I have just discovered this wonderful book written by G.K. Chesterton back in 1925.
It is written in two parts, each part describing what he considers the two most momentous events in the history of Mankind.
The first part describes the emergence of the thinking human - first evident in the discovery of ancient cave paintings. And describes how the thinking humans produced numerous pagan mythologies as a search for God and meaning in life - most of which failed to develop and were consigned to history.
The second part deals with the the coming of our Lord and Saviour, beginning with His birth in a cave in Bethlehem. I have just started reading this second part, and anticipate a very profound exposition of how this momentous event changed the whole world. The beginning of this second part makes a great Christmas read.
This book apparently was a substantial influence in the conversion of CS Lewis to the Christian faith.
A brief extract from a review:
Beginning with the origin of man and the various religious attitudes throughout history, Chesterton shows how the fulfilment of all of man's desires takes place in the person of Christ and in Christ's Church.
Chesterton propounds the thesis that "those who say that Christ stands side by side with similar myths, and his religion side by side with similar religions, are only repeating a very stale formula contradicted by a very striking fact." And with all the brilliance and devastating irony, so characteristic of his best writing, Chesterton gleefully and tempestuously tears to shreds that "very stale formula" and triumphantly proclaims in vivid language the glory and unanswerable logic of that very striking fact. Here is the genius of Chesterton at its delightful best.
