A Short History of Judaism and the Jewish People

✍ Scribed by Steven Leonard Jacobs

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 249
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In this exciting addition to Bloomsbury's Short Histories series, Steven Leonard Jacobs critically yet concisely examines the history of Judaism and the Jewish people, drawing from maps, photographs and archives to illuminate the history of one of the world's oldest religions. Beginning by establishing a definition of Judaism, Jacobs explores the historiography of the Jewish people, in addition to the role of memory in charting history. Including a comprehensive breakdown of the history of Judaism, the author splits discussion into defined eras, taking readers from the beginnings of Judaism, to the split between Judah in the South and Israel in the North, the united Monarchy, and the Age of the Prophets. Exploring the social structures and institutions of ancient Israel, Jacobs incorporates key themes such as civic life, economics, and art – before analysing the interactions of Judaism with Romanism and Hellenism. Moving through the Middle Ages and Pre-Modernity, and acknowledging the role of key figures such as Yosef Karo and Moses Mendelssohn, this book brings the narrative up to the present day, and uncovers the foundations of Judaism in modernity. Jacobs' authoritative yet engaging prose shines through each of the thirteen chapters, which seamlessly intertwine to produce a thorough yet concise examination of the history of Judaism and Jewish peoples.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
About the book
A Short History of . . .
Title page
Copyright page
Contents
Acknowledgments
1 INTRODUCTION
THE OPERATING DEFINITION OF JUDAISM
SOCIOLOGICALLY SPEAKING
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LITERARY TRADITION
THE CENTRALITY OF THE GOD OF ISRAEL
JUDAISM, JEWISH PEOPLE, AND GOD
HISTORIOGRAPHY, THE JEWS, AND JUDAISM
HISTORY AND MEMORY
ISRAELITES, HEBREWS, HABIRU (HAPIRU, ’APIRU), SHASU, JUDEANS, AND JEWS—AND “JEWISH GENETICS”40
NOTES
2 BEGINNINGS UNTIL THE MONARCHY
WHAT ARE WE TO DO WITH THE TORAH/HEBREW BIBLE/OLD TESTAMENT?
BEGINNINGS UNTIL THE MONARCHY
THE “FOUNDERS”
AND GOD AS WELL
MIGRATORY TRIBES
EGYPTIAN MONARCHY
CONFEDERATION OF TRIBES
THE SPLIT BETWEEN JUDAH IN THE SOUTH AND ISRAEL IN THE NORTH: AFTER THE MONARCHY
NOTES
3 KINGDOMS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL
BEFORE THE MONARCHY: THE TIME OF THE JUDGES
THE UNITED MONARCHY: ~ 1047–930 BCE
REIGN OF SAUL: ~ 1047–1010 BCE
REIGN OF DAVID: ~ 1008–970 BCE
REIGN OF SOLOMON: ~ 970–931 BCE
SACRIFICIAL WORSHIP IN ANCIENT ISRAEL
DOWNFALL OF THE TWO KINGDOMS
THE ASSYRIAN CAPTIVITY: ~ 721 BCE
THE AGE OF THE PROPHETS
THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY: ~ 586 BCE
NOTES
4 SOCIAL STRUCTURES AND INSTITUTIONS OF ANCIENT ISRAEL
BY WAY OF AN INTRODUCTION: ETHNOGENESIS
TRIBES AND PATRIARCHAL STRUCTURES
RISE OF URBANIZATION
FAMILY AND LIFE CYCLE
CIVIC LIFE: GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY
ECONOMICS AND SLAVERY
LAW
CULTURE
RELIGION35
NOTES
5 BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FIRST TEMPLE TO ALEXANDER THE GREAT
INTRODUCTION
THE AGE OF THE PROPHETS
BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
LIFE IN EXILE
RETURN TO PALESTINE
EZRA AND NEHEMIAH
RETURN TO ZION: YEHUD MEDINATA
NOTES
6 THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD AND THE CONFLICTS WITH “HELLENISM” AND “ROMANISM”
PHILIP AND ALEXANDER
THE CONFLICT WITH “HELLENISM”
PHILO AND THE SEPTUAGINT
HASMONEAN REVOLT AND RULE: THE MACCABEES
THE CASE OF THE SAMARITANS
THE CONFLICT WITH “ROMANISM”
OPPRESSION UNDER ROMAN RULE
SADDUCEES, PHARISEES, ESSENES, AND ZEALOTS
DESTRUCTION OF THE SECOND TEMPLE
JOSEPHUS
LEGEND OF YOHANAN BEN ZAKKAI
THE QUESTION OF CANONIZATION
DEAD SEA SCROLLS
APOCRYPHAL AND PSEUDEPIGRAPHICAL LITERATURE
THE KITOS WAR: 115–117 CE
THE BAR KOKHBA REVOLT: 132–136 CE
MISHNAH AND TALMUDS
THE QUESTION OF GRAECO-ROMAN ANTISEMITISM
NOTES
7 AFTERMATH OF THE ROMAN WAR TO THE SEVENTH CENTURY
RISE OF RABBINICAL ACADEMIES
CONSTANTINE, CHRISTIANITY, AND THE EDICT OF MILAN
EMERGENCE OF ISLAM
MIZRAHIM AND SEPHARDIM: A LESSER-KNOWN STORY TO ASHKENAZIM1
NOTES
8 THE EIGHTH TO THE FIFTEENTH CENTURIES: THE MIDDLE AGES
THE FIRST CRUSADE AND TOO MANY MORE
LATER CRUSADES AND JEWISH OPPRESSION
DEICIDE AND BLOOD LIBEL/RITUAL MURDER
A GOLDEN AGE10
THE INQUISITIONS—SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
JEWISH MYSTICISM: KABBALAH AND ZOHAR
KARAITES AND KARAISM
JEWISH EXPULSIONS AND DIASPORAS
NOTES
9 THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES: THE MIDDLE AGES AND TRANSITIONS
INTERNAL JEWISH DYNAMICS
WHY SO? BARUCH SPINOZA AND URIEL DA COSTA
YOSEF KARO AND MOSES ISSERLES
THE COUNCIL OF THE FOUR LANDS
THE KHMELNYTSKY MASSACRES
FURTHER CHRISTIAN PERSECUTIONS
MARTIN LUTHER AND THE JEWS
FALSE MESSIAHS
SABBATAI SEVI, SABBATEANS, AND DÖNME
THE EMDEN–EYBESCHÜTZ CONTROVERSY
JACOB FRANK, EVE FRANK, FRANKISTS, AND FRANKISM
NOTES
10 THE EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES: PRE-MODERNITY TO MODERNITY
FRANCE AND THE ASSEMBLY OF JEWISH NOTABLES: THE GRAND SANHEDRIN
PERIOD OF JEWISH EMANCIPATION
MOSES MENDELSSOHN
A DARK TURN
THE PROTOCOLS OF THE LEARNED ELDERS OF ZION
FOUR JEWISH MOVEMENTS
CHAIM NACHMAN BIALIK
SHOLOM ALEICHEM
SAUL TCHERNICHOVSKY
FRANCE, L’AFFAIRE DREYFUS, AND ZIONISM
ZIONISM AND THEODOR HERZL
TWO OTHER MODERN JEWISH RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS
NOTES
11 THE TWENTIETH AND TWENTY-FIRST CENTURIES AND BEYOND: MODERNITY
IMMIGRATION AND EMIGRATION
ANTISEMITISM IN EUROPE
GERMANY, THE SECOND WORLD WAR, AND THE HOLOCAUST/SHOAH
THE PROBLEM OF DEFINITION
HOLOCAUST DENIALISM
THE AMERICAN JEWISH STORY5
THE ISRAELI JEWISH STORY10
NOTES
12 THE TWENTY-FIRST-CENTURY MOMENT AND BEYOND AND CONCLUSIONS
AMERICAN, ISRAELI, AND WORLDWIDE JEWISH SURVIVAL
AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITIES
STATE OF ISRAEL
JEWS WORLDWIDE
ANTISEMITISM: HATRED OLD AND NEW
THE MIDDLE EAST: ISRAEL AND HER NEIGHBORS
CONCLUSIONS
Bibliography
Index