History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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I guess I'm the only one who didn't like our narrator
Enter ancient Egypt life, prepare for a death blow
The best I've read in years!
I have the audiobook
BEST BOOK!!

River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt
Wilbur Smith
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312954468

Book Description

For Tanus, the fair-haired young lion of a warrior, the gods have decreed that he will lead Egypt's army in a bold attempt to reunite the Kingdom's shared halves. But Tanus will have to defy the same gods to attain the reward they have forbidden him, an object more prized than battle's glory: possession of the Lady Lostris, a rare beauty with skin the color of oiled ceder--destined for the adoration of a nation, and the love of one extraordinary man.

International bestselling author Wilbur Smith, creator of two dozen highly acclaimed novels, draws readers into a magnificent, richly imagined saga. Exploding with all the drama, mystery and rage of a bygone time, River God is a masterpiece from a storyteller at the height of his powers.

Customer Reviews:

I guess I'm the only one who didn't like our narrator.......2007-09-25

"I love brave and honest men, they are so easily manipulated."

Except for the last parts of this 528-page hardcover published in 1993, I found myself mostly captivated by Wilbur Smith's RIVER GOD: A NOVEL OF ANCIENT EGYPT. The book silhouettes a compelling tale of Egypt in 1780-B.C. embroiled in bitter war and eventually giving rise to a line of princes and pharaohs that lifts Egypt to the peak of its glory. Entirely written in a very unique first-person, we journey through two generations with our main character, a boastful and vain eunuch slave narrator. Although I can't say I really liked his character, Taita's first-person narration strikes a very fresh appeal: he's a eunuch slave, he's vain, he's brilliant, he's artistic, he's compassionate, he's vengeful, and he loves like a man. Ultimately, he's very human. In the epic RIVER GOD, we're privy to political intrigue, conspiracy, love, war, violence, kingdoms lost, despair and triumph. We read about an Egyptian civilization turned upside down with the advent of a new technology (wheel), and the introduction of a new animal (the horse). I enjoyed the battle warfare and the passionate moments of love between Lostris and Tanus. The book can be violent at times, and if you're sensitive to slavery, you may not like this historical tale of ancient Egypt.

Possible SPOILERS ahead.

Although Wilbur Smith packs some page-turning enthralling moments, I found the last 50 pages overwhelmingly melancholy. After a heart-wrenching love story spanning most of the first half in this novel, I couldn't take the sad ending. Taita's self-aggrandizing commentary wearied me and his love for his mistress Lostris as a man irked me. Granted, these are very human emotions especially for a handsome, brilliant man castrated after he's enjoyed a woman's passion, but I was begging for some other perspective in this 528-page Egyptian epic. I especially wanted Tanus' perspective. From Taita's point-of-view, everyone else is too one-dimensional: Tanus the redoubtable honorable warrior, Lostris the stubbornly passionate Queen, Kratas the jocular ruffian, and even Prince Memnon seems drab. For most of the novel, Lostris affectionately considers Taita her father and brother. At the end, Lostris wishes for a different kind of love with Taita in the next life. Considering the fact that Lostris and Tanus had to hide their passion and love for each other in this life and they never knew each other as husband and wife, I found this last wish of Lostris' especially sad. More so than the deaths. Did she love Taita more than she led on in the beginning? Had Taita not been a eunuch, would she have eventually cast aside Tanus intimately? After a gripping battle in the middle where the invading Hyksos thoroughly rout a well-trained and disciplined Egyptian army, I found our protagonists' retreat back through the cataracts south of the Nile very, very protracted. Only to arrive at a very unsatisfying conclusion. But alas, such is history.

I'm not sure who is the River God in RIVER GOD. Ostensibly, it may refer to Tanus' role in the first half when he's acclaimed Akh-Horus, an Egyptian God. However, our narrator's influence overshadows all other characters here and his love for his mistress Lostris eclipses that of Tanus' love for Lostris... at least from Taita's perspective. The book firmly belongs to our eunuch-slave narrator Taita: playwright, inventor, surgeon, economic investor, astrologist, architect, singer, scholar, and most of all, devoted slave to his mistress Lostris. Since Taita appears to be behind every vital event and innovative thought for Egypt, if there's any god here, it's Taita. What else can you expect from the author of these scrolls?

Mostly captivating and enjoyable warfare/love, I could have done without the second half and the sad, overwhelmingly melancholy conclusion to this novel. Yes, I'm probably a sucker for some semblance of a happy ending.

More ramblings...

One of my biggest problems had to do with the plot device that has Taita scheme to pass off Lostris & Tanus' son as Lostris & the Pharaoh's son. First, I didn't like how Lostris was so amenable to sleep with the Pharaoh after she and Taita discover she's pregnant. I had hoped she would recoil from going to the Pharaoh's bed after her dreamy lovemaking with Tanus, . Eventually, Taita could convince her that sleeping with the Pharaoh would best serve the unborn child's interests and she could begrudgingly acquiesce. As it is, she's too ready to go to another man (the Pharaoh) after Tanus. Secondly, you would think one of Pharaoh's hundreds of other wives would have already attempted to pass off another man's son as Pharaoh's! Taita notes how the sexual appetites of some of Pharaoh's wives knew no bounds, so you're telling me not one of them thought to pass of another man's son as Pharaoh's? Seriously, why does it work for Taita and Lostris?

Worst, the second time Lostris is pregnant, Taita divines a dream to explain her condition without implicating Tanus. Taita dissembles that he dreamed the old Pharaoh resurrected from his sarcophagus in spirit form to impregnate the Queen Lostris. First, it seems ludicrous that this deception wouldn't work on the late Pharaoh during Lostris' first pregnancy yet will work like a charm on a hundreds of others. Secondly, I love how Tanus is too proud and honorable for kingship yet will consent to passing off illegitimate children of his as the previous Pharaoh's. Talk about hypocrisy, I didn't see how Wilbur Smith is able to credit Tanus' character. He won't even marry Lostris after her second pregnancy and assume regency for a short while until Memnon is of age. Tanus' character reeks of a duplicitous air of self-important morality. I just don't get how Tanus justifies deceiving the Egyptian crown with his own children yet won't take a temporary regency? He doesn't care that he'll never be able to acknowledge his own children, and that nevermind other people, but even his own children will not know their own true father? It's actually quite sad, to his last dying day, none of Tanus' children know him as their true father and Tanus makes Taita promise not to reveal it.

Enter ancient Egypt life, prepare for a death blow.......2007-09-06

A most egaging novel. I have just ordered the next two books in the series. I couldn't get enough. Taita, the eunich, a genius in arts, mechinations, life and the other world beyond ours guards and influences Lostris and Tannis a couple destined to be together but seems to be at odds with what the "Gods have planned". Linked with the evil Lord Intef and the Immortal Pharoah, their lives are filled with war and love. The author brings us into the life of ancient Egypt as if we have actually been there. The descriptions of everyday life and death are startling lifelike. I was unexpectedly impressed and hooked.

