God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215

by David Levering Lewis

Book Overview

Hailed by critics as an essential book, God's Crucible is a bold, new interpretation of Islamic Spain and the birth of Europe from one of our greatest historians. David Levering Lewis's narrative, filled with accounts of some of the greatest battles in world history, reveals how cosmopolitan, Muslim al-Andalus flourished a beacon of cooperation and tolerance while proto-Europe floundered in opposition.At the beginning of the eighth century, the Arabs brought a momentous revolution in power, religion, and culture to Dark Ages Europe. David Levering Lewis's masterful history begins with the fall of the Persian and Roman empires, followed by the rise of the prophet Muhammad and the creation of Muslim Spain. Five centuries of engagement between the Muslim imperium and an emerging Europe followed, from the Muslim conquest of Visigoth Hispania in 711 to Latin Christendom's declaration of unconditional warfare on the Caliphate in 1215. Lewis's narrative, filled with accounts of some of the greatest battles in world history, reveals how cosmopolitan, Muslim al-Andalus flourished a beacon of cooperation and tolerance between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity while proto-Europe, defining itself in opposition to Islam, made virtues out of hereditary aristocracy, religious intolerance, perpetual war, and slavery. A cautionary tale, God's Crucible provides a new interpretation of world-altering events whose influence remains as current as today's headlines."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393064727
• ISBN13: 9780393064728
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A great Read!

It was quite enjoyable getting to read a side by side of West East and Middle east developement in the Early Middle ages. Usually the books are just one of the many possible lines of developent, without the connection to where they happen in the larger picture. Perhaps I just like time lines. I found the writing style to be easy to read. I also like the extensive biboliography at the end of the book, though I would have liked to see real foot notes on the page of the citing rather than having to flip to the back of the book to find them. I recomend it. Gordon Redthorn.

Imperative read

Levering-Lewis is a great storyteller. After reading Reza Aslan's No God But God, I wanted to understand how the conflict between the West and the East developed to the point where we are today. God's Crucible is an easy read, and full of fascinating details on the history of our two cultures. It also provides a very good understanding of Western Culture between Constantine and the Middle Ages, an area that I personally felt undereducated. I recommend this book whole-heartedly.

A Must Read for anyone interested in History

Very little reliable history has been written about this period. Lewis brings the period to life and in doing so shows how Europe was influenced by Muslim Spain and how the parallel histories advanced along different paths which still affect our lives today.