Sep 5, 2018 · 1 min read
There is a historian named Tom Holland who was an atheist, whose study of history got him thinking about the subject of brutality versus mercy and grace. What he saw in the course of history as a kind of “norm”, from the level of local tribal leadership right up to emperors, was the glorification of brutality. The greater the brutality, the more glorious the historical “record” for the person concerned. The glorification of mercy and grace really was something exceptional, demanding “higher origin” explanations. Holland apparently has a forthcoming book on the subject.
