what's really impressive in the book is the totally new perspective in studying the religious ideals , the "God " concept , the religious rituals and theology , studying the socioeconomic status , political events and scientific progress uncovered many aspects why did communities accepted ideas that were unacceptable in another time .
As a practicing Muslim i can say that the writer did a through search of Islam , and was able to reach decent conclusion about the rise of fundamentalism , that's an effort that is to be praised and i believe she followed the same discussing other faith's
It's definitely a book i will recommend other's to read

The history of God is so vast, scattered, and even elusive. After reading the book "A History of God" by Karen Armstrong which is nearly 500 pages I have felt that Karen had no intention to make some specific points, which is very common with history book writers. Rather she is more interested in telling us those stories. Human stories.

In her book the story begins 6000 years ago when the Tigris-Euphrates valley(now Iraq) had been inhabited by Sumerians. Those Sumerians didn't know anything about Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. In this time you see no formally compiled scriptures with papers as we see today in bookstores for the Bible, Quran, or Vedas. You just see some written tablets or stones here and there. Historians extract the stories from those, and they try to understand the ritual and concept of God in those times.

In this way, the history of God continues slowly. From Moses, Jesus, to Muhammad, until the death of God in the Auschwitz concentration camp. And in the final chapter "Has God a Future?" Karen comes up with her opinion which will be better known from the op-ed written in 2009.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/15/...

Armstrong's a fantastic writer, opens up the complex to the general reader with ease. Not to say there weren't parts of this that got too dense for me, but then it's a tricky subject.
Its a fascinating insight to how we've tried to make sense of the inexplicable and to anyone (honest) of faith, it should be a relief that these struggles have always been. Highly recommended.

A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Karen Armstrong

A History of God is a book by Karen Armstrong. It details the history of the three major monotheistic traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, along with Buddhism and Hinduism. The evolution of the idea of God is traced from its ancient roots in the Middle East up to the present day. ...

عنوانها: «خداشناسی از ابراهیم تا‌کنون‌: دین یهود، مسیحیت و اسلام‌»؛ «تاریخ خداباوری: 4000سال جستجوی یهودیت‌، مسیحیت و اسلام‌»؛ نویسنده: کارن آرمسترانگ؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هفتم ماه سپتامبر سال 2005میلادی

عنوان: خداشناسی از ابراهیم تا‌کنون‌: دین یهود، مسیحیت و اسلام‌؛ نویسنده: کارن آرمسترانگ؛ مترجم: ؛ محسن سپهر؛ تهران، نشر مرکز، 1383؛ در ده و 507ص؛ چاپ دوم 1384، چاپ پنجم 1387؛ چاپ ششم 1390؛ چاپ هفتم 1392؛ چاپ هشتم 1395؛ در 512ص؛ شابک 9789643056872؛ موضوع: تاریخ خداباوری از نویسندگان بریتانیایی - سده 20م

عنوان: تاریخ خداباوری: 4000سال جستجوی یهودیت‌، مسیحیت و اسلام‌؛ نویسنده: کارن آرمسترانگ؛ مترجمها: بهاء الدین خرمشاهی، بهزاد سالکی؛ تهران، ناشر پژوهشگاه علوم انسانی و مطالعات فرهنگی؛ مهرماه 1385؛ در 692ص؛ شابک 9644262646؛

