of church history
History buffs
People investigating Christianity
Students and professors of church history

Features and Benefits

Fictional vignettes interspersed through the whole book add colour.
Includes maps, chronology and an index.
Nothing else in print looks at this whole year in isolation.
Strong religious title for Lent/Easter.
Accessible approach that assumes no prior knowledge of these events.

Customer Reviews:

A wide-ranging survey.......2007-06-17

Modern descriptions and Jewish scriptures of the early church contribute to a survey of the city of Jerusalem during the year of Jesus' death: a religious, historical and social odyssey recommended as an item of particular interest to spirituality holdings, particularly at the college level. First-century Palestine comes to life as well as Roman empire history, culture and interactions in a wide-ranging survey which links Biblical passages and history with a reconstruction of the times.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Solid Amateur Scholarship.......2007-04-15

And here we have another volume in the ever-growing collection of books to put their focus on a single year in history. Of course, in reality, a single year can't be isolated from the flow of history in the years around it; still, it is an interesting trend in popular history books that is not without its pleasures. In this case, Mr. Duriez puts the spotlight on 33 AD.

As any good Christian knows, 33 AD is the year that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified outside of Jerusalem. For believers, this was also the year of his resurrection and ascension. It is also the year that the Christianity got its start. Even for non-believers, this was an event that would have a huge impact on the millennia that followed, making this year a good topic for a book. And Mr. Duriez handles it fairly well.

Obviously, much of the book is taken up with the events in and around Jerusalem. The key players are all here--Jesus, the apostles, Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas, Annas--but Duriez goes beyond simple biography and a recitation of events. He gives some real insight into the social structure of the time and why it is likely that events unfolded the way they did. Additionally, he makes an effort to give us the bigger picture. Apart from Jerusalem, he spends quite a lot of time describing events in Rome, the intrigues of Tiberius' court and how that impacted events in the provinces. (He also devotes a few pages to events of Asia and the Americas, but this material is minimal and less successful.)

Clearly, Duriez is coming at his material from the aspect of a believer. Still, he doesn't let his faith overwhelm the text. He works from plenty of non-biblical source material and he tries to address "scientific" evidence. In this, his ability varies, but the attempt makes for a book that respects a more universal readership.

In the end, I would call this a book of good amateur scholarship. There is a nice synthesis of historical and religious sources molded into the story Duriez wants to tell. It has definite appeal to a Christian audience but is not so religious that it would overwhelm readers of other faiths. It is a solid history book for a popular audience.

Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957

Average customer rating:

Provides the inside story at the House of Dior
A MEMORABLE VISIT WITH DIOR
World-class achievements in clothing & style

Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957
Esmeralda de Rethy , and Jean-Louis Perreau
Manufacturer: Vendome Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 086565249X

Customer Reviews:

Provides the inside story at the House of Dior.......2002-08-06

Christian Dior: The Early Years provides the inside story at the House of Dior, from its introduction of the 'New Look' to 1957, upon Dior's sudden death. When Christian Dior presented his first collection, the young designer presented clothing which featured narrow waists and beautiful evening dresses: a new look for the fashion world of the mid1940s. He drew each dress himself and his designs would change the fashion world of his times. The oversized presentation of this volume allows for fullpage displays of his works accompanying a biography of his life and achievements.

A MEMORABLE VISIT WITH DIOR.......2002-06-12

Born in a small village in Normandy, Christian Dior did not hesitate to disobey a parental injunction to undertake a "serious occupation." He knew what he wanted and fled to Paris where he became a designer at Robert Piguet.

The City of Lights was gray in 1946; there had been the war, German occupation, and rationing. But, luck was with Dior. He met the country's richest and most powerful industrialist, Marcel Boussac, who offered to back the young designer. Space became available at 28-30 Avenue Montaigne, an address well known to fashion aficionados today.

In 1947 Dior introduced his first collection, and the world was ready for his innovative return to the feminine figure with narrow waists, long skirts, and an attractive bustline. The rest, as they say, is history.

