Five Cities that Ruled the World: How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York Shaped Global History

by Douglas Wilson

In Five Cities that Ruled the World, theologian Douglas Wilson fuses together, in compelling detail, the critical moments birthed in history's most influential cities --Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York.

Wilson issues a challenge to our collective understanding of history with the juxtapositions of freedom and its intrinsic failures; liberty and its deep-seated liabilities. Each revelation beckoning us deeper into a city's story, its political systems, and how it flourished and floundered.

You'll discover the significance of:

Jerusalem's complex history and its deep-rooted character as the city of freedom, where people found their spiritual liberty.
Athens' intellectual influence as the city of reason and birthplace of democracy.
Rome's evolution as the city of law and justice and the freedoms and limitations that come with liberty.
London's place in the world's history as the city of literature where man's literary imagination found its wings.
New York's rise to global fame as the city of commerce and how it triggered unmatched wealth, industry, and trade throughout the world.

Five Cities that Ruled the World chronicles the destruction, redemption, personalities, and power structures that altered the world's political, spiritual, and moral center time and again. It's an inspiring, enlightening global perspective that encourages readers to honor our shared history, contribute to the present, and look to the future with unmistakable hope.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Cultural, World History, Greece, Theology, Italy

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2008

About the author

I write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.

Reviews

[Elliot Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first grabbed this book to read, I placed it back down after while because the author's writing was too casual to me, having subtle jokes here and there. But when I returned to this book years later, I neverminded that and finished the book.

This book provides a history of five major cities of the world, and its lasting contribution. I enjoyed the history provided of each. But, what rounded altogether this author's composition is the Epilogue at the end of the cities' presentation. Without the last chapter, or Epilogue, I would have felt that I just read some vague disposition. The book ends on a good note, so I can appreciate this author's work.

[Jesse Broussard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just jolly fun (fun comes from the Anglo-Saxon, enjoyable probably from Latin, which I know thanks to this book). It takes Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London and New York and traces the impact that they've had (and are having) upon the world. I was actually quite surprised to find that London and New York (but especially London) were my favorite chapters. I'm typically an ancient history kind of guy, with the cynical and un-Chestertonian theory that anything not here now must have been more interesting than all the stuff that is here now (but I'm getting better). However, the glance through the Puritans, the founding of baseball, the constant fires, et al, was just delightful.

A few of the more priceless snippets:

(On the subject of the ten-year or fewer exile imposed by Athens on various citizens) "When we think of such a brutal custom, and we look at the range of prominent persons in our day who could perhaps benefit from this process, it fills us with a strange combination of civilized disapproval and pagan wistfulness."

"A leading figure in this philhellene movement was George Noel Gordon--the poet Lord Byron. When he came of age, he began leading a seriously dissipated life. This lifestyle had a number of results, but one of them was to create a deep desire to do something worthwhile."

"Abraham Lincoln's great phrase 'of the people, by the people, and for the people' is actually from Wycliffe."

"Those who believe that God predetermines everything are the most likely to think that the king or Congress doesn't predestine anything."

"This is not to say that the war (of American independence) was over purely religious issues. It is to say that religion in that day was understood in such a way as to permeate all issues much more completely."

"One of the comforting things is that in the long run, stupidity doesn't work."


And these are just his. Wilson has so prodigious a knowledge of random sayings and quotations from everyone, Ambrose Bierce to Robert E. Lee, Winston Churchill to Hannibal Barca, that you can count on getting dozens of great little sayings with which you may first impress your enemies, then bore your friends until they also are enemies that you may impress. Unless your friends are like me, in which case they'll listen with rapt attention, copying down the quotes that they might steal them at a later date.

So this book was solidly between a four and a five star read, what with the origins of baseball, the delights of long quotes of Milton, several of Churchill's juicier tidbits, and so, so, ever so much more. Reading this book solely for information would be like attending church for the central heating. It is a delight, and I highly recommend it.

Blessings,
Jesse Broussard

[Tomoe Hotaru]

This book has brought a lot of controversy recently. Allegedly, page 24 "contains words that are an insult to Rasulullah [the prophet]" specifically by naming him as a "pirate" and "murderer".

I do not know the exact words used, so if someone - anyone - does, then please enlighten me.

Now, while "defamation of religion" is indeed prohibited in my country, and the publication of such texts are banned, I really don't see why we need to be so fascist about it.



I don't think burning books is the way to go. If its contents are indeed prohibited, then just take it off the market.

But what really irritates me is why a majority of people here can't understand that there will always, always, always be other people of differing, and yes, often insulting beliefs.

Have a look at 9gag, you'll find people defaming religion left, right, and centre.

