This is a superbly written resource. No doubt about that. But that is really all it is. I'm not sure why Johnson bothered to write it. There is nothing new here. No insights that offer a clearer perspective on Jewish history. Its approach derives entirely from the mindset of the intellectual High Church establishment, so Paul Johnson is careful not to judge, not to offend, but also not to stick his neck out. As to the meaning behind the amazing Judaic phenomena - who knows what that is? This great historian apparently isn't concerned. But then again he is a professed "Christian" so maybe he feels the answers are self-evident.

The book arrived quickly and in excellent condition -- no damage in shipping. I Am delighted to add this to my personal reference library,and to recommend it as good resource material for the classes I teach.

Paul Johnson's `History of the Jews' is a well written, entertaining, and informative 4000-year history of the Jewish people. Coming in at just under 600 pages, it is exhaustive, and thus an exhausting read. Johnson makes no secret of his deep admiration for the Jews-he is a Christian who feels religiously in debt to them-and thus the entire book is written from a highly philo-Semitic perspective. The book is arranged chronologically into the following seven sections:

Part One: Israelites
Part Two: Judaism
Part Three: Cathedocracy
Part Four: Ghetto
Part Five: Emancipation
Part Six: Holocaust
Part Seven: Zion

In the Prologue, Johnson writes; "At a very early stage in their collective existence they believed they had detected a divine scheme for the human race, of which their own society was to be a pilot. They worked out their role in immense detail. They clung to it with heroic persistence in the face of savage suffering. Many of them believe it still. Others transmuted it into Promethean endeavors to raise our condition by purely human means."

Now this seems to be an accurate appraisal of the essence of Judaism, and a worldview with which Johnson agrees. He clearly believes that the Jews are God's gift to mankind and they, the enlightened ones, are here to lead the gentiles along the path to righteousness. He believes the Jews hold a "special genius" that the rest of us apparently don't. He cites their numerous contributions throughout the ages, starting with the concept of ethical monotheism, and continuing on with an "endless continuum of patient study, fruitful industry" and an untiring commitment to bettering the human condition. Of course there is some truth to the Jew's consistent intellectual proficiency, but it should be obvious that this grandiose, self-appointed scheme is inherently antagonistic and thus anti-Semitism is an inevitable result.

Although Johnson tends to downplay it at times, the book documents how Jewish actions and attitudes have played a major part in anti-Semitism since ancient times. He describes how even the ancient Greeks and Egyptians had their share of anti-Semitism due to the aloofness and subversion of this peculiar people. Of course there are and always has been irrational extremists who take anti-Semitism to a different level, but as they say, there is (at least) a grain of truth in all stereotypes, and anti-Semitism is no different. I found Johnson's handling of the anti-Semitism topic to be somewhat puzzling though. On several occasions, he comes out and describes exactly how Jewish actions led to anti-Semitism, and then turns around and writes the anti-Semites off as irrational bigots. That being said, he does document some of the more irrational incarnations of anti-Semitism, most notably the superstitious variety of Christian medieval Europe. It seems to me that throughout the ages, anti-Semitism has been a turbulent mishmash of the rational and irrational, part natural reaction to Jewish behaviors, and part memetic superstition that is passed on from one generation to the next.

As he goes through the different time periods, Johnson creates mini biographies of some of the most prominent Jews throughout history. Abraham, Moses, Maimonides, Spinoza, Disraeli, Marx, and Rothschild-among others-are all covered. I found his take on Marx to be especially interesting. Johnson claims that Marx's anti-Semitism was the foundation of communism. Indeed, Marx was virulently anti-Semitic-a self-hating Jew if you will-and Johnson argues that it was Marx's association of Jews with bourgeois capitalism that led him to his desire to crush capitalistic society. Then in his typical paradoxical style, he admits that Marx was a typical Jew in the sense that he was rabbinical, messianic, and apocalyptic. Indeed, he admits that there is something inherent in the Jewish character that lends itself toward radical movements such as communism.

