Gerard RussellReseñas

The first book in a long time that I might buy after reading a library copy.
Essentially a travel memoir, but focused on minority religious groups still in existence in the Middle East. While some are monotheistic, others polytheistic, none are Abrahamic/"of the Book". A passive interest of mine whenever studying or travelling in the Middle East, I definitely appreciated being along for the ride.
The book only lets itself down by never deciding whether to be a stricter more academic work, or a travel memoir. I was frustrated a few times by it being one for a while and then suddenly switching to the other. I would happily have read one of each from this author.

This book stirred several topics for thought. One of them was, "I wish that I had the retention powers of my youth", because, through no fault of the author, I had to decide to not focus so much on the specifics of each minority Middle Eastern religion in order to maintain the narrative of the story, so I will probably re-read to digest the belief systems of each sect/faith tradition chronicled here. Another impulse that was brought to the surface was my envy for how these faith traditions, whose histories stretch back before Islam, before Christ and well before, are able to hang on to their belief systems and their identities as they contact both majority dominant faiths and modernity itself. Such tenacity of belief and maintenance of an identity shouldn't be the sole object of a profession of faith, but I find it admirable and this tenacity made me long for such a sustaining faith tradition for myself. This book is a little gem in that Russell has shown just how complex the religious picture of the Middle East really is, and how little the average American has any idea of all this. So many commentators, pundits, and activists think they know whereof they speak about the Middle East and Islam because they are confronted with superficial detail behind the events of the day, but of course, little is really known by such commentators when they inveigh against an entire religion or peoples with labels that they don't understand. This book will help interested readers understand and appreciate the varied cultures of the Middle East, and maybe force some to examine the hidden roots of their own faith. As usual, those who really should read it the most will have never heard of it, and the wealth of knowledge and perspective they could gain by reading this book will go for naught. Also, the note on sources and the end notes are particularly useful for those who wish to learn more for themselves.

An excellent book that I would recommend to anyone.

It inspires me to go through the excellent and well annotated biography.

"Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms" by Gerard Russell checks plenty of boxes, as other reviewers have stated. It is mostly a travelogue, but includes sociological studies, interviews, a bit of history and a bit of theological study.

Russell travels to many different countries in southwest Asia in order to visit with Mandaeans, Yazidis, Zoroastrians, Druze, Samaritans, and Copts. He also includes a few visits around the United States and Great Britain to meet with the members of these religious diasporas. He also visits Himalayan Pakistan to visit with an outlier religious group, the Kalasha. Each group is presented as a separate chapter and they can be read as standalone essays.

His travels seem to have consisted of a few days to a week, usually accompanied by a local guide. All of Russell's hosts are gracious and Russell seems quite humble. This travelogue format makes the book a casual read.

Before reading "Heirs to the Forgotten Kingdoms," I had a vague familiarity these religious groups, except the Kalasha. I believe I can talk about them confidently, but there are still gaps in knowledge that I have which Russell did not address.

I've been trying for a long time to "bone up" on theology, and Russell barely scratched that itch for me. He walked a fine line between plowing through difficult, complicated theology and providing basic background. Unfortunately, it seemed that he erred on the side of giving the most brief explanations. I would have enjoyed hearing more about the religious evolution of all these groups, though he did a good job with the Samaritans. There was particularly scant information about about the Kalasha group, although that is understandable because little had previously been written about the group.

The book has a comprehensive index and a good list of sources for further reading. There is a rather imprecise map and an uncomprehensive timeline.

I look forward to using this book as a jumping pad for further reading about these living, but disappearing religions.

A journalistic book, and a very good one: it's unlikely that you know much about the religions covered here (I certainly didn't), and Russell is a nice entry point. It's very mixed--some theology, some history, some sociology, but mostly travel narrative, interviews and memoir. Russell talks to and describes Mandaeans (mostly in the Iraqi marshes, followers of John the Baptist), Yazidi (very secretive, I'd describe them as gnostics), Zoroastrians, Druze, Samaritans, Copts and Kalasha (whom I hadn't even heard of).

It's not too often you get a book that's well written and fills an unnecessary lack. Only one real flaw, it's a bit repetitive. Better maps would have been nice, too.

Gerard Russell here provides an overview of the history, culture, and beliefs of the adherents of seven "disappearing religions" in western Asia and north Africa: the Mandaeans, the Yazidis, the Zoroastrians, the Druze, the Samaritans, the Copts, and the Kalasha. Russell, a former British diplomat, has the language abilities and familiarity with the region to enable him to travel to places where white western journalists rarely go.

The travelogue-esque portions of the book—where for instance Russell talks about the difficult and dangerous journey by plane, on foot, and in elderly Jeeps needed to reach the Kalasha in their remote valley homeland in northern Pakistan—are the most engaging part. Russell is at his best when painting pen portraits of the lives of contemporary believers in these faiths, and showing how the ancient patchwork diversity of western Asia (ethnic, religious, linguistic) and a long history of coexistence is slowly vanishing because of political polarisation and internecine conflict in the bloody aftermath of European colonialism.