I don't like it, either. Not only do they defame religion, they make "observations" that categorizes religious people under one huge lump sum of "ignoramus, delusional people". But I don't throw a temper tantrum and hack my way into 9gag servers to exact my revenge on them.

Just because you see differing (and insulting) opinions written on paper (or any other form of media), does not mean that other people will read it and have their faiths immediately changed. There is nothing to worry about and even if some people are convinced and their views changed by such texts, guess what? That's their prerogative.

That said, the only reason I have put this book on my "no thank you" shelf isn't because I am angered at what a single sentence in a single page of this book contains, but simply because I do not generally read non-fiction. I just needed to vent out a little, and this review spot seemed a convenient place if any.

Sidenote - I am a Catholic, and I constantly have muslims coming up to me saying "Jesus wasn't crucified, it was actually Judas."
By your own standards, that should be classified as insulting, since you're insinuating that Christ the saviour was not actually a saviour, but a charlatan and a fraud. Should I burn your Quran (or whatever book that told you Jesus was a fake)?

[Amy Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't very coherent. It seems to bring out 5 Biblical principles that have been slowly growing throughout world history, which are typified by these 5 cities:
Jerusalem--revelation
Athens--reason
Rome--law
London--literature (??)
New York--capitalism
But he didn't say it that clearly or convincingly. He's more concerned that these 5 principles are slowly growing to the perfection of society (postmil!) than he's concerned that these cities uniquely or exclusively demonstrate these principles.

A number of logical errors slipped in through the gaps in his arguments. His writing style can be annoying. He assumes a lot of common knowledge with his readers and so often lacks clarity.

[Winnie Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding analysis and so easy to read. Wilson should write all the history books.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a review copy from the publisher. "Five Cities That Ruled The World" spent about 40 pages per a culture giving a quick overview of thousands of years of history for the Jews, Greeks Romans, and British, and hundreds of years of history for America. Each section was topped off with a very brief summary of the lasting legacy of the corresponding city.

The few pages covering each city's legacy felt more like an afterthought than the focus of the book. The author didn't really build a case for his chosen legacy nor how it impacted the world. These legacies can be easily be summarized as Jerusalem gave the world a spiritual legacy; Athens left a political, philosophical, and arts legacy; Rome gave the world justice under law; London gave the world literature; and New York will leave a commerce and baseball legacy.

Partly because the author tried to summarize each culture's history from its beginning until the present, his history lacks the details and nuances of various events--even the ones he gave the most detail for--so the reader could be left with wrong impressions. He also assumes an ancient chronology that not everyone would agree with (though he does assume the Bible is accurate).

The book was definitely aimed at a Christian audience. However, he often interpreted Scripture in a non-standard way, especially Biblical prophecies. For example, he stated that Rev. 13 referred to Nero's persecution of the Christians during his reign, whereas it's traditionally interpreted as referring to a world leader during the End Times.

The book was written in a very casual tone. For example, when discussing how Herod had "all the baby boys in the area of Bethlehem" killed, he says, "That kind of action will drive your poll numbers down every time."

One nice thing about the book was that it occasionally linked together what was happening in various parts of the world at critical times. However, the book was so general and imprecise that I don't think it would interest history buffs. But those with little familiarity with history who want a quick, very easy-to-read history book might enjoy this book.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for these kinds of books. The five cities that shaped the world all had the hand of God working through them as they rose and fell and their ideas continued on.

A couple things that stood out from the book.

The reason Haman and Mordecai hated each other from the beginning? Haman the Agagite was the descendant of the King Agag who Saul failed to kill (Samuel did it). Mordecai was the descendant of Kish, Saul's father.

Muslims have the command for warlike violence against Christians in their sacred text, while success has eluded them. "Siege of Malta, battle of Lepanto, siege of Vienna, and down to the present day they have a theology of violence that has consistently been bested at violence."

"The work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it is so feeble, the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual is so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing ways, and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope." RL Lee.

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muito bom! Padrão Doug.

[Myersandburnsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love geopolitics and this book was less geo than I’d hoped. However, the history of each city was still utterly fascinating and I appreciated the author’s candid storytelling of it.

[Verónica Fleitas Solich · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little awareness of how some of the most important cities marked our history and evolution.
Interesting.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful gift from a wonderful friend.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had tremendous amounts of promise, based on the premise. The trouble is, it only occasionally meandered across the premise.

It read much more as a history of the Christian religion than any of these five cities. While, for Jerusalem and Rome that might have made sense, it didn't for Athens, London, and New York.

