History of god by karen armstrong

A short history karen armstrong, author, scholar, and journalist, is among the worlds foremost commentators on religious history and culture. A history of god by karen armstrong 1975 the ethical. The 4,000year quest of judaism, christianity and islam by armstrong, karen and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Karen armstrong is the author of numerous other books on religious affairsincluding a history of god, the battle for god, holy war, islam, buddha, and the great transformationand two memoirs, through the narrow gate and the spiral staircase. The evolution of the idea of god is traced from its ancient roots in the middle east up to the present day. In this stunningly intelligent book, karen armstrong, one of britains foremost commentators on religious affairs, traces the history of how men and women have. Karen armstrong, obe, frsl born 14 november 1944 is a british author and commentator of irish catholic descent known for her books on comparative religion.

I first went through karen armstrong s book, a history of god, a number of years ago. Well, the idea of god as a supreme being means that he is simply like us, writ large, and just bigger and better, the end product of the series. The content, though, is fascinating, and worth the effort. Her books include the bestselling a history of god and the battle for god, as well as buddha and islam. Armstrong is the former catholic nun who abandoned her religious creed and has described herself as a freelance monotheist, while also taking inspiration from buddhism. Karen armstrong is the author of numerous books on religious affairs, including the case for god, a history of god, the battle for god, holy war, islam, buddha,and the great transformation, as well as a memoir, the spiral staircase. The 4,000year quest of judaism, christianity and islam paperback aug. A history of god 1993 traces the related histories of the jewish, christian and muslim concepts of god. The 4,000year quest of judaism, christianity and islam karen armstrong. There is a distinction between belief in a set of propositions and a faith which enables us to put our trust in them.

Karen armstrong was born as karen andersen armstrong. Karen armstrong is the author of numerous books on religion, including the case for god, a history of god, the battle for god, holy war, islam, buddha, and. The books of armstrong s that i am familiar reflect the academic consensus in the history. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Karen armstrong, a comparative religion specialist is the author of numerous books on religion, including the case for god, a history of god, the battle for god. For over 4,000 years, adherents of the worlds monotheistic faiths have wrestled with the question of god.

Karen armstrong, author, scholar, and journalist, is among the worlds foremost commentators on religious history and culture. In this stunningly intelligent book, karen armstrong, one of britains foremost commentators on religious affairs, traces the history of how men and women have perceived and experienced god, from the time of abraham to the present. A history of god examines the familiar images of deity as presented in the bible and koran and traces the evolution and interrelation of the various christian, jewish, and islamic interpretations of. Her presentations at the the american academy of religion are always featured prominently and are well attended. See all 10 formats and editions hide other formats and editions.

Karen armstrong takes the reader through a history of religious practice in many different cultures, arguing that in the good old days and purest forms they all come to much the same thing. Her books included the gospel according to woman 1986, muhammad 1991, a history of god 1993, and the lost art of scripture 2019. How have the three dominant monotheistic religionsjudaism, christianity, and islamshaped and altered the conception of. Karen armstrong is required reading on the syllabus of many courses in both seminaries and religious studies departments in universities. From the jealous god of the ancient israelites to the revelations of allah, and from the life of jesus through to theological doctrinal discussions and god s status in the modern world, these blinks tell the story of how conceptualizations of god in these three related religions have. Once we finally got more in, i, too, became engrossed in karen armstrong s excellent writing as she spun the web of abrahams children, and their role in the world today well, 1992 anyway. This extraordinary, featurelength film, based on karen armstrong s acclaimed book of the same name, traces that elusive and fascinating quest. Karen armstrong s scholarly intellect and breadth of knowledge is always spectacular, and this book is a masterful example of it. She attended st annes college, oxford, while in the convent and majored in english. In 2008 she was awarded the ted prize and began working with ted on the charter for compassion, created online by the general public. The first few chapters of armstrong s book expand on the story given in evid3nc3s video, providing a. Many would concur, but this is a view strongly countered by karen armstrong, one of the worlds leading thinkers on religion and spirituality.

Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read a history of god. A former roman catholic religious sister, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and mystical christian faith. Oct 08, 2014 of course, this is a very provocative claim, and i wanted to go the videos source, karen armstrongs a history of god. How have the three dominant monotheistic religions judaism, christianity, and islamshaped and altered the conception of. It details the history of the three major monotheistic traditions, judaism, christianity and islam, along with buddhism and hinduism.

Her work has been translated into fortyfive languages. How respected is karen armstrongs history of god in the. She is known for her work on frontline 1983, a history of god 2001 and shylock 2001. Karen armstrong, a comparative religion specialist is the author of numerous books on religion, including the case for god, a history of god, the battle for god, holy war, islam, buddha, and fields of blood, as well as a memoir, the spiral staircase. Based on karen armstrong s acclaimed book, this featurelength film guides viewers along one of humanitys most elusive quests. Karen armstrong, who teaches at the leo baeck college for the study of judaism in england, spent seven years as a roman catholic nun and has written a biography of muhammad. Karen armstrong discusses her new book, a short history. While judaism, islam and christianity proclaim the goodness of god, organised religion has too often been the catalyst for violence and ineradicable prejudice. Nov 18, 2010 over 700,000 copies of the original hardcover and paperback editions of this stunningly popular book have been sold.

A history of god by karen armstrong the new christian west during the middle ages introduction as a child, i had a number of strong religious beliefs but little faith in god. This edition contains an excerpt from karen armstrongs twelve steps to a compassionate life. A history of god by karen armstrong audio book simply. In this fascinating, extensive and original account of the evolution of belief. From the jealous god of the ancient israelites to the revelations of allah, and from the life of jesus through to theological doctrinal discussions and gods status in the modern world, these blinks tell the story of how conceptualizations of god in these three related religions have. The idea of a single devine being god, yahweh, allah has existed for over 4,000 years. The 4,000year quest of judaism, christianity and islam. A history of god is the first of three of armstrong s books with the word god in the title. This extraordinary, featurelength film, based on karen armstrongs acclaimed book of the same name, traces that elusive and fascinating quest. An admirable and impressive work of synthesis that will give insight and satisfaction to thousands. They were less interested than we are in what actually happened, but more concerned. Jul 03, 2009 karen armstrong takes the reader through a history of religious practice in many different cultures, arguing that in the good old days and purest forms they all come to much the same thing.

The epic story begins with the jews gradual transformation of pagan idol worship in babylon into true monotheism. Armstrong definitely has a point of view, specifically a leaning towards a mystical rather than literal understanding of god and a strong dislike of fundamentalism, but i still felt like she was including a fair range of facts. But the history of god is also the history of human struggle. Karen armstrong, english author of books on religion who was widely regarded as one of the leading commentators on the subject. Karen armstrong frsl born 14 november 1944 is a british author and commentator known for her books on comparative religion. A biography books that changed the world karen armstrong. Karen armstrong is the author of numerous books on religion, including the case for god, a history of god, the battle for god, holy war, islam, buddha, and fields of blood, as well as a memoir, the spiral staircase.

She explains, the focus is not on the history of the ineffable reality of god itself, which is of course beyond time and change, but a history of the way men and women. Of course, this is a very provocative claim, and i wanted to go the videos source, karen armstrong s a history of god. Her work has been translated more about karen armstrong. A history of god by karen armstrong penguin books australia. I explain how i learned from a history of god that the evidence indicates that the jewish concept of monotheism evolved from. Human beings have always used myths as a framework on which to shape religion, literature and, early on, science. A history of god by karen armstrong how men interpreted divinity for the last four thousand years a history of god unveils the quest of humans to understand the purpose of creation and the mastermind behind it since the ancient times of abrahams canaan until the birth of atheism in the 20th century. A history of god sacramento public library overdrive. Karen armstrong is a very popular public intellectual in the religious studies community. In this fascinating, extensive and original account of the evolution of belief, karen armstrong examines western societys unerring fidelity to this idea of one god. Jul 10, 2017 click here to buy karen armstrongs book. Jun 30, 2011 a history of god ebook written by karen armstrong. Twentyseven years and more than 20 books later including the bestselling a history of god armstrong releases her latest book, the.