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Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind

Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind

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  • Create Date：2021-04-05 13:56:34
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  • Author：Tom Holland
  • ISBN：0349141207
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Summary

Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world， and its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history。 Even the increasing number in the West today who have abandoned the faith of their forebears， and dismiss all religion as pointless superstition， remain recognisably its heirs。 Seen close-up， the division between a sceptic and a believer may seem unbridgeable。 Widen the focus， though， and Christianity's enduring impact upon the West can be seen in the emergence of much that has traditionally been cast as its nemesis: in science， in secularism， and yes， even in atheism。

That is why Dominion will place the story of how we came to be what we are， and how we think the way that we do， in the broadest historical context。 Ranging in time from the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC to the on-going migration crisis in Europe today， and from Nebuchadnezzar to the Beatles， it will explore just what it was that made Christianity so revolutionary and disruptive; how completely it came to saturate the mind-set of Latin Christendom; and why， in a West that has become increasingly doubtful of religion's claims， so many of its instincts remain irredeemably Christian。 The aim is twofold: to make the reader appreciate just how novel and uncanny were Christian teachings when they first appeared in the world; and to make ourselves， and all that we take for granted， appear similarly strange in consequence。 We stand at the end-point of an extraordinary transformation in the understanding of what it is to be human: one that can only be fully appreciated by tracing the arc of its parabola over millennia。

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Reviews

Daniel Lauzon ，

This thoughtful and sweeping retelling of the West's cultural heritage leaves me with more questions than answers， as I suspect is it's insight。Well worth the read。 This thoughtful and sweeping retelling of the West's cultural heritage leaves me with more questions than answers， as I suspect is it's insight。Well worth the read。 。。。more

Matthew Hodge ，

I just finished reading this book on Good Friday 2021， which is somehow appropriate， given the sweep of the story。 Author Tom Holland （a historian， not the Spiderman guy） has written probably one of the most fascinating history books I've ever read。 （And he writes in a really engaging manner， which helps make it a good read。）Essentially， Holland was a fan of Roman history and its influence on the world， but eventually hit on a realisation: Romans are nothing like us。 In fact， it's almost terrify I just finished reading this book on Good Friday 2021， which is somehow appropriate， given the sweep of the story。 Author Tom Holland （a historian， not the Spiderman guy） has written probably one of the most fascinating history books I've ever read。 （And he writes in a really engaging manner， which helps make it a good read。）Essentially， Holland was a fan of Roman history and its influence on the world， but eventually hit on a realisation: Romans are nothing like us。 In fact， it's almost terrifying how different their way of viewing the world is from the modern Western thinker。 So it drove him back to a character that he'd always previously thought a bit soft and boring: Jesus。In Dominion he sets out to chart the impact that the Christian faith had on the world。 Each chapter jumps in at a different point in history - starting in the BC years with the Babylonians and Jews， and then， century by century， the story unfolds until we reach our own times。 （And I do mean our own times， given the final chapter covers off on such things as the Weinstein scandal and the Trump presidency。）Holland's thesis is potentially controversial but difficult to ignore: while the West has definitely moved into a post-Christian era， most of the core basic beliefs that we all hold true are lifted directly from the Christian faith。 For example， if you happen to believe that all people are created equal and that everyone has human rights， that's not an idea that has been believed at all times by all people。 Where it came from is Christianity， and as Christianity spread， that idea spread。Now this kind of book has been done before， but what's most interesting is that Holland doesn't really have a vested interest in arguing for Christians: he's an agnostic， possibly atheist。 And as such， he has no qualms with sharing the history of the religion in a warts-and-all way。 Alongside the stories of great things that Christians have done， there are crusades， inquisitions and just general weirdness that is incomprehensible to us nowadays， whether we're believers or not。Most interestingly， the one period of history that doesn't have its own chapter is actually the life of Jesus himself。 Holland more or less skips from the Jews prior to Christ to the time of Paul。 It's possible that he knew a chapter like that would be heavily pored-over by all sides， given that the historicity of Jesus is a massive debate question。 Whatever the reason， in a funny way， it works to make the book less confronting for different sides。 If you're a Christian who takes the Jesus story as truth， you are reading a history of what spiraled out from his time on earth: good， bad and just plain crazy。 If you're an atheist or agnostic， you can buy the whole Jesus story as myth， and still follow the flow-on effects of this one small period of history。 The end historical result， whatever you believe， is truly what the book's subtitle says it is: The Making of the Western Mind。 。。。more