The remaining sections were generally very good, although he does engage in a fair amount of speculation, and at times comes across as very anti-Gentile. Especially when it comes to the Germans and the Holocaust, where his analysis seems to be along the line of Goldhagen, i.e. "The German people knew about and acquiesced in the genocide." Though when it comes to his people, the Brits, Johnson can't seem to refrain from telling the reader what a good friend to the Jews they have always been. I actually found this more amusing than anything, but I digress.

My criticisms aside, I did find this to be a very scholarly and enjoyable work. Although I took off a star for Johnson's tendentiousness, I can't deny that he is a great scholar and talented writer. This is a thorough and engrossing history of the Jewish people from ancient times until the present, and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to Jew or Gentile alike.

Paul Johnson's `History of the Jews' is a well written, entertaining, and informative 4000-year history of the Jewish people. Coming in at just under 600 pages, it is exhaustive, and thus an exhausting read. Johnson makes no secret of his deep admiration for the Jews-he is a Christian who feels religiously in debt to them-and thus the entire book is written from a highly philo-Semitic perspective. The book is arranged chronologically into the following seven sections:

Part One: Israelites
Part Two: Judaism
Part Three: Cathedocracy
Part Four: Ghetto
Part Five: Emancipation
Part Six: Holocaust
Part Seven: Zion

In the Prologue, Johnson writes; "At a very early stage in their collective existence they believed they had detected a divine scheme for the human race, of which their own society was to be a pilot. They worked out their role in immense detail. They clung to it with heroic persistence in the face of savage suffering. Many of them believe it still. Others transmuted it into Promethean endeavors to raise our condition by purely human means."

Now this seems to be an accurate appraisal of the essence of Judaism, and a worldview with which Johnson agrees. He clearly believes that the Jews are God's gift to mankind and they, the enlightened ones, are here to lead the gentiles along the path to righteousness. He believes the Jews hold a "special genius" that the rest of us apparently don't. He cites their numerous contributions throughout the ages, starting with the concept of ethical monotheism, and continuing on with an "endless continuum of patient study, fruitful industry" and an untiring commitment to bettering the human condition. Of course there is some truth to the Jew's consistent intellectual proficiency, but it should be obvious that this grandiose, self-appointed scheme is inherently antagonistic and thus anti-Semitism is an inevitable result.

Although Johnson tends to downplay it at times, the book documents how Jewish actions and attitudes have played a major part in anti-Semitism since ancient times. He describes how even the ancient Greeks and Egyptians had their share of anti-Semitism due to the aloofness and subversion of this peculiar people. Of course there are and always has been irrational extremists who take anti-Semitism to a different level, but as they say, there is (at least) a grain of truth in all stereotypes, and anti-Semitism is no different. I found Johnson's handling of the anti-Semitism topic to be somewhat puzzling though. On several occasions, he comes out and describes exactly how Jewish actions led to anti-Semitism, and then turns around and writes the anti-Semites off as irrational bigots. That being said, he does document some of the more irrational incarnations of anti-Semitism, most notably the superstitious variety of Christian medieval Europe. It seems to me that throughout the ages, anti-Semitism has been a turbulent mishmash of the rational and irrational, part natural reaction to Jewish behaviors, and part memetic superstition that is passed on from one generation to the next.

As he goes through the different time periods, Johnson creates mini biographies of some of the most prominent Jews throughout history. Abraham, Moses, Maimonides, Spinoza, Disraeli, Marx, and Rothschild-among others-are all covered. I found his take on Marx to be especially interesting. Johnson claims that Marx's anti-Semitism was the foundation of communism. Indeed, Marx was virulently anti-Semitic-a self-hating Jew if you will-and Johnson argues that it was Marx's association of Jews with bourgeois capitalism that led him to his desire to crush capitalistic society. Then in his typical paradoxical style, he admits that Marx was a typical Jew in the sense that he was rabbinical, messianic, and apocalyptic. Indeed, he admits that there is something inherent in the Jewish character that lends itself toward radical movements such as communism.

The remaining sections were generally very good, although he does engage in a fair amount of speculation, and at times comes across as very anti-Gentile. Especially when it comes to the Germans and the Holocaust, where his analysis seems to be along the line of Goldhagen, i.e. "The German people knew about and acquiesced in the genocide." Though when it comes to his people, the Brits, Johnson can't seem to refrain from telling the reader what a good friend to the Jews they have always been. I actually found this more amusing than anything, but I digress.

