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DOMINION: The Making of a Western Mind HB

Availability: OUT OF STOCK, AVAILABLE TO ORDER
  • ISBN 9781408706954
  • Author HOLLAND TOM
  • Pub Date 01/01/2019
Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. Even the increasing number in the West today who have abandoned the faith of their forebea
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Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. Even the increasing number in the West today who have abandoned the faith of their forebears, and dismiss all religion as pointless superstition, remain recognisably its heirs. Seen close-up, the division between a sceptic and a believer may seem unbridgeable. Widen the focus, though, and Christianity's enduring impact upon the West can be seen in the emergence of much that has traditionally been cast as its nemesis: in science, in secularism, and yes, even in atheism.

That is why Dominion will place the story of how we came to be what we are, and how we think the way that we do, in the broadest historical context. Ranging in time from the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC to the on-going migration crisis in Europe today, and from Nebuchadnezzar to the Beatles, it will explore just what it was that made Christianity so revolutionary and disruptive; how completely it came to saturate the mind-set of Latin Christendom; and why, in a West that has become increasingly doubtful of religion's claims, so many of its instincts remain irredeemably Christian. The aim is twofold: to make the reader appreciate just how novel and uncanny were Christian teachings when they first appeared in the world; and to make ourselves, and all that we take for granted, appear similarly strange in consequence. We stand at the end-point of an extraordinary transformation in the understanding of what it is to be human: one that can only be fully appreciated by tracing the arc of its parabola over millennia.

As reviewed by Dr. Stephen McQuoid in December 2019- 'In essence this is a 500+ page book on church history which might initially turn someone off. However, it should not for several reasons. Firstly, Tom is a brilliant writer and so the book is absorbing from the very start. Secondly, Holland is very skilled in knowing what to include and what to leave out, an essential quality when the subject matter is so vast. Thirdly, Holland really knows how to write history. He does not merely give a succession of facts, rather he really tells the story emphasizing not just what was going on at the time but also showing its relevance to the big picture. His vivid portraits of key figure such as Paul, Augustine, Abelard and Francis of Assisi are worth the price of the book alone.

Best of all are the unique angles and insights that Holland gives. He begins with pre-Christianity and then the early church and then builds a complete historical picture that shows how the Christian faith has shaped and challenged the thinking and culture of the West right to the present day, often by being subversive. This work will help you to get a snapshot of just how imbedded Christianity is in our culture even though secularism gives the appearance of having taken over. A brilliant book that will broaden your horizons.'


Product details:
Hardcover: 624 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown (5 Sept. 2019)
ISBN-13: 9781408706954
Product Dimensions: 16.4 x 4.6 x 23.6 cm