Book Review-Desire of the Everlasting Hills

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Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem PA 18018-5989
610-867-4741

Desire of the Everlasting Hills
by Thomas Cahill
reviewed by Phil Secor, May 2001

I have just finished reading the third of seven projected volumes in Thomas Cahill's "The Hinges of History," an incredible imaginative historical account of what he calls "the great gift-givers, those who entrusted to our keeping one or another of the singular treasures that make up the patrimony of the West-a history of the narratives of grace." The first in the series was the widely acclaimed How the Irish Saved Civilization; the second was the equally remarkable The Gifts of the Jews. Now in the third volume (published in 1999) it's OUR turn, if you will, with an account of the years just before and after Jesus, which Cahill titles Desire of the Everlasting Hills.

What I love about this book is the fresh perspective it gives me (a life-long, know-it-all Episcopalian) on almost all aspects of the Scriptural accounts of events immediately before, during, and after Jesus' life. The main characters all come alive in a new way: John the Baptist, Peter, the three Marys, Paul, Herod, the Gospel writers. Cahill puts the entire New Testament in historical, anthropological, psychological, and theological context and then offers it up in lively prose that sparkles with wit and challenges with sharp insights.

One of the most useful contributions of this delightful book is its comparison of the four Gospels. I have read a number of such analyses in recent years, but none is so startling, convincing, and readable as this one. Another major contribution is Cahill's treatment of St. Paul, whom he regards as much misunderstood by recent interpreters, especially those who have found him (wrongly, Cahill feels) anti woman. Paul emerges here as the truly great hero of the early Christian Church, and an altogether believable character.

I highly recommend this book to all Trinity book lovers. It may not be the most profound book on the subjects it covers, but it is lively, provocative, and relevant-also, fun to read.

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Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem PA 18018-5989
610-867-4741