Judaism A Short History

by Cohn-Sherbok, Lavinia; Cohn-Sherbok, Dan

• ISBN13: 9781851682065
• ISBN10: 1851682066
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-07-27
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Summary

This book covers all the elements of Jewish history, from the times of thencient Middle East, Mesopotamia and Babylon, to the Jewish diaspora today.t opens with a consideration of the background to the Jewish faith, and itsmergence from the Ancient Middle East. It then considers the Pentateuch, itsrigins, status, and the various different sources. The book then moves on tohe themes of conquest and exile, through the Northern Kingdom, theabylonian conquest and the Maccabean Revolt. Chapter 5 considers Rabbinicudaism and the Academy at Javneb, while Chapter 6 examines the dispersion ofews, in the Roman Empire, under early Islamic rule, and in Christian Europe.hapter 7 studies the Jewish philosophical tradition, while Chapter 8utlines the origins of Jewish mysticism, including information on theabbalah and the Zohar. Chapter 9 is a study of Jewry in Eastern Europe,hile Chapter 10 addresses progressive Judaism and the Reform Movement.hapters 11 and 12 deal with Anti-Semitism, Zionism and the Holocaust; theook closes with a consideration of the challenges facing the Jewish

Author Biography

Dan Cohn-Sherbok is a widely published and eminent scholar of Judaism. He is currently Professor of Judaism at the University of Wales at Lampeter and visiting Professor of Interfaith Dialogue at Middlesex University Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok is a writer and teacher specializing in Judaism and Jewish issues.

Table of Contents

Notes on abbreviations in dates	viii
The Middle Eastern Background	1	(10)
Canaan and its neighbours	1	(2)
Archaeology of the ancient Middle East	3	(1)
Law in Mesopotamia and Babylon	4	(2)
Ancient Middle Eastern religion	6	(2)
The emergence of the Jews	8	(3)
The Pentateuch	11	(10)
The status of the Pentateuch in Jewish theology	11	(2)
The authorship of the Pentateuch	13	(1)
The JE sources	14	(2)
The D source	16	(2)
The P source	18	(3)
From Conquest to Exile	21	(10)
Conquest and settlement	21	(2)
The united monarchy	23	(2)
The divided monarchy	25	(1)
The end of the Northern Kingdom	26	(2)
The Babylonian conquest	28	(3)
From Restoration to Destruction	31	(10)
Exile	31	(2)
Return and renewal	33	(1)
The Maccabean revolt and its aftermath	34	(2)
Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes	36	(2)
The Jewish war	38	(3)
Rabbinic Judaism	41	(10)
The academy at Javneh	41	(2)
The Mishnah	43	(1)
Rabbinic interpretation of scripture	44	(2)
The academies	46	(2)
The Talmud	48	(3)
The Dispersion	51	(11)
Jews in the Roman Empire	51	(2)
Jews under early Islamic rule	53	(1)
Karaism	54	(2)
The golden age of Spanish Jewry	56	(2)
Jews in Christian Europe	58	(4)
The Jewish Philosophical Tradition	62	(10)
Rabbinic theology	62	(2)
Saadiah Gaon	64	(1)
The Jewish philosophers of mediaeval Spain	65	(2)
Moses Maimonides and the Maimonidean controversy	67	(2)
Later Jewish philosophy	69	(3)
Mysticism	72	(10)
Early Rabbinic mysticism	72	(2)
The Hasidei Ashkenaz	74	(1)
The emergence of the Zohar	75	(2)
Lurianic Kabbalah	77	(2)
Shabbetai Zevi, the mystical Messiah	79	(3)
The Hasidim and the Mitnaggdim	82	(10)
Jewry in Eastern Europe	82	(2)
The rise of the Hasidic movement	84	(1)
Hasidic beliefs and practices	85	(2)
The Vilna Gaon and the Mitnaggdim	87	(2)
The shtetl, the yeshivah and the musar movement	89	(3)
The Enlightenment and Progressive Judaism	92	(10)
The Jewish community in Western Europe	92	(2)
The Haskalah	94	(2)
The growth of the Reform movement	96	(2)
The development of Reform Judaism in the United States	98	(1)
Opposition to Reform	99	(3)
Anti-Semitism and Zionism	102	(10)
The rise of anti-Semitism	102	(2)
Pogroms and emigration	104	(1)
Theodor Herzl and the Zionist dream	105	(2)
The Zionist movement	107	(2)
The impact of World War I on the Jewish community	109	(3)
The Holocaust and its Aftermath	112	(10)
Nazi anti-Semitism	112	(2)
The final solution	114	(2)
The creation of the State of Israel	116	(2)
Jewish thought after the Holocaust	118	(1)
The Jewish community after World War II	119	(3)
Problems of the Jewish Community Today	122	(11)
The problem of Jewish identity	122	(2)
Divisions within the Diaspora community	124	(2)
The survival of the State of Israel	126	(2)
Rescuing threatened communities	128	(2)
Judaism and feminism	130	(3)
Afterword	133	(4)
Glossary	137	(9)
Index	146