The Armies of Heaven book by Rubenstein presents a wide range of legends and writings from the period of Christian crusaders’ march towards Jerusalem. The author claims that they were motivated by the desire to observe the execution of Apocalypse prophecy. In particular, the collision between Christ and Antichrist who would decide the fate of the world in an effort to achieve salvation served as the paramount driver for crusaders. In his book, Rubenstein avoids empirically verifiable facts providing a persuasive insight into the thoughts of people of the 1096-1099 period (15). At that, he describes various representatives of that time beginning from militants to supplicants and pilgrims. The book covers such themes as the apocalyptic fervor of crusaders, violence between Christians and Muslims, massacre, and several others. Describing that period through actions and feelings of Peter the Hermit and Emperor Alexius as well as of others, the author shows atrocities of both sides and provides some food for thought to consider relationships with the Middle East through the prism of thousand years.
The methodology of the author might be considered as a narrative of adventure. Rubenstein creates a considerable canvas of events composed of various stories, characters, and details. It should be emphasized that this approach to the explanation of the First Crusade is uncommon among scholars. The latter tend to believe that greed or a pope were a driving force of march to Jerusalem. In turn, Rubenstein applies an apocalyptic mindset to tell the story of the First Crusade. The author focuses on the human factor, namely, on motifs, thoughts, and concerns of people that lived in this period. This makes the book more understandable and interesting for the readers.
To design his fascinating adventure, the author unites seemingly different narratives into one book. He uses various myths and legends persuading the reader by the diversity of the source material. Rubenstein takes other historians’ thoughts as a basis for his work. For example, he agrees with anonymous Gesta Francorum as well as with works by Raymond of Aguilers and Albert of Aachen (333). Both of them state that the crusade stories are especially significant to realize the core of the events occurred between 1096 and 1099. On the contrary, Rubenstein stresses his mistrust to the historians’ view related to the early twelfth-century narratives. Although these works were written relatively late, they are also should be considered with great attention and trust, states the author (Rubenstein 334). Thus, Rubenstein offers a much more persuasive story of the First Crusade taking into account not only facts but also visions and motivation faced by crusaders.
At the same time, Rubenstein is quite critical to his prose. More to the point, he tries to relate the events and characters discussed in the book to the modern world. This promotes the accessibility and clarity of the book. The reader can easily understand both the purpose and ideas the author tried to convey. One might note the absence of outdated words and phrases that also contributes to the accessibility of the work. Furthermore, plenty of endnotes helps the reader understand any complicated issues related to the topic. Finally, Rubenstein provides a great variety of vivid and comprehensive pictures helping to understand the key personalities and objects better. All in all, the exposition of the book looks quite attractive for both academic and average readers.
Work Cited
Rubenstein, Jay. Armies of Heaven: The First Crusade and the Quest for Apocalypse. New York: Basic Books, 2011. Print.