Reviews (5)

Sprightly, optimistic take on the American Jewish community
If those who try to predict the fate of American Jewry can be divided into pessimists and optimists, count Jonathan Sarna emphatically among the optimists. In this succinctly written and cogently argued history of American Judaism, the Brandeis University historian makes a strong case that Jews on these shores have a promising future as well as a storied past.
Could not put it down
Jonathan Sarna's book is the first American Jewish History that I could not put down.Should be required reading for all American Jews.I have read Jewish history and studied in college under Arthur Hertzberg, Arnie Eisen, Michael Stanislawski, so that little here was actually new to me.The book, however, put everything into proper perspective and traced trends in a logical readable way -- beautiful analysis of the origins, history and current status of the major movements of Judaism.
A masterful history by a scholar optimist
In the closing chapter of this mastefully done history of Judaism in America Jonathan Sarna points to major problems the community faces today. One is the problem of boundaries, of defining who is a Jew, and who belongs to the community. Another problem is the one most spoken of the problem of assimilation and intermarriage. The Jewish community has in the last forty years seen an accelerating rate of intermarriage from around seven percent in the early 1950-'s to close to fifty percent today. Another problem(All these problems are interrelated) is the dimnishing numbers of the community that can no longer as it could some time ago rely on immigration to replenish its ranks. And many see that these problems are all moving the community to greater and greater bipolarization,on the one handa majority of assimilated and assimilating Jews with little Jewish knowledge or sense of ethnic or communal belonging, and on the othera more intensely religiously learned and religiously identified Jewish minority. Sarna somewhat worriedly describes these problems, but nonetheless points to past communal resilience . He suggests that the American Jewish community will findanswers and new ways to flourish.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History - General History    3. Jewish - General    4. Jewish Studies    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - History    7. Religion    8. Religion - Judaism    9. United States - General    10. Judaism    11. Religion / Judaism / History    12. USA   

Reviews (3)

Book of Our Heritage
Rabbi Bulman did the Jewish world, and for that matter the world at large, a favor by translating this classic work by KiTov. Now Jews who labor under false ideas and others who do not have access to the true beauty of the Jewish year can read, learn understand and perhaps fullfill that which Jews have known for thousands of years.
A valuable work to enrich your learning.
I for many years learned with the Hebrew version of this work , called ' Sefer HaToda-ah.' This book was turned to whenever we were approaching a holiday or time of special meaning. Then the interpretation of KiTov his reading of the sources would greatly enrich our learning. I too believe this should be a part of the library of every Jewish home.

Biblical and Historical Background and Commentaries
If one wants to know the how, when, where, and why of Jewish observance, I can't imaging a better source of answers than THE BOOK OF OUR HERITAGE.For ease of use the book is broken down by month and then, chronologically,by days of importance.Read more

Subjects:  1. Fasts and feasts    2. History Of Judaism    3. Holidays - Jewish    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - General    6. Religion    7. Religion - Judaism   

Editorial Review

For every Talmudic scholar there are 10 well-intended souls who can't scan a page of Genesis without snoring. But thanks to Stan Mack, the history of the Jews is accessible to anyone who's ever succeeded in reading the comics. With humor, biblical quotes, cartoon sketches, historical accuracy, and an irreverent tone, Mack sums up 4,000 years of Jewish history in a fast-paced, delightful narrative. So a few incidents and details get lost along the way--more important is that what's included actually gets read, because Mack's style and drawings are so beguiling. From Abraham's covenant with God and the introduction of monotheism (a Jewish soldier instructs a Canaanite at sword point, saying "Y'see, our God isn't really fighting your God because our God is your God and your God isn't really a God because...") to today's diverse denominations ("My synagogue is unaffiliated. Our members have an equal say, are nonideological, and have low dues"), Mack's quips and sketches cover a lot of ground, from the Exodus, Romans, Christians and Moslems, onward. He sashays through ghettos and shtetls, illustrates Europe's anti-Semitism and Zionist fever, breezes through immigration to the U.S., WWII, and the establishment of Israel, ending with Jewish culture in the late 20th century. Backed by an index (which makes this a reference instead of a comic book) and a savvy political cartoonist's eye for irony, Mack's book emanates a fondness for his subject. And he tells a good story. Read more

Reviews (8)

Fun and user friendly
First off, I am biased. I love Stan Mack. He was my favorite cartoonist when I was in high school and college, back when he was with the Village Voice.
Pretty informative...
I enjoyed this book and found it to be very informative. Most books explain 20th century Jews. This gives a rare historical perspective.