All interested in the world of fashion will delight in this detailed history of the workings of Dior's fashion house, and the remarkable people who worked for him in developing a boutique and perfume which would enjoy worldwide acclaim. Also included are stories of his famous clients, such as Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, and the Duchess of Windsor.

Enriched with some 100 illustrations this keepsake volume concludes with "Monsieur Dior's Fashion Vocabulary" and a timeline noting events after Dior's death in 1957 to the present day.

- Gail Cooke

World-class achievements in clothing & style.......2002-04-12

Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957 by Esmeralda de Rethy (daughter of Princess Liliane of Belgium who was one of Christian Dior's very first clients) and fashion historian Jean-Louis Perreau is an incredible, superbly illustrated and informative coffee table book providing a vivid fashion record perfectly capturing the founding of an empire of style in the post-World War II decade. Full-page photographs, some color, some black and white, many nearly half a century old, adorn the pages along with Dior's original sketches and commentary. The text traces the travails, efforts, and world-class achievements in clothing, style, and love of life in this high society treasury. Christian Dior is very highly recommended reading for students of 20th Century fashion history in general, and the influential contributions of Christian Dior in particular.

The Birth of Christianity: Discovering What Happened In the Years Immediately After the Execution Of Jesus

Average customer rating:

A magnificent edifice, but is it built on sand?
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah
The Birth of Christianity is Revisionist and Boring
This emperor has no clothes!
Disappointed...more of the same

The Birth of Christianity: Discovering What Happened In the Years Immediately After the Execution Of Jesus
John Dominic Crossan
Manufacturer: HarperSanFrancisco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060616598

Amazon.com

John Dominic Crossan is the leading contemporary scholar on the historical Jesus, which means that his vocation is to look behind, around, and through Christ's resurrection, toward the goal of establishing what can be known about the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

His search for the historical Jesus, however, takes place in the larger context of the life of the church. Among the goals of The Birth of Christianity is to teach readers how our habits of worship have created false gods. To that end, Crossan attempts to unearth the religion's earliest forms. What did Christianity look like, Crossan asks, between the crucifixion and the conversion of Paul? And what might Christianity look like today had Saul never set off toward Damascus?

Crossan's conclusions don't come from newly discovered documents; they come from freshly-minted academic methodologies. He uses anthropology, history, and archaeology to construct his arguments about the essential nature of both Jesus' religion and Paul's. The 25-cent summary of his conclusion is that Jesus did not recognize the dualism between spirit and flesh that formed the basis of Paul's apocalyptic Christianity. In other words, Jesus was more Jewish than Paul.

The ramifications of this argument are huge. Crossan says much of Christian worship--and many of the world's injustices--are based on the dualistic Christ that Paul preached. Though Crossan doesn't bully readers into accepting his conclusions, he does press hard for them to situate their own beliefs in relation to his interpretations of Jesus and Paul. At every point in the evolution of his argument, he asks readers questions such as "How do you understand a human being?" and "What is the character of your God?" Then he proceeds to answer these questions himself. Finally, he tells readers what he thinks these answers mean.

It's an incredibly civilized style of argument--both spiritually and intellectually respectful and always rhetorically engaging. Though The Birth of Christianity weighs in at almost 600 pages of text, you'll probably want to read every word. And after that, you'll probably be hungry for more.

Book Description

"This book is about the lost years of earliest Christianity, about the 30s and 40s of the first century, about those dark decades immediately after the execution of Jesus. . . . The obscurity of the 30s and 40s can be emphasized by the comparative brilliancy of the 50s. From that later decade we have the letters of Paul. . . . From them, above all else, we receive the temptation to gloss speedily over the 30s or 40s and move swiftly to those better-documented 50s. . . . Before there was Paul the apostle in the early 50s, there was Paul the persecutor in the early 30s. What was there for him to persecute?"
-from The Birth of Christianity

In this long-awaited companion to his landmark The Historical Jesus, John Dominic Crossan, the world's foremost expert on the historical Jesus, explores the lost years of earliest Christianity, those immediately following the execution of Jesus. He establishes the contextual setting by an interdisciplinary combination of anthropological, historical, and archaeological approaches. He identifies the textual sources by a literary analysis of the earliest discernible layers within our present gospels, both inside and outside the New Testament. Context and text come together to challenge long-standing assumptions about the role of Paul and the meaning of resurrection, and to forge an eloquent and powerful new understanding of the birth of the Christian church.

