5 Cities That Ruled The Word
5 Cities That Ruled The World is a brief, yet very interesting read. The concept of the book is simple: Mankind has lived in cities almost since Creation. Over the last few millennia, a few of those cities have risen to the top and have had major influence on the world. Of those cities, Wilson has chosen five: Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York.Why these five cities? Because each of them has contributed to not only their society, but their contributions are still strongly echoing today. And our society is better because of it.
Here’s a brief synopsis of what each city has contributed: Wilson contrasted each of the five cities to Augustine’s City of God, in which we find ultimate freedom and liberty. And each of these five cities has seen, and been the recipient of, significant developments in this idea of liberty.
Of course, this is a very brief and broad description, but Jerusalem represents our souls set free; and the search for spiritual significance is strong in each of us, whether we want to admit it or not.
Athens established the idea of free inquiry. Philosophy, logic and the art of reason flourished in Athenian culture. And most of today’s Western culture is still described as Hellenistic as a result.
Rome passed on to us liberty of movement, liberty under law. Civil liberty is only possible when we submit to the rule of governing laws, ensuring that freedom for all citizens. Rome set a high standard, to which we still strive today.
London was the place where the literary imagination was set free. London placed extraordinary literature into the hands of ordinary people. And those works have endured to become classics, because they have stood the test of time.
And New York, with its commercial success, has shown us the freedom to trade, and the subsequent freedom from want. And also with it, I might add, an element of materialism that is pervasive throughout American culture.
5 Cities That Ruled The World contained a very brief history of each of these cities. Should you want more, the endnotes are full of additional resources. I just may end up with some of these additional books. Wilson was successful in piquing my curiosity.
I would highly recommend 5 Cities That Ruled The World to any student of history. It is brief, but it will leave you wanting more. Your next step is to go get more.
I reviewed 5 Cities That Ruled The World because I am a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program. You can be a member too. Check it out at http://brb.thomasnelson.com.
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