A Vanished World: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain

In a world torn by religious antagonism, lessons can be learned from medieval Spanish villages where Muslims, Christians, and Jews rubbed shoulders on a daily basis--sharing irrigation canals, bathhouses, municipal ovens, and marketplaces. Medieval Spaniards introduced Europeans to paper manufacture, Hindu-Arabic numerals, philosophical classics, algebra, citrus fruits, cotton, and new medical techniques. Her mystics penned classics of Kabbalah and Sufism. More astonishing than Spain's wide-ranging accomplishments, however, was the simple fact that until the destruction of the last Muslim Kingdom by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492, Spain's Muslims, Christians, and Jews often managed to bestow tolerance and freedom of worship on the minorities in their midst. A Vanished World chronicles this panoramic sweep of human history and achievement, encompassing both the agony of Jihad, Crusades, and Inquisition, and the glory of a multi-religious, multi-cultural civilization that forever changed the West. Lowney shows how these three controversial religious groups once lived and worked together in Spain, creating commerce, culture, art, and architecture. He reveals how these three faith groups eventually veered into a thicket of resentment and violence, and shows how our current policies and approaches might lead us down the same path. Rising above politics, propaganda, and name-calling, A Vanished World provides a hopeful meditation on how relations among these three faith groups have gone wrong and some ideas on how to make their interactions right.

About the Author :
Chris Lowney served as a Jesuit seminarian for seven years, and later served JP Morgan & Co. as a Managing Director on three continents. A Vanished World follows his acclaimed, award winning first book, Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World. Lowney has raised money for charity by trekking the 500-mile medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela that figures prominently in A Vanished World.

Review :
"Masterfully tells of a time when Muslims, Christians, and Jews coexisted and flourished religiously, intellectually, and civilizationally."--John Esposito, author of What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam "Lowney tells the tale of coexistence, and its eventual unraveling, with detail, delicacy, and verve.... This bold and compassionate articulation of medieval Spanish history, with its complex interactions among Jews, Muslims, and Christians, speaks directly to contemporary international crises."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A coherent and exciting history.... Lowney successfully brings the story of medieval Spain to a wider audience and draws out of this rich history important lessons for the post-9/11 world."--Christian Science Monitor "Lowney's accomplished work comprehensibly covers medieval Spain and connects the country's past to its present." -- Booklist