A wonderful introduction to Jewish history
A wonderful introduction to Jewish history in graphic novel format. Brief, but well-told, with a sensitivity to women that is a delight to see. Where else will you find Queen Alexandra, whose reign in the 1st century BCE was a golden age for the Jews, and Dona Gracia Nasi, a Jewish Italian business woman, who helped Portuguese Jews escape persecution in the 16th century CE.Read more

Subjects:  1. Judaism - History    2. Religion    3. Religion - Judaism    4. World - General   

Subjects:  1. 1437-1508    2. Abravanel, Isaac,    3. Doctrines    4. General    5. Judaism    6. Judaism - Theology    7. Philosophy    8. Philosophy, Jewish    9. Philosophy, Medieval    10. Religion    11. Abravanel, Isaac    12. Dialoghi d'amore    13. Jewish studies    14. León    15. Oriental & Indian philosophy    16. Philosophy of religion    17. Religion / Judaism / History   

Reviews (2)

A profound exploration of Jewish History and JewishMemory
This work has four major chapters each of which deals with a certain period of Jewish history, and its approach to Jewish Memory. In the first chapter Yerushalmi explores the Biblical and Rabbinic Foundations for writing history, and remembering it. This is the stage when the process of remembering is connected with the recording of, and participation in history.
A classic
This book enjoys a well-deserved reputation as a classic in the field of Jewish studies. The author maintains that "Only in Israel and nowhere else is the injunction to remember felt as a religious imperative to anentire people." What follows is a brilliant discussion of the meaningand selectivity of memory in Jewish religious tradition. Yerushalmi thenshows how secularization radically transformed the meaning of memory andhistory for Jews. Writing of the rise of Jewish historiography in early19th century Germany, he notes: "For the first time it is not historythat must prove its utility to Judaism, but Judaism that must prove itsvalidity to history, by revealing and justifying itself historically." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History - General History    3. History Of Jews    4. History: World    5. Jewish - General    6. Jews    7. Judaism - History    8. Religion    9. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    10. Islamic studies    11. World history   

Reviews (36)

Time to Read the Bible Again
I love this book and wish I had the idea to do this sort of thing myself.Kirsch's method of taking a few juicy-but-cryptic lines from scripture and expanding the story works well, a lot better than you would imagine.Although I knew there was lurid information in the sacred books, I had not really paid much attention to the implications or the content.It's time to go back and look at this stuff again, now with the eye of a cynic rather than with the blinders slapped on by Sunday school indoctrination and scare tactics. This is a fun read--highly recommended

Interesting
As a convert from Islam into Christianity, I find this book to take me back to my old struggle about the Bible and all the customary questions. How easy it is for us to take something out of the Bible and build and argument in order to prove a presupposed point. How easy it is to treat the Bible as a book of stories. But how marvellous it is to treat the Bible as a book of God in which God is telling his story to us in the lives of people like us who have their failures, harlots and all and see all this climaxing in the event of Christ who came to set those in bonds free. I am so thankful for every book that might seek to give it another try to hit the Bible, hit real hard and then I see how sturdy God's Word is. I have read tons of literature that tears the Bible to pieces but I am thankful that through the Bible I am what I am and I am proud to call it the Book which inspired great intellectuals like Claudel, C.S.Lewis, Papinis and tons of others.
From the Shadows to the Light

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Subjects:  1. Bible - Commentaries - General    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - Old Testament    3. Bible - Topical Studies    4. Bible.    5. Criticism, interpretation, etc    6. Judaism - History    7. O.T.    8. Religion    9. Religion - Biblical Studies    10. Sex in the Bible    11. Violence in the Bible    12. Religion / Judaism / History   

Reviews (78)

intelligent view
Rabbi Berger wrote a thoughtful analysis on a hype which has developed over the last 10 years. He also shows what is mostly kept underground and which is, nevertheless, of great importance for Jews elsewhere, especially in smaller communities, where Chabadniks are often the ones in charge. Although admittedly, I at first thought :"this can't be true"when reading the book for the first time, experience has shown and is still showing that it IS true.

