History of God by Karen Armstrong

A History of God is a book that explores the history of the three major monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, along with some details on Buddhism and Hinduism. The book 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 the divine figure.

The author discusses how different cultures view God and how a culture’s views on itself are reflected in its view of God.

The book also explores how a distinctive concept of God emerged among the Israelites in the Levant. It tells us about some ancient beliefs about humans being created by gods. The author explains that there were many people who preserved Greek wisdom for Christianity.

The book also discusses the tensions between Judaism and Greek philosophy. After all, leading Greek philosophers thought of God as a removed, abstract entity, while Jews saw Yahweh as constantly involving himself in worldly affairs.

What I Liked

I really like all of Karen Armstrong’s books. She’s detailed, nuanced, and embraces the complexity inherent in religion. She writes fascinating books.

What I Did Not Like

All of Armstrong’s books can get a bit academic in parts.