David ，

This is a great book。 Not particularly easy to read and not always easy to sense the direction of travel but it delivers a big picture that is powerful and deeply significant。 Its thesis is that despite secularism that the Christian faith is still deeply influential in Western society and is the basis of many of the assumptions made by agnostics and atheists。 Today the strangeness of Christianity remains as powerful as it has ever been。 Why take substitutes when you can have the real thing？

Rachel Turner ，

A sweeping and breathtaking overview of 2000 years of history。 It required a fair amount of concentration to track Mr Holland's spiralling and twisting connections from one episode to the next， yet having so many strands drawn together towards a consistent theme was fascinating。 He gives a relatively neutral view of the highs and lows of Christian history， though I did not agree with all his perspectives， it was refreshing to have his non-Christian take on the making of the western mind。 A sweeping and breathtaking overview of 2000 years of history。 It required a fair amount of concentration to track Mr Holland's spiralling and twisting connections from one episode to the next， yet having so many strands drawn together towards a consistent theme was fascinating。 He gives a relatively neutral view of the highs and lows of Christian history， though I did not agree with all his perspectives， it was refreshing to have his non-Christian take on the making of the western mind。 。。。more

Lars S ，

An extremely important book。 Written by， at least at the time of writing， an agnostic。 Anyone who is remotely interested in the （western）society we live in， how we got here and where we are going should read it。 "People continue to behave as if they're Christian。 Society continues to function as if it is a Christian society for some time after it is gone。 We have been living in the past 40 or 50 years in the afterglow of Christianity， but eventually， eventually the darkness falls。" - Peter Hitch An extremely important book。 Written by， at least at the time of writing， an agnostic。 Anyone who is remotely interested in the （western）society we live in， how we got here and where we are going should read it。 "People continue to behave as if they're Christian。 Society continues to function as if it is a Christian society for some time after it is gone。 We have been living in the past 40 or 50 years in the afterglow of Christianity， but eventually， eventually the darkness falls。" - Peter Hitchens 。。。more

Geraldine ，

Well written。 This book sweeps through christianity and the foundation of the west。 However， it develops vaguely on topics impacted by christianity in every era。 （Breaking the promise on the back summary of the book）It doesn’t really reflect properly on the west and the building of the western mind/mentality （aided by christianity） other than in a vague sweeping chronological fashion。 It was a （historically chronological） interesting book， casual but well written。 However it is simply a vague su Well written。 This book sweeps through christianity and the foundation of the west。 However， it develops vaguely on topics impacted by christianity in every era。 （Breaking the promise on the back summary of the book）It doesn’t really reflect properly on the west and the building of the western mind/mentality （aided by christianity） other than in a vague sweeping chronological fashion。 It was a （historically chronological） interesting book， casual but well written。 However it is simply a vague summary of western history， with the constant topic of christianity。 Not a reflection on the making of the western mind。 。。。more

Kristian Eilertsen ，

This book really made me think about many aspects of my life and of my way of thinking。 I have always considered myself as a Christian; but it's quite astonishing to realise just how much in and around me that is profoundly of christian origin。 It is - to put it in the authors own words - the greatest story ever told。 This book really made me think about many aspects of my life and of my way of thinking。 I have always considered myself as a Christian; but it's quite astonishing to realise just how much in and around me that is profoundly of christian origin。 It is - to put it in the authors own words - the greatest story ever told。 。。。more

Brittany Petruzzi ，

One of the best modern books of history that I've had the pleasure to read。 Holland does exactly what I've beem sayng for years that Chistians should do: examine both pre-Christian and post-Resurrection history as if God's people were themselves the center of the action。 Time to build a new curriculum so that the next generation doesn't have to buy into the "great man"--or worse， critical theory--methods of exploring the history of the world。 One of the best modern books of history that I've had the pleasure to read。 Holland does exactly what I've beem sayng for years that Chistians should do: examine both pre-Christian and post-Resurrection history as if God's people were themselves the center of the action。 Time to build a new curriculum so that the next generation doesn't have to buy into the "great man"--or worse， critical theory--methods of exploring the history of the world。 。。。more

Andy Todd ，

Much praised in the press and by my associates， I thought that I should give this substantial text a try。 It failed to excite me。 There is no doubting the author's thorough erudition and the copious research undertaken。 The first part of the book， Antiquity， is the best， taking historical points from the early Christian age and presenting an interpretation on them as formative to the shaping of Western thought。 But this breaks down in the third part， Modernity， where there is a feeling of he mat Much praised in the press and by my associates， I thought that I should give this substantial text a try。 It failed to excite me。 There is no doubting the author's thorough erudition and the copious research undertaken。 The first part of the book， Antiquity， is the best， taking historical points from the early Christian age and presenting an interpretation on them as formative to the shaping of Western thought。 But this breaks down in the third part， Modernity， where there is a feeling of he material being roughly twisted to shape it to the thesis Holland had determined。 By the time of a chapter on the Beatles， I had had more than enough of his insistence on a 'grand sweep'。He has for me an irritating habit of starting each chapter with a piece of historical fiction， based on real events but ascribing feelings and emotions for which there is no foundation， merely his supposition。 But Holland has to have his yarn and includes elements to titillate and shock: descriptions of graphic torture; bees swarming in someone's anus （that thankfully in a dream）。 I don't see the point of fictionalising history in this way - just present your evidence and interpretation and I can work with that。 Depressing attempt to popularise a complex set of thinking。 。。。more

