Desire of the Everlasting Hills : The World Before and After Jesus
Reviewed by Pastor Mike GunnWhat begins with a bang ends in a whimper. “Everlasting Hills” is the third book (The first two being, “How The Irish Saved Civilization” and “The Gift of the Jews”) in a series called, “The Hinges of History,” Thomas Cahill’s sweep through western culture’s shaping moments. Cahill attempts to do what many have attempted before, ask the question “What effect, if any, has Jesus Christ’s life had on history?” particularly western history.
It’s a fair question, and one that will always evoke a response. Usually one quite biased. The problem with the thesis though, is that it automatically limits the answer. When one takes a purely historical look at Christ’s life and effects on culture, it usually dismisses the ultimate mission of His life, that of “Seeking and saving the lost.” It places Christ’s life in equal comparison with many great men and women before and after Him, making His earthly accomplishments and subsequent positive effect on culture the sum total of His purpose. It begs the temporal answer, failing to see any eternal result.
Cahill does an admirable job of giving us the historical setting surrounding Christ’s arrival and subsequent life in the Jewish, Greek and Roman world. He does a masterful job of weaving history, commentary and scholarship into an enjoyably readable fashion. He even takes a poke at pop theology’s “Jesus Seminar.” This alone makes the book worth the read. Cahill also goes to great length to mend the hitherto strained relationship between Jews and Christians, by showing the symbiotic union between the two faiths. He often does this at the expense of their differences, but his contribution is helpful and thought provoking.
Throughout the book there are moments where many evangelicals may cringe in regards to ostensibly liberal scholarship, but many of these problematic points are tempered with some solid insight, challenging the reader to examine their own presuppositions in the biblical text, and the life of Christ. The major problem for this reader comes towards the end of the book in the midst of praising Christ’s positive influence on western culture. It is here that Cahill takes a popular, universalistic position on the life of Christ. Instead of delineating his life apart from the rest of culture shapers by virtue of His death, burial and resurrection (Which he took a fairly orthodox position on), he sees the significance of this event as a great example of how God shows His empathy for our human condition. Christ’s life is reduced to examples of compassion and charitable work, with a grand display of empathy for our suffering. This places Him in the ever- popular smorgasbord of religious gurus that have given mankind hope in this life and beyond. It completely neuters the main contribution and point of Christ’s life, His atonement, the heart of the Christian message. A message that if true, marks Christ as the most important person in all of history no matter what the result of His teachings have contributed. Whereas it would be easy to dismiss the atonement as second century propaganda, it is hard to study the life of Christ using the gospel manuscripts, and come away with any other conclusion, right or wrong.
“Everlasting Hills” is a good but frustrating read. I recommend spending some time with this book, but I would probably pick it up at the library, and spend my money on the “Death of Death in the Death of Christ.”
Sola Deo Gloria
Michael Gunn