A History of God

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this “brilliantly lucid, splendidly readable book” ( The Sunday Times ), one of Britain’s foremost commentators on religion explores how people have perceived and experienced God throughout history, from the time of Abraham to the present. “An admirable and impressive work of synthesis that will give insight and satisfaction to thousands of lay readers.”— The Washington Post Book World Why does God exist? How have the three dominant monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—shaped and altered the conception of God? How have these religions influenced each other? In A History of God , celebrated religious commentator Karen Armstrong presents a stunningly intelligent journey that spans centuries to understand humanity’s ever-changing relationship to monotheistic religion. The epic story begins with the Jews’ gradual transformation of pagan idol worship in Babylon into true monotheism—a concept previously unknown in the world. Christianity and Islam both rose on the foundation of this revolutionary idea, but these religions refashioned “the One God” to suit the social and political needs of their followers. From classical philosophy and medieval mysticism to the Reformation, Karen Armstrong performs the near miracle of distilling the intellectual history of monotheism into one superbly engrossing volume.