Danielle McCoin ，

This was a fascinating read。

Nathan ，

Over and again in 2020， I heard from a variety of sources that Dominion by Tom Holland was the best book of the year。 It was finally Tim Keller’s endorsement that steered me move the book up my reading list。 I’m pleased that so many people highlighted the virtues of Holland’s unique book that expounds on the far-reaching influence of Christianity—even in spheres that may seem irreligious on the surface。 What may seem to be echoes of Christianity are oftentimes shouts， and， as Tim Stanley put it Over and again in 2020， I heard from a variety of sources that Dominion by Tom Holland was the best book of the year。 It was finally Tim Keller’s endorsement that steered me move the book up my reading list。 I’m pleased that so many people highlighted the virtues of Holland’s unique book that expounds on the far-reaching influence of Christianity—even in spheres that may seem irreligious on the surface。 What may seem to be echoes of Christianity are oftentimes shouts， and， as Tim Stanley put it in History Today， “almost everything about the West is actually an inheritance from Christianity。”That Holland writes about the history of Christianity is interesting in itself。 He has described himself as somewhere between atheist and a secular Christian （contradictory as those terms may be）。 The benefit is a critical analysis of Christianity’s scope of influence—one that may have been scoffed at if written by a Christian。 The result of Dominion is an expansive analysis that reminded me of Bill Bryson’s， A Short History of Nearly Everything， albeit without the numerous quips。 Like Bryson’s book， the scope of Holland’s investigation is broader than what seems possible in a single book。 Yet Holland successfully connects the narrative from pre-Christ all the way to post-9/11。 Though dizzying at times， the book is well worth your time。The only warning I’ll offer is that there are sequences， particularly early in the book， that seem to presume a broad foundation in both the classical antiquities and the middle ages。 I have read a great deal about the early Christian church， I studied British literature in college， which included a great deal of history， and have read for interest about the middle ages （including Barbara Tuchman’s wonderful book， A Distant Mirror）。 Despite this background， I had to stop with some frequency during the early chapters to add more background。 I may not be as solid on my history as I thought， but there were times I would have welcomed a bit more context in early years after the start of Christianity。 Still， this is a mere quibble for an excellent book。Here are some of my notes and thoughts from Dominion:The development of hell’s more inflammatory traits occurred in the late sixth century under Pope Gregory。 Some ideas flowed from biblical scriptures， but a number grew out of pagan ideas on eternity and spread from Gregory’s writing， Dialogues。 It was this period when the reference to Lucifer banded to the verses on Satan to create more of a singular story for the origin of evil。 As such， many remnants of these ideas have a longstanding tradition to the early church， but it bears evaluation how much is grounded in the Bible。 Echoes from Gregory’s Dialogues are seen in much later works like Dante’s Divine Comedy and John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress。Holland explained the development of the word “secular，” which grew out of the Roman word， “saeculum。” Saeculum was the span of a life and its temporal nature was the opposite pillar of the religious。 The Venerable Bede from northeastern England， wrote Ecclesiastical History of the English People in 731 AD。 In it， Bede references Hadrian， said to be from modern-day Libya。 Hadrian fled his home and arrived in Europe。 He spoke Greek and Latin， which he leveraged into roles as translator， diplomat， and abbot。 Later， Pope Vitalian sent Hadrian to Kent， England。 Hadrian and Canterbury Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus restructured the English church and established a well-regarded school in Canterbury。 I enjoyed learning more about Saint Boniface， a name I knew but without any details。 Holland pointed out the irony of Boniface’s death by willingly laying down arms。 Boniface was one of the few early Christians to meaningfully “go and make disciples of all nations。” His evangelizing in Germania led to encounters with the Friesians， an ethnic group in the modern-day Netherlands and northwestern Germany。 A group of armed robbers attacked Boniface in 754， and he commanded his followers to lay down their arms。 For this sacrifice， the church venerated Boniface， but his sacrificial death also laid the groundwork for the crusades and converting people by force。 Charles the Great （Charlemagne） is a good example of the tug-of-war between king and church。 Pope Leo III anointed Charles as Holy Roman Emperor。 By doing so， Pope Leo was assuming the power to confer kingship on others。 Charlemagne was also protector of the Roman Catholic Church， which untied to two entities。 Yet this advancement of the church’s power in 800 AD gave way to conflict with Pope Gregory VII and the Schism of 1378。 Charlemagne’s conclusion that his people needed education in order to learn of Christ’s love was a model that Christians followed for generations to come。 As it pertained to Charlemagne， his initiative had a monumental effect on the west by introducing mass education。 Pope Gregory VII （Hildebrand of Sovana） brought the church-v-state battle to a head in the 1400s。 He declared the corollary of Pope Leo anointing Charlemagne as emperor。 Pope Gregory VII stated that popes also have papal-deposing power to remove rulers from power。 As the representative of God and the loose nature of European powers， such a declaration could ruin a ruler’s power。 Pope Gregory excommunicated King Henry IV， which prompted the king to appoint Antipope Clement III。 Gregory’s reforms also led to the church as an independent state， and he ushered in celibacy for priests。 It was fun refreshing my memory about St。 Elizabeth， a revered figure at Wartburg College。 Holland told the story of a woman born to royalty in Hungary who lived most of her life at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach， Germany with her husband， Louis IV， Landgrave of Thuringia。 Louis died of the plague and Elizabeth lived most of her life as a widow。 Despite her royalty and wealth， Elizabeth gave away much of what she had and served the poor， also building a hospital for the poor at the base of Wartburg Castle。 Her life reflects the model of St。 Francis of Assisi。 In 1231， Gregory IX granted Konrad von Marburg power to investigate heresy in a way that had not happened before; Konrad thus became an inquisitor。 Historical accounts suggest Konrad was an unjust man who presumed guilt with any allegation。 His followers became mobs that burned alive those he accused。 Konrad eventually accused Henry III， a count in modern-day Germany， of satanic orgies。 Henry appealed to an assembly of bishops who postponed the verdict。 In his disgust at the delay， Konrad returned home and was killed by knights along the way。 Though the pope lauded Konrad for his actions， history regards him as the ugly side of Catholicism。 