People as diverse as Moses and Adolf Hitler have believed they were
leaders of the Chosen People, their followers blessed by God to
outshine all others. But Moses and Hitler weren't on their own.
Most nation states have a similar kind of faith in their destiny
and often that faith overspills into religious warfare. Historian
Anthony D. Smith, who in his previous book examined the ethnic
origin of nations, now explores the religious beliefs that have
driven society since humanity first developed self-awareness. Those
who believe religion is dead, at least in the West, are given a lot
of evidence to the contrary. Even in secular societies the
influence of religious thinking and patterns from centuries ago
still runs through the various cultures. Pit those cultures against
each other and you find that intolerance can be traced back
thousands of years to religious teachings. Smith shows in a
meticulous and cogently-argued way that countries such as Britain,
the US, France and Israel would not have evolved the way they have
without that spark of religious fervour and a belief that the
people of each was truly chosen by God. (Kirkus UK)
'Unto thy seed I have given this land.' From the moment of God's
covenant with Abraham in the Old Testament, the idea that a people
are chosen by God has had a central role in shaping national
identity.
Chosen Peoples argues powerfully that sacred belief remains
central to national identity, even in an increasingly secular,
globalized modern world. In this important new study, Anthony D.
Smith goes in search of the deep Judeo-Christian roots of the many
manifestations of national identity.
This rich and timely contribution to current debates about
nationalism explains the complex historical reasons behind often
violent modern conflicts around issues of land, culture, religion,
and politics. Tracing the development of individual nations over
many centuries, it offers fascinating insights into the religious
and cultural foundations of countries such as Great Britain, the
United States, Israel, France, and Germany. The argument draws on a
wide range of examples from historic landscapes in Ireland,
Switzerland and Egypt, myths of Arthurian Britain, Holy Russia, and
Byzantium, through memories of a 'Golden Age', to the modern
commemoration of the 'Glorious Dead', and of victims of war.
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