The dangers of extreme bias
If you are looking at the this book, it is clear that the entire framework is of some interest to you. In order to provide yourself with balance on this issue you MUST read the response to this book entitled:
Thesis Wrong, One Good Point
In response to Levi Perlman...The Rebbe, OBM (ZT''L) is
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Controversial literature    3. Eschatology, Jewish    4. Habad    5. History of doctrines    6. Judaism    7. Judaism - History    8. Judaism - Orthodox    9. Judaism - Theology    10. Messiah    11. Religion    12. Religion - Judaism    13. Jewish studies   

Reviews (7)

Very good book
This book does an excellent job at explaining historical and other bases of Genesis.I found the writing very approachable and practical.Compared with pure philosophy books, like "Guide for the Perplexed," this is a light read (which I mean in a good sense).

Excellent Jewish insight into Genesis
This book deals with interpretation of some of the stories in Genesis (creation, flood, tower etc).Sarna explains that these accounts were written particularly to show the superiority of Yahweh to pagan religions and not as much to simply narrate how these things happened historically.The author writes from a relatively conservative standpoint here but does not assume LITERAL interpretation of many parts of genesis - rather he sees them as being written in ways that pagan polytheists of 5000 years ago would understand and appreciate.Highly recommended for any Jew/Christian interested in the REAL interpretation of Genesis.

Even better than his book on Exodus
Sarna puts Genesis in its historical context, showing details that would have made many stories from Genesis more comprehensible to Bible-era readers.For example, today's readers may be a bit baffled by Abraham's occasional attempts to pass off Sarah as his sister.But Sarna explains that in the ancient Mideast women had the status of a "sister-wife", superior to other wives.Similarly, Sarna clarifies the Tower of Babel story, explaining how the Torah makes fun of paganism.Reading Sarna won't necessarily change your mind about large theological questions; believers will remain believers after reading him, and unbelievers will remain unbelievers.But Sarna gives background that makes the Torah come to life a bit more. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Judaism - History    2. Judaism - Sacred Writings    3. Religion - Judaism    4. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    5. Books of the Old Testament    6. Judaism    7. Religion / Judaism / History   

Reviews (2)

A neat little book
Sarna's book guides the reader through Exodus, and tries to place it in the context of other Middle Eastern cultures (while at the same time not ignoring the key differences between Israel and its polytheistic neighbors).The book is full of interesting little tidbits: for example, "Mose" (meaning "son" or "one who is born" in Egyptian) was commonly a part of ancient Egyptian names, and kings had names like "Thut-mose" (so it makes sense that the egyptians would name a baby "Moses" or some variant thereof).Basically a work of history rather than theology--that is, it doesn't really purport to address the big questions of who wrote Exodus, etc.Rather, it shows readers how Exodus made sense to ancient readers familiar with heathen customs.

A book to savor and keep
I first read this book ...and his Genesis work..in library copies for a study group. I am buying both because the insight and the language literally transported me! Do not read this alone because you will want toshare thoughts. Even when you are alone, you will want to return to a lineand say it aloud. This will be a cherished book regardless of yourprofessed faith. I plan to give extra copies as gifts! The only reason itis four stars is because Exodus is getting five! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - General    3. Bible - Study - Old Testament    4. Bible.    5. Criticism, interpretation, etc    6. Exodus    7. Judaism - History    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Old Testament - Single Book Studies    11. Religion    12. Religion - Judaism    13. Biblical concordances & commentaries    14. Books of the Old Testament    15. Criticism & exegesis of sacred texts    16. Judaism    17. Religion / Bible / Criticism, Interpretation / General   

Reviews (4)

A poetic riff on a famous life
Reading Robert Pinsky's work, one finds great difficulty placing the book in any particular genre.Biographic analysis of biblical characters seems something of a rage at the moment, some excellent, some not."The Life of David," however, does not fit well with the genre.Unlike the Biblical scholar Baruch Halperin's brilliant "David's Secret Demons" Pinsky eschews footnotes or deep textual analysis.Instead, taking a poet's view, we see here a sort of emotional/artistic portrait of this most complex of biblical characters.Some may find frustrating the way the author moves over the story often moving down strange tangents only to circle back later.
By a Poet, of a Poet, for a Poet
This latest by Robert Pinsky is perhaps his best work. The author's goal is to understand the complex, paradoxical life of David, not to deconstruct David according to post-modern analysis, biblical hermeneutics, or text-criticism.It's a lovely book to read since its subject is actually Pinsky's love affair with the biblical portrayal of David. As others have loved David, despite his faults, so too does the author.
Not for Jewish, Christian or Muslim Believers
This book is fine, as long as you do not believe the Old Testament to be true as history or theology. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible.    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. David,    7. History Of Judaism    8. Israel    9. Judaism - History    10. King of Israel    11. Kings and rulers    12. O.T.    13. Old Testament    14. Religious    15. Biography & Autobiography / Religious    16. Biography: general    17. Books of the Old Testament    18. Religious & spiritual leaders   