Konrad was also the driving force behind ending clerical marriage。It was helpful learning that crusade was a general term with several different types。 Capturing Jerusalem for Christianity was distinctly about acquiring land occupied by Muslims and Jews。 Pope Innocent III launched the Albigensian Crusade from 1209–1229， which was focused on converting people to Christianity and rooting out heresy。 While connected， the objectives were different from past crusades。 It would be interesting hearing from the instigators of the Albigensian Crusade whether they really believed that forced confessions afforded saving grace。 Such a belief seems explicitly contradictory to Romans 10:9 and John 5:24: confessing without belief means nothing。From the middle 12th century into the 13th century， scholars began translating and the western world began rediscovering Aristotle。 Because of some of Aristotle’s views conflicted with Christianity， the Catholic Church censored some of his writing。 In Summa Theologica， Thomas Aquinas worked to reconcile the views of Aristotle with Christianity， which helped further the spread of both Aristotle and Plato in the western world。St。 Catherine of Siena was an inspiration for freedom of choice by choosing to wed herself to Christ instead of her parents’ wish for betrothal。 The settlement of Tábor， Bohemia （the current Czech Republic） occurred as a result of Jan Hus and his teachings。 His followers were called Hussites， and a radical wing of this group called themselves， “Taborites。” This city was expected to be a New Jerusalem， which was a vision of interest in those days。 Tábor is also interesting because the Hussites were the forebears of the Protestants and a counter to the Catholic Church。 He followed John Wycliffe and was also martyred for his beliefs。 Before his death， Hus was a dean and rector at the Chatles University in Prague。 In addition to helping launch Protestantism， Hus’s death also sparked the Hussite Wars， a group of rebellions against the Catholic Church from 1419 to approximately 1434。The next pursuit of the New Jerusalem grew out of Spain when Isabella and Ferdinand commissioned Christopher Columbus to cross the Atlantic。 Spain’s destruction of the Aztecs through disease and violence is one of the bleakest historical periods of cruelty done in the name of God。 Still， Holland contrasted the horrors of Spain’s treatment of the Aztecs with that of Bartolomé de Las Casas， a missionary in the West Indies who opposed slavery and Spanish imperialism， all in the name of Jesus。 Italian Cardinal Thomas Cajetan， leader of the Dominicans， also opposed slavery in the new world。 He argued that Christianity must spread by persuasion and not force。 Cardinal Cajetan played another significant role in the spread of Christianity by his interactions with Martin Luther， the monk who advanced Protestantism。 Cajetan intended to steer Luther toward the view that holiness could only occur through the Catholic Church。 Luther， however， had other ideas。 My longtime knowledge of Martin Luther can somewhat numb the remarkable nature of his story。 His defiance of the entire Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms followed by Prince Frederick III’s scheme to fake Luther’s kidnapping sounds like a Hollywood picture。 That Luther translated the Bible from Greek to German to give the masses access to the words that had awakened him is a similarly remarkable page of the story。 I did not have a good handle on the closeness in time of Luther and Calvin。 I thought Calvin came a generation later rather than overlapping。 The close proximity in time of Luther and Calvin to the pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth was also closer than I had locked into my mind。 Holland’s book is a good reminder how short our history really is。 Another insight was how early the Jesuits reached Beijing and began spreading Catholicism， even to leaders in China。 This ignorance on my part was despite having seen Scorsese’s film， Silence， which occurred in Japan in the 1600s。 The Jesuits covered a remarkable span of the globe long before I would have guessed。 Holland provided a helpful historical framework for religious liberty first with the writing of Paul the Apostle， then exploring Oliver Cromwell’s approach to tolerance for divergent beliefs and then by pivoting to Baruch Spinoza。 These individuals set the stage for the Quakers， William Penn， and the religious diversity of Philadelphia。 George Washington declared America as tribute to enlightenment。 The merger between Protestantism and the Enlightenment was foundational to the new country。 Philadelphia’s religious liberty had a significant effect on all the colonies。 The effect of Britain banning the practice of Sati—self-immolation of Hindu widows—was quite interesting。 The lead British opponents cast it as a secular misreading of Hindu texts。 This distinction between religious and secular was new to India。 When it became an independent nation years later as a secular country， it occurred in part because of ideas that grew out of the Sati ban in the 1800s。 When Holland explored the effect of Darwin on the idea of mankind being in God’s image， I would have liked to hear some the ideas Barbara Tuchman explored in Proud Tower。 He did touch upon it with Horst Wessel’s giving speeches like his pastor father would have done in churches。 Joseph Goebbels turned Wessel into a martyr， and soon after German churches were comparing Vessel’s death to that of Christ。 It was interesting to hear the connection between natural selection and communism。 I appreciated how Holland presented Nietzsche and his point that morality cannot exist in the absence of religion。 Nietzsche observed that ideas like human rights， caring for the weak， and even moral absolutes were not possible without God。 Relatedly， it is impossible to read through the history of Nazi Germany and not see the influence of Nietzsche on its leaders。Holland’s analysis of Islam was insightful。 He noted Muslim scholars who maintain that there is not a concept of natural law or the freedoms as espoused in the United Nations。 There is only the law of Allah; anything else is apostasy。 See Abu Musab al-Zarqawi。 Holland’s conclusion includes this thoughtful paragraph: “If secular humanism derives not from reason or from science but from the distinctive course of Christianity’s evolution—a course that in the opinion of growing numbers in Europe and America has left God dead—then how are its values anything more than a shadow of a corpse？ What are the foundations of its morality if not a myth？ A myth though is not a lie。”Also worthwhile is the conclusion that for each of the wrongs done in the name of Christianity， it is Christianity’s standards by which we judge the wrongdoing。 As suggested above， Dominion was a bit heavy during the early chapters， but it was always worthwhile。 Holland’s writing is compelling and thought-provoking in the best of ways。 He lends great insight into why things are the way they are and does so in a contemplative manner。 I recommend Dominion to anyone who enjoys history， religion， or having a better foundation for how the world works。 The multiple recommendations I encountered for Holland’s book were certainly justified。 。。。more