John Dominic Crossan, one of the most influential figures in biblical scholarship, combines innovative scholarship with compelling insight in illuminating the mysteries of the origins of Christianity. Crossan's meticulous research into the anthropological milieu within which Christianity arose, and his study of the emergence of early Christian communities, form the basis for his stunning and original theory. Separating history from theology and redaction, he presents a vivid account of early Christianity's interaction with the world around it, and of the new traditions and communities established as Jesus' companions continued their movement after his death.

With ancient traditional Judaism under increasing pressure from both Roman commercial exploitation and Greek cultural domination, the Kingdom-of-God movement of Jesus and his followers establish radical but non-violent resistance in the Lower Galilee of the late 20s. As early Jewish and Greek-influenced schools of thought present competing visions of the nature of the spirit and the flesh, it is the message brought by Jesus during his life that creates the spiritual center of the early church.

The Resurrection, while essential to the story of Christ as told through the centuries, is understood in a different light when presented in the setting of a Mediterranean culture in which events such as apparitions by the dead and ecstatic visions were far from unusual. While the eschatological teachings of Paul play a large role in the growth and development of the church, they are seen to follow, rather than define, the moment of its birth.

Ground-breaking and brilliantly crafted, *The Birth of Christianity* is an indispensable addition to our understanding of the origins of the Christian faith.

John Dominic Crossan is the author of The Historical Jesus, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, Who Killed Jesus?, and Who Is Jesus? He chairs the Historical Jesus section of the Society of Biblical Literature and was codirector of the Jesus Seminar. John Dominic Crossan, the world's foremost expert and best-selling author on the historical Jesus, presents a fascinating and essential inquiry into the rise of Christianity in the years preceding and immediately following the Crucifixion. Crossan's interdisciplinary approach sheds new light on the cultural and theological context in which the Christian church arose, and raises essential questions about the role of St. Paul and the significance of the Resurrection.

"Christianity arose out of the interaction of the historical Jesus and his first companions. It was not invented by Paul. That is the stunning hypothesis of Crossan's The Birth of Christianity. Like the master craftsman he is, Crossan has forged a picture of the earliest Christianity-of the dark years, the 30s and 40s[B.C.E.]-in debate with other scholars and in the combination of social science theory, Galilean archeology, close textual analysis, and historical reconstruction. No one controls the issues, the data, and the options as well as Crossan. His reconstruction is essential reading for anyone serious about Christian origins and its fate in the third millennium."
-Robert W. Funk, chair, The Jesus Seminar, and author of The Acts of Jesus

Praise for earlier work by John Dominic Crossan:"[John Dominic Crossan is] excellent and timely in drawing on aspects of social anthropological theory to elucidate the thought processes and human relationships behind the extant sources. He and his colleagues in American biblical studies have done a great service in recent years in bringing these perspectives to bear on the origins of Christianity ... Mr. Crossan paints his Jesus with great warmth and power."
-The New York Times

Customer Reviews:

A magnificent edifice, but is it built on sand?.......2006-10-10

Like a lawyer with a weak case, Crossan relies on razzle-dazzle and hand-waving, but I'm afraid the jury will have to render a verdict of Not Proven.

As a layman, in the academic and religious senses, I'm not qualified to criticize his argument in detail, so I can only go by my sense of smell, which in this case detects reductionism, anachronism, grasping at straws, cherry picking of the work of others, and perhaps even wishful thinking.