Where Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms falls down for me is Russell's weakness in engaging with his topic in a historical context. I caught quite a few factual errors in a field that is far from my own, for instance. But more important for the book's overall argument is that historical source criticism is lacking—I raised my eyebrows more than once at ways in which he deploys medieval sources—and Russell has a troubling tendency to present twentieth- and twenty-first century religious practice as static and unchanged for centuries, if not thousands of years. There's simply very little supporting evidence for such claims, and it tends to undermine the reader's faith in Russell's overall characterisation on this fascinating topic.

Russell has written an elegiac and informative account of ancient faiths which range from Coptic Christianity with millions of followers to Kalasha, with a few thousand, to the Samaritan community which has fewer than 800 followers in his account. He also discusses the history, current situation and beliefs of Zoroastrianism, Yazidis, Mandaeans and Druze. Russell provides helpful suggestions for those who wish to learn more. I was fascinated!

Coming from a non-religious family in Australia, perhaps the most secular nation on Earth, there is much for me to learn about religion, and Russell has provided me with an excellent introduction to some of the more "obscure" religions of the Middle East, with a travelogue included to boot.

Zoroastrians once ruled the world but are now down to 100,000 or so adherents, the Samaritans get a shout out in the Bible but now exist only in a small village in Palestine/Israel, and the Copts still sing the songs of the Pharaohs. Some great insights flow throughout "Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms" but if I had to provide a piece of criticism is that Russell left me somewhat none the wiser about the tenets of some of the religions covered. However, I guess that's what his extensive "further Reading" section is for.½

This is a keeper. Those odd groups (especially in the MIddle East) you can't quite fit into the usual dichotomies? This guy has met them, gotten to know them. Get this and keep it in your comparative religion section.

Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms is a compelling travel memoir about various religious minorities in the Middle East, plus one in Afghanistan, their history and their future—something that seems incredibly bleak in light of current politics. Focusing on the Mandaeans, Yazidis, Zoroastrians, Druze, Samaritans, Copts, and Kalasha, the book dedicates a chapter to each, as well as an epilogue covering their American diasporas, mostly in and around Detroit. The author manages to convey a lot of information about these groups, while also capturing the everyday humanity of the people he meets in a highly readable, accessible style. You don't have to have a Ph.D. in religious studies to enjoy this book.

For anyone who's watched the news lately and wanted to know more about minority groups in the Middle East, those who enjoy interesting travel memoirs, or those with a general interest in religion today. Highly recommended.

Description of the history and present day situation of some of the Middle East's religious minorities.

I found some of the general historical description a bit wobbly where I already knew something about the topic but lots of fascinating information about the beliefs and present situation of the groups.

During a tour of duty at the Baghdad embassy in the mid-2000's, British diplomat Gerard Russell began to take an interest in the many tiny religious groups that still populate isolated communities in the Middle East. This book is a compilation of his research into religions as varied as the Mandeans (who claim to be the last followers of John the Baptist) to the Yazidis (who venerate Menek Taus, an angel who rebelled against God and was restored to the position of the highest angel and who is represented in the form of a peacock).
The participants in all of these religions are dwindling as economic pressures force young people to abandon their home communities.

A fascinating, insightful look at small, mysterious religions that have survived in regions of the Middle East for thousands of years and continue to cling to survival. The author ventures to the distant, nearly impassable regions to learn about the Mandaeans and Yazidis of Iraq, the Zoroastrians of Iran, the Druze of Lebanon, the Copts of Egypt, and others.

A startlingly informative book on a fascinating subject. I consider myself fairly well informed, but was delighted that Russell lifted a veil of ignorance on the peoples and history of this region.

Highly, highly recommended.

SR

In this book, a British diplomat tells us what he has learned about several minor religions of the Middle East, in years of travel and research. It is a thrilling story, revealing a astonishing breadth of religious expression. It is also a sad one. These religious groups have persisted for centuries (indeed, for more than a millennium) within the broad Islamic world, but the tolerance that permitted this is vanishing quickly, and the groups no longer benefit from the geographic isolation that helped preserve many of them. Indeed, many of their adherents have fled the region. Mr. Russell's book ends with an epilogue set in the U.S., where he visits the scattered representatives of several of these groups, where they face assimilation and disappearance. Mr. Russell's book is a delight to read, consistently informative without being in the least didactic, and illuminated by his own gentle and curious spirit. It is also one from which I learned a great deal. A wonderful work, all around.

This is a good introduction to a number of religious minorities in the Middle East nd their generally diminished numbers. The Mandaeans are an outgrowth of some form of Babylonian religion with considerable influence from Christianity, Manicheism, and Judaism. They live in the marsh areas of Iraq. Yazidis are Kurdish speaking and somewhat similrar to Zoroastrians, but are generally monotheistic with a Peacok Angel at the head. Zoroastrians are ancient Persian with a dualistic philosophy of good and evil which has had a considerable influence on later religions. The Druzes are an offshoot of Islam, but reallly a secretive mystery religion, existing mostly in Lebanon and some adjoining areas of Syria and Israel. The Samaritans are ancient religion in religion and are somewhat similar to Jews, but have lived very apart. The Copts are the main Egyptian Christians considerably regarded as heretical by the main groups of Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians, but have their own Pope with a distinctive but not aberrant Christology. The Kalasha live in obscure mountainous areas of Pakistan and have a somewhat Vedic style religion. These religions all have varying degrees of survival, but it is a group of fascinating stories.