The best I've read in years!.......2007-08-22

A friend gave me a copy of Elephant Song when I was a teenager, and I was immediately hooked on Wilbur Smith. I bought River God when it first came out, ostensibly to do a book report in my grade 12 English class when I started going to night school. But I really just wanted to read the book.

This is the first book in the Egyptian trilogy, and, in my opinion, the best of the three. While all three are excellent novels, River God shines. I fell in love with Lostris, Taita, Tanus... These characters really came alive for me and I missed them horribly once I had finished reading the book. While these characters are featured in the other two books as well (The Seventh Scroll and Warlock), they're not as vivid or as real in the latter volumes.

Taita is a politician, economist, chemist, physician, servant, and mentor in his various guises throughout the book. It's impossible to dislike him. The rich descriptions of Egyptian culture, art, and costume are breathtaking, and I also learned a lot about their strategies, agriculture and politics.

I would definitely recommend River God to fans of historical fiction, adventure, and mysteries.

I have the audiobook.......2007-07-28

I'm not really a big fan of audiobooks because I get distracted too easily to pay attention to the reading. I listened to River God while I was at work and it is the only book I've ever finished through audiobook format. This is first the book I've ever "read" by Wilbur Smith and I'm looking forward to reading all his other books.

Although the story is historically inaccurate as everyone has already mentioned, his writing style and descriptions are absolutely amazing! I could not stop listening to the audio book even though they're not really my thing. I had to listen to it at work, in the car, at home and get very into the story. Smith's descriptions are very vivid and I felt immersed in the story. It's a wonderful, exciting, creative adventure with a good balance between romance and violence. I feel fascinated by this book because there aren't very many stories based on Ancient Egypt.

The main character is an Egyptian eunuch who is in love with the pharaoh's daughter who is in love with the eunuch's student. Somewhere in the third chapter he starts talking about how the pharaoh "likes" boys. It also describes a scene where the main character gets his bits cut off in great, graphic depth. These are only some of the many interesting parts of the book.

The only thing I have a problem with is how the main character seems to be some kind of a genius, always coming up with brilliant ideas to solve every single problem. It a little hard to believe that one person would be able to come up with so many inventive solutions. However, this little annoyance can be easy to overlook. This book is completely worth the price and time spent reading.

BEST BOOK!!.......2007-07-26

This is literally the best book i've ever read. I felt so personal and close with all the characters that at the end, I was sad, not just that I had finished it, but that I had to say goodbye to these wonderful characters. I have also read the sequel, and though it is based far far in the future from ancient egypt, it was JUST AS, if not more of a good read. Especially since if you have read River God u are in on all the little secrets that the books characters are not. But, I would even recommend reading the sequel to those who have not read river god. These books are great fun, and full of every element a good story should have. I laughed, I cried, I read them both AGAIN!!

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The Life of Christ by the Mother of Christ
A Masterpiece of Marian Spirituality.

The Mystical City of God - 4 Volume Set
Ven. Mary of Agreda
Manufacturer: Tan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0895558254

Product Description

This magnificent 4-volume hardbound set is an heirloom book that should be in every Catholic home library. Dictated to Ven. Mary of Agreda (1601-1664) by the Blessed Mother herself, this amazing book of revelations about the life of Mary and the divine plan for creation and the salvation of souls has been enthralling readers for centuries. Composed of the Conception, Incarnation, Transfixion and Coronation, this magnificent narrative takes the reader through the various stages of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, plus it reveals all sorts of facts about our entire salvation history. Reproduced at 100% of the size in the original book and printed from the original negatives for complete fidelity.

Customer Reviews:

The Life of Christ by the Mother of Christ.......2007-06-30

This four volume set on the life of Christ dictated to a nun (Mary of Agreda) by Mary the Mother of Christ in a span of over 20 years is incredable. The details concerning the life of Our Lord and what satan and his fellow demons did to prevent our salvation during the earthly lives of Our Lord and Our Lady is remarkable to read. These books read like an adventure and one cannot stop turning the pages. I was spellbound with the third book (the transfixion) which details the suffering and death of Christ. Truly amazing. Over the centuries many Holy popes have authenticated this set which contains no errors or heresy against the Magestiriem of the Catholic Church. Wow! This is the greatest treasure in my library. At the end of each chapter Our Lady gives councle on how to be a true upright and practising Catholic. Straight from the mouth of Our Queen!!! Truly incredable!!! .....WARNING!!.....Every time you read some of this, you will be filled with the Light of Christ, which in turn will open your eyes to the horrors around you. But don't despair. Your faith will be stronger, your soul nourished, and Christ is always with those that invoke Him. P.S. --these books ARE AVAILABLE through amazon!!

A Masterpiece of Marian Spirituality........2007-06-05

This set of books offers very specific instructions for every Christian and Catholic alike on how the spiritual world works. How to battle the enemy of souls. How to get to heaven. All given in precise details by Our Lady, the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary as our Chief Instructor. I had the original antique 4 volumes and am delighted that these very important and valuable books are made available once again to all humankind. If you are serious on God and Salvation, you cannot afford not to read this. Its the most important set of books for me after the Bible. God Love you.

Augustine: The City of God against the Pagans (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

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What a slog...
Should be the new standard

Augustine: The City of God against the Pagans (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)
Augustine
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521468434

Book Description

This is the first new rendition for a generation of The City of God, the first major intellectual achievement of Latin Christianity and one of the classic texts of Western civilization. Robert Dyson has produced a complete, accurate, authoritative and fluent translation of De Civitate Dei, edited together with full biographical notes, a concise introduction, bibliography and chronology of Augustine's life. The result is an important contribution of interest to students of theology, philosophy, ecclesiastical history, the history of political thought and late antiquity.

Customer Reviews:

What a slog..........2002-04-18

Although this has been published as part of the "Cambridge Texts on Political Thought" series, it is only incidentally a political work. Its proper genre is Christian Apologetics - the reasoned defense of Christian belief.

Augustine's motive for writing it came from the sack of Rome in 410, which many Roman pagans blamed on the Empire's abandonment of its pagan gods for Christianity. Augustine began writing it in 413, continued with it on and off for the next 13 years, before finally completing it in 426. It is by far the longest of Augustine's works.

