The Great Transformation

The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions

By: Karen Armstrong

Narrated by: Karen Armstrong

Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

From one of the world's leading writers on religion and the highly acclaimed author of the best-selling A History of God, The Battle for God, and The Spiral Staircase, comes a major new work: a chronicle of one of the most important intellectual revolutions in world history and its relevance to our own time.

In one astonishing, short period - the ninth century BCE - the peoples of four distinct regions of the civilized world created the religious and philosophical traditions that have continued to nourish humanity into the present day: Confucianism and Daoism in China; Hinduism and Buddhism in India; monotheism in Israel; and philosophical rationalism in Greece. Historians call this the Axial Age because of its central importance to humanity's spiritual development. Now, Karen Armstrong traces the rise and development of this transformative moment in history, examining the brilliant contributions to these traditions made by such figures as the Buddha, Socrates, Confucius, and Ezekiel.

Armstrong makes clear that despite some differences of emphasis, there was remarkable consensus among these religions and philosophies: each insisted on the primacy of compassion over hatred and violence. She illuminates what this "family" resemblance reveals about the religious impulse and quest of humankind. And she goes beyond spiritual archaeology, delving into the ways in which these Axial Age beliefs can present an instructive and thought-provoking challenge to the ways we think about and practice religion today.

A revelation of humankind's early shared imperatives, yearnings, and inspired solutions - as salutary as it is fascinating.

Excerpt from The Great Transformation:

"In our global world, we can no longer afford a parochial or exclusive vision. We must learn to live and behave as though people in remote parts of the globe were as important as ourselves. The sages of the Axial Age did not create their compassionate ethic in idyllic circumstances. Each tradition developed in societies like our own that were torn apart by violence and warfare as never before; indeed, the first catalyst of religious change was usually a visceral rejection of the aggression that the sages witnessed all around them.... All the great traditions that were created at this time are in agreement about the supreme importance of charity and benevolence, and this tells us something important about our humanity."

©2006 Karen Armstrong (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Dazzling prose with remarkable depth and judicious breadth." (Publishers Weekly)
"This could very possibly be one of the greatest intellectual histories ever written." (Library Journal)
"A lucid, highly readable account of complex developments occurring over many centuries....A splendid book." (The New York Times)
"Armstrong at her best - translating and distilling complex history into lucid prose that will delight scholars and armchair historians alike." (The Washington Post Book World)

minor complaint

I have one minor complaint. The book chapters and the audible chapters don't line up.

Okay, but nothing new

This was a decent summary of its topic, but I didn't notice anything particularly new or insightful in it. Worth getting if you haven't already been exposed to the topic, but probably not if you're already familiar with the subject matter and its thesis. The only significant difference was that in addition to the traditional coverage of the trio of the Daoic (East Asian), Dharmic (South Asian), and Abrahamic (Middle Eastern) religions/philosophies when discussing this topic, she also added in Greek religion/philosophy.

tl;dr Get if you're new to the topic, are interested in the extension to Greek religion/philosophy, or are heavily into the topic; otherwise find something else to occupy your time and Audible credits.

Worth the Journey

This book almost killed me. It took me two years to read. I had to divide and conquer owning both a hard copy as well as the audio book. The author reads her own work. She constantly mispronounces the prophet Isaiah’s name or perhaps she doesn’t and it’s me who says it wrong. There is so much to unpack and learn about the Axial Age that rather than being a one and done, this book inspires me to keep going in my studies.

Great book!

A Must Read for our time. Open yourself to a new perspective on humanity, as related to religion and ego.

For serious study.

I would not suggest this for light reading or listening, but if you are dedicated to understanding the subject, it is an awesome resource.

This is a very informative, perspective enriching content, however, I found the style the content is presented in and the vocal performance were very formal and dry. I found it a bit lacking in personality and humor that could have made it a more pleasant experience for the listener/reader.

This book is definitely worth the investment and time for serious students of comparative religion and philosophy.

So far so good

Good content. Less citations than I expected, but I am only partway through. eagerly looking forward to the rest of the book. The Audible narration is what made me want to post a review right away. The author's queen's english is beautiful. But did no editor or production manager tell her that she was butchering all the Chinese words? It cracked me up when she tried saying "Chunqiu" (spring and autumn). I sound NOTHING like the Chinese. 😂

Informative Solid Listen

As a Seminary graduate, I found this book very refreshing. It discusses the development of religious ideas from the perspective of a historical approach to idea development that is chronological and cross-cultural. This is not a good book for a person interested in faith formation within a particular tradition but an enticing listen for a student of religion, person interested in ecumenical/Interfaith discussions, and/or a person seeking to identify undergirding precepts that can be found in Ancient Near Eastern and East Asian spirituality.

long and detailed.

tough read for someone just generally curious. felt like i would need to be part of a lecture series to really understand it, but im not the brighest scholar out there...

Superb - Religiously

Wonderful book, Informative And Thought Provoking.
Makes you take a deep look at your inner self. .

An excellent piece of work

A great, concise history of our religious traditions covering China, India, Israel and Greece. I found the balance of presentation of fact and analysis perfect, there is no forced agenda here, and there is more than enough room for your own thought and conclusions. There is no doubt much more to be read concerning this topic, and the reader is left with enough knowledge to pursue any further investigations they may want to.
The book is an epic listen, and if your purposes are informational then it’s a great bet. If you are more inclined to study the material I would suggest the printed version, (as I will be purchasing) mainly for notes and also for what must be a massive bibliography.
The work is read by the author and she does a fantastic job, even paced and well spoken.
I'll be spending more time with this book.