NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A book in the best tradition of popular history—the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe. • The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift! Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars"—and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians. In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost—they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task. As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated. In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How The Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization.
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. BONUS MATERIAL: This ebook edition includes an excerpt from Thomas Cahill's Heretics and Heroes.
From the New York Times bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization comes the absorbing, heartbreaking tale of the hard life and tragic death of Dominique Green—wrongly accused, then executed in Huntsville, Texas—and shines a light on our racist and deeply flawed criminal justice system. Green, an extraordinary young man from the urban ghettos of Houston, was utterly failed by every echelon of society—the Catholic Church, numerous U.S. courts of law, and even his own mother. But from the depths of despair on Death Row, he transcended his earthly sufferings and achieved enlightenment and peace, inciting an international movement against the death penalty and inspiring his personal hero, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to plead publicly for mercy. A Saint on Death Row is an unforgettable, sobering, and deeply spiritual account that illuminates the moral imperatives too often ignored in the headlong quest for judgment.
From the national bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization—a fascinating look at how medieval thinkers created the origins of modern intellectual movements. “Intoxicating.... Cahill's command of rich historical detail makes medieval cities and their colorful characters come to alive.” —The Los Angeles Times After the long period of decline known as the Dark Ages, medieval Europe experienced a rebirth of scholarship, art, literature, philosophy, and science and began to develop a vision of Western society that remains at the heart of Western civilization today, from the entry of women into professions that had long been closed to them to the early investigations into alchemy that would form the basis of experimental science. On visits to the great cities of Europe-monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto-acclaimed historian Thomas Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world.
The New York Times bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization reveals how the innovations of the Renaissance and the Reformation changed the Western world. • “Cahill is our king of popular historians.” —The Dallas Morning News This was an age in which whole continents and peoples were discovered. It was an era of sublime artistic and scientific adventure, but also of newly powerful princes and armies—and of unprecedented courage, as thousands refused to bow their heads to the religious pieties of the past. In these exquisitely written and lavishly illustrated pages, Cahill illuminates, as no one else can, the great gift-givers who shaped our history—those who left us a world more varied and complex, more awesome and delightful, more beautiful and strong than the one they had found.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization takes us on a journey through the landmarks of art and bloodshed that defined Greek culture nearly three millennia ago. “A triumph of popularization: extraordinarily knowledgeable, informal in tone, amusing, wide ranging, smartly paced.” —The New York Times Book Review In the city-states of Athens and Sparta and throughout the Greek islands, honors could be won in making love and war, and lives were rife with contradictions. By developing the alphabet, the Greeks empowered the reader, demystified experience, and opened the way for civil discussion and experimentation—yet they kept slaves. The glorious verses of the Iliad recount a conflict in which rage and outrage spur men to action and suggest that their “bellicose society of gleaming metals and rattling weapons” is not so very distant from more recent campaigns of “shock and awe.” And, centuries before Zorba, Greece was a land where music, dance, and freely flowing wine were essential to the high life. Granting equal time to the sacred and the profane, Cahill rivets our attention to the legacies of an ancient and enduring worldview.
Jesus' teachings have reached across two millenia, inspiring, informing, and uplifting people from all walks of life. In this elegant little volume, a noted religious publisher and biblical student has collected Jesus' key messenges, culled from the Gospels. Organized thematically, Jesus' words speak directly to contemporary lives and convey a man unlike any other man whose life contains a message for all. Engaging and nondoctrinal commentary throughout places the sayings in their historical context and drawn to this simple and beautiful rendering of Jesus' unique--an, even today, unconventional--message for the heart.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The author of the runaway bestseller How the Irish Saved Civilization takes us on another "captivating...persuasive as well as entertaining" journey into history (The New York Times), recreating a time when the actions of a small band of people had repercussions that are still felt today. The Gifts of the Jews reveals the critical change that made western civilization possible. Within the matrix of ancient religions and philosophies, life was seen as part of an endless cycle of birth and death; time was like a wheel, spinning ceaselessly. Yet somehow, the ancient Jews began to see time differently. For them, time had a beginning and an end; it was a narrative, whose triumphant conclusion would come in the future. From this insight came a new conception of men and women as individuals with unique destinies--a conception that would inform the Declaration of Independence--and our hopeful belief in progress and the sense that tomorrow can be better than today. As Thomas Cahill narrates this momentous shift, he also explains the real significance of such Biblical figures as Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the Pharaoh, Joshua, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Full of compelling stories, insights and humor, The Gifts of the Jews is an irresistible exploration of history as fascinating and fun as How the Irish Saved Civilization.