Editorial Review

Along with millions of lives, the Holocaust stripped away the official recordsand family mementos that anchor personal histories. In 1989, after both the opening ofCzechoslovakia to the outside world and the death of her mother Frances, a concentration-camp survivor, journalist Helen Epstein made her first tentative efforts to uncover herown history. Armed only with a 12-page letter written by her mother, she retraced familyfootsteps from the provincial town of Brtnice to Vienna, where her great-grandmotherJosephine had killed herself in despair. In Prague, her spirited grandmother Pepi, who hadbeen orphaned at age 8 and left in poverty, rose from those ashes to run a fashionabledressmaking salon. Pepi married a man who repudiated Judaism so completely that theirdaughter Frances learned of her background only as the Nazis rose to power. Epstein'smeticulous research beautifully conjures the drama of their lives and times, carving outthe surrounding culture until these three women stand against it in stark relief. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

We should ALL know where we came from so well...
In WHERE SHE CAME FROM, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based award-winning author Helen Epstein has penned a meticulously-researched memoir to the four generations of Czech and former Czechoslovak women in her extensive family, from her mother's side of the brood.
A Wonderful Book for College Classes
Beautifully written, WHERE SHE CAME FROM is also the product of very serious and exhaustive research. It is a magical and haunting book. It brings alive a period of Jewish women's history that is only now being written about in English. Travelling through pre-Holocaust Central Europe with Epstein is an amazing experience: the reader follows both the process of investigation of family history and the emotions this opens up for the writer.
A Wonderful Read
This is a fascinating chronicle of three generations of the author's female ancestors. It is probably the only book in English that tells the story of Jewish women in Prague in the the first half of the twentieth century. Helen Epstein has a special talent for recreating social history and bringing it alive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Children of Holocaust survivors    6. Czech Republic    7. Genealogy    8. Historical - General    9. Holocaust    10. Jews    11. Judaism - History    12. New York    13. New York (State)    14. Prague    15. Religious    16. Women    17. American English    18. Europe    19. Family history    20. Modern fiction   

Reviews (2)

Good Primer for Jewish Philosophy and History
This is an amazing treatise for those who need to understand biblical context or the some of the beliefs undergirding the Israel-Palestine conflict. There is not another book like it. Seltzer does an amazing job of telling this story in a clear and concise way.

The best book summarizing Jewish history and thought
In this excellent, readable and scholarly book we find the most comprehensive review of Jewish civilization, Jewish history and Jewish thinking. This unique book combines the study of Jewish history withprofound analysis of Jewish thought. A must book for every student ofJewish history as well as for those seeking to learn more about the Jewishpeople through its history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. Judaism    4. Judaism - History    5. Religion    6. Religion - Socialissues    7. Religion / General   

Reviews (12)

not very good...
i could only read half an hour of this. ive read over a dozen guides in this vien. dont waste your money.

Solid Introduction to a Fascinating Faith
For those looking for an in-depth analysis of one of the world's oldest religions, you're in the wrong place.But for anyone looking to gain a basic understanding of the tenets of Judaism would be unlikely to do better than this work. This Book Brought Me Home
Steinberg addresses all of my concerns and confusion, one by one, and I am grateful. I was confused about what We actually believe and aspire to, and I now know that my birth religion is all that and a bag of chips, thanks to this short, well-written work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Judaism    2. Judaism - History    3. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Religion / Judaism / General   

Reviews (1)

GREED AND SHAME!
Although I've studied the DSS for some years now (25 years) I do haveproblem's with the publisher's and writer's who go into "a little moredetail" on the subject that I already know and studied. To charge suchvery high prices for the hardcover as well as the paperback versions ofthese books purely for greed making it very hard for frist time student'sto purchase these books for themselve's. I've had alot of mail from themasking "why????". I only can tell them that the writer,publishers are only interested in filling their "pockets" withalot money on a subject that should be available to them and also thepublic for a reasonable price. Shame on them for keeping these "mustread" documents out of their reach forgreed. M.A. BREGAN- Professorof theology. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Apocalyptic literature    2. Dead Sea scrolls    3. History and criticism    4. History: World    5. Interior Design - General    6. Jewish Religious Texts    7. Judaism - History    8. Judaism - Sacred Writings    9. Religion - Judaism    10. Aramaic    11. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    12. Criticism & exegesis of sacred texts    13. Judaism   

Reviews (4)

Greatest experience ever
Reading this book give so much information, you get closer to judaism as its possible. I was enjoying so much reading this book, it is a great selection if anybody is going to convert to judaism.