My criticisms aside, I did find this to be a very scholarly and enjoyable work. Although I took off a star for Johnson's tendentiousness, I can't deny that he is a great scholar and talented writer. This is a thorough and engrossing history of the Jewish people from ancient times until the present, and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to Jew or Gentile alike.

A History of the Jews is an excellent book to read and study. As a Christian it helps me to understand reading and studying the bible more clearly. I have always enjoyed history and I personally recommend this book.

I managed to read less than a half and all the way I had very strong sensation the author is not really familiar with the subject, he is making mistakes very characteristic for non-professional, amateur attitude. As if he doesn't really care about adhering to the reliable sources because he's got some really interesting and important tale to tell.

I managed to read less than a half and all the way I had very strong sensation the author is not really familiar with the subject, he is making mistakes very characteristic for non-professional, amateur attitude. As if he doesn't really care about adhering to the reliable sources because he's got some really interesting and important tale to tell.

As some review has already mentioned the books starts from the gross blunder, the first pages states Joseph to be son of Leah
The rest doesn't look reliable either
I am going to be pretty harsh on him:
It makes an impression of some graphomaniac person with no academic training and much passion for writing history books, which wakes up one morning and decides to write 500 pages on Jewish history, piles up hundred of history books, goes over them unsystematically and comes up finally with some sort of compilation and his unrelated opinions.
Just consider a phrase like "Jesus founded Christianity" and think if it's worth reading.
I'm sorry I didn't look more closely before buying this book, because then I'd find out that the author has already written on other unrelated topics like history of American people, of English people, of Christianity, Birth of Modern.
And, by the way, there is not one word of who Paul M.Johnson is by training, education or occupation. Why, actually, should I be interested what Mr.Johnson thinks about History of the Jews and buy his book?

As some review has already mentioned the books starts from the gross blunder, the first pages states Joseph to be son of Leah
The rest doesn't look reliable either
It makes an impression of some graphomaniac person with no academic training and much passion for writing history books, which wakes up one morning and decides to write 500 pages on Jewish history, piles up hundred of history books, goes over them unsystematically and comes up finally with some sort of compilation and his unrelated opinions.
I'm sorry I didn't look more closely before buying this book, because then I'd find out that the author has already written on other unrelated topics like history of American people, of English people, of Christianity, Birth of Modern.
And, by the way, there is not one word of who Paul M.Johnson is by training, education or occupation. Why, actually, should I be interested what Mr.Johnson thinks about History of the Jews and buy his book?

The book came very quickly and was packaged well. Service excellent. Book was in excellent condition, even better than advertised. I appreciate the professional service.

The book came very quickly and was packaged well. Service excellent. Book was in excellent condition, even better than advertised. I appreciate the professional service.

With one gleaning only the word "cathedocracy" from this penetrating survey makes the book worthwhile. Mr.Johnson conceptualizes the Jewish people as a class of scholars/professors striving to actualize the teachings of the Torah in everyday life. The book reflects a breathtaking examination of what has been written about the Jewish people in English, incorporating most if not all of the current scholarship.