Hugo Thould ，

Fascinating points & history， could be 1/2 the length。

Alan ，

I find it impossible to do justice to this book。 It is so broad in its canvas， so engaging in its style， no wry in its humour， so disturbing （at places） in its themes。It was intriguing and encouraging to see how the teachings， the life and the death of Jesus have been so influential。 The gospel turns things on its head and this account traces the tensions recurring in each stage between the raw simplicity of the gospel and the abuse of power justified by it。I can do nothing more than highly reco I find it impossible to do justice to this book。 It is so broad in its canvas， so engaging in its style， no wry in its humour， so disturbing （at places） in its themes。It was intriguing and encouraging to see how the teachings， the life and the death of Jesus have been so influential。 The gospel turns things on its head and this account traces the tensions recurring in each stage between the raw simplicity of the gospel and the abuse of power justified by it。I can do nothing more than highly recommend it。 。。。more

Benji ，

Challenging: a survey of the underpinnings of modern western civilization， in a British cadence

Thomas Creedy ，

This is a very good book and I enjoyed most of it。 However， it’s about 200 pages too long， and not as original as people think。 Zimmermans ‘incarnational humanism’ makes the same argument in half the pages。 At times Holland reminds me of Dawkins - outside of his specialism and still being confident。 This is particularly the case when he’s engaging biblical material， most egregiously on sexual issues， but it goes wider than that。 This is an enjoyable read。 Holland writes big books that cover big This is a very good book and I enjoyed most of it。 However， it’s about 200 pages too long， and not as original as people think。 Zimmermans ‘incarnational humanism’ makes the same argument in half the pages。 At times Holland reminds me of Dawkins - outside of his specialism and still being confident。 This is particularly the case when he’s engaging biblical material， most egregiously on sexual issues， but it goes wider than that。 This is an enjoyable read。 Holland writes big books that cover big stories and for the most part he covers the influence of Christianity very well - even on the many who deny it。 The ending anecdote reflection about his grandmother is moving - and clearly Holland has intellectually understood the gospel。 Pray for him！ 。。。more

Andrew Butler ，

This richly thought provoking book wonderfully charts the history of Christianity spanning over millennia。 The balance of pace and detail is excellent and Holland's writing style is， as ever， vivid and captivating。 I felt the chronological structure of the book meant that most of the more compelling arguments fall towards the end of the book， although the central thesis is nonetheless convincing。 It has certainly provided me with a new perspective on how Christian thinking has seeped into Wester This richly thought provoking book wonderfully charts the history of Christianity spanning over millennia。 The balance of pace and detail is excellent and Holland's writing style is， as ever， vivid and captivating。 I felt the chronological structure of the book meant that most of the more compelling arguments fall towards the end of the book， although the central thesis is nonetheless convincing。 It has certainly provided me with a new perspective on how Christian thinking has seeped into Western consciousness。 I think there was a missed opportunity for a speculative final chapter on where Christianity's influence may lead us next as we battle the twin challenges of a declining environment at odds with a humanist outlook， and the perils and opportunities of a new digital age。 Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harrari has some interesting conclusions here for anyone that wants further reading。 。。。more

Eddie ，

An interesting book but the scope of history it attempts to encapsulate makes it hard to see the evidence presented for his thesis more than surface level。

Matt ，

I got about two thirds of the way through Dominion， then stopped。 It's interesting but moves along too fast。 Names， dates， events just fly by with little context or what happened after。 The book is too broad， a little focus would be good。 I got about two thirds of the way through Dominion， then stopped。 It's interesting but moves along too fast。 Names， dates， events just fly by with little context or what happened after。 The book is too broad， a little focus would be good。 。。。more

Ashley Ritchie ，

Excellent book， highly recommend， though I might not agree with all the author's points or conclusions。 Excellent book， highly recommend， though I might not agree with all the author's points or conclusions。 。。。more