The subtitle might lead you to expect a hypothetical reconstruction of events between 30 and 50 CE, but that's not really what Crossan is up to. In fact, the sources we already have for those years, namely Acts and the letters of Paul, are somewhat arbitrarily swept off the table right at the beginning of the book, and only referred to subsequently when needed to support an argument. Instead, Crossan builds an elaborate argument, painstakingly making his case point by point, revealing his conclusions only after a lot of (very selective) side trips into anthropology, archaeology, literary criticism, psychology, and God knows what else.

In a way it's a shame that Crossan feels he has to work so hard to make his case, as his basic point certainly has merit -- that the historical Jesus and his immediate followers were primarily social reformers firmly rooted in the Jewish concept of justice. They probably lived communally in Jerusalem (just as they are described in Acts, of course), and after Jesus' death, were more interested in his teachings than his divinity.

Possibly, but if that's all Jesus was, why should we still be so interested in him 2000 years later? Surely, at a minimum, he was one of the most original and charismatic thinkers of all time. Spiritual giants like Jesus, even if they are only human, still have the ability to see beyond the narrow confines of the space and time in which they find themselves. For Crossan, though, Jesus is closer to a proto-Gandhi or Martin Luther King than to a figure of almost, if not literally, superhuman stature.

With all my reservations, though, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It may be a hard slog, but parts of it are brilliant and profound. I certainly learned a lot from it, and I'm eager to explore the subject with other authors. It could be that they will convince me that Crossan is full of hooey, but I'm still not sorry I spent so much time in his very entertaining company.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah.......2006-07-11

What a big disappointment this book was.

As I read it, I kept expecting eventually to hear about the birth of Christianity. But this book is not about the birth of Christianity. Rather you read 600 pages devoted to John Dominic Crossan's ego.

Mr. Crossan repeatedly writes: 1. What he is going to tell us, 2. Why he is going to tell us, 3. How he is going to tell us, etc. But, he never tells the story of the birth of Christianity. There is no story or history explaining the early development of Christianity. It is not that there is a story that I disagree with, or one that I find boring; rather, there is no story at all.

The book's title is not just misleading, it is an absolute lie. This book is not about the birth of Christianity.

Mr. Crossan's book is pathetic, when compared to G.A Well's "Who Was Jesus" or L.Michael White's "From Jesus to Christianity" or Arthur Drews' "The Christ Myth." All three are much better books. And while I may not agree with everything these authors say, at least they tell a story of how Christianity developed.

The Birth of Christianity is Revisionist and Boring.......2006-05-10

The Birth of Christianity

This book is more "the death of clarity" than "The Birth of Christianity."

Crossan squanders a great deal of time and consumes precious ink in this book, the stated purpose of which is to offer the reader an account of the first two decades of the early Christian Church. Crossan says less about this than one would hope and takes more pages of print than necessary to do so. He seems concerned about connecting the beginnings of Christianity to the larger cultural milieu and showing how Christianity is much more like the rest of the culture than heretofore imagined.

For instance, he points out that stories about Augustus and other ancients are like unto the stories about Jesus (their births the result of a divine-human encounter) and he compares Christ's resurrection appearances to commonplace wishful visions of the grief-sick minds of bereft loved-ones in any century.

This would be reason enough to avoid this book but frankly, Crossan is also guilty of boring the reader.

Why would we wish to hear about the "Perfect Storm" sinking in a book that purports to be about the decades between Christ's resurrection and Paul's letters? I cannot think of any reason.

But Crossan pads his text with that and similar filler - as if he reached for everything he had been reading at the time and said, "Mmm, how can I put this in there, too?" The end result is an unsuccessful mishmash of words, words, words-enough to make a tenth grade English teacher quit and get a job at the five and ten.

If you want to read about the first several decades of the Christian church there are better-many many much better-books to read. Serious readers, whether laypersons, clergy or theologians, would be better served to go again to the classic scholarly writers who have tackled this subject successfully. They will have all the detail with no filler whatsoever:

- A History of Christianity, Volume 1: Beginnings to 1500 (Revised) Kenneth S. Latourette - still THE classic resource of the history of the church. No serious reader should miss it.

