From Karen Armstrong, the bestselling author of A History of God and The Spiral Staircase, comes this extraordinary investigation of a critical moment in the evolution of religious thought.
In the ninth century BCE, events in four regions of the civilized world led to the rise of religious traditions that have endured to the present day—development of Confucianism and Daoism in China, Hinduism and Buddhism in India, monotheism in Israel, and philosophical rationalism in Greece. Armstrong, one of our most prominent religious scholars, examines how these traditions began in response to the violence of their time. Studying figures as diverse as the Buddha and Socrates, Confucius and Jeremiah, Armstrong reveals how these still enduring philosophies can help address our contemporary problems.

About The Great Transformation

From one of the world’s leading writers on religion and the highly acclaimed author of the bestselling A History of God, The Battle for God and The Spiral Staircase, comes a major new work: a chronicle of one of the most important intellectual revolutions in world history and its relevance to our own time.

In one astonishing, short period – the ninth century BCE – the peoples of four distinct regions of the civilized world created the religious and philosophical traditions that have continued to nourish humanity into the present day: Confucianism and Daoism in China; Hinduism and Buddhism in India; monotheism in Israel; and philosophical rationalism in Greece. Historians call this the Axial Age because of its central importance to humanity’s spiritual development. Now, Karen Armstrong traces the rise and development of this
transformative moment in history, examining the brilliant contributions to these traditions made by such figures as the Buddha, Socrates, Confucius and Ezekiel.

Armstrong makes clear that despite some differences of emphasis, there was remarkable consensus among these religions and philosophies: each insisted on the primacy of compassion over hatred and violence. She illuminates what this “family” resemblance reveals about the religious impulse and quest of humankind. And she goes beyond spiritual archaeology, delving into the ways in which these Axial Age beliefs can present an instructive and thought-provoking challenge to the ways we think about and practice religion today.

A revelation of humankind’s early shared imperatives, yearnings and inspired solutions – as salutary as it
is fascinating.

Excerpt from The Great Transformation:

In our global world, we can no longer afford a parochial or exclusive vision. We must learn to live and behave as though people in remote parts of the globe were as important as ourselves. The sages of the Axial Age did not create their compassionate ethic in idyllic circumstances. Each tradition developed in societies like our own that were torn apart by violence and warfare as never before; indeed, the first catalyst of religious change was usually a visceral rejection of the aggression that the sages witnessed all around them. . . .

All the great traditions that were created at this time are in agreement about the supreme importance of charity and benevolence, and this tells us something important about our humanity.

About The Great Transformation

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Also by Karen Armstrong

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Also by Karen Armstrong

See all books by Karen Armstrong

Also by Karen Armstrong

See all books by Karen Armstrong

Also by Karen Armstrong

See all books by Karen Armstrong

About Karen Armstrong

KAREN ARMSTRONG is the author of numerous books on religious affairs, including The Case for God, A History of God, The Battle for God, Holy War, Islam, Buddha,and The Great Transformation, as well as a memoir, The Spiral Staircase. Her work has been translated… More about Karen Armstrong

About Karen Armstrong

Product Details

Category: Religion | World History

Paperback | $17.95
Published by Anchor
Apr 10, 2007 | 592 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780385721240

Category: Religion | World History

Ebook | $8.99
Published by Anchor
Mar 28, 2006 | 496 Pages | ISBN 9780307264701

Category: Religion | World History | Audiobooks

Audiobook Download | $30.00
Published by Random House Audio
Mar 28, 2006 | 1350 Minutes | ISBN 9781415932087

Category: Religion | World History | Audiobooks

Audiobook Download | $22.48
Published by Random House Audio
Mar 28, 2006 | 720 Minutes | ISBN 9780739325339

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Praise

“A splendid book. . . . Lucid, highly readable. . . . Relevan[t] to a world still embroiled in military conflict and sectarian hatreds.” —The New York Times

“Masterful. . . . Stimulating. . . . A tour de force.”—The Christian Science Monitor

“The Great Transformation is Armstrong at her best—translating and distilling complex history into lucid prose. . . . Her call to rededicate our religious selves to compassion, other-directed love and service is downright rousing.” —The Washington Post

“Remarkable and persuasive.” —The Independent

“Perhaps her most ambitious work to date. . . . Thoroughly researched and readable.” —The San Francisco Chronicle