John ，

3。5 stars - I did not enjoy it enough to round up。 I certainly do not agree with the reviewer who thought Holland has an easy to read writing style。 I found this book a bit of a trudge， with a few entertaining sections， and a lot of things I did not know before reading it， and I never felt like giving up on it。 Whilst I agree with the central premise that the “Western Mind” is largely the result of the influence of Christianity， I feel， like some other reviewers， that Holland is biased in his se 3。5 stars - I did not enjoy it enough to round up。 I certainly do not agree with the reviewer who thought Holland has an easy to read writing style。 I found this book a bit of a trudge， with a few entertaining sections， and a lot of things I did not know before reading it， and I never felt like giving up on it。 Whilst I agree with the central premise that the “Western Mind” is largely the result of the influence of Christianity， I feel， like some other reviewers， that Holland is biased in his selections of key influences。 I also feel he got a bit bored towards the end， so threw in a few “trendy” points featuring Lord of the Rings， the Beatles， the Woke Movement to try and retain our interest。 OK but I hesitate to recommend it。 。。。more

Owen Spencer ，

Its not trivial task to undertake to try and cover thousands of years of history in one book， but I do think Tom Holland has delivered in a digestible and valuable way。This book provides a new lens through which to view modern Western society and the Christian faith by providing an understanding of the philosophical and historical roots of Christian and western thought。At points the narrative can be a little dense， particularly with the areas of history which I was less familiar with， but this i Its not trivial task to undertake to try and cover thousands of years of history in one book， but I do think Tom Holland has delivered in a digestible and valuable way。This book provides a new lens through which to view modern Western society and the Christian faith by providing an understanding of the philosophical and historical roots of Christian and western thought。At points the narrative can be a little dense， particularly with the areas of history which I was less familiar with， but this is somewhat expected with a book of this magnitude。 However， I very much enjoyed the overall story and the evolution of the millenia-old themes and ideas which are still present in modern day society and culture， albeit sometimes not as obviously as we might reckon。 。。。more

Carolyn Fitzpatrick ，

I have read a lot of Christian theology and history for various classes， but I couldn't get into this book。 The first chapter was about the theology of Greeks and Romans， to show Christian theology in contrast I suppose。 The second chapter was the Hebrew Bible written as verifiable history， and the third chapter did the same with the Christian New Testament。 This is a pet peeve of mine， when people based history on texts by religious adherents without including any corroboration by impartial sou I have read a lot of Christian theology and history for various classes， but I couldn't get into this book。 The first chapter was about the theology of Greeks and Romans， to show Christian theology in contrast I suppose。 The second chapter was the Hebrew Bible written as verifiable history， and the third chapter did the same with the Christian New Testament。 This is a pet peeve of mine， when people based history on texts by religious adherents without including any corroboration by impartial sources。 I tried to get into the fourth chapter， but it seemed more and more like the "Christian Revolution" was mostly a mental process。 Flipping through the rest of the book， this is a very good history of how Christian thought changed and developed。 In small scattered segments it makes its central argument， by talking about how even secular residents of Western Europe （which is what the author means by "the World"） have had their impulses and rationalizations shaped by Christian culture。 。。。more

Gastón Kolocsar ，

Un must read total

Daniel ，

I’m being a bit generous with the five-star review， but I really appreciated what Holland was attempting to do here。 In short， he walks through the last two thousand years of history in order to demonstrate that all of our modern categories of ethics and morality （in the west） are explicitly Christian。 The irony this book exposes is that our society consistently borrows from Christian ethics even when arguing against Christianity。 In other words， Holland masterfully shows how Christian values ar I’m being a bit generous with the five-star review， but I really appreciated what Holland was attempting to do here。 In short， he walks through the last two thousand years of history in order to demonstrate that all of our modern categories of ethics and morality （in the west） are explicitly Christian。 The irony this book exposes is that our society consistently borrows from Christian ethics even when arguing against Christianity。 In other words， Holland masterfully shows how Christian values are culturally in the very air we breathe， even in “post Christian” societies。 This is a somewhat long but rather intriguing historical analysis in my estimation。 。。。more

Lindsay Williams ，

Holland gives a massive （and selective） overview of how Christianity has shaped the western world。 This book dragged some at parts of history that I didn’t know much about and then felt a little rushed when he got to modernity。 Overall interesting read。