It is well known amongst Jewish scholars and Sages that Israel was choosen amongst the all the nations, first and formost for their obidience and then their willingness to accept the yoke of the Tora without knowing really what it entailed. Hence, we have Abraham as our Father, and an example of the rock that we as Jews were hewn from...Amonay (G-D) loved Abraham and the subsecuent Patriarch and Matriarchs who brought for the legions of Yisrael, and through them and us, would all the nations be blessed. "Blessed" here in this context is more or less a legal transaction, not just a feeling. It is a state of Harmony, and perpetual peace and prosperity. As we all know this has not happened yet. Not for Israel nor for the Nations. When Christobal Colon went on his jurneys to of discovery, he took with his certain Converso navigators and shipmen, who were well versed in Hebrew, a forbidden language by the Universal Church of Christ. They prohibited every form of Jewish observance from territories belonging to the Universal Church of Christ, deeming it the "devils work" etc.,etc. That didn't stop the crypto Jews that were with Colon ( colon too being a crypto Jew) to dream about what could perhaps a discovery not of Gold or Silver, but more importantly the Lost tribes of Israel. If only they could find them, this would surely bring about the emergance of the long expected Messiah. While the Nations were expecting to make it big monetarily wise, the Jews and crypto Jews back in Europe had other more important Messianic expectaions. Why?
Because the temporal feelings of grandeur and success are just that temporal. In the life of observant Jews the emphasis is working towards the Eternal...This is what we have taught to the Nations through our Holy Scriptures. Of course, we can't take all the credit ourselves. It was an act of mutual relationship with Amony Eloheinu Melech haOlam, The L-RD G-D King of The Universe, blessed be He, who saw it fit to fellowship with a certain breed of men/women known legally as Benai Yisrael (sons of Israel). As history has shown, and what was expected by the jews, i.e., the discovery of the Americas did not bring about the Blessedness that has been promised to the Nations through Scripture. In fact, it brought total destruction to the Americas native inhabitants. Fray Bartolome de Las Casa, a Converso Jew, Chronicled the utter chaos of what the Spaniards and Portuguese perpetrated upon the New World, more than twenty five million deaths.
Johnson's book while well written, can not be taken as a true Jewish historical account, it lacks the sensitivity that only a Jew can comprehend. His reference to the "Old" Testament, is church influenced anti-Semitism, better known as replacement theology. Logically, the New in this case, Testament, replaces the Old Testament. For us Jews, these are clear indicators that the Author is clearly not objective in his writtings. I have to hand it to Johnson though on a different level, he really tried to capture the spirit of our History. I can recommend this book, but with reservations that it is a Masterful account of the outsider looking in, who is subject to undeniable biases which cannot be overlooked.

To anyone who wishes to succumb to the siren song of anti-Semitism, I heartily recommend this book as an antidote. Paul Johnson brilliantly condenses four millenia of Jewish history into several hundred pages, and in so doing pulls off the impressive feat of stuffing his book with fascinating information about the history of this long-suffering people, while simultaneously maintaining and developing several predominant themes (Jewish tenacity and courage, their moral and intellectual contributions to numerous civilizations, their determination to maintain a sense of self-worth amidst adversity) throughout the text. The end result is that Jews who are either unaware of or (as is regrettably the case on occasions) ashamed of their heritage can read this book and feel pride in who they are and what their people have accomplished, while non-Jews can peruse this same text and come away with a greater appreciation not only of the struggles of the Jewish people, but also of the larger scope of human history in general. A fantastic book.

Historian Paul Johnson provides an extremely well written, in depth investigation into the 4,000 year history of the Jewish people.

This is an incredible study, written with due precision and well worth a place in anyone's library.

From a Christian perspective the author acknowledges at the outset the enormous depth that Christianity owes to Judaism and his discovery that, contrary to his earlier teachings, the New Testament had not replaced the Old.

Within the context of Jewish ancestry, the author cites early in the text of this excellent work that "the Jews are thus the only people in the world today who possess a historical record, however obscure in places, which allows them to trace their origins back into very remote times".

The study, spanning some 600 pages, reaches back to the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) and the Genesis account, before extending through the millenia to the present day. The periods of exile and the rebirth of their historic Jewish nation/homeland are also commendably studied together with the ongoing regathering of the physical descendants of Israel to their historic homeland.

Further content includes the Arab/Israeli conflict, wars and ongoing terrorism including anti-Semitism within the surrounding Arab/Islamic world and the role of the UN.

Attention is also paid to the immense contribution of Jews to science, physiology and medicine etc., etc. and the subsequent awards of numerable Nobel prizes.

It becomes evident as the reader progresses through this study that, despite the Diaspora, a Jewish presence has remained in their ancient homeland throughout antiquity, showing the Jews to be the only truly indigenous people in the Land. A worthy factor to be considered by students of this subject.

The book comprises of seven major sections (each with sub-sections of it's own), namely;
Part One; Israelites.
Part Two; Judaism.
Part Three; Cathedocracy.
Part Four; Ghetto.
Part Five; Emancipation.
Part Six; Holocaust.
Part Seven; Zion.