Excellent - until Zionism enters the equation
'Settings of Silver' contains many beautifully written, lucid descriptions of Jewish beliefs, customs, holy days, and religious practices. It is an invaluable, easy-to-use guide for either a non-Jew who wants to explore one of the world's oldest monotheistic faiths or a potential convert to Judaism. (If you are already a practising Jew, this will be a little too basic for you - try reading one of Blu Greenberg's excellent books instead.)
This is the one!
If you are interested in converting or would like to know more about the jewish way of life, then this is the book to read.Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History Of Judaism    3. Jews    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - General    6. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    7. Religion    8. Religion - Judaism   

Reviews (5)

A UNIQUE BOOK ON THE ISSUES OF JUDAISM
Unfortunately, this book did not achieve attention and respect as it appropriately deserves.The author possesses an incredible knowledge on the issues of JudaismIn this modern Guide for Perplexed a curious reader could learn all the lattitude of numerous controversies comprising the core of Jewish thought.This as an extraordinary book.I wish the author would present the discoveries he made in a more passionate manner.He deserves such a stance.

Fascinating and Eye-Opening
'The Beginnings of Jewishness' seems like it ought to be essential reading for both Christians and Jews who wonder where they came from. In the book, Cohen avoids reading back into the Bible itself and considers a great deal of other historical and literary evidence to determine when being a Jew changed its meaning from 'being from Judea', the geographical location, to 'being a member of the Jewish religion'. He finds the first traces of this in the Hasmonean period, expansions of it in the Roman and up through history. Along the way he is also tracing the beginnings of Rabbinic Judaism after the fall of the Jerusalem Temple, which is quite different from what constituted Judaism before that event. All of this would probably be very surprizing to those who hold anachronistic visions of Jesus as a Rabbinic Jew!. Cohen also goes into quite a bit of detail on matrilineal descent and conversion, maybe more than some would want, but interesting nonetheless. Good book.

A model of historical scholarship
I am not a Jew. I bought this book thinking it would explain in good part how the religious culture of the Judeans in the Second Temple period became the enduring religion of a people spread far and wide and how, after the cleansing of Judea, it gave rise to the central documents of that religion, the Mishnah and the Talmud. (What Cohen calls moving from ethnos to ethnoreligion.)Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Judaism - History    3. Religion    4. Religion - Judaism    5. Jewish studies    6. Judaism    7. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    8. Religion / General    9. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (7)

Still groundbreaking, although some reconstructions pf the premonarchic cultus are questionable
As it was written in the 70s, Canaanite Myth is a little behind the times- it assumes, for example, that monolatry was present in Israel from the premonarchic period, and that later prophetic polemics and reforms were directed against "syncretism."We now know that this is probably not the case, and that most of the gods condemned as "foreign" by the prophets and Deuteronomists- Asherah, Astarte, Baal, and the Heavenly Host- were simply pan-Levantine gods that Israel had inherited from its Canaanite ancestors. It is Cross's work that has, in large part, prepared us to deal with this however.Cross's book meticulously examines a wide variety of biblical and extrabiblical texts, early and late, and observes many continuities between Israelite and Canaanite beliefs and modes of worship; poetics, theophanic language, and so on are largely identical between the two cultures, the only real difference being that Israel's public religion was overwhelmingly focused on a single deity (but not, as Cross assumes, completely excluding others, at least until the late monarchy).Cross's reconstruction of the Judean monarchic cultus is based on a lot of evidence both biblical and comparative; the chapters on the development of apocalyptic language are where the analysis really shines. When he extends this reconstruction into the premonarchic period, however, it becomes problematic.His assumption that the Israelite league was a solid and largely unified politco-religious unit, rather than a loose, shifting coalition of tribes as even the Bible itself suggests (the list of tribes in the Song of Deborah includes ten tribes, not twelve, two of which are demoted to the status of sub-tribal "clans" in later lists) largely distorts his analysis.Nonetheless, the book is still a must-read for those interested in understanding the biblical world.