کتاب «تاریخ خداباوری (خداشناسی)» را، خانم «کارن آرمسترانگ»، نویسنده و پژوهشگر بریتانیایی بنگاشته است؛ ایشان در این کتاب تاریخ، سه دین پگانه پرستی: «یهودیت»، «مسیحیت»، و «اسلام» را برای خوانشگران، در کنار آیینهای «بودایی» و «هندو» بگشوده اند؛ در این کتاب خانم «کارن آرمسترانگ» به چیستی خداوند، در سه دین پگانه پرستی، که ریشه ی هر سه ی آنها، به حضرت ابراهیم می‌رسد، پرداخته اند؛ همچنین به چالش‌هایی اشاره می‌کنند، که در سه دین یگانه پرستی، و متون کتاب مقدس و عهد عتیق وجود دارد؛ خانم «کارن آرمسترانگ» باور دارند، علی‌رغم گفت و شنیدهای بیشمار، هنوز دیدگاه خشنود بخشی نموده نشده است، که بتواند بگوید، چرا بشر هماره با این چالش روبروست، که در کتاب مقدس نارساییهایی به چشم می‌نشیند؛ هم اکنون، بررسی «تاریخ ادیان» بیانگر این است، که انسانها از جهاتی روحانی نیز برخوردار هستند؛ و برهانهایی هم مبنی بر این گواهی که انسان هوشمند، انسان دینی است نیز وجود دارد، و افراد بشر به همینکه به ویژگی انسانی می‌رسند، به ستایش خداوند می‌پردازند؛ خانم «کارن آرمسترانگ» در این کتاب، کوشش می‌کنند نشان دهند، که تاریخ، نمی‌تواند واقعیت خدا را که توصیف ناپذیر است، بیان کند، بلکه تنها شیوه ی از اندیشه‌ ای است، که انسانها از زمان حضرت ابراهیم تا به امروز، توانسته‌ اند از راه آن، نقش خدا را به باور خویش بیفزایند

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 09/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

I highly recommend this book! While it took me a good bit of time to slog through (+/- six weeks, with the occasional light novel thrown in for brain relief!), I learned so much about the three major monotheistic religions: their origins, their changes over time, and their answers to the continuing question of who or what is "God". I could probably have spent six months studying everything Armstrong discusses in this work, since I was tempted many times to go off and find more detailed explanations of some of the concepts she covers, but decided to stick with it, and accept that this was an overview of a VERY wide and deep subject, and reading it tends to raise more questions than it answers.

For your information, I was raised Roman Catholic, received all the appropriate sacraments in the proper order (including a full wedding mass), but have more or less become a lapsed Catholic since my mid-twenties. I've always had a hard time with organized religion, and have had the vague conviction that we all pretty much believe in the same God anyway, so why all the fuss and bother with the technicalities? Well, this book does a wonderful job at explaining many of these "technicalities," and the reasons for their existence, and if it doesn't make me any more inclined to go to Sunday mass, it does help me to understand why so many other people do.

And I liked her reasoning as to why, even if as individuals we don't feel a personal need for God, the concept of "God" is important to society: it gives all of us the moral and emotional foundation for our ethical behavior. Without religion to tell us right from wrong, good from evil...who would decide? I've always argued that I don't need the Church to tell me how to behave, that I can figure out for myself, thank you very much, that I should treat my neighbor as I would like to be treated myself. But without a God, and his accompanying Biblical stories, where would that basis for societal behavior have come from? The development of civilization, and the development of society required the foundation story of God to show us the way, to what is acceptable, and what is not. This thought alone fascinates me to no end...

I'm giving the book only four stars instead of five because there were times when the narrative dragged, with my eyes glazing over from all the prophets and philosophers and religious elders that have their word to say in the last 1000 or so years. But the subject matter itself, and the questions it poses, are well worth the careful attention this book demands from the reader.

n  Nuances Of The Religious Tradition n

This was a great book that seriously, seriously bolstered my understanding of the history of God, and has ultimately ignited an interest in me to read further books on the more specific areas of religious practice (there is a massive 'further reading' section at the back that I look forward to raiding). As such, I had a number of things I wanted to say in my review, yet, I think a quick bit of advise would suffice as an alternative.

Unless you're moving into the field of Theology (in which case I doubt you'll read this anyway) I would advise NOT to try and kill yourself over remembering every name, every sub-catogary and every belief system held about God thought this book. You'll kill your enjoyment, and ultimately the point of the book along with it. Instead, try and cultivate a curious, open attitude whilst allowing yourself to be guided through the pages of Karen Armstrong's hard earned endeavour. I found that I enjoyed this text immensely when simply learning about how human beings tried to understand the ineffable. The different people who went up against this question have come up with some interesting thought trails, and it's quite fun to see how societies throughout time have deviated into their own systems of understanding, only for some of them to come to the same conclusion after much difference in doctrine.