Through the immense content, the reader is provided with a considerably detailed account of how, despite innumerable pograms, forced conversions, persecutions, ethnic cleansing from somenations during their Diaspora, and even the more recent pursuit of their genocide in Europe, the Jews have still retained their distinctive nationality, recognizable identity and traceable ancestry.

Reference is made to how, wherever & whenver possible, Jewish communities have still continued in their Jewish lifestyle, religious practicies, traditions, feasts and festivals.

The reader is shown how since the Diaspora beginning some 2,000 years ago, at Passover the Jews have optimistically looked forward to leaving their homes in exile and celebrating the "next Passover in Jerusalem", fulfilling the ancient dream of being a free people in their own land.

"Next year in Jerusalem" being the wish of Diaspora Jews, scattered from their homeland yet acknowledging their spiritual and historical home is Israel, specifically, Jerusalem.

Psalm 137 referred to as the well-known lament of the Babylonian Jews who wept "by the rivers of Babylon" and declared, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither...."

The attempts throughout history, not least during the Holocaust, to destroy or assimilate the Jewish people are given due attemption. The failure of such being documented. That said the study shows in no uncertain terms that this process of hatred is still ongoing, citing the anti-Semitism in the Arab world and the international community, not forgetting the UN itself.

The plight of exiled Jews under both Islam and the Church also receive due recognition. Not least of these are the "dhimmi" status of Jews in Islamic nations and how the "Christian" doctrine of "replacement" theology (where Israel is replaced in Scripture by the Church etc.) gave rise to so much anti-Semitism.

The reader receives an awareness from the text of how "replacing" Israel within some "Christian" teachings is an expedient way of de-legitimising the place of the Jews in the Hebrew Christian Scriptures. Similarly the reader also sees how any talk of alleged assimilation of the Jews with the peoples of the lands to which they had been exiled, expediently invalidates any claims that the Jews of today are the people of antiquity returning to the homeland of their ancestors. The considerable detail provided shows such alleged assimilation to be a myth.

It is impossible to avoid noticing from the text how so many entities, religions and nations have done their utmost to destroy the Jewish people and to ridicule the place of the Jews within the Scriptures and cast disdain upon Israel as a nation within the Middle East.

Might I respectfully recommend to those interested in the issues addressed here, an excellent book by Professor Moshe Gil entitled "A History of Palestine, 634-1099".

This outstanding work details how, again despite the Diaspora, at the time of the Muslim conquest in 7th century AD the majority of the population of what was then "Palestine" was indeed Jewish. Jews who referred to the Land as al-Sham (the Samaritans also being inclusive in this majority).

The Jewish population itself illustrated to not only be "survivors from the revolt against the Romans", but also to consist of the "direct descendants" of the generations of Jews who had lived there since the days of Joshua bin Nun.

In other words, a continual Jewish presence spanning some 2,000 years prior to the Islamic conquest. Thank you for your time.

In this magisterial work, Johnson chronicles the long and bitter path of the Jewish people from the time of Abraham. A thorough and exhaustive work, it explores, amongst other things, monotheism, the concept of the sanctity of life, the Israelite prophets, the birth of Christianity, the Enlightenment, the Holocaust and the establishment of modern Israel.

The narrative is compelling on many levels, as a work of general history, as a tome of metaphysical and philosophical thought and in its discussions of historic personalities. The seven chapters are: Israelites, Judaism, Cathedocracy, Ghetto, Emancipation, Holocaust, and Zion.

The scope of History Of The Jews is too vast and its insights too edifying to be summarized in a short review. To do it justice, it needs a review the size of a small book! The question posed by the author in the Prologue: Is there a providential plan of which we are the agents?, is answered with a resounding yes when one reaches the end.

I enjoyed Part Seven: Zion, the most, as it charts the events leading to the restoration of Israel and this brave little country's survival against impossible odds. Those who do not see a divine hand behind the history of the 20th century must be wilfully blind.

If this were the only book he had written, Paul Johnson would still be a hero and a genius in my eyes. His account of the terrible suffering and the awesome contribution to mankind of the Jewish people will stand the test of time. But history is still being written despite the fatuous title of Fukuyama's famous book. There is hope that God's miracle nation will play a greater and happier part in the future.

This masterpiece concludes with a postscript, a glossary, extensive source notes and a thorough index.