- The Early Church (Hist of the Church). A brilliant work of scholarship, beautiful prose.

And the best of the recent books on this subject:

- From Jesus to Christianity: How Four Generations of Visionaries & Storytellers Created the New Testament and Christian Faith - filled with charts, graphs, sidebars and other features to help the reader understand the message.

This emperor has no clothes!.......2006-04-28

Wandering, rambling, overly detailed, distracted, unfocused...

I really wanted to learn about the birth of Christianity. This looked like the book to give me insights into early Christianity before the influence of Paul. Instead, I read 600 pages of methodology and documentation that overwhelmed the scant information I found in Crossan's book.

Crossan seems to want me to appreciate his spiritual journey and academic work. For my purposes, I want to hear his conclusions and leave the details to the academics.

If I want to learn about the city of Rome and its glory, Crossan would tell me how he decided upon the types of luggage he evaluated, the decisions and choices of clothing he packed as it related to the time of year and the restaurants he intended to visit, and what the ride to the airport was like. I might, or I might not, finally read a little about Rome if I have the tenacity to stay with his diversions and ramblings into unnecessary details. The book reads like Crossan dictated any and all of his thoughts while "writing" this book and never allowed the book to benefit from the focus found with editing.

Call me lightweight, but I read to learn about an area of interest and not about the methodology of how the writer approached the subject. Crossan seemed to never get to the point. Somewhere he got the idea that I cared about his views of his spiritual beliefs. I just wanted to learn about the birth of Christianity!

I suggest readers read the last few pages and see how Crossan closes his book. It's a whimper into nothingness. Professional reviewers may see clothes on this emperor. Lay readers are not unanimous in their respect for this book.

Disappointed...more of the same.......2006-04-22

Crossan is a brilliant man primarily because he was educated by the Church. In fact as a "priest" all he did was attend school on the Church's dime. He never did parish or missionary work. He took the easy way out when the gravy Train had run it's course.

Sad, in some ways as he is a brilliant man.

This latest book of his is very scholarly but really contains no new insights not found in his previous works.

I reccomend it only if you've never read his other books and are looking for a synopsis.

William Randolph Hearst: The Early Years, 1863-1910

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A biography of William Randolph Hearst!!!!

William Randolph Hearst: The Early Years, 1863-1910
Ben Procter
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195112776

Book Description

William Randolph Hearst was one of the most colorful and important figures of turn-of-the-century America, a man who changed the face of American journalism and whose influence extends to the present day. Now, in William Randolph Hearst, Ben Procter gives us the most authoritative account of Hearst's extraordinary career in newspapers and politics. Born to great wealth--his father was a partial owner of four fabulously rich mines--Hearst began his career in his early twenties by revitalizing a rundown newspaper, the San Franciso Examiner. Hearst took what had been a relatively sedate form of communicating information and essentially created the modern tabloid, complete with outrageous headlines, human interest stories, star columnists, comic strips, wide photo coverage, and crusading zeal. His papers fairly bristled with life. By 1910 he had built a newspaper empire--eight papers and two magazines read by nearly three million people. Hearst did much to create "yellow journalism"--with the emphasis on sensationalism and the lowering of journalistic standards. But Procter shows that Hearst's papers were also challenging and innovative and powerful: They exposed corruption, advocated progressive reforms, strongly supported recent immigrants, became a force in the Democratic Party, and helped ignite the Spanish-American War. Procter vividly depicts Hearst's own political career from his 1902 election to Congress to his presidential campaign in 1904 and his bitter defeats in New York's Mayoral and Gubernatorial races. Written with a broad narrative sweep and based on previously unavailable letters and manuscripts, William Randoph Hearst illuminates the character and era of the man who left an indelible mark on American journalism.