Although "The City of God" is formally divided into twenty-two "books" (the books of works of this period were quite short - broadly equal to the modern chapter), the book is more a unit of length than of structure. The highest level of structure of the work is more or less as follows:

(1) Against the belief that the pagan gods can give rewards in this life (5 books)

(2) Against the belief that the pagan gods can give rewards in the next life (5 books)

(3) Origins of the City of God and the City of Man (4 books)

(4) Histories of the City of God and the City of Man (4 books)

(5) Comparative futures of the City of God and the City of Man (4 books)

The first section, against the belief that the pagan gods should be worshipped for what they can give in this life, was primarily concerned with Roman history. The pagan argument was that Rome had been prosperous while it had worshipped the pagan gods, but had suffered disaster after abandoning them. Augustine's response is a recital of disasters - civil wars and despotic rule - suffered by Rome prior to turning Christian. Augustine admitted that Christianity had not brought prosperity to Rome, but pointed out that it never promised to - that Christianity's promises of reward were not in this life, but in the infinitely more important life to come.

The second section was aimed not at what might be termed 'popular paganism', but at the philosophical efforts to give paganism intellectual credibility, particularly Neo-Platonism. Following the Roman writer Varro, Augustine considered the paganism of the poets, the paganism of the state, and the paganism of the philosophers. His argument was that the philosophers admit the paganism of the poets to be nonsense, but that the paganism of the state could not be separated from that of the poets and must equally be condemned. Augustine was respectful of the paganism of the philosophers, but argued that the philosophical arguments were better fulfilled in Christianity than in paganism.

The third section was written around an exposition of Genesis. Its purpose was to define the relationship between God and creation, God and man, man and sin, sin and death, and the nature of the life to come. In the prior two sections, Augustine was primarily on the attack, but in this section he was on the defense, explaining Christian belief and defending it against philosophical objections that he thinks either arise from misunderstandings of Christianity or mistakes in Neo-Platonism.

The fourth section was devoted to history - Biblical and Roman. Augustine's account of Biblical history was quite literal - the long lives of the patriarchs, for example, was taken at face value and defended as accurate history. In it, Augustine developed the division of the world into those submitting to the will of God (the City of God) and those defying it (the City of Man). Augustine's history paid particularly close attention of prophesies of the coming of Jesus, through whom the City of God would spread over the entire world.

The fifth section was concerned with prophecies of the future of the world, particularly in the Book of Revelation, and with the nature of the next life for both the damned and the saved. Again, Augustine was quite literal in his readings of these prophecies, although he later wrote that he had probably been too literal in some of his prophetic interpretations.

In the title of my review, I described the book as a slog. It is time to explain why.

The book's first two sections consist of a 400 page attack on the truth of Roman paganism, a conclusion that the modern reader would have conceded before reading page 1. The reader's ability to get through this is not helped by the fact that it is repetitive and that much of it will mean little to readers without a solid background in Roman history. Further distancing this section from the interest of the modern reader is Augustine's frequent invocation of aerial daemons as being behind paganism. At that time, aerial daemons were believed in by pagans and Christians alike, but few (if any) moderns still do. As a result, contemporary readers will likely find Augustine's frequent references to them more hurtful than helpful to the Christian cause.

The book's last three sections, of about 700 pages, are largely concerned with the Bible. The first of these, dealing with Genesis, I found by far the most interesting of the book's five sections, but I also thought that Augustine treated the subject better in his "The Literal Meaning of Genesis". The fourth section, dealing with the rest of the Old Testament, was a by-the-numbers retelling of the original that felt like a deliberate test of the reader's powers of endurance. The last section, dealing primarily with prophecy, I found largely uninteresting because I found it unconvincing, a conviction that Augustine himself, at least to some extent, later shared.

I've given the book four stars less for itself than its author and its historical importance. Of all the works of Augustine I have read, however, this is near the bottom of those that I would recommend based on contemporary interest.

Should be the new standard.......2001-02-22

It is hard to find recent work on De Civitate Dei in English that does not use this newest edition and translation of probably Augustine's most influential work (if not his most readable). I am convinced that this will be the translation that will be used for the foreseeable future. An excellent rendering of the Latin original, wonderful introduction and copious notes. So clear and precise is the translation, and so helpful is the supporting scholarship, that one could conceivably come to this particular text of Augustine's work having no prior knowledge, and leave it with complete fluency. It is that good. For the full effect, get the 3 vols of the Loeb Classical Latin-English edition (the MacCracken-Greene translation is still very useful, though not in comparison to newer scholarship such as Dyson's) and work though the text yourself. I think that Augustine's Latin and Dyson's English match up well next to each other--this is a volume to own if you are contemplating any serious work with Augustine, or if you are just curious about what all the fuss over Augustine is about. A polemical, brilliant, controversial, and stimulating work, City of God is as good a place as any to introduce yourself to Augustine, and this is an excellent translation to use.

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City of God
Some things are better read about than read
Important Doctrine
An Illuminating Classic
Augustine Created "The West"

City of God (Penguin Classics)
Augustine of Hippo
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140448942
Release Date: 2003-12-30

Amazon.com

Augustine's City of God, a monumental work of religious lore, philosophy, and history, was written as a kind of literary tombstone for Roman culture. After the sack of Rome, Augustine wrote this book to anatomize the corruption of Romans' pursuit of earthly pleasures: "grasping for praise, open-handed with their money; honest in the pursuit of wealth, they wanted to hoard glory." Augustine contrasts his condemnation of Rome with an exaltation of Christian culture. The glory that Rome failed to attain will only be realized by citizens of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem foreseen in Revelation. Because City of God was written for men of classical learning--custodians of the culture Augustine sought to condemn--it is thick with Ciceronian circumlocutions, and makes many stark contrasts between "Your Virgil" and "Our Scriptures." Even if Augustine's prose strikes modern ears as a bit bombastic, and if his polarized Christian/pagan world is more binary than the one we live in today, his arguments against utopianism and his defense of the richness of Christian culture remain useful and strong. City of God is, as its final words proclaim itself to be, "a giant of a book." --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian philosophy, The City of God provides an insightful interpretation of the development of modern Western society and the origin of most Western thought. Contrasting earthly and heavenly cities--representing the omnipresent struggle between good and evil--Augustine explores human history in its relation to all eternity. In Thomas Merton's words, "The City of God is the autobiography of the Church written by the most Catholic of her great saints."

This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition is a complete and unabridged version of the Marcus Dods translation.

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One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian thought, "The City of God is vital to an understanding of modern Western society and how it came into being. Begun in A.D. 413 by Saint Augustine, the great theologian who was bishop of Hippo, the book's initial purpose was to refute the charge that Christianity was to blame for the fall of Rome (which had occurred just three years earlier). Indeed, Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. However, over the next thirteen years that it took to complete the work, the brilliant ecclesiastic proceeded to his larger theme: a cosmic interpretation of history in terms of the struggle between good and evil. By means of his contrast of the earthly and heavenly cities--the one pagan, self-centered, and contemptuous of God and the other devout, God-centered, and in search of grace--Augustine explored and interpreted human history in relation to eternity. After you finish "The City of God it becomes clear why some have suggested that most of Western thought could be read as 'a series of footnotes to Augustine.' This edition of "The City of God, in the Marcus Dods translation, is complete and unabridged. The introduction is by Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and author of "The Seven Storey Mountain and The Waters of Siloe.