As Johnson clearly states in the beginning of this book, it was written after the author understood that Judaism was the father religion to Christianism. The isolated character of the Jewish people gave birth to an ecumenic belief afther refusing to share the universal ideas of the helenic civilization during the roman empire. This book is an academic work that, because of it's content, turns into a saga, the drama of mankind in it's depredation of mankind itself.
The history of the jews is plagued with irony, blood, fascinating stories of survival and enmancipation. This book narrates one of the most fascinating aspects of history, how the jews have managed to survive every depredation sent against them since much before our era. I think that the role of jews throughout the entire history of mankind might enlighten many other aspects for the avid history reader. I would consider this book a must read for anyone interested in history.

Some of you probably read this 15 years ago, but I just got hold of it a few days ago and couldn't put it down til I finished it yesterday. Its one of those highly anecdotal, tart, opinionated, under-footnoted, rambling British style histories, like Owen Chadwick's Secularization of the European Mind, or Peter Brown on Augustine, or one of Thomas Cahill's popular books. I'm sure Johnson is way off at points (I don't know enough to know where). And he is way to sympathetic to his subject to be balanced. He's a neo-con politically, spending the early '80s with the American Enterprise Institute, hanging out with Zionist Jews like Irving Kristol.

So, for example, even though Johnson is a professing Christian (Catholic I think I heard?) he always minimizes every single conversion of a Jew to Christianity as an insincere move for self-protection. So he treats Disraeli's baptism cynically, and never mentions his deep, life-long commitment to Christianity. Same for Mendelsohm and others.

But, overall, VERY readable. Extremely interesting. The constant emphasis on anti-Semitism is very sobbering.

Every day in the United States where I live, and in thousands of places around the world, people start their day by reading the Bible. And yet few understand the history of the people responsible for it and how they came to be who they are. They are the Jews.

A HISTORY OF THE JEWS is a remarkable and lucid description of these remarkable people. Like Mr. Johnson's other books of history, this one covers the entire subject from the start to the present day.

He begins with the stories as they are conveyed in the Bible and picks up where there are secular sources to rely on. We are told about the ancient Jews that were squeezed between more powerful peoples on all sides. Then we are told about the rise of the Jewish Kings in response to the constant threats of invasion. After the Jews were beaten and dispersed, we are told in detail how they bounced around Europe, neither wealthy nor powerful, but constantly vigilant and adaptive. Then, Mr. Johnson offers a clear, easily understood history of the culmination of the wanderings of the Jews of Europe. It was called the Holocaust, and it set the stage for the history of the Jews that we live with now. According to Johnson, the modern nation of Israel is the result of thousands of years of Jew hating. After the Holocaust, it became clear to the world, especially the survivors, that if there wasn't a safe place of the Jews, they might not make it as a people.

If one wants to understand anti-Semitism, this book is a must. It puts the constant conflicts in the Middle East into a valuable context and fills in a major piece of Western history. It is a wonderful read and will sweep away much misinformation.

This is probably the most comprehensive history of the Jewish people out there contained in a single book. It contains an overview of the biblical record and covers the diaspora, medieval period, foundings of Zionism, the Holocaust as well as a decent description of the events leading up to problems in the Middle East that endure to this day. It is definitely not light reading, however, and events are not always described in chronological order. For these reasins I only gave it 4 stars, but it deserves a strong 4.5.

Paul Johnson's books always offer vivid portraits of diverse peoples, places, and events. The breadth and variety is what makes his books such great reads. One of his best achievements is "A History of the Jews." Although Johnson is a practicing Christian, this has not prevented him from writing a very interesting, worthwhile, engaging and fair history of the Jewish people. The book covers very well the early history of the Jews, beginning with the Israelites of biblical times through developments in Jewish thought and migration in medieval times. He also covers well how the Jewish people and Jewish traditions evolved in the modern era, culminating in one of civilization's greatest evils, the Holocaust, followed by one of the greatest achievements of any people in our time: the creation of the modern state of Israel. Johnson's book is a very important survey that everyone should have the privilege of reading. But one area where Johnson writes far too little is about what happened to the Jewish people who remained in Poland following the Second World War only to become scapegoats of a desperate Communist government. An excellent book on this topic is Arthur Wolak's "Forced Out: The Fate of Polish Jewry in Communist Poland."