A selection from How The Irish Saved Civilization, everything you need to know about the historical St. Patrick, the extraordinary Iron Age man who became Ireland’s patron saint. The real St. Patrick neither dressed in green nor chased the snakes from Ireland; instead, he was a kind and courageous former slave who had been stolen from Britain during childhood and brought to Ireland. Though he escaped from slavery, he later returned in triumph to the island of his captivity. From the first volume of his widely acclaimed “Hinges of History” series, Thomas Cahill brings St. Patrick to life, and sheds light on the chaotic but starkly beautiful ancient Ireland. An eBook short.
From the bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization. Elected to the papacy at the age of 76, Pope John XXIII was to have a brief but important reign. Although he had a doctorate in theology, his gifts were pastoral—reaching out to the people of the Church. After his doctorate, he spent nine years working for the socially-minded bishop of Bergamo, acquiring a broad understanding of the problems of the working class. This sympathy for ordinary people was brought out in his papacy. Vatican II, which he convened, brought forth the idea of a church as a community, in which all God's people are a sign of redemption for the human race. Thomas Cahill, in his short biography, gives us the sense of enduring importance of John XXIII's idea.
From the New York Times bestselling author of How the Irish Saved Civilization comes the absorbing, heartbreaking tale of the hard life and tragic death of Dominique Green—wrongly accused, then executed in Huntsville, Texas—and shines a light on our racist and deeply flawed criminal justice system. Green, an extraordinary young man from the urban ghettos of Houston, was utterly failed by every echelon of society—the Catholic Church, numerous U.S. courts of law, and even his own mother. But from the depths of despair on Death Row, he transcended his earthly sufferings and achieved enlightenment and peace, inciting an international movement against the death penalty and inspiring his personal hero, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to plead publicly for mercy. A Saint on Death Row is an unforgettable, sobering, and deeply spiritual account that illuminates the moral imperatives too often ignored in the headlong quest for judgment.
Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli was an unexpected choice to follow the ultra conservative Pope Pius XII in 1958. At 76 years old, a fat old man with twinkling eyes and a seductively resonant voice, neither a well-known public figure nor a highly trained theologian, he was at first regarded as a transitional pope. During his brief but unforgettable reign as Pope John XXIII, however, he astonished the world with the seminal and unprecedented changes he brought about in the Catholic Church, and in particular with his concern for the fundamental plight of humankind. Pope John XXIII was unlike any other pope. To understand his extraordinary impact, which still resonates today, and his crucial importance to the world's one billion Catholics, Thomas Cahill opens this biography with a concise but sweeping history of the Catholic Church and the papacy, culminating in Pope John XXIII's reign in the mid-20th century. Cahill follows the pontiff's life from his peasant roots to his establishment of the landmark Second Vatican Council, with its emphasis on worldwide social justice, which marked the beginning of a true shift in the Catholic Church and its relationship to the modern world.
Provides a history of the Catholic Church and the papacy by focusing on Pope John XXIII, who awed the world with the seminal and unprecedented change he brought about due to his concern for humankind.
Sustainable Stormwater Management introduces engineers and designers to ideas and methods for managing stormwater in a more ecologically sustainable fashion. It provides detailed information on the design process, engineering details and calculations, and construction concerns. Concepts are illustrated with real-world examples, complete with photographs. This guide integrates the perspectives of landscape architects, planners, and scientists for a multi-disciplinary approach. This is an enlightening reference for professionals working in stormwater management, from engineers and designers to developers to regulators, and a great text for college courses.
On a flight from Sacramento to Denver, Professor Ken O'Neal discovers he has a telepathic and loving connectedness with flight attendant Michelle Kolberg. Believing that other "sensitives" probably exist in their midst, they embark on the formation of a group of "like" minds they call the Omega Project at a University of California campus. The Omega Project's benevolent communication is suddenly threatened by powerful people in San Francisco - older men in secret Covens who use ancient mind-control techniques to trap their telepathic victims and perform horrific deadly "feedings" on their brains to strengthen their own powers of domination. A "feeding" on the brain of a university student named Bonny ignites warfare between the Covens and Omega members, with gruesome fatalities. Ken and Michelle learn more about the frightening control of the leaders of the Covens' organization in Europe, forcing Omega to go underground. Fearing the growing capabilities of the Omega members, the Covens call upon their Gypsy allies, some of whom they casually sacrifice as part of their strategy to frighten and execute Omega members. Furious, the Gypsies reluctantly realize they must reconsider their alliances. The battle spills over into Europe, and some innocent bystanders who become aware of the Coven monsters in their midst pay an awful price. Eventually acknowledging the compassionate intentions of the Omega Project, the Gypsy clans cautiously develop trust and agree to help Omega launch a counterattack against the Covens, despite knowing they must face the evil Emil, who is powerful enough to kill by thoughts alone.
