God of Battles

by Partner, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780691002354
• ISBN10: 0691002355
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-10-19
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

What makes a war "holy," and who decides that it is?God of Battlesexamines the origins of holy war, and how it affects the modern world. Peter Partner shows how the ideal of the crusade, "God's War," 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 thejihadof the East and the Crusade of the West in their historical context, and warns against allowing crusading war propaganda to affect our judgments today.

Table of Contents

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS	ix	(2)
MAPS	xi	(2)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	xiii	(2)
INTRODUCTION	xv
1 Holy Wars of the Ancient Near East	1	(13)
2 Jewish Sects in the Hellenistic World	14	(17)
3 Islam and War	31	(28)
4 Christianity and War	59	(26)
5 Muslim and Christian Holy War	85	(25)
6 Two Societies Organized for Holy War	110	(23)
7 Outside the Holy Wars	133	(27)
8 Holy War, Colonies and Conversion	160	(25)
9 Decay and Transformation of Holy War	185	(24)
10 Holy War and the European Empires	209	(23)
11 Modernity and Political Islam	232	(22)
12 Faith, Government and Dissent	254	(22)
13 Western Dreams, Memories and Fears	276	(21)
14 Assumed Identities	297	(16)
GLOSSARY	313	(4)
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE	317	(14)
NOTES	331	(16)
READING LIST	347	(4)
INDEX	351