I probably would not have become aware of this excellent book, had not some Jewish friends recommended the AISH.com website to me, thinking no doubt that I needed a more balanced view about Jewish history. I am grateful to them for so doing! One of the most interesting items on that website was ?Crash Course in Jewish History? by Rabbi Ken Spiro in which he recommended many books including this one. I ended up buying not only his book, ?World Perfect ? The Jewish Impact on Civilization? - (ISBN 0-7573-0056-1), but several others including this book. Up to this point in time, my knowledge of Jewish History ended with the first Jewish revolt against the Romans, and I was almost completely ignorant about their history after that. I read Rabbi Spiro?s book first, mainly because it was shorter, and I am glad I did, because it prepared me very well for reading this very detailed book on Jewish history.

I particularly like the structure of the book which is in seven nicely delineated parts ? Israelites, Judaism, Cathedocracy, Ghetto, Emancipation, Holocaust, and Zion. It was not until midway through the section on Judaism, that I realised that I would have to be a little more rigorous in my reading of the book, because not only was there a wealth of detail about Jewish scholars and notables, but there was also considerable explanation of their basic philosophy which I needed to properly understand in order to avoid being overwhelmed.

So I set up my own dictionary of people in a PC workfiles, as well as looking up what websites there were about them. This was an interesting exercise, and I found a lot of useful supplementary information to fill in some details about the lives of these individuals. The task became even greater when I reached the middle of the Emancipation on because the number of names seemed to be increasing on every page! This is not a criticism of the book, because it quite convincingly demonstrated the enormous contribution that the Jewish people have made to our civilisation, particularly since the beginning of the 18th century.

I found this book to be balanced, sympathetic, and thorough. Johnson describes in detail the sorry catalog of horrors that the Jews have suffered over the last 2500 years in Europe and Asia, as well as the beliefs and philosophy of their leading scholars from the time of the first Jewish revolt against the Romans to the modern era. How the various Jewish communities responded to the many difficult predicaments they faced firstly with the Roman Empire, then with the Christian Church, then with Islam, and finally with the Christian States of Europe which have emerged during the last 800 years or so, is told with great sympathy and understanding.

Johnson provides ample detail on the contribution of the Jew and Judaism to the philosophy, the culture, and the development of democratic ideals of the modern democracies (which is also the main theme of Rabbi Spiro?s book). His theme is that time and time again, Jewish communities, even though there were usually major restrictions on their activities, would find ways to make a living and to be useful to the monarchy and the nobility, who then would use them as scapegoats when major economic and social disasters struck. In particular, he shows how the basic arguments and slanders used by the Medieval Church were used and embellished by later anti-Semites. While anti-Semitism is not the major theme of this book, it does, in my view, deal with the problem fairly and squarely, and particularly well for the past 200 years or so, when eastern Jews began to emerge from their ghettos in increasing numbers. His description and explanation of the rising anti-Semitism during the 19th century, and its sudden emergence in Germany culminating in the Holocaust was particularly careful and thoughtful.

His account of the roots of the seemingly never ending Middle East crisis and the creation of the State of Israel was even handed and sensitive, and I think it extremely important to be as well informed as possible about the root causes of this struggle in order to determine what should be done about it today. He makes the point that the rise of Arab nationalism after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire took place a little later than that of Jewish nationalism, but that it was nevertheless latent during the early 20th century when Theodor Herzl and his successors were making great efforts to push for the creation of a Jewish state in ?Eretz Israel?. I was not aware of many of the events of the 30 years leading up to the creation of the state of Israel, and while I was generally familiar with the first 25 years of its existence, I was certainly not well informed of all the details. I found Johnson?s description of the wars of survival, the religious parties, and population growth, a useful reminder of the internal as well as external issues which Israel currently faces.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting, it provided the depth of detail I was looking for, and it met my expectations completely. I am sure there are many other books on Jewish history which I would find equally absorbing, but this is the one I happened to choose first. I am happy to have read it and would thoroughly recommend it to all potential readers, whatever their religious beliefs or upbringing.