Customer Reviews:

City of God.......2007-08-31

This is an apologetic text in defence of the Chritian faith. In it, Augustine persuasively informed his audience (readers) concerning the history of creation from the fall of humanity to their redemption provided they recognized him as God of their lives. This is possible as they abandon all forms of idolatries as typied in what led to the fall of Rome. His philosophy of the two cities are in contrast to each other, viz, the city of God versus the city of Satan. The former is governed by God, and the later by the Devil that governs the minds of many un-regenerated. Thus, Augustine concluded in his 22 but now in 1 volume to join him "in rendering thanks to God" through this great work! Pastor Moses Oladele Taiwo, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament, New Life Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC 28203.

Some things are better read about than read.......2007-08-16

I read this for a book group I was in, and was rather peeved at being forced to blow so much time on what is essentially useful only to the Classical historian or Scholasticism buff. Realistically, Augustine is just a particularly eloquent proponent of a religious argument we all get in Sunday School at age 10: The things of this world are transitory and passing, but the things of the next world are eternal and more valuable. You can almost hear the monotonous cadence. If what you want is to add to your already-considerable knowledge of the particulars of late Roman civilization, then this is the book for you. If you're in seminary and reading Aquinas, and you're thinking, "I'd certainly like to know more about his major intellectual influences," then this is the book for you. But if what you want is an increased familiarity with the major ideas of Western civilization, then do yourself a favor and go pick up a pair of textbooks: one on ancient history, the other on classical philosophy. Augustine of Hippo will get a few pages in each one, and that's honestly all he's worth. Plowing through the entirety of The City of God for simple philosophical or theological curiosity would be like reading the complete works of Louis Agassiz just to see what scientific racism was like. Both efforts would be fruitful, in one sense, but in another sense you'd have spent an awful lot of time learning about antiquated theories.

Important Doctrine.......2007-06-07

This is one of the more important doctrines in the history of Christianity. Much of the structure of the Catholic church is based on the ideas of St. Augustine. However, one need not be a Catholic to believe or be influenced by his writings as they as universal to all Christians.

The first sections of the book draw into question the abandonment of the worship of pagan gods for the one true God as the reason for the fall of the Rome. Some of the more eloquent arguments against this idea follow. If Christianity is to blame for the fall of Rome, what caused all of the previous wars? Why would the gods not prevent these wars?

The remainder of the book is a somewhat condensed history of Christianity as told in the Bible. Some of this is dry reading as even St. Augustine is willing to admit that he carries on too long occasionally. If one has difficulty reading philosophers such as Plato, the author argues against them to support his argument. So reading these sections may be problematic to some. The discussion of the last judgment is among those that caught my attention, stating that the separation it caused from God is like dying a second death.

Some of the discussion in the book one may find disagreeable. For example, St. Augustine states that intercourse should be limited to procreative purposes. Believing there to be shame in the act, he can see no other purpose.

As another reviewer stated, this is a heavy read for which one may need some background in the customs and life of the Romans. Familiarlity with some of St. Augustine's other works was also an asset to me in reading this book. It is an enlightening journey in faith.

An Illuminating Classic.......2007-04-13

First of all, I am writing this review for the 1958 abridged edition by Image Books (City of God), but I know that this review will be posted on the product pages for the other editions, most of which are unabridged. So, I want to make one quick comment that is specific to the abridged version: I think this was a great copy to read. The editor cut out some of the digressions, which made the book about 300 pages shorter than the normal length (over 800 pages). I was reading this for a research project, so I was thankful for an edition that got rid of some of the less central points so that I could quickly get through the work and still get exposed to Augustine's main points.

That being said, whether you read the abridged or the unabridged version, this book is an absolute classic. Most people don't know this about Augustine, but he lived in Northern Africa (today's Tunisia) while that area was part of the Roman Empire. He started writing "City of God" shortly after the city of Rome had be sacked by the Goths in 410 A.D., and this book is a response to the claims being made by the pagan population of the time that Rome had been sacked because as the official religion of the Empire had been Christianity people had stopped worshiping the pagan gods. Thus, they claimed, the pagan gods allowed Rome to be sacked; they withdrew their blessing from Rome, as it were.

Of course, Augustine thinks this notion is ridiculous and he spent the next 14 years of his life writing "City of God" to refute the pagan view. This work is a great exposition of classical Christianity. The influence of the book was (and is) beyond measure; it remained an important work in terms of influence at least until the end of the Middle Ages. One of the things I really liked about the book is that the translation was really good; you really get an insight into Augustine's character. Furthermore, since Augustine wrote about previous philosophers (Plato, Varro, etc.), you get a great idea of how this work fits into that context.

A thick read, a read that makes you think, but a very enjoyable one nonetheless. I would recommend this book to anyone curious for some exposure to classical Christianity at its best.

Augustine Created "The West".......2007-04-10

Augustine's name is not tossed around as much as that of Plato or Caesar or many other famous men and women of antiquity, but there is no doubt that he is one of the most important thinkers in all of Western history, and he in fact created the theory of "The West" that has over time become our identity.
Augustine, classically educated, a religious experimenter, Rome's top university professor and greatest scholar, and the premier thinker of the contemporary church, reacted to the fall of Rome by creating a whole new approach to what it is citizens are to look to for their citizenship and community. He postulates a new world order centred on the Christian revelation, but including all that is good from Roman and Greek civilization.
Since Rome fell, the kind of fantasy world of Roman myth and lore kept in the popular imagination by Virgil's Aeneid and related art and literature could no longer hold water. It was time for a stronger focal point for patriotism and self-definition. That would be a Christian one, including Rome and Greece, to be sure, but the major element would be Christ. The Bible would gently nudge aside Virgil, and perhaps Augustine, aware of his own extraordinary literary prowess, saw his own monumental works edging aside the other great Latin writers such as Cicero and Sallust.
This would all be quite some bit of bombastic or farsighted folly were it not to prove true. Augustine's work was indeed adopted as the 'mind' of Christendom, his City of God being read to emperors and kings, and leading the thoughts of the leaders of Christian Europe for over a thousand years.
His 'grand unifying theory' of Western civilization, uniting the organization of Rome with the thought of Greece and the revelation of the Bible, has been accepted as the de facto definition of what it means to be Western until only the very last few decades of our time.
Augustine, apparently aware of his talents, must have been aware that his epic work outshone anything written before, and is itself a testament to the civilization that he advocates: a fully coherent combination of Greek philosophy, Roman civilization and Biblical wisdom. This seamless blend of literary prowess from Rome's greatest scholar and highest ranking professor generates for the reader a powerful education in philosophy, history and theology, tied together with awesome rhetoric, that is uniquely powerful, erudite, insightful and useful all at once.
From a historical and literary perspective, this may have been the very most important book ever written by reputedly human hands.
As it is written for the leaders of society and not for the average citizen, be ready to be intrigued, challenged to thought, and impressed with every line.
By no means must the reader have any kind of religious belief to benefit from this book, nor must the reader agree with all that Augustine postulates, nor can the reader, due to the great distance of time seperating him from us and improvements in scientific knowledge since his time. The importance, greatness and power of the writing itself commend it to us.

Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome

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Stark's Numbers
A Thorough Statistical Analysis of the Rise of Christianity
Good book, but not great
Another grand effort by a leading, perhaps the leading, historian of early Christianity
Is Rodney Stark the most enjoyable writer of early Christianity?

Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome
Rodney Stark
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060858427
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Book Description

Rodney Stark overturns many prevailing views about the early church by revealing the true story of how Christianity grew from a renegade rural movement into an urban revolutionary force that won over the Roman Empire.

Based on the very latest scholarship, Stark brings new, authentic, and sometimes startling facts to bear on such ongoing biblical discussions as:

•Gnosticism was not a more sophisticated, more authentic form of Christianity, but really an unsuccessful effort to paganize Christianity.

•Paul was called the apostle to the Gentiles, but mostly he converted Jews.

•Paganism was not rapidly stamped out by state repression following the conversion of Constantine, but gradually disappeared as people abandoned the temples in response to the superior appeal of Christianity.

•The 'oriental' faiths––such as those devoted to Cybele and to Isis––prepared the way for the rapid spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire.

•Contrary to generations of historians, Mithraism posed no challenge to Christianity to become the new faith of the empire –– it allowed no female members and attracted only soldiers.

Cities of God goes beyond an ordinary revision of history by an in–depth analysis of quantitative data. Since early Christianity was primarily an urban movement, the thirty–one cities of the empire having populations of at least 30,000 as of the year 100 serve as the basis for testing hypotheses about the early church.

Cities of God demonstrates how quantitative methods resolve many debates about early church history and can lead to the discovery of unanticipated relationships. Where we have traditionally thought Christianity was spread by mass conversions due to St. Paul's sermons and force of personality, we learn that it's spread was, in fact, gradual and logical. Whereas many recent scholars want to argue for gnosticism as a supressed competing form of Christianity, Stark argues that it was, in fact, a form of paganism and died a natural death from lack of converts. For the first time, a scholar has collected the hard data that challenges the common beliefs about the earliest days of how Christianity spread to become the largest religion in the world.

Customer Reviews:

Stark's Numbers.......2007-09-26

In his "Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome" (2006), Rodney Stark chastise historians for not using "quantitative methods" (page 22). In his conclusion, Stark quotes the historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. as having said: "almost all important [historical] questions are important precisely because they are not susceptible to quantitative answers," then Stark scathingly replied: "Such arrogance thrilled many of his listeners, as clever nonsense so often does. For others it prompted reflections on how someone so poorly trained had risen so high in the profession of history. In truth, many of the real significant historical questions demand quantitative answers" (page 209). In his "Cities of God," Stark gives us quantitative answers, he quotes a lot of data, making use of statistical models, and makes arguments which on the surface appear to be persuasive, if not down right convincing.

But what of his own numbers? It is interesting to note that the population figures which Stark gives in his "Cities of God" (2006) significantly differ from those figures in his earlier book "The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History" (1996). In the following list, I will give the population figure for "The Rise of Christianity" (1996) first, followed by the population figure given in his "Cities of God" (2006). All figures are for the period of 100 AD. All figures are from Stark's own books! According to Stark, the city of Rome had a population of 650,000 in his 1996 book, but only 450,000 in his 2006 book; Alexandria went from 400,000 to 250,000; Antioch from 150,000 to 100,000; Carathage from 90,000 to 100,000; Sardis stayed the same at 100,000; Smyrna went from 75,000 to 90,000; Athens from 30,000 to 75,000; Edessa from 80,000 to 75,000; Nisibis from 80,000 to 67,000; Cadis (Gadir) from 100,000 to 65,000; Syracuse from 80,000 to 60,000; Ephesus from 200,000 to 51,000; Corinth from 100,000 to 50,000; Memphis from 90,000 to 50,000; Caesarea Maritima remained the same at 45,000; Cordova the same at 45,000; Damascus the same at 45,000; Autun the same at 40,000; Pergamum from 120,000 to 40,000; Apamea from 125,000 to 37,000; Salamis stayed the same at 35,000; London from 40,000 to 30,000; and Milan from 40,000 to 30,000. It is very odd that the same author is willing to give significantly different population figures for the same cities during the same period. Nor did Stark give any explanation as to why the numbers are different.

On page 34, in his "Cities of God," Stark asks the question: "Did Rome have a million residents or only 200,000?" and in footnote 31, Stark cites: "Parkin, 1992; Russell, 1958." In "Demography and Roman Society" (1992), Tim Parkin writes: "For the city of Rome itself, a figure of between 750,000 and 1 million seems right" (page 5). And in a footnote he adds that "Russell (1958) 63-68, (1985) 8-25, however, gives a figure as ludicrously low as under 200,000" (page 162). These authors justify Stark's question: "Did Rome have a million residents or only 200,000?" (page 34). But on page 52, in his "Cities of God," Stark gives the population of Rome as 450,000, but he has no footnote this time, and he doesn't tell us how he reached his decision. He doesn't give any justification. So did he pick 450,000 out of thin air?

Sir Peter Hall, in his "Cities in Civilization" (1998), writes: "Precisely how big was ancient Rome ... historians must painstakingly make their deductions from what they know about numbers of houses and apartment blocks and the housing densities within them, volumes of water piped into the city, recipients of the grain dole, seating capacities of theaters and amphitheaters: all very indirect, and so potentially unreliable. Unsurprisingly, the estimates vary wildly, from the 250,000 of Ferdinand Lot to the 1,487,560 (plus slaves) of Giuseppe Lugli; but the great majority, for dates extending from the late Republican Age to the fourth century AD, fall in the range from three-quarters of a million to around one and a quarter million, most of them close to one million" (page 621). Thus Hall claims that the "great majority" of scholars opt for a figure between 750,000 and 1,250,000. In 1996, Rodney Stark put the population of the city of Rome just below the minimum (of the "great majority") at 650,000, but in 2006 he lowers his estimate even lower to 450,000.