Jenny Sanders ，

An extraordinary book which takes in the sweep of history from the ancient cultures of Greece through to the modern era charting the evolution of western thought and values and， remarkably， traces their roots back to the revolutionary teachings of Jesus Christ。 The themes and connections he highlights through the narrative are fascinating and illuminating。Tom Holland writes as a historian and handles his topic with dexterity and detail。 Not a bedtime reading book （for me， anyway）， but a volume t An extraordinary book which takes in the sweep of history from the ancient cultures of Greece through to the modern era charting the evolution of western thought and values and， remarkably， traces their roots back to the revolutionary teachings of Jesus Christ。 The themes and connections he highlights through the narrative are fascinating and illuminating。Tom Holland writes as a historian and handles his topic with dexterity and detail。 Not a bedtime reading book （for me， anyway）， but a volume that is worthy of the time invested in tackling 525 fact-packed pages。 Holland is on no way evangelical in his outlook or purpose but points out the irony we currently experience in our increasingly secular society in which free speech， equality and care for the poor and marginalised has been accepted as a basic human right but which is a direct result of our Christian heritage。 Those values would never have been countenanced in Greek， Roman， Communist or Eastern cultures。 While religion and church have been mostly written off as irrelevant in the west， it seems that the tenants of faith and the voice of Jesus still speak with challenging consistency in the twenty-first century。An engaging and provocative book。 。。。more

Sean ，

5 stars for consequential ideas and scope， 3 for the style and analysis， average of 4。 This is a broad history of the transformative influence of Christianity on western and global culture。 The author is not a Christian， and is certainly critical of Christians in many respects， so I think his ideas carry a bit of weight and objectivity in that sense。 He's not a Christian apologist。 The book attempts to bust the myth that the history of western civilization has been a struggle of rational humanis 5 stars for consequential ideas and scope， 3 for the style and analysis， average of 4。 This is a broad history of the transformative influence of Christianity on western and global culture。 The author is not a Christian， and is certainly critical of Christians in many respects， so I think his ideas carry a bit of weight and objectivity in that sense。 He's not a Christian apologist。 The book attempts to bust the myth that the history of western civilization has been a struggle of rational humanism to overcome the ignorance of religion， with key milestones such as the Enlightenment。 Essentially， if you believe in universal human rights， if you believe in equality， if you believe in freedom of conscience， if you believe in the rights and worth of the poor 。 。 。 then you are， in some sense， a Christian， whether you will admit it or not。 Even Nietzsche recognized this to be true， and hated it。 Those ideas didn't come from Greek philosophy， they didn't come from Eastern religions， they didn't come from northern European paganism， they didn't come from the Enlightenment。 Those ideas came from Christianity。 If they seem like second nature now， that is a testament to how pervasive Christianity's influence has been。 Even many concepts considered to be anti-Christian， such as atheism and secularism， are virtually inconceivable， as they are currently defined， apart from a deeply Christian way of viewing the worldWhere Christians have done evil， our culture is so steeped in Christian thought， that it is difficult to even critique them without invoking Christian ideals。 While Christianity gave Europeans the confidence to colonize the world， it was also primarily the influence of Christianity which reined in colonial abuses， with missionaries often leading colonial reform efforts， and arguing based on Christian principles。 The author writes in a narrative style， which is very readable。 However， in some places the reader must read between the lines to grasp the significance of various ideas which are presented。 I wish some statements had been more explicit。 As is frequently the case， the author underappreciates the contributions of non-conformist Christians throughout church history， a personal passion of mine。 In my opinion， the difference between state-sponsored and non-state sponsored Christianity is highly explanatory of the negative and positive influences of Christianity on the world， respectively。 I would like a historian to explore this more。 I think this is an important book， and I hope it leads some people to consider Christianity in a new light。 。。。more

Emily Fischer ，

Very gritty and makes one look at society differently after taking it all in。

Jun Sung Lee ，

Possibly the best history book I've ever read。 A story spanning the reaches of the Western imagination — from the dawn of man to the Trump Administration — without falling into academic staleness or pop psychology generalizations。 Throughout， I could not help but keep remembering Psalm 139:7 （Where shall I go from your Spirit？ Or where shall I flee from your presence？） and Isaiah 6:1-3 （In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne， high and lifted up; the train of his r Possibly the best history book I've ever read。 A story spanning the reaches of the Western imagination — from the dawn of man to the Trump Administration — without falling into academic staleness or pop psychology generalizations。 Throughout， I could not help but keep remembering Psalm 139:7 （Where shall I go from your Spirit？ Or where shall I flee from your presence？） and Isaiah 6:1-3 （In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne， high and lifted up; the train of his robe filled the temple。。。 And one called to another and said: “Holy， holy， holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory！"）。 Surely， Thou Hast Conquered， O Pale Galilean🙇🏻‍♂️ 。。。more

Kristen ，

An interesting overview of the shaping of the western worldview and the centrality of the Christian faith to our communal sense of morality。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0