The Mythmaker: Paul & the Invention of Christianity.

The Mythmaker: Paul & the Invention of Christianity. Hyam Maccoby.
Harper & Row, 1986.

Now here's a paradox: how can someone so obviously prejudiced, who is not ashamed to take cheap shots during the course of his argument and who hypothesizes so imaginatively, still be able to write a persuasive book?  Strange but true. Maccoby's main contentions are ones which require further research on my part:

1. Paul was not a Pharisee
2. Jesus was a Pharisee
3. Contemporary Jews saw nothing strange or wrong about Jesus or his teachings
4. Paul created modern Christianity against the wishes (and the Jewish practices) of the Jerusalem Christian Church
5. Paul created modern Christianity by blending elements of Gnosticism, mystery cults, and Judaism.

Maccoby's strength lies in his (claimed) understanding of the Jews and Pharisee of the time.  His argument also carries, because the only text he uses to any significant degree is the N.T. itself.  I must find the fully annotated & referenced version called Paul, Pharisaism, and Gnosticism.

Sails of Hope. Simon Wiesenthal.

Sails of Hope: The Secret Mission of Christopher Columbus.

Simon Wiesenthal.
Macmillan: 1973.

A fast and interesting read which proposes that Columbus was either a converted Jew, a crypto-Jew (marrano), or came from a family of conversos. Wiesenthal is never foolish (or confident) enough to make a solid claim, and indeed, his scholarship is definitely at an interested amateur level, but he draws on the research of others and does two things: he shows that Columbus being Jewish or of Jewish descent is an Occam's razor for many of the unanswered questions about him, and he also poses a few questions that lead one to accept his idea, at least as a working hypothesis.

The bulk of the book, actually, deals with the plight, importance, and fate of Jews in Spain; this in itself makes for interesting reading.

Journey Under the Southern Stars. E. L. Grant Watson

Journey Under the Southern Stars.
E. L. Grant Watson.
Abelard-Schumann, 1968

Because his novel Lost Man! is one of my favorites, and because the first part of the book reveals the real life experiences of the author which mirror his novel, I was immediately fascinated by this autobiography.

What I come away most clearly with, however, is the author's experience on a Fijian island in the plantation house of a white man. There are ghosts, a mysterious and horrific volcanic lake, and a magical calling of sea turtles.

The author is a young scientist out for adventure, and he maintains a firm belief in magic -- a belief which is confirmed by his observations.

Grant Watson's narrative prose in this book is beautiful and haunting in many sections. An excellent book to re-read as I find more of his works.

Myths of Precolumbian America. Donald A. Mackenzie.

Pre-Columbian America: Myths and Legends
Donald A. Mackenzie.
Senate/Random House: 1923/1996.

This book was originally written when scholars were gravitating to the theory that America remained completely isolated until Columbus. MacKenzie doesn't believe this and attempts to disprove the theory by a comparison of American myths to those of Egypt, India, and Asia.

There are two major flaws to the book. First, I'm reading it 80 years late, and a lot of new information has come to light. Second, his writing style is lacking in proper structure which makes his rambling, unorganized thesis hard to follow sometimes. The main theoretical problem is lack of dating -- when did the Indian my of such-and-such arise vs. the first appearance in America? Whas there time for transference of ideas? Are the ideas separated by many centuries?

The book does a good job in bringing to light how much you need to assume is a natural psychological process for two cultures to develop similar ideas if they don't have any contact, e.g., why would Egyptians, Chinese and Aztecs associate colors with four cardinal points? Overall, the book is persuasive that there was at least some sort of contact between Old and New Worlds.

Columbus & Cortes, Conquerors for Christ. John Eidsmoe.

Columbus & Cortes, Conquerors for Christ.
John Eidsmoe.
New Leaf Press: 1992.

Obviously written in response to liberal Columbus-bashing on the 500th anniversary of his voyage, this book is an overly apologetic defense of Columbus and Cortes.