Why does Stark claim that the "estimated" population in Rome was 650,000 in one book (1996), only to estimate it at 450,000 in another book (2006)? Why did he lower his estimate of Ephesus from 200,000 to 51,000? Are these numbers random, or was their some method to determine them? And how can his own estimate be almost ¼ of his previous estimate? Was Stark hoping that no one would compare his two books? I'm at a loss to understand him. Furthermore, he made such a big deal in his book (pages 15-23) as to how he was so much better than most historians in that unlike them, he actually follows the scientific method and understands how to use "quantitative methods" (page 22). He boasts that "the entire basis of this book is to assemble reliable and pertinent facts" (page 17).

Many years ago, I read Stark's article entitled "Epidemics, Networks and the Rise of Christianity" published in the journal "Semea" (56 [1992]:159-175), when it first came out. And because of that, I waited eagerly for his book, "The Rise of Christianity," to be published (1996). I'm no specialist, but I thought highly of his argument, it seemed well thought out and well presented. He writes well and presents lots of data (which, by its nature, is hard to corroborate), and so he is very persuasive. But anyone, even I, can compare numbers. The figure 650,000 is not that same as 450,000; and 200,000 is not the same as 51,000. Stark had an obligation to his readers to explain his methodology and why he is presenting new figures. He didn't do so, and I'm afraid that this failure makes it hard for me to trust his other quantitative analyses. Perhaps in some future book, he will explain his methodology and why it was necessary for him to alter his population figures from his 1996 to his 2006 book. But until then, I cannot recommend his research.

A Thorough Statistical Analysis of the Rise of Christianity.......2007-06-13

A lot of historical scholarship consists of perceiving historical phenomena and then working out plausible explanations for the phenomena. Such explanations are largely untested, but they often become accepted as "historical truth" when they are little more than "just so stories." The example from the final chapter of Schlesinger's "huge upswell" of popular democracy during the era of Andrew Jackson is a case in point. Going back and counting the votes from previous elections shows that the voter turnout in the Jackson era was actually lower than many previous elections.

It is all well and good to devise hypotheses to explain historical events, but they should not be accepted as truth unless they can be tested. Stark undertakes to test a number of historical hypotheses relating to the rise of early Christianity, and does so through statistical analysis. This entails a lot of spadework, but the results are worthwhile.

A lot of Stark's findings validate many of the hypotheses of previous scholarship, and this should lead to no controversy. A lot of his findings invalidate the hypotheses of "cutting edge" Biblical scholarship, and this should mean that Stark's book won't be profiled on prime time television.

Some of Stark's more interesting findings are: (1) Orthodox Christianity, not "Gnosticism" or some other "Lost Christianity" was the original form of the religion. (2) "Gnosticism" was a loopy, lunatic fringe blend of paganism and Christianity. (3) Orthodox Christians did not persecute paganism into oblivion. (4) Pentecost most likely did not result in 3,000 newly baptized Christians, but simply 3,000 wet Jews and pagans. (5) Paul did not invent Christianity and actually had very little to do with the spread of Christianity throughout the Empire. (6) Paul was much more successful in converting Jews to Christianity than in converting Gentiles. (7) Hellenized Jews provided large numbers of Christian converts during the first four centuries of Christianity.

Stark's writing, as always, is entertaining, educational, and thought provoking.

Good book, but not great.......2007-04-18

The author uses quantitative data on big cities circa the first century or so to test a number of hypotheses about early Christianity. His results are interesting and convincing, but there are no big revelations here. The most surprising finding was that Paul likely targeted Hellenized Jews, not Gentiles, and that the Jewish element of Christianity persisted for centuries.

Overall, a competent and readable book, but it would not be near the top of my list of books on early Christianity.

--Alan Zundel, the HeartAwake Center

Another grand effort by a leading, perhaps the leading, historian of early Christianity.......2007-03-09

I am not a Christian, but I am interested in the history of Christianity. Rodney Stark, I've concluded, is probably the leading historian of Christianity and, best of all, he doesn't defend, proselytize. mythologize - he simply describes the history. And, surprisingly, according to Stark, the history of Christianity is a more positive force than many historians want to give it credit for.

Stark takes many contemporary historians, like the late Arthur Schlesinger, for their devotion to personal ideologies than to fact. As an example, Stark thoroughly dissects Schlesinger's misunderstanding of Andrew Jackson's popularity in a Pulitzer Prize winning book.

With that quality in mind, Stark debunks many popular, but apparently false, myths about early Christianity. Factoids: many Roman emperors appointed many pagans to political office during the ascendancy of Christianity in Rome, contrary to the myth that Christians forced paganism out of existence.

The book is rich in historical detail, some of it drawn from surprising sources: the inscriptions on ancient tombstones. The basic theme is that Christianity became an urban religion that ultimately conquered the failing Roman Empire. Another surprise: the larger cities developed Christian populations sooner then smaller cities.

Overall, for any student of history, Stark provides a valuable contribution. There is no overtly religious content in the book, so people with an aversion or animus to religion can read it comfortably.

Jerry

Is Rodney Stark the most enjoyable writer of early Christianity?.......2007-02-14

There are a great many famous biblical scholars, but most of them write narrow, even crabbed, books on narrow, crabbed subjects.

Which is why Rodney Stark is such a breath of fresh air. He ask the big questions, then hunts down the answers using sociology and statistics, not the usual tools of the biblical scholar. In book after book, he wrote en about early Christianity in ways that challenge old stereotypes, and did it in his typically brisk, clear style.

Within the first few pages in "Cities of God" he argues that, "Only monotheism can generate the level of commitment to mobilize the rank and file in missionizing activities" (p 13). And he cites the studies showing how conversion takes place.

Against the usual argument that the power of Christianity came from its promises of eternal life, Start says that the faith spread because of the way it could "provide an antidote to life's miseries here and now. The truly revolutionary aspect of Christianity lay in moral imperatives" (p 30). A breathtaking statement.

Stark also overturns all the usual liberal dogmas about how Gnosticism represents a more authentic Christianity. As Stark tartly notes, Gnostic manuscripts to not denote social movements. On the contrary. "Gnostic writers are known to have gathered only small schools of devotees" (p 143). They were not an alternative Christianity. They were paganism's attempt to paganize Christianity.

This is a well written and well argued book that deserves a wide audience.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

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Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods: SG1-4 (Stargate Sg-1)

Average customer rating:

Flawed but has potential...
Amateur Stuff
Stargate Fan
Worse than a history lecture!
Exactly what I was looking for

Stargate SG-1: City of the Gods: SG1-4 (Stargate Sg-1)
Sonny Whitelaw
Manufacturer: Fandemonium Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0954734335

Book Description

The team is stranded on a doomed world.

