《中世纪的奥秘》书评

重新审视我们习以为常的历史

“中世纪”，这个词在大多数脑海中引起的恐怕都是负面情感——少数游戏玩家及复古派学者除外——比如说落后、黑暗、野蛮、专制、封建等等等等。这一思维定势的形成最早需得归功于文艺复兴时期的几位领袖。但是就连这几位领袖也没想到自己一厢情愿的诋毁竟然能够持续那么长一段时间。近年来，给中世纪“正名”的活动在学术界方兴未艾，大量的学术论文和著作体现出学者们对于中世纪印象的改观，当然在这股潮流中，现代电影扮演了及其重要的角色，因为毫无疑问，强壮的英雄向来比柔弱的英雄要更加吸引人。《中世纪的奥秘》一书正是此股潮流的产儿。作者卡希尔——著名的文学家，同时也是圣经学者——以包含感情的笔调热切地为我们重新描述了中世纪的产生。该书的结构颇像一部罗曼司，每章都在一个不同的城市展开。于是追求知识的过程恰如骑士冒险一般引人入胜。我们姑且不论卡希尔力求恢复宗教纯洁性的观点是否站得住脚，但是本书的第三、四两章——分别介绍了巴黎大学和牛津大学——却尤其对中国的学者和大学学生具有极其重要的意义。在这两个章节中，我们能够考察现代大学是如何起源的，同时也能关注西方大学之强盛是从何而来。至少，其中的一句话无比精辟：“只有老师之间百家争鸣，最终才会有学术上的活力。”倘若法国人早在六、七百年前就参透了此中的道理，那么我们亦没有理由对此进行诡辩乃至是抗拒。不得不提的是该书的翻译。毫无疑问译者的语言功底是深厚的，但是——请容我指出——过于“深厚”了。特别是书当中某些术语的翻译既然已经约定俗成，实在没有必要挖空心思再想出一个另类的译法来。这样会给读者阅读造成很多困难。

Amazon.com Review

Desire of the Everlasting Hills is another present from the pen of Thomas Cahill, author of How the Irish Saved Civilization and The Gifts of the Jews. In this third volume of the bestselling Hinges of History series, he knits together history, politics, sociology, and faith with contemporary insights that yield remarkable results.After painting with broad brush strokes an entertaining picture of the Greek, Jewish, and Roman world, Cahill focuses on Jesus. With illuminating deductions and clever speculation, Jesus is seen though the eyes of his biographers in their Gospel accounts. Each of these authors' lives is reconstructed in such a way that the richness of their writing and their subject matter is wonderfully enhanced. The section on Paul, detailing how his life and letters shaped the early church, should be required reading for every student of the Bible. From his beginnings in the cosmopolitan city known as Tarsus through his calling, like the patriarchs and prophets before him, he becomes "the perfect vehicle for this moment in the development of the Jesus Movement." His mix of Greek reasoning with rabbinical training casts the stories of the early church into a thoughtful theology. He is seen here as the earliest egalitarian who not only impacted the early church but all of western civilization.Cahill challenges many traditional religious ideas while also taking on some of the more radical contemporary interpreters of biblical literature. As with the other volumes in this series, the marginal notes are filled with a wealth of interesting information. Combining his own fresh translation of many New Testament highlights with respect and humor, Thomas Cahill's book is for the believer and nonbeliever alike. --Tracy DanzProduct Description"Cahill is insightful, wry, and highly entertaining as he explores the cultural influences, social expectations, and tricky politics of the day. He examines the New Testament in this light, yet remains respectful. His goal, he states early, is to ascertain whether Jesus made a difference. His conclusion is unequivocal."--Christian Science MonitorIn Desire of the Everlasting Hills, Thomas Cahill takes up his most daring and provocative subject yet: Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of Western civilization.Introducing us first to "the people Jesus knew," Thomas Cahill describes the oppressive Roman political presence, the pervasive Greek cultural influence, and especially the widely varied social and religious context of the Judaism in which Jesus moved and flourished. These backgrounds, essential to a complete understanding of Jesus, lead to the author's stunningly original interpretation of the New Testament--much of it based on material from the ancient Greek brilliantly translated by the author himself--that will delight readers and surprise even biblical scholars.Thomas Cahill's most unusual skill may lie in his ability to bring to life people of a faraway world whose concerns seem at first to be utterly removed from the present day. We see Jesus as a real person, sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, but kind, humorous, and affectionate, shadowed by the inevitable climax of crucifixion, the cruelest form of execution ever devised by humankind. Mary, while not quite the "perpetual virgin" of popular piety, is a vivid presence and forceful influence on her son. And the apostle Paul, the carrier of Jesus' message and most important figure in the early Jesus movement (which became Christianity), finds rehabilitation in Cahill's realistic, revealing portrait of him.The third volume in the Hinges of History series, this unique presentation of Jesus and his times is for believers and nonbelievers alike (for Jews and Christians, it is intended by the author as an act of reconciliation). With the same lively narration and irresistible perceptions that characterize How the Irish Saved Civilization and The Gifts of the Jews, Thomas Cahill invites readers into an ancient world to commune with some of the most influential people who ever lived.From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization and The Gifts of the Jews, his most compelling historical narrative yet.How did an obscure rabbi from a backwater of the Roman Empire come to be the central figure in Western Civilization? Did his influence in fact change the world? These are the questions Thomas Cahill addresses in his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus.Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled—in the face of the greatest defeat: Jesus' crucifixion as a common criminal. Daring, provocative, and stunningly original, Cahill's interpretation will both delight and surprise.