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5.0 out of 5 stars A Saga Of Four Thousand Years!, March 11, 2002
By
dougrhon "dougrhon"
This review is from: A History of the Jews (Paperback)
This is my third book by British historian Paul Johnson. There is no question that he is an extremely talented writer and an excellent but opinionated historian. As always this combination makes for a lively and exciting read. Johnson states in the introduction that, as a believing Christian, he feels he owes much to the Jewish people who he greatly admires. He therefore felt that he wanted to write a complete history. It proves that a good Jewish history does not need to be written by a Jew. Johnson divides Jewish history into a series of epochs, each one of which consumes a part in the book. The chapters are called "Israelites" which covers the biblical period, "Judaism" which covers the period from the building of the Second Temple through the early Christian and early Islamic period, "Cathedocracy" in which Johnson deals with the experience of the Jews under medieval Christendom and Islam, "Ghetto" which deals with the late Medieval and Renaissance period in Europe. "Emancipation" which discusses the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, "Holocaust" which needs no further explanation and "Zion" which covers not only the birth of modern Israel but also the post-war Jewish experience world wide.

This book is enormously detailed and highly opinionated. Johnson's affection for the Jewish people shines through on virtually every page. Never one to hedge on a conclusion, Johnson has opinions on everyone from Abraham to Begin. My favorite chapter was the opening one, "Israelites". Here Johnson attempts to use similarities between biblical descriptions and known facts of other ancient civilzations to demonstrate that the bible, from Abraham forward is essentially historical. This section will be of enormous interest to everyone, whatever your knowledge of the bible. The Jewish saga is the human saga. It is complete with pathos, absurdity, tragedy and triumph. It is remarkable that an ancient people could survive under such hostile conditions. Really a miracle. Johnson captures the essence of that miracle. The entire book will be of interest to those with less than complete knowledge of Jewish history. It will also be excellent reading for those who have a good knowledge of Jewish history because of Johnson's excellent writing ability. This book is well worth the money.