Karen Armstrong set herself a monumental task here of analyzing histories that began in the 9th century BCE. This book was a national bestseller. (For her books I've read, click on her name.)

But, as usual, she did a thorough task of it, covering events in four regions of the world – India, China, Greece, and the Near East – events that would have lasting influence on these culture’s religious traditions. This period begins “The Axial Age” of spiritual development. She begins earlier with the Aryans, who later moved into India with the early Vedic tradition. Independent spiritual sages arose in China and the Near East, but made much less progress in Greece. Each chapter describes a century or more of history of the four areas. Chapter titles give the new insights discovered by Axial sages: The Axial Peoples, Ritual, Kenosis, Knowledge, Suffering, Empathy, Concern for Everybody, All Is One, Empire, and The Way Forward. Development was never smooth anywhere, as Axial truths were lost and regained over time in response to turbulence and violence of those times. Yet a common Axial spirit arose everywhere.

What was the essential spirit that the Axial sages discovered? The Golden Rule. “What mattered was not what you believed but how you behaved. Religion was about doing things that changed you at a profound level.”…”As far as Axial sages were concerned, respect for the sacred rights of all beings – not orthodox belief – was religion.” … “The consensus of the Axial Age is an eloquent testimony to the unanimity of the spiritual quest of the human race. The Axial peoples all found that the compassionate ethic worked.” She goes into great detail to form this basic point, discussing many Axial sages, several of whom faded into history but who carried the Axial spirit further along. What does this mean for us today? “The Axial Age was a time of spiritual genius; we live in an age of scientific and technological genius, and our spiritual education is often undeveloped.” She concludes: “We now have to develop a global consciousness, because, whether we like it or not, we live in one world. Even though our problem is different from that of the Axial sages, they can still help us.”…”If religion is to bring light to our broken world, we need to go in search of the lost heart, the spirit of compassion that lies at the core of all our traditions.” This book may be Karen Armstrong's best, and that's saying a lot. I give it my highest, strongest recommendation. (Think six stars!)