Customer Reviews:

Flawed but has potential..........2007-10-01

This book has many good things about it, such as an interesting story, historical context, plenty of plot, and several references to previous novels and episodes of the show. A few things seemed a bit far-fetched, such as Daniel's rival archeologist friend going off the deep end by turning cannibal and pretending to be an Aztec god. But most of the story was believable, and the main characterizations were excellent.

The one thing that I found completely unacceptable is the fact that the author never follows through with her cliffhangers. The point of a cliffhanger is to end a scene with a dramatic situation in order to hook the reader so they continue reading. But if you don't follow through and deal with the problem presented in the cliffhanger, it cheats the reader out of that resolution.

Several times the author ends a chapter with a series of climactic events; for example, while Daniel is visiting an ancient temple in Mexico it collapses, leaving him trapped inside and knocked unconscious by falling rocks. As a reader, I was eager to know what happened: how he survived, how he escaped, all of that. However, the author altogether skips the resolution of Daniel's dilemma--the next day, Daniel is suddenly back home, safe and sound! He mentions the cave-in as though it were unimportant, reminding us how he got knocked out, and gee, wasn't it lucky that Teal'c happened to be right behind him in the temple and was able to drag him out of the building before it collapsed on them both....

In "City of the Gods", the author constantly leaves cliffhangers without being properly resolved. She diminishes the import of every climactic scene, because she repeatedly skips the resolution and, instead, later gives a brief summary of what happened. Why should I bother getting worried about the characters when something bad happens if I already know that the author isn't going to show what happens? I don't want to hear second-hand that someone rescued the hero or that he managed to escape--I want to read what happens for myself.

As far as I am concerned, this is a pretty serious writing flaw: one that marks the author as an amateur. But, as I said, she has other good qualities as a writer and lots of potential. So if you're not a picky reader, go ahead and give this book a try! Hopefully, as Ms Whitelaw writes more she'll learn to follow through with her cliffhangers; when that happens I will be pleased to buy more of her books.

Amateur Stuff.......2007-09-10

Terrible going...as slow as wading through molasses. To make matters worse, Daniel Jackson's Grandfather, Nick Ballard, vanishes partway through the novel with no explanation, and is never seen or spoken of again. I wish they had more professional writers handling this series.

Stargate Fan .......2007-05-23

When I first read the book it brought up some parts of the groups past that didn't make too much sense till you read the other stories and then saw on the show that it all clicks in. One of those facts were from some of the key parts in the series were from seasons 1,2,& 3 episodes Fire and Water, Need, the information on Carter's episode as a host and the symbiote' memories, their encounter with the quantum mirror and the Crystal Skull which bring up a lot of information and the type of traumas that they all have to deal with as a group like losing a friend and a team-mate, but the back story of Daniel's past and bringing in his grandfather wasn't really necessary. I liked the idea that they focused most of this on Carter since nearly all of the books were focused on either O'Neill or Daniel and it was time that they gave Carter center stage this time around. But I have to admit that the issue with Daniel's former teacher brought back another good piece of background like his rivalry with another archeologist from the Season 4 episode " The Curse" was pretty interesting as well. Another issue that they brought up was O'neill and Carter's relationship even though neither wanted to admit it that they loved each other, but that was a nice piece in it-self as well. The diary that they put in there from Daniel's knowledge was a nice touch since it gave information on a previous planet that they went to and then the issue with dealing with the loss of a few allies like the mention of Narim and that ambassador that was killed a few weeks earlier was a nice touch as well. All in all I recommend this one to any who like the show.

Worse than a history lecture!.......2006-11-12

Don't get me wrong I like Daniel...But reading chapter after chapter of Whitelaws having him prattle on was just TOO much. Knowledge of a subject is great, but doesn't make for an intersting novel. Way to much info. The story was disjointed and I didn't believe her character portrayals of SG-1. Boring! The two Honor books were 5 stars.

Exactly what I was looking for.......2006-02-26

I'm actually extremely pleased with this novel, and found myself immensely entertained. I suspect this is in good part because I am both prepared and capable of distinguishing history from science fiction.

As a student of meso-American culture, I can state that no culture remains fixed throughout time. The Aztec culture exists today in a totally different way than it existed in the tenth century. Once one then takes this culture into a purely fictional framework, off to another planet, and twisted it to suit the machinations of a Go'auld that itself was considered an atrocious creature even by Ra's standards, it is most certainly going to be gruesome and differ from the Aztecs of past that some textbooks portray in an idealized light. As to the chocolate, of course it was never produced as candy bars, but I chuckled at the way it cleverly connected Quetzalcoatl to O'Neill. The author has taken genuine research, married it to mythology and come up with an excellent and original plot.

I automatically suspend my disbelief when I read novels like these. They are a fun detour from the real world, and I see them purely for their entertainment value. Since the series itself takes us all on an excursion from reality every week, I would have personally been disappointed if this book had attempted to foster upon us something else. Equally, I am pleased that the author did not over-simply an intriguing story.

Whether one could possibly stand so close to volcanoes without being cooked - based on the extraordinary images on her website, it appears the author had no trouble with such encounters in real life!

As to characterizations, I was gratified to note that the author dealt with them in a mature and insightful manner. I enjoyed the way each team member was presented - more so in this novel than in others from this particular series.

I would liked to have seen a longer story, as I feel the end was somewhat short and that some scenes could have been fleshed out more, but again, this was in keeping with the series which is of course subject to the restrictions of time. No doubt the publisher must have an upper word limit for similar reasons as the show's producers have a time limit. I understand that MGM approves of each novel and therefore, feel quite comfortable in reading it as canon. Having said that, as with everything else about this novel, it has remained very faithful to the series. For all of those reasons, I'm giving it five stars and would highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to this author's treatment of the spinoff Atlantis series.

Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement (Mystical City of God)

Average customer rating:

Mother of God
a true blessing
The Life of Mary and Jesus
Amazing
You won't be able to put it down...

Mystical City of God: A Popular Abridgement (Mystical City of God)
Mary Agreda
Manufacturer: Tan Books & Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0895550709

Customer Reviews:

Mother of God.......2007-07-10

Wonderful soul inspiring. The Holy Bible and Mystical City of God should be on everyone shelf.

a true blessing.......2007-05-29

its one thing to read this book its another to understand it. it is outstanding! its written for those who seek a truth and higher level of understandig of my beloved lady and most important a higher level our lord and his creation. if you understand our lord dwells in a different time reference (as stated in both the old and new testement) then dont miss this book! you will learn....know thy truth for the truth shall set ye free...

