God of Battles: Holy Wars of Christianity and Islam

Paperback

50% off with code BLOOM50

Sale Price:
$30.00
Price:
$60.00
ISBN:
Published:
Nov 8, 1998
1999
Pages:
364
Size:
7.75 x 10 in.
Illus:
24 Illus. 9 maps
  • Not for sale in the Commonwealth

What makes a war 鈥渉oly,鈥 and who decides that it is? God of Battles examines the origins of holy war, and how it affects the modern world. Peter Partner shows how the ideal of the crusade, 鈥淕od’s War,鈥 came to permeate medieval Christendom, and how it influenced later Western societies, especially in their attitudes to colonialism. Above all, this book examines the reasons behind the fear that Islamic fundamentalism excites in the West. From the pre-Christian era to the Gulf War, this book places the jihad of the East and the Crusade of the West in their historical context, and warns against allowing crusading war propaganda to affect our judgments today.