Product Description

a leading historian examines his faith in God, in the light of the historical evidence and his own personal experiences.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1169927 in Books
• Published on: 1997-03-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 220 pages

About the Author
Paul Johnson was born in 1928. He edited the New Statesman in the 1960s and has written over forty books. His Modern Times, a history of the world from the 1920s to the 1990s, has been translated into more than fifteen languages. As well as a weekly column in the Spectator, he contributes to newspapers all over the world.

Customer Reviews

Maddeningly frustrating, yet hugely inspiring.
This book certainly lives up to its subtitle - A Personal Pilgrimage. It is just that - personal - despite Paul Johnson's strained attempts to discuss the biggest conundrums of the universe from a rational and objective point of view, when his own personal beliefs are obviously so very firmly fixed. In fact, The Quest is a personal statement, not a pilgrimage (as a pilgrimage implies a journey), full of unexplained assertions, such as the "fact" that curiosity is above all an expression of love.

However, if the reader is willing to accept that this is not a piece of philosophy, or indeed theology, but a personal statement of spiritual devotion, then the book becomes a truly moving and enjoyable piece, despite its often bigoted tone and its failure to solve any of the big puzzles of humanity. There is something essentially admirable about the author's unswerving convictions and his frankness in sharing them. And as for the closing paragraph, it has enough lyricism and beauty to give even the unbeliever pause for thought.

If you don't get angry with this book, you will love it and come back to it again and again. It is a huge frustration and a wonderful inspiration - something of a bizarre combination.