In The Gifts of the Jews, Thomas Cahill (Desire of The Everlasting Hills) reveals the critical change that made Western civilization possible. Within the matrix of ancient religions and philosophies, life was seen as part of an endless cycle of birth and death; time was like a wheel, spinning irrevocably until ancient Jews began to see time differently, as a narrative whose triumphant conclusion would come in the future. Full of compelling stories, insights, and humor, The Gifts of the Jews is an irresistable exploration of the origins of some of our oldest and most closely held beliefs. This is Volume II of The Hinges of History.