Five Cities that Ruled the World

How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York Shaped Global History

By: Douglas Wilson

Narrated by: Milton Bagby

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.

What a poor excuse for a historical story

Between the speaker's terrible mispronunciations, and the snide toss-ins of current political items, this work does not work. The very strong & recurrent reference to biblical recording of history erodes its utility to near zero.

Great Book

A very thorough yet concise book on these five cities! Many new ideas and implications from the author. Rather than a mere “facts” reading this has a City of God interpretation.

Sad excuse for history…

Do not purchase this unless you are interested in a thinly-veiled bible tract. The category should really be changed from history to religious.

Slanted thesis

The book follows a single doctrine slanting facts to arrive at pre-determined conclusions. Did not show the work