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God's Generals: The Military Lives of Moses, the Buddha, and Muhammad
Examines how the military experience of three religious founders shaped their spiritual legacy.
It is one of the more startling facts of military history that the founders of three of the four “great religions”—Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam—were also accomplished field generals with extensive experience in commanding men in battle. One of these, Muhammad, fought eight battles and was wounded twice, once almost fatally. Another, Siddhartha Gautama (later to become the Buddha), witnessed so much battlefield carnage that he suffered a psychological collapse. Moses had become so much a “god-intoxicated” personality that it is a reasonable suspicion that he, like the Buddha, was murdered.
Indeed, had the experiences of these men in war not been so successful, it is quite possible that their achievements as religious leaders would never have occurred. For all three, war and religion were so closely intertwined in their personalities that it is difficult to discern where the influence of one ended and the other began.
This book attempts to explore the military lives of Moses, the Buddha, and Muhammad, and the role their war experiences played in their religious lives.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
It is one of the more startling facts of military history that the founders of three of the four “great religions”—Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam—were also accomplished field generals with extensive experience in commanding men in battle. One of these, Muhammad, fought eight battles and was wounded twice, once almost fatally. Another, Siddhartha Gautama (later to become the Buddha), witnessed so much battlefield carnage that he suffered a psychological collapse. Moses had become so much a “god-intoxicated” personality that it is a reasonable suspicion that he, like the Buddha, was murdered.
Indeed, had the experiences of these men in war not been so successful, it is quite possible that their achievements as religious leaders would never have occurred. For all three, war and religion were so closely intertwined in their personalities that it is difficult to discern where the influence of one ended and the other began.
This book attempts to explore the military lives of Moses, the Buddha, and Muhammad, and the role their war experiences played in their religious lives.
Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 12, 2020
A good read.
March 31, 2017
Moses, Buddha and Muhammad may be known to many as founders as the world's major religions. But what has not been highlighted as often are these men's capabilities as tacticians, and master planners of skirmishes, battles and wars. "God's Generals" is a look at each of these patriarchs through the lenses of strategic studies, and how the outcomes of some of these battles, and the brilliant generals behind them, have shaped the world as we know it today.
The most glaring shortcoming in this title, as the author himself admitted, is that the discussion on Moses centres only around a single textual source that cannot be corroborated by any other contemporary literature of its time - the bible. There is no mention of Moses, and the story of Exodus anywhere else in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. This is rather strange given that the Egyptians are known to be meticulous scribes and recorders of events that can be traced from year to year. There is also no archaeological evidences along the alleged route of the Exodus, to suggest that such an epic journey, undertaken by so many Israelites, has actually taken place. As such, discussions on Moses' tactics are highly speculative at best.
I would also like to highlight a glaring factual error towards the end of the chapter on Muhammad. the successor to Abu Bakar is not Uthman ibn Affan, but Umar bin Khattab.
The most glaring shortcoming in this title, as the author himself admitted, is that the discussion on Moses centres only around a single textual source that cannot be corroborated by any other contemporary literature of its time - the bible. There is no mention of Moses, and the story of Exodus anywhere else in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. This is rather strange given that the Egyptians are known to be meticulous scribes and recorders of events that can be traced from year to year. There is also no archaeological evidences along the alleged route of the Exodus, to suggest that such an epic journey, undertaken by so many Israelites, has actually taken place. As such, discussions on Moses' tactics are highly speculative at best.
I would also like to highlight a glaring factual error towards the end of the chapter on Muhammad. the successor to Abu Bakar is not Uthman ibn Affan, but Umar bin Khattab.
November 26, 2016
My interest was in the origins of jihad. This view of Muhammed as a natural military leader adds a fresh perspective to my understanding of Islam.
July 10, 2017
Fascinating. 👌😃
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews