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File Size: 6202 KB
Print Length: 354 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0465030564
Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (December 1, 2015)
Publication Date: December 1, 2015
Language: English
ASIN: B016TX4DUY
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Most reviews of this book focus on its timeliness in the face of ISIS (let alone Modernity). This is no doubt a good reason to read it. But here are some other reasons:1. What insight into humanity's imagination!Every other page I exclaimed in delight at some marvelous story or ritual that Russell has uncovered - either in an ancient text he has found in some dusty archive, or by direct observation of its practice today. Consider the characters of Mandaean mythology. There is Krun, the flesh mountain, who according to Russell "sounds a bit like Jabba the Hutt"; the dragon Ur, who sits above an ocean of flammable oil, and, Russell's professed favorite, the demon Dinanukht, "who is half man and half book and 'sits by the waters between the worlds, reading himself.'"Or consider the Kalasha, whose rule-makers seem to have had a touch of OCD: "The right hand, the male sex, the high mountains, purity, odd numbers, and life all were affiliated with each other; to these were opposed the left hand, the female sex, the low valleys, impurity, even numbers, and death. So the men sat on the right-hand side of their houses and the women on the left. Likewise, it was men who herded the goats and women who planted crops, men who went into the mountains and women whose place was in the valleys, and women who were prone to all kinds of impurity." Russell then tells how "I was scolded for touching a village house as I passed it, since even this made it impure, and meant more juniper branches would need to be burned to restore its pristine state."2. You'll learn a lotThe author wears his learning lightly, yet it bursts through on every page. What I appreciated especially was the enormous range of his references. For example, a modern Mandaean tells Russell that "I am sure there was a time when Mandaean women could be priests, not just men." Russell not only is able to confirm the particular fact about Mandaeanism: "She was right: in the Drasa da Yehia [a Mandaean holy book], a Jewish woman converts to Mandaeanism and becomes a priest." But he also mentions in passing: "Similarly, in ancient Babylon women could serve as priests. For that matter, women occasionally achieved secular positions of power in the ancient Middle East. The ancient Persian navy had a female admiral - Artemisia, back in the fifth century BC - and in the third century AD Palmyra had a powerful queen, Zenobia."He also gives fascinating philosophical and historical context for many of his observations. For example, while describing asceticism, he speculates about the philosophical source of the self-denial: "Society was technologically advanced... Yet cesspits had to be cleaned out by hand, diseases such as typhoid were common, and wounds might easily develop gangrene. The body's weakness and foulness were in strange contrast to the intellect's amazing achievements. Since at this time it was not generally understood that the intellect had any connection with the brain (Galen realized that it did, but Aristotle had thought the brain existed just to release heat from the body), it was easy to suppose that the mind, or soul, could survive without the messiness of the body." What a striking thought - and how simply, and gracefully, argued.3. Last chance to see?Apart from at the very end, Russell does not say much about what *he* thinks about these religions and what's happening to them: he is the dispassionate academic observer, if one with unusual skill, intrepidity, and verve. He allows his subjects to speak for themselves. But when they do, it is often with considerable passion, beauty, and insight. Consider George, a Palestinian living in a Jewish neighborhood in Detroit. "Coming here [America] was the worst decision I ever made," he tells Russell. "I thought it would be like a salad, every ingredient taking on flavor from the other. It's more like a blender - everything ends up gray."And this is one reason these religions may not be here for much longer, to say nothing of their more violent and deliberate destruction in recent years and months. The modern world must bear a debt of gratitude to Russell for writing this book: the product of a lifetime of learning, and years of travel in the most dangerous places on earth. That his documentation of these ancient religions has yielded something of enduring beauty - and that is, dare I say it, a page-turner - is remarkable. I urge you to buy it.
The subject matter of this book is inherently interesting: small, isolated groups of followers of ancient religions in the middle east. I learned a lot from this book and have recommended it to friends, with a couple of caveats. Too often it read like a travelogue of people the author had talked to and experiences he had. This subject cries out for pictures and maps. The few that were in the book were of poor quality and did not focus on important aspects of the religion or region. I found myself going on-line a lot to dig for images and more detailed general and historical descriptions of the groups described in the book. Nonetheless, I would read it again.
Before reading this book, I had the feeling that it would be sad book with a lot of horrible stories, and in my aspects it was, but it is also a book about resistance and survival. People generally have the impression that Middle East is overwhelmingly Muslim region with little diversity. After reading this book, the readers will come away with the knowledge that it’s not the case. Even amongst the Muslims, the diversity of believes is fascinating.The book starts with talking about Mandaeans, who mostly reside in Iraq. They are ancient people, with beliefs rooted in as far back as Babylon. There aren’t that many of them left in Iraq and their situation has become even more precarious after the fall of Sadam Hussein and the subsequent violence in Iraq. The book also talks about Yazidis, who reside in Northern Iraq. They have higher population than Mandaeans, but due to their geography they are facing challenges from radical Islamists groups. They have interesting belief system, with mixture of Islamic, Hellenistic Greek, and other Ideas. Druze, who reside in Lebanon, Syria, Israel and other countries, are a fascinating people. It was surprising for me to read that, even to this day, how much Druze were influenced by Greek philosophers. There are many things that Yazidis, Mandaeans, and Druze share.Zoroastrians are one of the more familiar of the groups discussed in the book. It was the dominant reglion in Iran before Arab conquest of the country. And most Zoorastrians now reside outside of Iran. Although the religion is in the decline, but many of its ideas and traditions have survived in Iran and other countries.It was fascinating to read about Samaritans. Maybe less than one thousand of them remain. They are ancient people who are close to but differ with Jews. They are trying to balance and survive by learning how to balance their precarious situation, as they are sandwiched between Jews and Muslims. The chapter on Copts was interesting. Many Copts have been forced to migrate to Europe and North America. But due to their large numbers, they are not in danger of dying out. Nonetheless, they are in a difficult situation in Egypt.In the end the book talks about pagan (kafir) people residing in the northern areas of Pakistan. Overall, the book does an excellent job of describing all these ancient people, their beliefs, and the kinds of dangers they are facing. Increasingly, globalization and accessibility to previously remote areas, is going to have dire consequences for ancient cultures with smaller numbers, and that are found in the midst of intolerant hostile societies.I immensely enjoyed reading this book. It’s a must read if you have interest in the Middle East and it’s religions, cultures, traditions, and how they are being impacted by the rise of intolerant ideas. The only hope, as one reads through this book, is that these people have survived similar fates before.
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