The foreword by Peter Marshall gets off on the wrong foot, decrying adultery and homosexuality in entertainment, yet saying nothing of violence, rape, murder, etc. Eidsmoe's main fault is that he does not apply the same standards across the board -- thus, we have to understand that slavery and warfare was an acceptable practice back in days gone by, but those idolatrous cannibals must have worshipped Satan because their actions were so evil. His other main flaw is putting words in the mouths of his opponents who, he claims, either deny that Cortes and Columbus were Christians (saying they only gave lip-service to Christianity), or that they suffered from severe delusions. Although Columbus was, indeed, "visionary", none of the books I have read on Cortes indicate anything other than that he was a devout Christian.

The bulk of this book is retelling the story with occasional jabs at non-Christians. Eidsmoe uses older sources, and at least one teen-age book, rather than newer and/or more accurate texts, and he provides no historical or textual criticism. Disappointing and poorly written.

The Gnostic Gospels. Elaine Pagels.

The Gnostic Gospels.
by Elaine Pagels.
Vintage: 1979.

Written by an academic who is an 'expert' in gnosticism, this popular work gives a brief introduction to the texts discovered at Nag Hammadi.

This book is far, far too short, and inspires me to read the complete translation of these early, unorthodox Christian texts. As short as it is, the book is dense with information and valuable interpretation.

Most interesting is the author's main argument that the conflict between orthodoxy and gnosticism was as much political as it was theological -- in fact, that doctrine comes more from politics than from the teachings of Jesus.

Pagels does a very good job of evoking the climate of A.D. 60-200, during the establishment of the Catholic church and its constant attacks against the gnostic Christians -- who were often part of the catholic church itself -- especially their belief in personal experiences of enlightenment, even though they did not necessarily disbelieve in having a "regular" church.

Voyagers to the New World. Nigel Davies.

Voyagers to the New World.
Nigel Davies
William Morrow: 1979.

Here is a book that should be updated every decade or two. This is a thorough review of the main theories of precolumbian contacts between the Americas and the rest of the world.

Davies covers everything from the colonists' theories, to the Mormons, to scientific hypotheses, and even UFO contacts. His most interesting writing involves the very earliest ideas.

By reviewing the scientific literature on plants, arts, histories, ships, etc., the author is pretty convincing that there was probably scant contact between the Old and New worlds, and if there were, such contact had little, if any, impact on American culture. Not entirely convincing, and I personally suspect there may have been more contact than Davies thinks.

The author's final chapter deals with alternative theories on the striking similarities between cultures: these are cognitive, archetypal, and dream/hallucinogenic theories which, he urges, need further research.

Aztecs: An Interpretation. Inga Clendinnen.

Aztecs: An Interpretation.
Inga Clendinnen.
Cambridge: 1995.

Along with Bernal Diaz and Todorov, this is among the best Aztec books I've read. This book takes a close look at the rituals of Tenochtitlan and who those meant to the common people, as well as what they indicate to the historian.

Heavily underlined is the Aztec dependence on maize and their belief that humans were made of corn -- because we eat, we owe the gods. This is why we must feed the gods our blood. Also of primary importance is the constant competition, skill, destiny which is always tempered by the capriciousness of the gods, and drastic luck.

She spends quite a bit of time maturely discussing the role of women, and includes an interesting discussion of breastfeeding and weaning. Another good chapter is on the sacred & art: the transient beauty attained by art can be a connection with the sacred, but the transient quality is as important as the beauty. The author's epilog is just a paragraph, but is a beautiful piece of writing on historians. Lots of good notes in back.

The Nothing That Is. Robert Kaplan

The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero.
Robert Kaplan.
Oxford: 1999.

An interesting topic that intrigued me when I first read about this book in a review. The first half of the book is rather interesting, as Kaplan follows the development of the idea of zero through the 16th-17th centuries. Zero as a number was never really accepted until this time; before then, it was either non-existent, a place-header only, or a suspicious number used by mathmeticians and magicians.

Throughout this half of the book, the author's innumerable tangents, asides, and references -- literary, philosophical, historical, scientific, religious, or otherwise -- are distracting and annoying, but we still follow something of a course.

Once we reach the modern era, however, the book collapses into a rambling essay on "what is the meaning of nothing" with all the author's usual asides. Boring to wade through, as he seems to have no point other than show off his wide array of knowledge (which, of course, is a valid point for discussion, but not one I particularly care about.) If he had stuck to the history, this would have been a great, albeit short, book.

The First Coming. Thomas Sheehan.

