Location: Home > Religion & Spirituality > General > Jews, God, and History

Jews, God, and History

Author: Max I Dimont
Publisher: ROC (imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc)
Category: Book

List Price: ~~Ł4.99~~
Buy New: Ł1.78
You Save: Ł3.21 (64%)

New (24) Used (8) Collectible (1) from Ł1.78

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

7 reviews
Sales Rank: 180950

Media: Paperback
Edition: 2nd Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 592
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.4 x 1

ISBN: 0451529405
Dewey Decimal Number: 909.04924
EAN: 9780451529404
ASIN: 0451529405

Publication Date: August 7, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: 100% Brand New! Delivery from USA in 1-3 weeks via airmail

Also Available In:

•	Paperback - Jews, God, and History
•	Unknown Binding - Jews, God and History
•	Paperback - Jews, God, and History
•	Paperback - Jews, God, and History
•	Paperback - Jews, God, and History
•	Paperback - Jews, God, and History
•	Paperback - Jews, God, and History
•	Paperback - Jews- God and History
•	Paperback - Jews- God and History
•	Paperback - Jews God and History
•	Paperback - Dimont I Max : Jews God and History (Signet)
•	Paperback - Jews, God and History
•	Paperback - Jews, God and History
•	Hardcover - Jews, God and History
•	Unknown Binding - Jews, God, And History
•	Unknown Binding - Jews, God, and history
•	Paperback - Jews, God, and History

Similar Items:

•	The Jewish Holidays
•	Jewish Wisdom: The Essential Teachings and How They Have Shaped the Jewish Religion, Its People, Culture and History
•	The First Jewish Catalogue
•	The Jewish Study Bible: Featuring the Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation: College Edition (Bible Hebrew)
•	The Amazing Adventures of the Jewish People

Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Israel lives! March 29, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This popular history of the Jewish people succeeds in bringing the four thousand year saga alive for the general reader. The author observes that even though the furniture of the West may be Greek, the house of Western civilization is Jewish. One of the questions examined in this book is: How did the Jewish people survive the disappearance of every civilization in which they lived? The following six eras are discussed in the Preface: the Pagan World, Greco-Roman civilization, Diaspora, Islam, European Middle Ages and the Modern Age. Dimont accepts the psychoanalytic, philosophical and existentialist interpretation of history that holds that ideas motivate mankind and shape history.

Part One: The Portable God, explores the age of paganism, the origin of the Hebrews and of monotheism and the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, until the coming of the Greeks and the clash of Greek and Hebrew culture. In Part Two: Age Of The Apikorsim, he looks at the survival of Jewish culture and religion under the Greeks, the Roman take-over of the land, the destruction of Jerusalem and the various Jewish revolts until the final banishment from the Holy Land.

Part 3: Moses, Christ and Caesar investigates the birth of Christianity as a Jewish sect, how the religions were separated during the aforementioned wars and revolts and the spread and ultimate triumph of Christianity in Europe. The next section, Invisible World Of The Talmud, explains how Judaism and Jewish identity were preserved in the diaspora by means of Talmudic learning.

In Part 5: Mohammed, Allah and Jehovah, the author covers the rise of Islam and the Arab expansion, the golden era of Jewish scholarship and the end of that period with the Mongol invasion of the Middle East and the Christian reconquest of Spain, whilst the following, The Prince And The Yellow Star, considers the Middle Ages, Crusades, Renaissance and Reformation. It also examines the role of the Jewish people in the feudal age and the origin of Kabalah.

Part 7: On The Horns Of Modern Isms, chronicles the emancipation from the ghetto to the enlightenment when Jews started occupying important positions and became intellectual leaders in Europe. This section looks at Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the United States, Nazism and finally, Zionism and the birth of the State of Israel. In the last part: Cultural Mosaic, Dimont attempts an historical explanation of the incredible survival of this miracle nation.

In his view, the first 2000 years represent that third of the Torah and Talmud which concerns priesthood and sacrifice that preserved the Hebrews from paganism. The second 2000 years had to do with that third of the Torah and Talmud that preserved ethnic identity through ritual while spreading Biblical ideas of humanism. He speculates that the last one third now remains, that part that deals with universal concepts of justice, morality and ethics.

There is an extensive bibliography divided into various sections and an index. Although here and there certain observations in the text have become a little outdated since publication, Jews, God and History remains a magisterial work and a gripping read inhabited by fascinating ideas, personalities, events and historical facts. The style is engaging and accessible throughout. I also recommend A History Of The Jews by Paul Johnson and WorldPerfect by Ken Spiro.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Popular History read March 27, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Some reviewers have quibbled about this book glossing over detail and supplements being needed. I say nonsense to this, the book does not pretend to be anything else than a popular history of the Jewish people. As the advert says, "it does exactly what it says on the tin". If you want an academic study then you will not be reading this book. What do you expect in 571 pages. The book includes bibliography,and appendix anyway !
However, without a doubt, the late Max Dimont has a great gift as a popular communicator and the book is a highly enjoyable read, in fact I would say it is unusual to read a history book as a rapid 'page turner' which this book is.
For the non academic this book is excellent.

5 out of 5 stars

Readable and Informative August 23, 1998
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Topically organized as well as chronological, this is a good introductory history. Like all general audience works, it is bound to gloss over issues that are in debate and like, much modern Jewish history, the development of modern Israel and Zionism is sanitized. Still, this is probably one of the best popular works around and quite a pleasant read.

5 out of 5 stars

The best history on the survival of the Jewish race. June 28, 1998
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Of all the Jewish histories I have read, Jews, God & History best describes the survival of not only the Jewish race and religion, but the actual idea of being Jewish. To paraphrase Joseph Heller in God Knows -- If God chose to flood the world again, Jews would learn to breath under water. This is the idea behind Max Dimont's wonderful little history (although Mr. Heller wrote God Knows after Mr. Dimont's book -- but as they say, "great minds think alike"). Read, learn and enjoy this masterpiece of Jewish history.

5 out of 5 stars

This is an outstanding introduction to Jewish history! June 12, 1998
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Max Dimont's talent is comparable to that of the late Will Durant. He manages to give an accurate sketch of Judaic history with enough flavour to make it "come alive" for the non-historian. As a Jew, I found that Dimont the scholar is factual and respectful of the subject matter while adding much-needed levity in key moments. Highly recommended, especially for the bibliography.