During his 50-year career, nuclear and atomic physicist Thomas A. Cahill left his imprint on an astonishingly broad array of projects, including components of the Pioneer 10 and Voyager spacecraft, the battle for the catalytic converter, protecting the Dead Sea Scrolls, and saving Mono Lake and visibility in national parks. In this autobiography, Cahill reveals the previously undisclosed truth about what happened - and didn't happen - at the World Trade Center disaster. He was pivotal in numerous environmental victories, capped by his work to secure $750 million in health care funding for first responders at the collapsed World Trade Center. Two American presidents (and others) tried to shut down Cahill, who took pride in challenging bias and ignorance. Written with humor and spiced with previously untold stories, Critical Masses documents how he managed to simultaneously hold a "Q Clearance" at Los Alamos for "special nuclear materials" (the stuff that goes bang in a critical mass) while erroneously listed as an Arab nuclear physicist in a Middle Eastern inventory. Government officials in India mistook him for a CIA operative, while back at his nuclear lab in California he came into possession of a pair of radioactive Levi 501s that a student had worn while visiting Kiev four days after the Chernobyl disaster. The double meaning of the title Critical Masses also pays tribute to Cahill's "physical theology" philosophy in which he reconciles the Big Bang theory and modern science with his firm belief that the universe is the province of a caring creator, a conviction reinforced through the solace of Masses of which he partook under the most unlikely circumstances in remote locations throughout the world.
Four years had passed since a massive asteroid collided with Earth and triggered an environmental disaster that obliterated nearly all forms of life. Monumental tsunamis demolished coastal cities worldwide, and a 3,600-mile-long fissure incessantly belched out sulfuric smoke that girdled Earth, enhancing and extending the asteroid-induced dust pall that caused a new ice age. In this forbidding world under an orange-tinged sky, small groups of humans managed to survive, as the first book in this trilogy, Ark: Asteroid Impact, describes. Amid crushed buildings buried in snow on the beaches of California, survivors at Halcyon pieced together the means to begin exploring the wounded world to see who else may remain. Other survivors they rescued included NORAD personnel marooned in Colorado. A Russian missile installation that intercepted their radio transmissions saw an opportunity to use thermonuclear weapons to assert world domination. On the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, the canyons of the Central California coast rumbled and the sky erupted in a brilliant flash of light that jarred the American survivors from their sleep. But the younger Russians revolted, and repented?.
A thoughtful reflection on how the "Francis revolution" can address the practical concerns of ordinary Catholics on a range of contemporary issues The papacy of Pope Francis has ushered in remarkable changes for the Roman Catholic Church. From a new emphasis on collegiality in ecclesial governance to a transformed set of public priorities for the global Church, Francis's unique model of pontifical leadership has far-reaching implications for virtually every aspect of Catholic practice. Catholic moral theology—particularly in the United States—has still not grappled fully with the emphases of Francis's pontificate. To address this lacuna, The Moral Vision of Pope Francis brings together a range of Catholic ethicists to reflect on Pope Francis's implicit approach to moral theology, establishing the unique insights of this first Jesuit pope. This evaluation of Pope Francis's teachings and actions draws out the moral vision animating his work and demonstrates how his moral vision should apply to Catholic ethical reflection on a range of contemporary issues. The Moral Vision of Pope Francis shows how the "Francis revolution" meaningfully addresses the practical concerns of Catholics in the United States.
The air is an important but largely unrecognized source of contaminant fate in the environment, including transport of pesticides and contaminants to nontarget areas and exposures for people and wildlife. This book summarizes and places in perspective the potential transport, transformation, and health implications of pesticides and contaminants in air, including the air we breathe. It delves into the hypothesis that the atmosphere is the most significant environmental compartment affecting the overall transport and fate of many classes of environmental contaminants. The authors draw parallels between sampling, analysis, and impact of airborne toxics and particulate matter with the COVID-19 pandemic. Airborne viruses and fine particulate matter, which are of similar size, have remarkable parallels in how they are transmitted and accumulated in the respiratory tract. FEATURES Assesses exposures of people and wildlife to airborne chemicals Includes case study applications, with relevant data summarized for pesticides and contaminants in air Discusses approaches to modeling pesticides’ and contaminants’ dispersion and fate in air Includes an assessment of the physicochemical properties of pesticides and contaminants that influence sampling and atmospheric mobility and fate The authors are global experts in air contaminant research, and this book is well organized and helpful for people interested in regulatory, health, and other topics related to pesticides and contaminants in air. James N. Seiber is a Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis. Thomas M. Cahill is an Associate Professor in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Arizona State University.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.