The First Coming
by Thomas Sheehan.
Vintage: 1986.

Subtitled, "How the Kingdom of God Became Christianity," this book attemps to look underneath and through the surface of the Bible to find the original teachings of Jesus and the original meaning and sentiment of early Christians.

A scholarly book, it is obviously written by a professor (it happens to be of philosophy), yet readable by a general audience. Very convincing in most of its arguments, although there are a few minor assumptions which do not quite fit -- though the author is honest enough to point out that they are speculation.

The main thrust of the argument is that although Jesus was an eschatological prophet, his message was that the Kingdom of God is love for one another, and this kingdom is at hand, but only if we live it. And if we do live the Kingdom of God, it would mean the end of organized religion. Early Christians betrayed Jesus by confusing the message with the messenger. Jesus used apocalyptic imagery, as was the custom, but Christians took it to mean he was literally coming back. Two thousand years later, modern liberal theologians are revealing his original message (says Sheehan.) Very good, need to reread later.

Calendar. David Ewing Duncan.

Calendar
by David Ewing Duncan.
Avon Books: 1998

Subtitled "Humanity's Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year", this book mainly focuses on the Gregorian calendar, mentioning non-western developments only as side notes or when they have something to do with Europe.

The book devotes equal time to two aspects: the technological/scientific advances -- and retreats -- in figuring out the length of the year, and the political/social intricacies in developing an accurate and universal calendar.

We quickly reach 100-300 AD at which point the book is an interesting history of the Catholic Church, with an episode in the Middle East. What was most surprising to me is how the most vital aspect of calendar-keeping to the Europeans was the keeping of saints' days -- the commercial and personal aspects were not that important (and were still frequently tied to seasonal time), especially compared with the struggle to accurately determine when to celebrate Easter! Good book.

The Aztecs: People of the Sun. Alfonso Caso.

Return of the Nephilim
by Alfonso Caso.
University of Oklahoma: 1970.

Wonderfully illustrated by Miguel Covarrubias, this book is at times a general overview of the confusing and complex Aztec religion and deities, and at times provides insight into some interesting details.

Intended as a popular introduction, this is also a great reference. His economy with words and clear prose make a difficult subject more accessible to us non-experts.

The Rise & Fall of the Third Reich. William L. Shirer

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
by William L. Shirer.
Simon & Schuster 1959.

A huge book of equal significance. Shirer was a journalist who spent much time in Nazi and pre-Nazi Germany, and his personal insights add to the wealth of information contained in the book.

Beyond doubt, this is one of the best books I've ever read; yes, partly due to the inherently fascinating topic, but also due to Shirer's ability to explain complex situations in a comprehensible way.

Interestingly enough, even Shirer admits Hitler's genius, and it is phenomenal to watch him rise from a nobody to arguably the most powerful man in the world. It almost becomes tragic to watch his personal, military, and political collapse. This sense is partly due to Shirer's objectivity; during the whole "Rise" book, Hitler seems to be merely a radical politician.

The "Fall" book becomes a bit tedious - even though Shirer stays away from a lot of the military history, some is of course necessary. However, his continual focus on the political history of this period really makes the long book a relatively fast read.

Hitler was undoubtedly a madman, and his physical deterioration assuredly indicates mental deterioration, yet at the same time, he was amazingly successful in most of his endeavours. What really stands out are the few bad military decisions he made - if not for those . . . ? Would we be living in a world of daily terror, and would our innate capacity for evil be nutured by the state?

The European Discovery of America. Samuel Eliot Morison

The European Discovery of America: The Northern Voyages
by Samuel Eliot Morison.

S.E. Morison is renowned as a naval historian, and I fear it may be going to his head. Throughout this lengthy book, he peppers his rather dry history with scathing attacks on those unfortunate historians who have held a different opinion than himself. Very amusing.

If one were a sailor, one would get much more out of this book, which overflows with maritime terminology, exhaustive descriptions of ships and methods, and detailed analysis of the eastern North American coast.

Despite the above criticisms, this book is quite rewarding due to the obvious knowledge and research behind almost every sentence. The sailor's point of view that Morison uses often provides refreshing insight into people & events. And despite his frequent commentary, the book is loaded with facts about discoverers who aren't even mentioned in most standard American school textbooks. I probably won't re-read this one, but will keep it as a reference and brace myself (at some point) to read the second volume on the Southern Voyages.