My only other advise would be to test yourself whilst reading this. See where you stand with your beliefs after reading about the God of Mystics, then come back and re-evaluate. Believe me, you won't think quite the same afterwards.

Ultimately, this is just another story of human kind trying to make sense of what it is we're doing here, and I believe if the reader imagines this whilst reading A History of God, they won't be disappointed with the result.

I really enjoy a good history book. I also enjoy learning about new religions. When I saw this I thought nice a combining of the two. Now occasionally I will get a history or religious book that makes me sit back and think or I have to read it slow to absorb some of the things it is talking about. WOW this one really grabbed me and sat me back. I could only read a chapter at a time then I had to go away for at least a day and think on what it said. Very well written and obviously deeply researched. If you have an open mind and want to have some new ideas and thoughts given to ya to chew on then this is a book for you. Very recommended

I haven't finished reading the book. I still plan to though, but not in one sitting.

The official blurb:
'Over 700,000 copies of the original hardcover and paperback editions of this stunningly popular book have been sold. Karen Armstrong's superbly readable exploration of how the three dominant monotheistic religions of the world - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - have shaped and altered the conception of God is a tour de force. One of Britain's foremost commentators on religious affairs, Armstrong traces the history of how men and women have perceived and experienced God, from the time of Abraham to the present. From classical philosophy and medieval mysticism to the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the modern age of skepticism, Armstrong performs the near miracle of distilling the intellectual history of monotheism into one compelling volume.'

My reading is going extremely slow, merely because it requires concentration to read the book and I suspect that it will take a few months to get through it. However, it is an informative journey, educational in many instances, and thought-provoking throughout. It is not only the historical timeline of the development of religion (of God), the evolutionary process of polytheism to monotheism for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but also a philosophical experience. I can only hope that all information in the book is accurate and worth learning. It certainly can be essential reading for those studying theology (science beliefs), mythology and comparative religion.

The God we all know, the God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, has a history. This book tells the story as it unfolded through the ages, changed according to needs, and ultimately split people into different groups honoring the same God.

Someone long ago said that people build different bridges to God, but in the end they worship their bridges instead of God. This book discusses this truth: the when, why and how of it all. The real story of mankind, widely accepted in the scientific world, is written down in the Enuma Elish, the Babilonian story of Creation which was discovered in the library of Ahurbanipal, estimated to have been written 1750 BCE. It is not the story as the Bible told it.

The first few chapters were really interesting. Fascinating, in fact. But from then on it becomes a philosophical discussion of concepts and names which makes me feel dumb and an-alphabetic! But with increased concentration, and a few rereads, several rereads of the same, very long paragraphs, I finally get it all.

There are several videos available on Youtube to enlighten the experience. My problem is that I constantly fall asleep.

However, I do think this book is worth reading for those who are interested in an objective approach to the bridges we built to God.

Deze geschiedenis zit boordevol interessante informatie over (het ontstaan van) de drie monotheïstische godsdiensten. Dat Jahweh de enig overlevende god is uit een heus pantheon, bijvoorbeeld, en dat Abraham, die vandaag een Irakees zou zijn, vermoedelijk geen monotheïst was, net zomin als zijn zoon Isaak en kleinzoon Jacob. Ook Allah is een godsbeeld dat gedistilleerd is uit een bestaand pantheon. Mohammed zei dat Allah – wat gewoon ‘de God’ betekent – dezelfde is als die van de joden en de christenen. De heilige haddj was een bedevaart die al eeuwen voor de komst van de islam bestond en die Mohammed heeft geïslamiseerd. De Ka’ba zou gebouwd zijn door Abraham zelf. Dat was zeer belangrijk voor Mohammed, die zijn godsdienst op een aantal punten in overeenstemming bracht met wat hij over het jodendom wist. Behalve dergelijke weetjes geeft Armstrong een mooi overzicht van de verschillende godsbeelden die in de drie godsdiensten op het voorplan zijn getreden (filosofisch, mystiek, antropomorf). Dat overzicht is niet alleen cultuurhistorisch interessant, maar geeft ook inzicht in wat religiositeit en spiritualiteit door de eeuwen heen en tot op vandaag voor de mens heeft betekend.

