'Gifts' changed history

The Gifts of the Jews
Thomas Cahill
Doubleday Publishing
3 1/2 stars

It has been said that those who forget the past are destined to repeat it. Following this line of reasoning, those things that we remember are those things which will allow us to move forward, to progress and to prosper. Historians are assigned the daunting task of holding just this torch, of reminding us of our roots.

But there is another approach - a more positive one - which has been effectively utilized as well, if less frequently. History holds for us an abundance of personalities, peoples and events which are exceedingly positive, all of which have given us many indispensable gifts. And in the deluge of historical negativism, often these gifts are trivialized or even forgotten. Thomas Cahill, a contemporary historian, has chosen to focus his work on these positive historical elements.

Cahill's first such attempt, "How the Irish Saved Civilization," recorded for us the contributions of a small group of Gaelic monks in their efforts keep the flame of Western knowledge burning throughout the Dark Ages of Europe. His second, most recent effort is titled "The Gifts of the Jews."

Cahill's argument is as follows: the Jews of antiquity were an amazingly resilient group of people who altered the course of Western thought. Cahill recounts their major stories and examines them in a new light in order to support his debate.

Beginning with Herodotus of ancient Greece, the father of history as we Westerners know it, historians have recorded the major events of their time and of times past. And if one looks back through these annals, one begins to notice an overriding theme.

All too often, the major events that are remembered are those of chaos and destruction. The wars, the deaths, the acts of treachery - these are the episodes of which we are constantly reminded. When asked to recall important historical figures, one will often remember conquerors and destroyers, admirals and generals: Napoleon,Washington, Charlemagne, Caesar.

But this is a logical method. If we follow the epigram earlier stated, this technique makes sense. If we keeps ourselves aware of the negative aspects of our history, we will be more likely to escape them if they again choose to reveal their ugly visage. Why would one wish to relive destruction and despair if one could possibly avoid them?

Cahill is not a religious propagandist, so do not mistake his title nor his writing as such. His writing supports the tenets of neither Judaism nor of Christianity. Despite his many references to the Torah and much of the Bible's Old Testament, he is not merely a zealot attempting to spout religious apologetics. He simply attempts to characterize the actions and movements of a very remarkable group of desert nomads by use of their principle literary offering.

In fact, one of Cahill's main strengths is his pure sense of objectivity. This is one of the main virtues of the good historian, and while all are inherently affected by their cultures, Cahill makes a valiant effort toward releasing himself from his own. His arguments are unbiased and straightforward.

Another asset of Cahill's writing is his obvious dislike of pretense. He does not attempt to prove himself a member of the historical intelligentsia. He does not use long-winded phrases, tortuous sentence structures or arcane words in order to prove his worth as a historian. He is a simple, straightforward and modest writer with an expressed purpose. Those who are tired of the pretentious history of unnecessary eloquence and unimportant details will find Cahill's writing to be a breath of fresh air.

Unfortunately, in his attempt to gain readability and aim his book toward the general public, it seems that Cahill tries a bit too hard to be chummy with his reader. His writing often includes unnecessary slang and excessively informal jargon. He tries to make jokes when they seem inappropriate, and it comes off as forced. Therefore he partially undermines his own effort by hinting at the fact that he may be writing down to his reader.

Nonetheless, Cahill's effort is a good one. He maintains an interest level that is often foreign to historical record. He enlightens with his knowledge and analysis while keeping his reader intrigued. Those who cringe at the mere mention of the word history would do well to give "The Gifts of the Jews" a try.

- Joshua Pederson

09-09-98