Kindle$4.99
Available instantly
Hardcover
$122.86
Paperback
$33.63
Read sample
Follow the authors
Paul Johnson
History of the Jews Kindle Edition
by Paul Johnson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (938)
A classic study of the Jews by a best selling author.
In this critically acclaimed book, Paul Johnson delves deep into the 4,000-year history of the Jews: a race of awe-inspiring endurance, steadfast homogeneity and loyalty and, above all, the belief that history has a purpose and humanity a destiny.
With exacting precision and enthusiasm, Paul Johnson has mapped the lives of these people from their early ancestors in the House of David, through great periods of creativity and enterprise, alienation in the ghettos, Adolf Hitler's obsession to obliterate the race, up until the present day.
This book is a powerful argument about the nature of Jewish genius, its strengths and contradictions, which brilliantly presents the entire Jewish phenomenon. It makes incisive though-provoking sense of the whole.
Review
"A tour de force. . . . A remarkable achievement." -- New York Times Book Review
"An absorbing, provocative, well-written, often moving book, an insightful and impassioned blend of history and myth, story and interpretation." -- Merle Rubin, Christian Science Monitor
"A marvelous book. . . . This is history: richly textured, provocative and wise." -- Plain Dealer
"Johnson has put together in one volume an extraordinary amount of useful information, and talks realistically about the Jews of the last four centuries, to which his devotes more than half of his book." -- New York Review of Books
"A powerful reminder of Jewish achievement throughout the ages." -- Martin Gilbert, Commentary
"Johnson brings to his subject a vitality that can't be matched in any of the professional one-volume histories. . . . His writing is dramatic without histrionics, graphic without being highly colored." -- John Gross, New York Times
From the Publisher
AUTHOR INFORMATION Paul Johnson was born in 1928 and educated at Stonyhurst and Magdalen College, Oxford. He has enjoyed a varied career, which includes army service and international journalism. He has contributed to many of the world's most famous newspapers and magazines and has travelled to all five continents to report events, interview presidents and prime ministers for the press and TV, and to lecture to academic and business audiences. He is married to the public affairs administrator Marigold Johnson and has four grown-up children.
From the Back Cover
A national bestseller, this brilliant 4000 year survey covers not only Jewish history but he impact of Jewish genius and imagination on the world. By the author of Modern Times: The World From the Twenties to the Eighties.
About the Author
Paul Johnson was born in 1928. He edited the New Statesman in the 1960s and has written over forty books. His Modern Times, a history of the world from the 1920s to the 1990s, has been translated into more than fifteen languages. As well as a weekly column in the Spectator, he contributes to newspapers all over the world.
Read less
==
==
From other countries
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 December 2018
Verified Purchase
Very good informative book about the History of Klal Yisroel. Starts from the times of the Beis Hamikdosh and ends with the modern anti- Semitic ominious portents. Would recommend to anyone seeking an in depth academic approach to the history of the Jewish people.
3 people found this helpful
Report
AMD
5.0 out of 5 stars Likely the most thorough historical account of Jewish History in a single volume
Reviewed in Canada on 1 March 2017
Verified Purchase
The first few observations I would note about this book:
- it is NOT, in my view, for Joe Lunchbox or the casual reader, as it requires a significant amount of background knowledge about certain key individuals both Jewish and Christian; including Maimonides, Nachmanides, Torquemada, Spinoza, Erasmus, Marx, to name a few
- the reason for the above is that, given the book's significant length as it stands, would make this book prohibitively lengthy were Paul Johnson to elaborate on the background details of all these men to the uninitiated; this is a point I can't stress enough. Furthermore, it is written in a very academic and scholarly prose, in a somewhat typical lofty English manner, which also lends it to a certain audience
- as such, after finishing the book, arguably each section of it could have been a book unto itself - a very concentrated history, and I found I had to search and read around some of the events separately to better understand the them and gain more insight and meaning out of the content
- the first half of the book is dedicated to history up to approximately 1800 with the the remaining half of the book dedicated to the last two centuries; although perhaps lopsided for a single volume account, I think for most readers the relevance of this breakdown is applicable for understanding the present and post WWII era generally and for the Arab-Israeli conflict more specifically (though this has its own convoluted history)
- as mentioned above, this book is very dense in the vast expanse of historical information that Johnson recounts, and he will often make, what can be argued as very subjective conclusions about Judaism and/ or Jews in a certain context, which at least one Amazon.com reviewer found irritating. But in Paul Johnson's defence, he is trying to make a specific point about a complex set of intersecting scenarios that occurred in a very different world, and often does a very fair task of this as he is meticulous in the detail and supportive evidence he provides (including a great reference section)
The format of the book has been described by others and I won't repeat the sections verbatim. Paul Johnson essentially writes the History chronologically starting with the Hebrews, then Israelites, the early Jews (as we think of them presently) starting around the time of Jeremiah, the Greek and Hasmonean periods, Roman times, very little in the Dark ages (which I have found to be common in other books of Jewish and Christian history ), the Middle Ages in what he terms Cathedocracy, and then to the Ghetto and isolation of Jews in the late Middle Ages, the Enlightenment, the emancipation movements in Europe and lastly ends with the Holocaust and its multiple causes finishing on the State of Israel - though the latter two are intermixed.
Overall, the concluding event which Paul Johnson repeatedly explains by placing, in his terms, the jigsaw pieces together, is the restitution of the Jews with the State of Israel. This is the paramount event that he argues all was heading towards since the final Roman Exile and he articulated well that it occurred in a window that was very narrow, as attempting this even a few years later may have been too late.
He also articulates very carefully, multiple times with a significant amount of support, the Jewish religion's double sided coin of "cold, sharp rationalism" and "divine revelation" and their relationship. In many ways, and diverse settings, he explains why this may be a driving force in the disprotionate high number of Jewish academics and scholars, historically.
in practical terms, and as another reviewer noted, Paul Johnson has more than scholarly knowledge of the Jewish people and their history, but rather profound visceral insight of their history - as one rabbi reviewer wrote "he gets it".
Lastly, although Paul Johnson focused his aim on the many seemingly disparate but ultimately cohesive events for the re-establishment of Israel (as in the above paragraph), I would argue he did a very good job of explaining the lead-up to the Holocaust, and why it was driven by Germany, the most advanced country in the world at the time. The legal emancipation laws in many European countries in the 19th century tore down the ghetto, but not the inimical anti-semitism of the local populations. In the Russian Empire, most importantly, the top heavy and corrupt government with their innumerable Jew-specific laws and endless decrees, especially the harsh residency laws and monopoly on the prohibition of alcohol sales allowances - their newly acquired Jews (after the Russian Empire conquered Poland and western Ukraine, where in the Pale of Settlemwnt Jews were permitted to live - not Russia proper) began a series of state run violent repressions and mob riots against these Jewish communities; as usual, the goal is ultimately to milk them of as much money and valuables as feasible - these pogroms are of cardinal importance and the haphazard administration of the mechanisms of how this system worked in practice is well explained. Those Jews who were able left the Pale, and the majority, over 2 million, settled in the US from 1880-1914; but about half the Jews remained. This incredibly cruel Russian Imperial regime fuelled a new and very dangerous movement - the Socialists and the ideologies of Marxism/ Leninism. The non-Jewish Jews, his term (and an apt one), involved many Jews who believed, or willfully disillusioned themselves, that this ideology will be the answer to anti Semitic violence, especially in the East. This act of Jewish self-abnegation is not new in Jewish history, but in this context its association with a radically left wing revolutionary ideology, Johnson well connects the disastrous WWI defeat of Germany and articulates how the ambient anti-semitism in the German speaking countries conflated with the high number of Jews in the Communist movements, to make a dangerous setting: the traditional/ conservative populist feelings were lying in wait for someone like Hitler at this exact point, and he delivered in full to the pan Germanic faithful.
Again, written by Paul Johnson, a British Catholic and former editor of the New Statesman, and though a bit dated now (first published in 1987), it is an outstanding accomplishment. The only key omissions are the events around Esther and those of Jews in North Africa and the Middle East under Islamic rule. But I suspect Johnson had his reasons.
Report
M.Nachiappan
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy
Reviewed in India on 31 October 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Very good
Report
Michael J
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and complete, if occasionally contentious, history
Reviewed in the United States on 19 September 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Paul Johnson began his writing career as a newspaper reporter, not a historian, and as a consequence he brings to all his books a passion for his subject and a heavily opinionated, if not outright contentious, point of view. At the same time, hie is, for the most part, scrupulous in his attention to detail. The result is always a book that presents a rich history, whether of the Jews, Christianity, the modern age, America, or whatever, and one that will cause more than a few critics to take umbrage. You may object to some of his opinions, but you'll always pay attention to his arguments. I first encountered Johnson when I read his very contentious (but very detailed) Modern Times Revised Edition: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties (Perennial Classics) when it came out in the 1980s, and I've been a fan ever since.
In this book, Johnson has managed to present a detailed, historically accurate, and largely uncontentious history of the Jews (at least up until the 1940s.) He is passionate about his own Catholicism, and sees Judaism not as a precursor to Christianity, but as the very heart and soul of it. His passion and enthusiasm for the history of the Jews has made this volume a favorite of a number of Orthodox friends of mine, much to my surprise. I attended five years of Jewish education, and I've read a great many books on Biblical history, and I still learned an astounding amount from this book. Together with his History of Christianity these two volumes comprise the most fascinating, illuminating and complete history of Western religion you're likely to find anywhere.
39 people found this helpful
Report
E.S.M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Melhor livro de História dos Judeus
Reviewed in Brazil on 11 February 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Este livro é a melhor Historia dos Judeus já escrita. Pena que não é a tradução que está esgotada desde longo tempo. Além do mesmo, os livros de Abba Eban são escritos de forma eloquente e, ambos autores, valem muito a pena de serem lidos.
4 people found this helpful
Report
Translate review to English
ALBERT
5.0 out of 5 stars History of the Jews by Paul Johnson,
Reviewed in France on 15 February 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Parfaitement documenté, très bien écrit et impartial. L'auteur fait référence à de nombreuses sources précieuses et inédites
Ce livre devrait être un classique pour tous les élèves de terminale.
Albert P. ALBY
One person found this helpful
Report
Translate review to English
maverick
5.0 out of 5 stars A History of the Jews Paul Johnson
Reviewed in Germany on 21 February 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Paul Johnson ist ein Meister. Seine Recherchen und seine Sprache sind vom feinsten. Jeder der sich für diese Dinge , Geschichte,Religion etc. im allgemeinen interessiert sollte dieses Buch lesen.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Translate review to English
Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece
Reviewed in Brazil on 24 December 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A great book by Paul Johnson. The history of the Jews is practically the history of mankind itself. He is the best historian alive for sure
One person found this helpful
Report
Translate review to English
Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative, thorough, sympathetic and very long and heavy!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 March 2024
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Do not buy this if you have a short attention span! It is long and heavy to hold. But if you have patience and persevere it is worth it for a deeply authoritative and thorough history of the last 4,000 years or so of the Jews. Not easy to read at times, but well worth the effort. This is Paul Johnson's 'Magnum Opus', and he will be remembered for it.
2 people found this helpful
Report
hb
5.0 out of 5 stars Important knowledge in light of recent events
Reviewed in the United States on 6 January 2024
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This book should be required reading for everyone who thinks the Israeli story began in 1947. It most certainly did not. Thousands of years of hatred, discrimination, racism, pogroms (look it up), murder, bias and on and on - all because they're Jews. It's a tribute to their strength that they've managed to persevere against all the terrible tragedies that have befallen them. This book tends to be a sympathetic study of their history, and I can understand why. There have been many mistakes by their leaders and prominent figures in their history that may have contributed to their problems. However, the vast majority of the tragedies they've endured have come from the governments in the countries in which they lived, the ethnic groups in Europe that hated them, the Christian churches that reviled them (and burned them at the stake for not converting), and "learned" men and women in elite universities that considered them second class citizens, not worthy of higher education. The current issue with Harvard is not "new". The university issue goes back hundreds of years and far beyond Harvard.
Read this book and you may have some idea why Jews wanted their own country and to be responsible for their own defense. History has shown that no one else cares.
28 people found this helpful
Report
Rajith Divakaran
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on 3 February 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Very comprehensive and well researched work.A must read.
One person found this helpful
Report
Raymond
3.0 out of 5 stars An abundant history in historical details, but suffers from a lack of information on recent archaeological discoveries.
Reviewed in France on 19 June 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
The author has devoted a great deal of work to search all the ancient and relatively recent literature, and to accumulate a bunch of data, generally rave towards the Jews. He's trying to make an encyclopedia. But in his efforts, it seems to me that he has forgotten two important things: the two or three mythologies and myths of Jahvist, elohist and Sumerian traditions, on the one hand, which show how the whole “synthesized, unified” by Ezekiel and his priest-writers, Tenakh, the Old Testament, has sometimes deliberately altered the oral tradition in sight to save Abraham's legacy for a people who would forever be far away from Jerusalem. He believed that Nebuchadnezzar had created an empire of a thousand years, and that the Hebrew people would never see Jerusalem again.
On the other hand, the author of this book was not interested in recent discoveries, initiated by Immanuel Velikovsky's discovery of the repetition in places of the history of the pharaohs, demonstrated on the ground by archaeologist David Rohl. Of course, the great museums and antiques teachers refuse this question: they hate to see that the history of the pharaonic dynasties elaborated by Manetho must be noticeably revised and shortened in places of several centuries.
Report
Translated from French by Amazon
See original ·Report translation
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Learned a lot
Reviewed in Canada on 10 September 2018
Verified Purchase
In preparing my tip to Israel, I wanted to read this book. It covers thousands of years. It is long read but worth it. The book shows the resilience of the Jews due to their religion (law , Torah) . They have produced amazing people throughout their history in the most adverse situations. One may disagree with with certain details but the overall picture is very convincing and accurate.
Report
Cliente Amazon
3.0 out of 5 stars Very partial
Reviewed in Spain on 4 October 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Very biased. He makes no mention of the British betrayal of the formation of the State of Israel (he is English)
Report
Translated from Spanish by Amazon
See original ·Report translation
Ramith
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on 30 July 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Gives you total journey through History...we start understanding different perspective.
Report
charles peterson
4.0 out of 5 stars Good...but More Detail than I Bargained for
Reviewed in the United States on 21 May 2010
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
How much a reader likes this book is going to depend on what he/she expects from it. I was looking for something to give me some perspective on the tensions in the Middle East and how they came about. Having read Johnson's superb and concise biography of Winston Churchill, I was hoping this book would offer an equally efficient education on Israel/the Middle East.
As with the Churchill bio, this book is very readable. Unlike the Churchill book, it is NOT CONCISE. In fact, the author tends to ramble on at times. Johnson starts with Abraham and marches forward covering virtually every event and notable leader in Jewish history. Good material, though. A refresher on Biblical history, antiquity, the diasporas, the Holocost and a host of other topics. But a lot more detail than I was looking for.
In the end, I did get what I came for--a better understanding of Israel and the Middle East troubles plus the bonus of reviewing both Jewish history and Western civilization. I just wish that Johnson had streamlined it as he did with the Churchill book.
He really could have done it, and the book would have been better for it!!!
17 people found this helpful
Report
The Outsider
4.0 out of 5 stars Catholic Guilt?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 September 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Paul Johnson is nothing but thorough in his massive and well researched history of the Jews. Though he is clear and at pains to show the truth about Jewish history and to praise Jews throughout for their contributions to the world, one cannot escape the lack of 'mea culpa' in the Catholic role of persecution - he is after all, a leading Catholic writer. He also avoids Geza Vermes' conclusion that Jesus and his followers were indeed wholly Jewish, and not some self-appointed Messiah cult. It was Paul who created the fatal schism between followers of Jesus (Joshua, to give him his right name) and the more traditional Jewish disciples who took part in the events of his life and death. All the Gospels accepted by the Church were written by Paul's followers well after his split with the Jews, and became increasingly anti-Jewish after the First Revolt against Rome. That Johnson is ignorant of these facts is simply not possible.
With these caveats, I doubt anyone, Jew or Gentile, would not learn a great deal from this one volume. I know I did. Johnson is intelligent, clear eyed, and creates some wonderful insights into the facts. That Israel today is riven by the same tensions between the worldly (Saul) and the religious (Samuel)is one bold and largely true insight. Johnson is clearly full of praise for the Jews throughout, though he is not sparing in his adept analysis of Jewish self-hatred, as seen in Marx and many other characters. This is due to the astonishing persecution throughout the ages, and the internal fight between the worldly and religious. There is much to think about here and reflect.
Johnson is also unsparing about his views of tormented Israel and the role of the Arabs, Soviet Union and oil money in creating a topsy-turvy image of Zionism as racism. Haven't Jews suffered enough? This is the question asked by the pious Jews who see Israel as man's presumptions over-stepping Gods -no, there is more to come. Though written in 1987, this book has enough bite to be relevant today, and if you have the time, patience and resolve, reading it is well worth while.
19 people found this helpful
Report
Mr. R. C. Golten
5.0 out of 5 stars 5000 years of history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2013
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
It took me a year to read this and I am glad I did. I am a much more informed jewish person as a result! It starts slowly but comes to a momentous climax! One thing of many that I learned (and remembered in this case) was that Zionism was a secular movement. Theodore Herzl had never been in a synagogue before he had to try and get the religious communities on board in order to achieve his aim, which was to escape the horrendous life he and his fellow countrymen were enduring in Tzarist Russia, with it's institutionalized racism in the 1870's.
5 people found this helpful
Report
G S B
2.0 out of 5 stars Font size
Reviewed in India on 29 December 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Font size is small
One person found this helpful
Report
Carol S Finger
5.0 out of 5 stars I added a great deal of my knowledge of "Jewishness" with this sympathetic treatment of their History
Reviewed in the United States on 19 April 2014
Verified Purchase
I have to say that I honestly don't know how I managed to live in the 20-21st century, and NOT know that the Jews have ALWAYS been persecuted, no matter where they settled. And I did NOT know that they were widely persecuted and tossed out of Spain, as a sort of "warming up" I supposed for the Spanish Inquisition. I also was unaware that long before things heated up for the Jews in Germany, they were given, pretty much the same treatment, in Russia; herded into ever smaller "ghettos", and limited by endless "Jewish restrictions"; laws that constituted such an onslaught, that they were forced to make it a full time occupation just to try to figure out and be careful not to break any of the horribly constraining laws that were passed against them. These laws limited any hope of them ever betting themselves or getting ahead, and neither were they allowed to emigrate out of Russia. And later, in the 1920's, there was an incidence of anti-Semitism in France, that was so severe, and remarkable, that it's just shocking in it's scope, and it's wide national tolerance and participation, in such an event. In finally coming to grips with the subject of the Holocaust, this writer, choose to give this grave chapter of the Jewish history a less than comprehensive handling, which was something I didn't fully understand. Perhaps it was because the subject has already been covered extensively by other writers in other histories. But I was a bit insulted by his matter of fact, by the numbers treatment, somewhat cold, and factual treatment of the attempted annihilation of 7 million Jews. But on the other hand, I did find it oddly riveting that it wasn't just Germany who was guilty. All of Europe participated in The Holocaust, and almost no one in power tried to shield or defend the Jews "officially". Even more shocking is the conclusion that I have drawn, that the Jew's major crime that they seem to have consistently commited, was simply that they were smarter, on the whole, than other people. Other people's "take" on Jewish History may be something different than what I have gotten. But if so, you might want to take a good long look in the mirror, and consider, that you might just be looking at a racist, if your heart is not wounded by how The Jews have been kicked around on this planet. This book certainly has fueled my interest in further studies of Judaic study. This book is well written, but I can't wait for Schama's take on Jewish "modern" history 1400's - now, due out in October.
25 people found this helpful
Report
==
Joseph Myren
5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME
Reviewed in Canada on 26 April 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
AWESOME
Report
STEPHEN BAXTER
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic - so much in there that I didn't have ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 October 2016
Verified Purchase
Fantastic - so much in there that I didn't have a clue about - shows how ignorance of history drives peoples prejudices.
3 people found this helpful
Report
Thomas J. Burns
5.0 out of 5 stars Light to the Nations
Reviewed in the United States on 29 January 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
From time to time I teach theology to church school teachers, parish ministers and volunteers. And I usually preface my remarks with the advice that if one has not embraced the Hebrew Scriptures, one does not know Christ. Jesus was a Jew till he drew his last tortured breath [not a "marginal Jew," pace John Meier.] However, having read Paul Johnson's sweeping history of Judaism, I would go one step further and say that whatever one's faith, even in the absence of faith, we cannot understand the human experience without a long and reflective immersion into the historical experience of the children of Abraham.
There were 2.2 billion Christians and 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide as of 2010. Jews number 13.5 million at this juncture, but a major thesis of this work is precisely that what has always been a tiny religious community numerically has exerted influence far beyond its numbers. One reason, of course, is that all three traditions look to Abraham as a type of father in faith. A more nuanced reason is that the identities of Christianity and Islam have been [and continue to be] shaped by Jewish example, in ways that both are reluctant to acknowledge and have at times actually fought to suppress.
Johnson explains the demographics of the Middle East that produced Abraham, a historical being whose unique insight into the all powerful and single nature of one supreme deity begot the dominant structure of faith for much of the world. His brief analysis of the Hebrew Scripture canon is brilliant, and he underscores two critical points usually overlooked. The first is his observation that the "Diaspora" or scattering of the Jews began much earlier than the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. It began, in fact, in 538 B.C.E when Cyrus released the Jews from the Babylonian captivity. Not everyone went home, and many went elsewhere to cultivate a synagogue model of faith life instead of the temple/priesthood.
Why this division? The answer rests in Johnson's analysis of Isaiah, specifically the third portion or "Trito-Isaiah" written during and after the Babylonian exile. Isaiah, in this treatment, becomes the father of the modern individual conscience. Practically speaking, Trito-Isaiah marked the end of kingly political identity and priestly power. The observance of the Torah or Law was no longer "everybody's responsibility" but became "my responsibility." Such a theology inspired "The Suffering Servant" [Isaiah 53] and the consequent belief that exemplary holiness and humility was Israel's gift toward which the world would eventually come and receive. [Isaiah 60, proclaimed in Christian Churches on the Feast of the Epiphany]
The destruction of Jerusalem finally rendered the Jewish people to a state of absolute homelessness that in many ways survives to this day. As people of the Book, Jews maintained throughout their history a religious cosmology that made isolation a virtue as they maintained small community/synagogue based life around much of the known world. Pagans, as a rule, saw Jewish separateness as a type of snobbery that invited antagonism. The enmity of Christians was of a different sort, the hatred of men for those who were who were once dear brothers and shared a common faith bloodline.
Johnson observes that Jews have had to live at the whim or mercy of local or regional governments, which of necessity facilitated the skill of accommodation and the ability to transfer belongings quickly in the face of persecution and exile, often in the form of jewelry, precious metals, and later in cash and commodities; hence the association of Jews with "money changing." Thus the genesis of slurs of dissembling and money-lending took root, among countless others. Always a numerical and religious minority, and cursed in the Christian scriptures, so to speak, Jews became convenient scapegoats during times of plagues and disasters. With the notable exception of England, and later the American colonies, life for Jews was hard and demeaning. Johnson traces the development of the Jewish ghetto, the extreme segregation from Christian life in Europe's major cities.
Given its reverence of sacred books and orthodox commentary, Judaism was for much of its history unscientific and did not seek major philosophical exchanges with its neighbors. Only Moses Maimonides [1135-1204] attempted to engage Judaism in any sort of extracurricular dialogue. This isolation would be harder to maintain with the advent of the Enlightenment, which prompted the one true schism of Jewish theology: the struggle to maintain historical continuity and purity [the Orthodox way] versus the logic of dialogue and expansive exchange with the modern world [the Reformed way]. The eruption of Jewish genius into modern day business [e.g., the House of Rothschild] and scholarship [Leibniz, Marx, Freud, Einstein] was a mixed blessing for Jews, as anti-Semitic paranoia over supposed Jewish dominance fueled the European atmosphere for the horror of Hitler's Final Solution.
Despite his professional objectivity, Johnson himself marvels at the depth of personal faith in the countless victims of Nazi death camps. They died, he reports, in the confidence that their grim fates were in some mysterious way God's plan for his chosen ones to become that "light to the nations" proclaimed in Isaiah 60. The post-War response of intensified Zionism and the establishment of modern day Israel have created new sufferings for the Jewish conscience. Having lived for over two millennia as suffering servants, the demands of statehood and national security--including responsibility for an atomic arsenal--have sorely tested Isaiah's vision of faith with the previously discarded Davidic-Solomon paradigm of strength.
It is most unfortunate that present Arab-Israeli political conflicts have distracted outsiders from the majestic history of Jewish faith. In a curious way Jews have lived what Christians profess: Christ's model of the Suffering Servant bearing the sins of the world. Is it this embarrassing fact that has poisoned Christianity to the degree that as late as the 1960's the Catholic liturgy referred to Jews as "perfidious?" Is Christian-Jewish dialogue today a matter of redressing old wrongs, or a matter of Christianity finding itself?
70 people found this helpful
Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars know where we came from
Reviewed in Canada on 20 October 2023
Verified Purchase
describes the jewish past
Report
alexapet
5.0 out of 5 stars Learning history, but with a different approach.
Reviewed in Canada on 3 February 2022
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book was an eye opener, and I warmly recommend it to everybody, Jewish or non-Jewish.
Well written, easy to read, comprehensible and clear.
One person found this helpful
Report
Duffy Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Johnson Historical Review
Reviewed in the United States on 13 August 2006
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Johnson is my favorite historian. I have read several of his other works over the years, History of Christianity, Birth of the Modern, Modern Times, and now, A History of the Jews.
What a profound and enlightening read this was! Other than the Bible this is the only history of the Jews I have read. Most of what I know about the Jews, outside of personal contact, is really from these two sources.
Johnson did a great job on this book. Like all his stuff it is well researched and presented in a way that any educated person can follow and comprehend. I would say his writing style is more informative than entertaining, but not dull. You may not agree with his points of view but they are always rational and presented with the facts to back them up.
But the topic is the Jews, and what a topic it is! If you have any interest in world history, political history, economic history, social history, or religious history, you really need to read a history of the Jews because they have been pioneers and prime movers in all of it for thousands of years! Johnson's account is a good one to turn to. He is a credited and respected historian and he is very readable without being condescending. Probably among the most enlightening books I have read, highly recommend it.
18 people found this helpful
Report
Reposey
5.0 out of 5 stars A seminal work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2019
Verified Purchase
A work of remarkable erudition - the scholarship is awe inspiring. Remarkably or perhaps wisely it gives Islam a fairly wide pass.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Irena Gluzman Frumkis
5.0 out of 5 stars Rabbi Saks recommended it in his last interview as "the best history of the Jews"
Reviewed in Canada on 12 January 2021
Verified Purchase
Rabbi Saks recommended it in his last interview as "the best history of the Jews" - cannot agree more, as a history book it is almost perfect.
Report
Garry A. Faegenburg
5.0 out of 5 stars Forget the Bible! THIS is the book you need to read to understand religion!
Reviewed in the United States on 5 July 2019
Verified Purchase
No other book on religion (including the Bible itself) comes close to giving you the understanding of why we humans believe what we believe today when it comes to religion. The Jews were the first race to full;y document the human history of their being on this earth. People don't even realize, why it is that we believe what we believe when it comes to the major organized religions on this planet. You will learn of the constant manipulations and agendas involved in persuading humankind to follow beliefs and procedures for coming to know God. You will be astounded and horrified at the same time to learn the facts. You will come away questioning everything you have ever learned about your faith and beliefs. Paul Johnson presents FACTS, not fiction or supposition concerning the progression of religious thinking on our planet since the Jews began the chronicling of civilization long before any other race. And they did it with honesty even at their own expense. You will come to know first hand why they have been persecuted throughout history, still to this day. An UNBELIEVABLE read that should be required for EVERY human being, regardless of your faith! You will NOT come away, unaffected!
23 people found this helpful
Report
Paul Marks
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good work.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2012
Verified Purchase
This book does not cover everything - but then no work on such a vast topic can.
What Paul Johnson does cover he does very well - both on history, and on theology, philosophy, economics and politics.
Report
==
Diana
3.0 out of 5 stars Damaged item
Reviewed in Germany on 6 November 2023
Verified Purchase
I am a little disappointed, having paid full price and purchasing a new book, that it arrived dogeared (folded at one of the corners). The product came really quickly which is great as I am using the book for my research.
Customer image
Report
Olympia
4.0 out of 5 stars History of the Jews
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2018
Verified Purchase
This book which is an epic journey should have been produced as two novels. It is quite a task to hold for any length of time a book of over 600 pages. I have only started chapter two. I find that each chapter is far too long and by the time you reach the end you've forgotten what the beginning was all about. It doesn't however take anything away from the enormous depth of knowledge and research that the author has undertaken. I bought this as a present but may have to rethink that this present might be just a little too large. A fascinating and very interesting book all the same.
7 people found this helpful
Report
HL
1.0 out of 5 stars Not a history book
Reviewed in Germany on 11 November 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I wanted to read a history of the Jews, not a christian evangelical pamphlet.
Of course the development of Christianity is important in Jewish history but now I have read enough of Jesus being the Saviour and salvation by faith alone.
This book is not what it pretends to be.
Report
Hank B
4.0 out of 5 stars Missing index
Reviewed in the United States on 4 September 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
A very informative book. However, there was a printing error so that only the first page of the index was printed, with other pages printed double. The index is virtually unusable because it is only one page.
Report
Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Contains inaccurate (or at least out of date) information, but this may be because it was published in the 1980s.
Reviewed in the United States on 4 December 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I couldn't finish reading this book. I am currently working on a PhD in Ancient Israel/Hebrew Bible, and I wanted to learn more about post-biblical Jewish history. However, I found the style and content of this book to be inadequate for my purposes.
I ordered "A History of the Jews" because of the positive reviews and because of Paul Johnson's reputation for outstanding work as a historian. But while he may have been a leader in his field in the 1980s (this book is copyright 1987), this book no longer represents the state of information in the field of Judaic studies. Additionally, despite reviews calling this book "academic" and "intellectual," I find Johnson's writing style to be familiar and informal rather than academic and informative. Although Johnson may have devoted considerable effort to research for this book, the writing style gives the impression of nothing more than a casual attempt to produce true, reliable scholarship. Again, this is not to say that the book does not contain reliable information, but a more formal, scholarly writing style would have been more intellectually satisfying.
Additionally, I found that the information presented in the book is unreliable. Part of this may be due to the lack of editing after the 1980s. As noted above, I am working on a PhD in Ancient Israel/Hebrew Bible, so I have considerable knowledge of Jewish history during the biblical period.
Unfortunately, Johnson's statements often directly contradict what is currently known in biblical studies. For example, Johnson discusses the fact that the biblical story of Noah has extra-biblical parallels in the Epic of Gilgamesh. While much can indeed be learned by comparing biblical and extra-biblical texts, Johnson is incorrect to conclude from this fact that Noah is the first "real person" to appear in the biblical text. The Epic of Gilgamesh does not belong to the genre of history, and so the fact that Israel wrote a similar narrative does not "prove" that it is based on fact. It is much more likely that Israel adapted a well known ancient Near Eastern story. The existence of such a story does suggest a great flood in the region, but "elements of reality beneath the legendary veneer" implies only that there was a flood, not that the details of people and events are historically reliable. It is not until the period of the monarchy that we have actual evidence for people and events in the biblical texts; for earlier periods, such as those of the exodus and the patriarchs, there is no archaeology pertinent to the specifics of the story in the bible - there is only circumstantial evidence (such as the existence of storehouses built by slaves in Egypt at Pi Ramses). But the story of Noah occurs even earlier than that of the patriarchs, and belongs to the genre of myth rather than history. Scholars who are Jewish or Christian may believe the biblical accounts from earlier periods, even though there is no evidence to support them, and that is perfectly acceptable. However, when writing writing academic works, one must rely on academic types of data, not on religious beliefs. Johnson seems at times to assume that religious beliefs about what happened in the past are the same as historical evidence for what happened in the past. One could choose to write a book about Judeo-Christian beliefs, but that is not what this book claims to be, so it should have emphasized historical rather than religious truths.
Because the chapter on Ancient Israel was full of inaccurate information, I worried that reading the later chapters (about periods with which I am not familiar) would leave me ill informed. I was able to recognize and refute inaccurate (or out of date) information in the chapter covering the period which I have studied, but I had no such ability for periods with which I am unfamiliar. I recommend that students in Ancient Israel or Judaic Studies search for a more recent textbook which will be more likely to provide accurate information.
26 people found this helpful
Report
Garry63
3.0 out of 5 stars No matter how many times….!
Reviewed in the United States on 22 July 2023
Verified Purchase
This review isn’t exclusively about this book. This happens to be the book I’m reading and find the same things in it I find in many other works. If you read the excerpt I put with this review, you’ll find my reason for being frustrated and a bit exasperated. Why is it when discussing anything biblical it’s always in question to how reliable it is? Over the years we have had skeptics and outright denial of scripture and every time this happens at some point it’s refuted. King David was a myth, until someone found archaeological evidence he wasn’t. Bible couldn’t be accurate until the Dead Sea Scrolls were found… it goes on! “Our meddling intellect misshapes the beauteous forms of things we murder to dissect”. Unless some pointy head intellectual says it’s believable, it can’t possibly be true! They remove faith from the equation and boil it down to to mean nothing. Yet if we are talking about other religions and ideas it’s thought in bad taste and hateful to make any questionable comments or inferences. Why do people spend years studying the Bible and Christianity only to spend the rest of their lives mocking and criticizing? Okay! I feel better.
Customer image
8 people found this helpful
Report
Sahra Badou
3.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly book
Reviewed in the United States on 31 December 2008
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is a scholarly book, and as such, heavy reading. This is not a book to read on the beach or on a plane. For readers really wishing to understand the Jews better, this is the book.
The author traces the history of the Jews from the beginning of time. According to the author, the Jewish religion is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world still practiced today. It is older than Christianity and Islam. However, the author failed to mention Zoroastrians. Zoroastrianism is the religion based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster, and is in fact the oldest monotheistic religion still practiced today. Estimates have it at 20,000 followers in Iran and about 70,000 in India. It is estimated that about 100,000 people practice Zoroastrianism worldwide.
I really liked the story of the Rothschild family, and found that chapter the most intriguing of all.
Some chapters were very hard to follow, and I'm assuming the author assumes the readers have basic background knowledge of the subject. I certainly didn't, and found some chapters very hard to follow.
I have to admit I did skip a few chapters, for I found a lot of repetitious passages. I personally think the author should have written a condensed version for the layman, and kept this original print for the scholars. Maybe the audio version will abridge the book.
Overall I learnt a lot about the Jewish religion that I never knew before.
29 people found this helpful
Report
kone
4.0 out of 5 stars Useful Information, Very Complete, Not a Casual Read
Reviewed in the United States on 16 January 2011
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I bought this book to get a background history of the Jews. I got more than I bargained for. This is an excellent resource for the serious student of history (and Jewish history). It is detailed and informative. Since other reviewers much more qualified than me have reviewed this book thorougly, I have only one thing to add - this is not a book for the casual reader! I was seeking a book that tells the story of the Jewish people from antiquity to present. This is essentially what I got in this book, but for me, there is too much detail. I was seeking the Reader's Digest Condensed version of this book. I appreciate the historical completeness of this book, but it is not an easy read. I tend to get bogged down in many different sections of the book, while other sections have been a joy to read. Therefore, while this is an excellent resource, I do not recommend it for the casual reader who wants a more abbreviated version of Jewish history.
konedog
6 people found this helpful
Report
Lynnette Astwood
2.0 out of 5 stars Paul Johnson Needs a new Publisher
Reviewed in the United States on 14 March 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This review is not on the subject or the author’s writing of the book as I have not read it as yet. But rather on the publisher, Harper Perennial, who has done Paul Johnson a serious mis-justice by its sloppy and unprofessional typesetting of his manuscript. The paperback version is set in a bold type-font that is difficult to read, the spacing between lines becomes blurred because every word is in bold type, the space between paragraphs is not sufficient and the short indentation of each paragraph only garbles the words further. The whole manuscript looks like it rolled off of someone’s typewriter who was trying to conserve paper. I will probably give the book away without reading it because I am not looking forward to 600 pages of a headache inducing, amateurish print style.
Report
J. Hanson
3.0 out of 5 stars Glosses over obvious Biblical fictions
Reviewed in the United States on 13 June 2021
Verified Purchase
I looked forward to this book as a committed (if non-Jewish) Zionist and someone with enormous respect for the Jews as a people (I bicycled the length of Israel a few years ago). I will admit up front that I did not get more than 30 pages into it. Why? Because the author repeatedly presented many early Biblical biographies as actual history when there is virtually zero evidence for this, while glibly passing over any critical discussion of the clearly impossible "miracles" therein. He presents some of the well-known evidence that some type of an actual catastrophic flood inspired the story of Noah, but completely fails to address the absurd notion of the Ark and the paired animals. This happens again during the Exodus and the supposed parting of the Red Sea—he credulously states that " . . . we have no idea where the hand of the Lord saved Israel from Pharaoh's army," thus implicitly buying into the idea that an actual miracle occurred. This is not why I read history. I decided I could not waste more time with an author who picks and chooses which sections of ancient, often conflicting manuscripts he decides to accept as, well, gospel. I am searching for a more scholarly history of the Jews.
16 people found this helpful
Report
==
rom other countries
Sherman
5.0 out of 5 stars History I Never Learned
Reviewed in the United States on 2 April 2019
Verified Purchase
I read this book because I could understand why certain people, groups, and religions so dislike the Jewish people. I have met Jews. Talked with Jews, but never had a Jewish friend with whom I could sit down with and discuss their people and religion.
History of the Jews was an eye opening read into who the Jews are. Ingenious, industrious, wise, and self sustaining. What is there not to admire about this people.
I plan to reread the entire book again. Maybe this time I’ll be able to come up with an explanation for the hatred. But I doubt it.
Paul Johnson is one hell of a writer. There is a lot of history in this book and somehow he makes it flow in a way that is understandable. The names can be a bit of a challenge. (Understatement of the year).
I should also mention Jewish history isn’t the only history in the book. There were a few surprises I never knew. Reading the book may even offer a glimpse into the future.
34 people found this helpful
Report
Ricardo Licea
4.0 out of 5 stars Overall a Good History Minus One Star For Religious Bias
Reviewed in the United States on 4 December 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
My favorite chapter is Chapter 3 about the Cathedocracy, and how eventually after "emancipation", it produced so many Jewish scientists and intellectuals.
His explanation of antisemitism is also quite good.
Overall It's a great book, with a very wide scope dealing with the History of Jews in Israel, Ancient Rome, Spain, Germany, France, England, Germany, Poland, Russia, America.
I would recommend it for someone looking to learn the essentials about Jewish History.
The Negatives:
The author is a theist, which I wouldn't mind, if he kept that to himself. He makes many value judgements, which I think should be left to the readers to make.
This is a quote from the book,
"The discovery of monotheism, and not just of monotheism but of a sole, omnipotent God actuated by ethical principles and seeking methodically to impose them on human beings, is one of the great turning points of history, perhaps the GREATEST of them all" (P. 30) Kindle
3 people found this helpful
Report
D. D. LeDu
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking
Reviewed in the United States on 13 November 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
"This is a personal interpretation of Jewish history." Thus begins this book.
"A History of the Jews" is not strictly speaking a history, in that Johnson delves instead into what Jews thought (and what others thought of Jews) rather than just what Jews did. He covers a broad spectrum of thought over an enormous span of time.
Judism's great contribution to mankind has been the rational study of man's relationship to his God. I have not read a better interpretation of this great journey in time and thought. I am amazed that one man, without a lifetime of study, has such an interesting and thorough understanding, and expresses it so well.
The reader will find much to agree with, as well as much to take exception to, in this book. He will also undoubtedly alter many of his views -- as did I. This is not a book to take lightly, nor to "skip" through. The story it tells requires attention and thought. But if the reader wants know the history of the Jews and the development of Judism, it is invaluable.
10 people found this helpful
Report
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars I am about halfway through with the Kindle version of ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2014
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I am about halfway through with the Kindle version of this. As is usual for Paul Johnson, it is an engaging read and hard to put down.
The reason I give it 4 stars, however, is due to the Kindle version having a few OCR rendering issues, which detract from the text occasionally (it seems about every other page in some sections). This means sometimes that I have to go elsewhere to see who or what Johnson is writing about.
(Until I started using Kindle, I had no idea how many manuscripts weren't committed to digital format by the publishing companies - some are so distractingly full of OCR rendering issues. I assume this arises from being copied from hard copies.)
2 people found this helpful
Report
Paul Randleman
4.0 out of 5 stars Historical insight - enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on 28 August 2019
Verified Purchase
I still don't have an answer to my question as to what there is about the Jewish people that causes such hatred all over the world. I'm not Jewish. I've always questioned why the Jews were kicked out of so many countries.
This is a long and hard read. If my Kindle didn't have a built in dictionary I would have missed lot of the meaning and maybe given up reading the book altogether. It could have been just as good a book without the author trying to impress the reader with all the words he knows. The FOG index is off the chart. Good luck.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Bill Wilcox
4.0 out of 5 stars A book to read twice
Reviewed in the United States on 5 June 2013
Verified Purchase
I bought this book because of the ratings in Amazon. It's very interesting but I am not too far into it, so my viewpoints are suspect. My current situation is that I don't have enough large chunks of time for reading. I believe this book needs large chunks of time. I find myself going back to reread in order to re establish the train of thought; that's not the author's "fault", it's my problem. Also, I spend quite a bit of time thinking about points that the author makes that I find new and interesting. The content of the book is fascinating. I especially appreciate that the author's focus spans all four millennia of Jewish history. When I finish the book I will update my review. I do know that for me this is not a quick read.
2 people found this helpful
Report
JMS
5.0 out of 5 stars Striking Clarity of Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on 14 January 2019
Verified Purchase
I praise the author's level of detail, his comprehension, and the artfulness of his presentation. I write that first and foremost as a Jew, who is being written about, and only secondarily as a student of history and visionaries. But this book reminds that learning about the dramatic changes of the past and the people who guided them is no less a part of my identity than the name of my people. Because those things are the function of my people, to know from where we have come and to where we shall go. And though ultimately that is everyone's occupation, we are its standard-bearers until the time comes when the world unites under the leadership of the Messiah, the one who shall be invested in the quintessential soul of all mankind. May he come immediately and lead us all to peace.
8 people found this helpful
Report
dragonfly
5.0 out of 5 stars A Historical Explanation for us Non-Historians
Reviewed in the United States on 13 January 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful historical book. Paul Johnson has written in an interesting form for those of us who are not historical scholars. I have learned so much about the history of the Jews that I had never knew. Even more fascinating is how it relates to the history of the world as a whole and how its influence is still see today in our everyday lives. Growing up in a Cristian understanding, I was taught the Old Testament was the past and it related to us only in its foretelling of the Messiah. It never made sense to me as a young person. Now as a mature adult, I'm glad to see scholarship that ties our faiths and our stories into one continuum faith story of God's love for all his/her creation.