London was a greater mess than all the rest -- it went PAGES without even mentioning the city, going through a haphazard history of England that focused on religion and not the rise of the British empire (which would at least have been more relevant to London). Although the author asserts that literature is London's main contribution as a city, only a fraction of the section was devoted to it. No references to the Bloomsbury group, nothing on themes like pastoral vs. town. Terrible.

But the whole thing was poorly written and had some of the worst flow of any book I've ever read, and so pro-Christian it loses any semblance of a non-biased history book, with such gems as this passage from the epilogue:

"When people as God for their daily bread, as He instructs in His Word, and as He liberally gives to them accordingly, they should also thank Him for the role of that particular city."

[Topher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhere between airport-bookstore work and thinkpiece. Wilson draws together contributions from classical and pre-modern history to frame and explain today’s capitalist and Christian America, like a keto institute history with a layer of divinities on top. It’s an enjoyable read but it is content to describe its events and begs off analyzing deeply.

Spoilers on the cities:
Jerusalem - spiritual heart of Abrahamic religions
Athens - origins of democracy and the effective military model of free societies
Rome - civic republican state and the amplifier of Christianity
London - English language and literature and experiments in religious toleration
New York - the mercantile state

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An uncharacteristically weak book by Wilson. The idea is a fine one: take five of the world's most historically important cities and follow their story as a means of gaining some of the chief narrative-threads in God's great story in world history. However, too much is elementary and the whole feels a bit disjointed. Still, a fun read and useful for educating early teenagers.

Liked it.

Favourite part: the section exploring the possibility that Solomon first colonised the Americas!

[Jean Oram · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me. I was expecting more of a social history and a socio-geographical discussion of the five cities and how they shaped the world (there was some of that), but instead I got a lot of religious history which isn't up my interests alley.

If you like ancient history as well as religious history, this book is for you.

[Doug Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting insights on English/Scottish history and their impact on the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Funny, how all the history classes in high school and college never mention this. I would recommend it to those who enjoy history and theology.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pastor Wilson is a man that knows the Bible and knows History; so when He writes a book about History you find it in perspective. Because, really, the only way to even try to understand the overarching events through the past centuries is by seeing them all connected and ordained by One True God.

[Johannes Kristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book put forth many ideas that had never entered my mind! He proposed that Darius, Artexerxes, and another name I can't remember, were one and the same. There were many other new things, but those I leave you to read. :)

[Cristina Plaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fanatically well written. I forgot that I was reading a history book because it felt like a story.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Banned Book Challenge: Theologian Douglas Wilson chronicles how the world’s 5 most powerful cities – Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York – have shaped the world’s history. In Indonesia, the book was accused of blasphemy and thousands of copies were burned.

This was a slog! I really don't know why it would be banned. It simply researched (deeply) these 5 cities and how they contributed to the world in some way. It was very long and boring in my opinion.

[Seth Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief histories of each of the cities. His postmillennial and covenantal toggle switches flipped to "High" during the introduction so that when they returned to "Moderate" for the rest of the book it felt muted. The thesis did not flow consistently through the book, and sections were not connected clearly. Nevertheless, it was pleasing to learn more about history.

[TDL. · Rating 4 out of 5]

O livro em um trecho: "Jerusalém representa a alma liberta, Atenas estabeleceu o ideal da livre investigação, Roma nos legou a liberdade de ir e vir, a liberdade sob a lei. A imaginação literária libertou-se em Londres. Em Nova York, com seu sucesso comercial, nos mostrou a liberdade comercial e a subsequente liberdade da pobreza."

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise but I got lost with some of his arguments. (In fact, my notes for his chapter on New York are: "New York's contribution to the world: baseball, free markets, and skyscrapers. So random."
I know there was more to it than that, and actually there are some decent arguments here, but they weren't fleshed out enough to feel particularly memorable.

[Kerry]

I am not the audience for this book. I also choose not to read a book that positions myth and legend as historical fact without evidence or the caveat that indicates "[insert source] says." But at least the jig was up in the first chapter.

[Sheep1215 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Connecting these great cities and Gods glory

If you are a history buff this is a book for you. I love how he connects each cities influences on each other and how Gods glory is still displayed even when talking about the horrific events and insane emperors.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read on how cities and people from the past still influence today's existence. From Athens Greece to modern day New York each of these cities have left their mark, even if we are no longer able to easily see it.

Pick it up and read (or like me listen to) it!

[Joe Jewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easy, fascinating, and hope-filled read about the history of the world told through the lens of five influential cities and how God's kingdom invaded this history to bring a messy but growing liberty.

[Matthew Huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great.

[Caleb Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's thesis is not very clear.

[Joana Gato · Rating 2 out of 5]

Foi só mesmo ok