Customer Reviews:

A biography of William Randolph Hearst!!!!.......2004-03-29

This is a good book! Well researched! Smoothly written! But after a while, just reading about Hearst's frantic life, his manic style of newspapering, got a little tiring... (or tiresome!) Still, if you're looking for an account of the man's early years, YOU COULD DEFINITELY DO WORSE!!!

Spacecraft Technology: The Early Years (Iee History of Technology) (Iee History of Technology)

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Spacecraft Technology: The Early Years (Iee History of Technology) (Iee History of Technology)
Mark Williamson
Manufacturer: Institution of Engineering and Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0863415539

Product Description

Spacecraft Technology: The Early Years charts the early Space Age, spanning from the launch of Sputinik 1 in 1957 to the landing of men on the Moon. This period of technological development is one of the most important in the history of mankind a period in which we learned how to leave our home planet and explore another, entirely separate, planetary body. This book is a celebration of the importance of that early technology in shaping our global culture, from the globalizing effect of the communications satellite to the cultural impact of images that place our planet in the context of a wider universe. It is aimed at all those with an interest in the history of space activity and the development of modern technology.

The Very Best Men: The Daring Early Years of the CIA

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An authorative history of the CIA.
Don't waste your time on "The Good Shepherd" -- Buy This Instead!

The Very Best Men: The Daring Early Years of the CIA
Evan Thomas
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 141653797X

Book Description

The Very Best Men is the story of the CIA's early days as told through the careers of four glamorous, daring, and idealistic men who ran covert operations for the government from the end of World War II to Vietnam. Evan Thomas re-creates the personal dramas and sometimes tragic lives of Frank Wisner, Richard Bissell, Tracy Barnes, and Desmond FitzGerald, who risked everything to contain the Soviet threat.

Within the inner circles of Washington, they were regarded as the best and the brightest. They planned and acted to keep the country out of war -- by stealth and "political action" and to do by cunning and sleight of hand what great armies could not, must not be allowed to do. In the end, they were too idealistic and too honorable, and were unsuited for the dark, duplicitous life of spying. Their hubris and naïveté led them astray, producing both sensational coups and spectacular blunders like the Bay of Pigs and the failed assassination attempts on foreign leaders in the early 1960s. Thomas draws on the CIA's own secret histories, to which he has had exclusive access, as well as extensive interviews, to bring to life a crucial piece of American history.

Customer Reviews:

An authorative history of the CIA........2007-08-31

I highly recommend this book. It is an authoratative history of the CIA as lived through the lives of 4 of it's best officers from its inception. As the review below has correctly stated it is written without the propaganda contained in so many other works and that along with the brisk writing style makes it so worth reading.

Don't waste your time on "The Good Shepherd" -- Buy This Instead!.......2007-01-02

Given that this book was originally published in 1996, I'm assuming this particular edition was timed for the release of the Robert DeNiro's Hollywood epic "The Good Shepherd" (screenplay by Eric Roth - "Munich"), purporting to tell the "story of the origins of the CIA" through the eyes of Edwin Wilson (an amalgam of James Jesus Angleton and Richard Bissell).

DeNiro's attempt to cover several decades of U.S. covert operations and espionage left me wondering whether his project would have been better realized as, say, a documentary series on PBS television. In the end, I found myself more annoyed than anything else -- suffering through the dreary soap-opera of the protagonist's life and anxious to take in the occasional bits of history.

Whereas DeNiro attempts to blend history and fiction, a dramatic spy-caper spanning three decades interspersed with allusions to historical events,
Thomas covers the actual lives of four pioneers of the CIA: Frank Wisner, Richard Bissel, Tracy Barnes and Desmond Fitzgerald, deeply-principled men with strong convictions and goals (stemming the Communist tide) yet flawed and ultimately corruped in their realization.

Benefiting from extensive interviews, Thomas' book seeks to portray the CIA "as it saw itself". One can appreciated the fact that Thomas is both respectful of the purpose and intent of the CIA (never seeking to dismiss or minimize the very real concerns over the Communist threat) and yet writing with a critical eye towards the moral quandaries of their profession. As Thomas concludes: "In the end, they were too idealistic and too honorable, and were unsuited for the dark and duplicitious life of spying. Their hubris and naivete led them astray, producing both sensational coups and spectacular blunders").

Evan Thomas's written history succeeds precisely where DeNiro's cinematic attempt fails -- in achieving a critical social history of the CIA without the taint of propaganda, a faithful account that is at once historical AND engrossing.

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Putting it in chronological order
Read G.R.S. Mead's work first!
Good Argument Falls Flat
Scholarly and Innovative
delightful book

Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ
Alvar Ellegard
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0879517204

Book Description

In the tradition of Robert Eisenman, Elaine Pagels, and Harold Bloom, a startling inquiry into early Christianity.

It is commonly believed that the story of Jesus as told in the Gospels contains some elements of fiction as well as of myth. But it is Professor Ellegard's view that the basic facts about the life of Jesus are fictional: Jesus was not born in the time of Augustus Caesar (27 B.C.-A.D. 14). He was not baptized by John. He was not sentenced to death by Pilate. And he never roamed Palestine as a wandering preacher and miracle worker. In fact, none of Jesus' supposed contemporaries ever saw him in the flesh but only through visions, as the Christ raised by God to heaven.

After leading readers through the earliest Christian writings, including Paul's Letters and a dozen other biblical and non-biblical texts, Professor Ellegard declares that none of these writers had seen Jesus in the flesh, nor did they refer to anybody who had. To them, Jesus was someone who had lived and died much earlier.

This thoroughly researched, closely argued book is the result of a modern scholar's purely historical, non-theological approach to Christianity's origins. Readers will certainly find its groundbreaking, controversial insights fascinating.

Customer Reviews:

Putting it in chronological order.......2007-06-02

Gospel writers had several tasks. They had to transform a minor Jewish preacher into a supernatural God, the long awaited Messiah, and they had to explain his rejection by his own people (directly contradicting the prophecies). Orthodox Jews considered the union of a woman and a god as heretical, a pagan Greek idea. Countless Old Testament "prophecies" (and some not in the OT) are used to "prove" his Messianic calling though the leading of Israel to glorious victory is omitted.

We have learned that the order of the New Testamen is incorrect and that Paul did not write all the books attributed to him. He preceded the Gospels. It's always seemed odd that Paul never spoke of a historical Jesus but of a spiritual Christ. Odder still, the historical Jesus was fleshed out decades later by various writers, four of which were voted by Council as being correct. This accounts for the numerous contradictions and variances among the stories. Ellegard contends that Jesus was a historical figure but lived 100 years before. He was associated (or adopted) by the Essene movement that was still strong when Paul began preaching a new message - Jesus died for our sins and was raised by God. In the maelstrom of disorganized Christianity of the day this kind of talk had huge implications.

Ellegard reviews and redates several documents of the period (comparing certain words, writing styles) to show that the spiritual Christ became the physical Jesus rather than the reverse as most assume. The biographies are noteworthy for their reliance on OT "prophecies" chosen, it seems, for their applicability. Modern scholars have revised the order of the four Gospels. John, once thought to come last, now is seen as the first written and this fits in with Ellegard since it features a "spiritual" Christ. Hi Jesus makes long theological speeches referring to himself.

There's LOTS of repetition here, as if the author wanted to make sure we got the point. Some of the book could be ommitted with little problem. There is also a lot of casual assumptions...yes, most scholars think this was written in 60 AD but it was actually in 120 AD. But his message is valid - Paul's "vision" and Eusubius' words produced the Gospel tales of Jesus, not the other way around. It would be difficult to find such a complex theology fullblown as Paul presents it. More likely this was part of some ongoing movement when he received his vision. And the rest is, as they say, history.