Nog een paar vaststellingen: Armstrong is stukken kritischer voor het christelijke geloof dan voor de twee andere. Ze heeft weinig symapthie voor Bernardus van Clairvaux die ze als een oorlogszuchtig man neerzet, en ik weet niet hoe een protestants lezerspubliek zal reageren op haar genadeloze beschrijving van Luther. De spectaculair snelle verspreiding van de islam verloopt bij Armstrong dan weer verdacht vreedzaam: oorlog voerden de eerste mohammedanen alleen uit zelfverdediging. Wanneer ze in haar lange verhaal uiteindelijk bij Diderot uitkomt, die beweerde dat er ‘alleen natuur is en geen god’, manoeuvreert ze zijn atheïsme (niet geloven dat er een god bestaat) naar de oorspronkelijke betekenis van het woord (niet geloven in het heersende beeld van god). Vroegere monotheïsten, vertelt Armstrong over Diderots uitspraak, zijn namelijk tot gelijkaardige conclusies gekomen. Bovendien zullen mensen altijd symbolen blijven hanteren als richtpunt voor hun spiritualiteit. Een wereld zonder god is voor deze uitgetreden non dan ook geen optie. Die associeert ze met leegheid, vervreemding en gewelddadigheid.

One of the most informative, relevant, and fascinating books I've ever read. It was by no means an easy read. But for the amount of education you get out of it, the read is well worth it.

The author traces the history of monotheism (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and shows not only their interconnectedness, but also their literal unity. The detail in the exploration of the history of monotheism was indeed comprehensive - but also appropriate as it shows how religion has developed from era to era and how there is absolutely no universal truth or standard even within those sects. Instead they bend and change based on the needs of the people and those who have power over them.

It was a remarkably well-balanced and informative book that all religious people should read.

There are few among us that would pick up a book of Shakespeare and just start reading it for enjoyment - those 500year old writings are incredibly difficult for us to understand because the language and culture has changed since their writing, so we know you should look up some background or cliff notes or something to help us understand the ideas of context of what we read. And it's only all the more true with the religious books that are much older and have the added barrier of the translaters' bias and agendas - it is irresponsible to read old spiritual books without reading about the history, translation, and context of those books. Karen Armstrong does us all a favor by making a single volume that it is so useful for exactly that purpose.

This book would be difficult to process for anyone who didn't have at least some background in religious studies. It was recommended to me as a great way to "jump in" to the history of Abrahamic religions, but Armstrong's sources and references are obscure and complex. Beyond that, this book is bursting with tons of fantastic comparisons between Abrahamic and Eastern beliefs, and the level of detail in documenting every theological change, movement and debate for the last few millennia is incredible (particularly on all the middle-eastern goings-on between 300BCE and 400 CE, which a major chunk of the book is devoted to).

The dissection of Islam was handled with an informed respect, and makes this book a useful guide for those whose knowledge on the subject is minimal (like myself). The history and competing image of the Koran is given a good deal of the spotlight-treatment, which I found very helpful.

Besides covering the major movements of the Abrahamic faiths, Armstrong breaks down all the divisions that arose that most of us don't consider when analyzing the standpoint and structure these faiths at any given time; she is always careful to include the stance and specifics of the dissenters whenever she makes a statement on the more commonly-known positions of the Church or governing religious body. This is a good read.

Probably the most informative read per page I’ve ever experienced