June 4, 2005

A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies

Bartolome de las Casas. Penguin: 1992/1552.

Written by the "Friend of the Indians", Las Casas was the first & perhaps fiercest critic of the Conquest and Spanish colonization of America (though, I was later to find out, this opinion only developed later in his life. He was always, however, all for Spanish presence in America, for the purpose of instructing the natives in the Christian faith.)

His account rarely gives names of the conquistadors and usually stays away from gruesome details. His estimates of casualties are notoriously & grossly exaggerated in his favor. Overally, an interesting read in conjunction with other narratives. The book was widely read at the time and has greatly influenced Europeans' view of this period of history.

April 9, 2005

The Russian Revolution 1917-1932

Sheila Fitzpatrick. Oxford: 1987.

A small book that is written so succinctly that it packs in enough information to boggle the mind. This is, however, a very readable history of the Russian Revolution & Civil War. Fitzpatrick clearly shows the underlying social, economic, and political issues during this turbulent time. This Russian culture is very foreign to a modern American, yet the book allows us insight into the minds of the various social groups within Russia.

Truly the Revolution seems to have been a great idea gone horribly wrong, although the author is careful to avoid much moralizing, and tries to point out Western interpretations vs. Russian interpretations.

March 19, 2005

The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico

Miguel Leon-Portilla. Beacon Press: 1962.

Leon-Portilla draws from numerous indigenous accounts of the Conquest of Mexico. He introduces briefly each chapter, then lets the natives speak for themselves.

It is interesting how much the Aztec life was dominated by omens, prophecies, magic. Everything that happened had been "foretold", yet the mixed signs (and his advisors' advice) clearly were confusing to Moctezuma and may help explain his actions. The Aztec account shows none of the fight or cunning of Montezuma that the Spanish accounts do.

Also of interest were the accounts by the allies of the Aztecs and the Spanish.

The book ends with some Aztec poetry that is truly moving, and reminds one of the unimaginable suffering caused by the complete destruction of their city, history, gods, and culture.

March 5, 2005

Ancient Mexico: An Introduction to the Pre-Hispanic Cultures

Frederick Peterson. Capricorn Books: 1962.

This book is essentially a lengthy encyclopedia entry: a bit dry to read, but filled with the most amount of general information in the least amount of space.

Peterson clearly has passion and appreciation of the art and artifacts of the precolumbian cultures, and is therefore most interesting to read when he discusses these items. His book is so fact-filled, however, that any page will be of interest.

March 5, 2005

The Maze of Mormonism

Walter Martin. Vision House: 1978.

Although I find the Mormon religion quite fascinating as a curiosity, I am by no means a Latter-day Saint apologist. However, Dr. Martin's attack on Mormonism and the LDS church is illogical in many places, overly biased throughout (a little bias is okay, if not healthy, but Martin goes overboard), and just plain dull in several chapters. With the wealth of weird, contradictory, secret, can-be-made-to-seem-Satanic beliefs, theology and history of the LDS church, one would hope that a much better book could be written.

An ex-Mormon himself, Martin is too close to the issue to write a very powerful book: he gets lost in little details about history, rather than exploring either the significance of the history or the big theological issues and their implications. His insistence to rely upon the Bible as a foundation from which to attack is the wrong stand to take, since Mormons accept it only as far as it has been "translated correctly." The LDS church makes no claim to believe the Bible is 100% accurate, so why bother? Martin should step out of his new Christian shoes and jump into the Mormon framework to expose its weaknesses.

One of the appendices is quite interesting, though.

February 26, 2005

My Name is Izzy

Izzy Covalt. Strawberry Hill Press: 1999.

Izzy Covalt is the founder of Izzy's Pizza, a local & Northwest chain. Her autobiography has a straightforward and personal style.

Born during the Depression on a North Washington farm, her life as a child was tough. Although her life gradually improved, largely through her own determination, she still had to deal with a bad marriage decision, the death of her second husband, and a long fight with alcoholism.
Having met Izzy in 2000, I was struck by her shyness and apparent insecurity - her book concentrates more on her toughness.