The Life of Mary and Jesus.......2007-04-01

Despite Mary relating her experiences to the author, Mary of Agreda, you can't help but feel that Mary is speaking directly to you. It is a touching story of humility and sanctity. You can look at it as filling in the spaces that the Gospels have left out. All of it is very believable.
Eah chapter, and they are short, ends with words from Mary to the author, instructing her in the ways to increase her love of God and Mary and how to imitate their lives. Because of the great number of pages, you won't read it in a day, and in a way, that's good. The short chapters let you read a little at a time and let you set it aside to contemplate what Mary has said. You will come away with a new understanding of Mary and Jesus.

Amazing.......2006-11-05

This is a truly beautiful book, providing background details on the life of the Holy Virgin Mary and the creation of the universe. The most amazing part about this book is that the details make so much sense and are so logical, yet are so intricate and colorful, that it is impossible to think of it as a work of fiction by a devout nun. I have not yet completed the book, but when you read enough of City of God and contemplate its beauty, you will find that it is in every single way supportive of Christian doctrine, and in every single way a masterpiece that was Divinely inspired. A worthy read indeed.

You won't be able to put it down..........2006-11-04

Order this book NOW. I have read excerpts of Mystical City of God by Mary Agreda online but having the book is much better. Like Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, another Nun, Sister Mary Agreda was given insights into the details surrounding the creation of the world, angels and makind. The highlight of this work for many are the insighful details concerning the life of Christ, His Mother Mary, and the Apostles. Your mind will make you present at these events with every turn of the page.

Recall that it was the revelations of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich that prompted Mel Gibson's great work, The Passion of the Christ. If you have not seen this, where have you been? If you have seen it, get your own copy and watch it from time-to-time. It is also available from Amazon and they get it to you in a hurry. Mel Gibson was apparently in a book store somewhere and the book, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ fell down from a shelf at his feet. He picked it up according to some sources and was about to put it back when he began to read it. He was hooked.

I may sound like a salesman for Amazon, but so be it - I am not - but the Dolorous Passion according to Sister Catherine is also available from them. If you want some real eye-opening insights into the details of Christ, His Mother Mary, and the others surrounding His earthly life as well, get these three items ASAP - The Mystical City of God (Agreda), The Passion of the Christ DVD (Gibson), and the Dolorus Passion book (Emmerich). You will be so glad you did.

Lawrence

Average customer rating:

City of God and Man: Where an urban theology is needed
A Biblical view of the city
The Textbook of Urban Ministry

City of God, City of Satan
Mr. Robert C. Linthicum
Manufacturer: Zondervan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0310531411

Book Description

Both captivating in its revealing acknowledgement of spiritual warfare and readily accessible as a resource for churches, this book provides the biblical theology of the city and offers direction and support for urban missions.

Customer Reviews:

City of God and Man: Where an urban theology is needed.......2007-05-04

"We enter the city equipped with an urban sociology and urban tools for ministry, but we carry with us the baggage of a theology designed in rural Europe." This is a fantastic analysis of urban culture and the theology necessary to adequately meet the spiritual climate of megacities. Many Christian workers come from rural or small town backgrounds, and find themselvers ill-equipped to deal with the cultural differences in the cities.
Not only theory, but also very practical in its approach, this book lays out a strategy for praying through the ways that God is working in a city, and how the follower of Jesus can join in. An example: "Spend time in silence and in an open, prayerful spirit before that map [of your city]. Ask God to reveal to you seven sites in the city that are particularly precious to Him. Wait for God to show you those places. Those seven sites might come in one sitting; it may take several days. But wait on God with openness and receptivity. When the seven places have been given to you, you are ready for the most exciting part of this spiritual exercise. Visit every one of those sites."
And, ""Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper" (Jer. 29:7). The English words "peace," "prosperity," and "prosper" are all translations of the same Hebrew word, shalom. Shalom is a comprehensive word not easily translated into English, because our word peace is inadequate. The idea encompasses the manifold relationships of daily life, symbolizing Israel's ideal quality of life under the Law. Shalom is a state of wholeness and completeness, possessed by a person or a group that includes good health, prosperity, security, justice, and deep spiritual contentment."
This book is highly recommended for followers of Jesus who live in, work in, or have influence in the cities.

A Biblical view of the city.......2006-06-29

Robert Linthicum has a heart for urban ministry and it shines through in each chapter in this book which is organized in three parts. The first part focuses on the city. The second part focuses on the church's role in the city, and the last part focuses on the role of the individual Christian in the city. Linthicum believes that the Bible is an urban book and in many of the chapters the author exposits a particular book of the Bible such as Jeremiah, Jonah, Nehemiah or Ephesians. Linthicum will then explain the urban context of the Scripture finding applications to that culture as well as contemporary culture.

The city of God and the city of Satan are symbolized in the Scriptures as the cities of Jerusalem and the city of Babylon. Jerusalem was supposed to be the city of God, yet due to the disobedience of the people it became the city of Satan at times.

Linthicum advocates a holistic approach to urban ministry. He talks about the systems in the city that become so easily corrupted by the enemy. This creates a systemic evil in a city that needs to be approached spiritually, economically and politically. The author spends considerable time teaching from the Old Testament regarding the responsibility of the people of God in the city. The exiles who were taken into captivity were told by Jeremiah to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper (Jeremiah 29:7)." The word "exile" in the original language can also mean "sent." Many involved in urban ministry feel exiled when in reality they have been sent by God to bear his witness in a particular community.

Robert Linthicum challenges the church regarding urban ministry showing the compassion of God for the city and at times showing the inability of the church to deal with urban problems. One of the most powerful image or thoughts in the book comes in the very last paragraph of chapter five. "For our Lord was not crucified in a gothic cathedral on a golden cross placed upon a marble altar between two silver candlesticks. He was crucified on a rugged cross between two thieves, on the city's garbage heap, at the kind of place where cynics talk smut and thieves curse and soldiers gamble. That is where Christ died." The reader is challenged to take Christ to those who need Christ.

The Textbook of Urban Ministry.......2001-11-27

This book should be a must read for every person interested in urban ministry. The title of the book comes from the author's premise that every city includes elements of "Babylon"--"a city totally given over to evil and to the Evil One" and "Jerusalem"--"an idealized city...belonging to God,--a city of peace." What impressed me most about the book is that Bob has spent an hour a day for the past 20+ years studying the city in the Bible. Of the 20-25 books I have read on urban ministry, this work is certainly the most thorough. (Imagine the level of the granularity that one would come to after studying the same topic for over 20 years!) It is the dynamic equivilent of Strong's Concordance. In this 300 page work, Robert addresses the role of prayer, presence and proclamation of the church in the city. He also gives visible signposts that the city is being transformed by the church. It is the epic work of urban ministry.

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