On following the proofs:
Cross is a scholar of outstanding merit.That said, the true worth of this book lies not in its bottom line conclusions-that the God of Israel represents an often overt, sometimes absurd, form of continuity with its antecedent Canaanite theogonic fellows--but in the rigor of its proofs and the tools manipulated in arriving there.However, without specific training in the field, one will be at a loss to evaluate exactly this most valuable dimension.In point of fact, I was often unable to so much as check the content of his citations; Cross, in accordance with ancient phonetizations that I could only glean from assorted footnotes, felt (potentially legitimately) no compunctions to adhere to the Masoritic text that I possessed.With this as the state of affairs, I could not critically examine the salience of any particular argument nor sense when Cross was engaged in something truly novel, to be taken note of. Conservative, Radical, Challenging, Debatable
"Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic" is a series of related essays on the composition of the Hebrew Bible.It is conservative in that it takes the general framework of the Biblical chronology as accurate, and Cross refers readily to "patriarchal folk", "the league" of tribes, "the empire of David and Solomon" and the "divided monarchy".Within this conservatism, Cross adheres to the relative conservatism of the Documentary Hypothesis, which is taken for granted by most scholars, but anathema to those who hold to the unity of the scriptures.Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. History Of Judaism    3. Judaism - General    4. Middle East - Israel    5. Religion    6. Religion - Judaism    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history: BCE to c 500 CE    8. Jewish studies    9. Judaism    10. Old Testament    11. Palestine    12. Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions    13. Religion / General   

Editorial Review

Thomas Cahill, author of the bestselling Read more

Reviews (127)

I found it fascinating
Going back that far into history requires some imagination.Thomas Cahill had some very interesting views on what could have happened back then.He rightly points out that Abraham lived a couple of thousand years before the bible as we know it, was actually written down.He made some points in it that forces me to go back into the old testament and reread some printed oral traditions that were put on paper at the time of Moses.Historically, there are still many questions as to what happened 3000 years ago.Heck, we are still speculating about King Arthur and the round table!I thought it was an interesting read, provoked some thought, and he had some points that do make sense.After all, historians keep telling us that history repeats themselves.Maybe he's just trying to prove that point with today's international sagas.

ZERO IS RIGHT!
This menure is almost as bad revisionism as the irish fairy tale book! He as usual does not sight his sources, and appears to make it up as he goes. Miss MacDonald's review said it very well. If you believe in anything Cahill spews, you may as well believe the "Sun rises in the west." I won't waste another nano-second on anything this hack writes.

The Celts in Ireland

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Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. History    3. History - General History    4. Jewish - Ancient    5. Jewish influences    6. Jews    7. Judaism    8. Judaism - History    9. Religion    10. To 70 A.D    11. History / General    12. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    13. Jewish studies   

Subjects:  1. Historiography    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History and criticism    5. History: World    6. Holocaust    7. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    8. Judaism - History    9. Personal narratives    10. World War, 1939-1945    11. Europe    12. Religion / Judaism / History    13. The Holocaust   

Reviews (3)

Wraps Around Early Christianity
Early in his book, Shaye Cohen points out that Christianity is responsible for the use of the term "late Judaism." The term was disparaging and meant to suggest that 2nd Temple Judaism was in dire need of an infusion, i.e. Christianity. Moreover after Christianity came along, "late Judaism" suggested that Judaism could be altogether ignored despite the fact that Judaism has continued to flourish for the last couple of millenia. A good overview of Jewish history from 170 BC-200AD
Shaye Cohen has written an interesting book covering a turbulent period of Jewish history. He discusses the sects of Judaism that existed during this time, beginning with the Maccabean revolt, and working through the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, the Christian movement, and Jewish people scattered throughout the Mediterranean world. He shows how Judaism was always a religion that emphasized practice and tradition over doctrine, while not denying that Judaism had a theology. Sometimes, the reader will want to argue strenuously with Cohen's conclusions, such as his contention that circumcision did not play an important role in the Torah, or that Job, Daniel, Esther, and many of the Psalms were written just a couple of hundred years before the common era. One may also question his conclusion that the dialogues betwen Jesus and the Pharisees reflected more of a post 70AD situation than something that really happened in the life of Jesus. GOOD
A good read, a jewish history that is not written to justify christianity, nor, zionism. A must read for those with a penchant for Jewish history.... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 168 B.C.-135 A.D    2. Ethnic & Tribal    3. History    4. Jews    5. Judaism    6. Judaism - History    7. Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D    8. Religion    9. Religion - Judaism