Read G.R.S. Mead's work first!.......2006-05-25

The author opens up this work: "I shall argue in this book for an entirely new perspective on the earliest history of Christianity." Hardly! As I write this, I have another book before my eyes - written in 1903, no less - entitled "Did Jesus Live in 100 B.C.?" by the Theosophical Society scholar G.R.S. Mead.
One would think that a former Dean of a University, in the process of presenting his thesis proposing the origins of Christianity a hundred years earlier than traditionally perpetuated, would have taken into consideration the work of a predecessor! Yet there is not even so much a mention of Mead in his bibliography, nor even so much a passing consideration of the intriguing material from Jewish and patristic sources covered by Mead in his classic work (such as the hostile gospel "Toldoth Jeschu", elements of which Mead traces to Tertullian and others), which Ellegard could have employed to his advantage. Such blaring omissions by Ellegard are most puzzling and disappointing, to say the least.
Comparitively speaking, back in 1900 Mead didn't have the advantage of material that scholars do today (the Dead Sea scrolls, the Nag Hammadi Library, etc.) - but he certainly made the most of what little he had to work with at the time.

A consideration of the hypothesis set forth by Ellegard can never be complete without a review of G.R.S. Mead's volume and the material which he covered, which can be read online at the Gnostic Society library. A copy can also be ordered from Amazon.

Good Argument Falls Flat.......2006-04-02

I started reading this book out of curiosity. The author actually makes a good argument in the beginning of the book. The earliest Christian writings of Paul, James, Peter, and the Epistles of John make very little or no refernce to the historical Jesus but refer to him as if he were a Heavenly figure who lived in the distant past and appeared to the apostles in visions. In addition, Paul writes to his various communities, ie Romans, as if they were already firmly established several years prior.

These theories were somewhat intriguing so I read further. When the author made the claim that the gospels were written in the second century and borrowed the words of the second century apostolic fathers, particularly Ignatius of Antioch, I quit reading. This is basically putting the cart in front of the horse. The idea that the gospels quoted the apostolic fathers instead of the apostolic fathers quoting from the gospels is too absurd for any intelligent person to believe. The idea that the apostolic fathers staked their lives on something they made up is ridiculous.

The apostles weren't interesed in writing biographies of Jesus. They wanted people to convert to the faith of Jesus. You can't get people interested in joining a movement by writing a historical sketch of someone's life which has no relevance to their present or future situation.

Scholarly and Innovative.......2006-02-17

This book should be read by anyone interested in biblical scholarship, especially those concerned with dating the Gospels. Ellegard analyzes the early Christian literature and makes an excellent case that the canonical Gospels and Acts are mid 2nd Century products while Paul, Hermas, Barnabas, Didache, 1st Clemens and Revelations are 1st Century works. This may be a minority view, but Ellegard provides ample evidence that it is not without foundation. From here, Ellegard cleverly and deductively composes a picture of Jesus from his 1st Century texts, and then compares this composite to what we know about the Teacher of Righetousness. Using Philo and Josephus as his base, he goes on to deconstruct the early Christian church as an extension of the Essenes and the Therapeutae (whom he considers Diasporic Essenes). The bottom line - the Jesus who appears in the Gospels in the mid 2nd Century is drawn from the Teacher of Righteousness.

Ellegard's theory is not new (see the works of G.A.Wells, Helmut Koester, Freke and Gandy, etc), but his scholarly approach is impressive. Readers of any alternative or non-traditional view of Jesus will find this book enormously useful.

My only reason for not giving this book 5 stars (on a 10 point scale I would give it a 9) is that the book is a little difficult to read and not necessarily organized in the best fashion (I suggest you start with Chapter 13 first). Otherwise this book is scholarly, well-documented, thorough, and innovative. It definitely warrant a look

delightful book.......2005-09-13

Although Mr Ellegard is rehashing some sholarship, there is much in this book that is new and intriguing. His dating of many biblical and extra-biblical documents is insightful and well presented. He does not appear to be pre-judging or allowing a bias to draw his conclusions for him in advance of his research. He presents his evidence in a clear and readable manner.

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