One person found this helpful
Report
Almost Chosen
4.0 out of 5 stars One necessary criticism of an otherwise magnificent opus
Reviewed in the United States on 9 July 2015
Verified Purchase
I found this book captivating. best of all, the writing is accessible to a wide range of readers. The one criticism I have is regarding the destruction of the second temple. It would have been nice to have more emphasis on HOW J. Ben Zakkai (RIP) and Jabneh broke from the biblical faith. They created a revolutionary new religion lacking the atoning sacrifice of the Temple. This cannot be overstated, and Zakkai perhaps knew exactly what he did when he wept on his deathbed (Talmud Berakhut 28b). Rabbinic Judaism(s) today is(are) NOT a continuation of Biblical Judaism. This came as a shock to me when I first learned it, but i was surprised it was missing from the book. A grand read.
2 people found this helpful
Report
Alexander Sich
4.0 out of 5 stars Learned a lot, but...
Reviewed in the United States on 20 July 2019
Verified Purchase
Indeed, I learned quite a bit. The vast sweep of history Johnson covers is impressive to say the least. The one lingering (perhaps embarrassing) image I’m left with is how ubiquitous antisemitism and Jewish suffering were... essentially without a break.
I do take some issues with some terminology AP sloppiness on Johnson’s part: (1) it’s just “Ukraine “—no need for the article “the”; (2) “Dark Ages”? Really Mr. Johnson? (3) improper use of the term “metaphysical”: he does not thereby understand this term—the term “philosophical” is more correct and appropriate.
4 people found this helpful
Report
==
===
폴 존슨의 <유대인의 역사>에 대한 요약과 평론을 요청하셨군요, 세진님. 요청하신 대로 <해라> 체를 사용하여 정리해 드립니다.
<유대인의 역사> (Paul Johnson) 요약 및 평론
1. 요약: 4,000년의 끈질긴 생존과 지적 여정
폴 존슨의 <유대인의 역사>는 고대 아브라함의 시대부터 현대 이스라엘 국가 건설과 그 이후까지, 약 4,000년에 걸친 유대 민족의 궤적을 추적한다. 저자는 유대인의 역사를 단순히 한 민족의 수난사로 보지 않고, 인류 문명에 도덕적·지적 기초를 제공한 '합리적 설계'의 과정으로 파악한다. 책은 크게 다섯 단계의 연대기적 구성을 따른다.
이스라엘인과 유대교의 탄생 유대 역사의 출발점은 '계약'이다. 아브라함과 모세로 대변되는 고대 이스라엘은 보이지 않는 유일신과의 도덕적 계약을 통해 민족적 정체성을 형성한다. 이는 단순한 신앙을 넘어, 법치주의와 개인의 도덕적 책임을 강조하는 인류 최초의 윤리적 일신교를 탄생시켰다. 다윗과 솔로몬의 왕국 시기는 유대 민족의 정치적 정점이자, 이후 수천 년간 이어질 '고토(古土)에 대한 열망'의 근거가 된다.
포로기와 디아스포라 바빌론 유수와 로마에 의한 예루살렘 파괴는 유대인을 땅 없는 민족으로 만들었다. 그러나 존슨은 이 위기가 오히려 유대교를 '책의 종교'로 변모시켰음에 주목한다. 성전이 사라진 자리를 토라(율법)와 탈무드가 채웠고, 유대인은 물리적 영토 대신 지적·정신적 영토를 구축하며 전 세계로 흩어졌다.
중세와 게토의 고립 중세 기독교 세계와 이슬람 세계 사이에서 유대인은 '필요하지만 미움받는' 존재였다. 상업과 금융업에 종사하며 경제적 가교 역할을 했으나, 십자군 전쟁과 흑사병 등을 거치며 가혹한 박해와 격리를 경험한다. 이 시기 유대인은 폐쇄적인 게토 안에서 자신들만의 독자적인 사법·교육 체계를 유지하며 민족적 순수성을 보존했다.
계몽주의와 대파멸(홀로코스트) 18세기 계몽주의와 함께 유대인은 게토의 문을 열고 주류 사회로 진입한다(하스칼라 운동). 스피노자, 마르크스, 프로이트, 아인슈타인 등 유대인 지식인들은 근대 세계의 패러다임을 바꿨다. 그러나 이러한 동화 노력은 근대적 인종주의와 결합한 나치즘에 의해 처참히 무너진다. 홀로코스트는 유대 역사상 가장 깊은 심연이었으며, 동시에 '국가 없이는 생존할 수 없다'는 절박한 시오니즘의 동력이 되었다.
이스라엘 건국과 현대 1948년 이스라엘의 건국은 2,000년 디아스포라의 종지부를 찍는 사건이었다. 존슨은 황무지를 개간하고 민주주의 국가를 일궈낸 유대인의 의지를 높게 평가하면서도, 아랍 세계와의 갈등 및 현대 유대 정체성의 혼란 등 남겨진 과제들을 냉철하게 짚어내며 서술을 마무리한다.
2. 평론: 인간의 조건에 던지는 유대적 해답
폴 존슨의 서술은 방대하면서도 집요하다. 그는 역사가로서의 엄밀함과 저널리스트 특유의 통찰력을 결합하여, 유대인이라는 렌즈를 통해 서구 문명의 본질을 해부한다.
역사를 관통하는 '의미'의 탐구 존슨은 유대인의 역사가 우연의 산물이 아니라고 주장한다. 유대인은 고난 속에서도 끊임없이 "이 고통의 의미는 무엇인가?"를 물었다. 이러한 '의미에 대한 의지'는 유대인을 단순한 생존자를 넘어 문명의 창조자로 만들었다. 저자는 유대인이 인류에게 선사한 가장 큰 선물로 '역사의 직선적 구조'와 '사회적 정의'를 꼽는다. 순환하는 자연의 시간 속에 살던 고대인들에게, 목적지를 향해 나아가는 역사관을 심어준 것이 바로 유대교라는 분석이다.
지적 엘리트주의와 보편적 도덕 사이의 긴장 이 책의 탁월함은 유대인의 성취를 찬양하는 데 그치지 않고, 그들이 가진 내적 모순을 포착하는 데 있다. 선민의식과 보편주의, 폐쇄적인 율법주의와 혁신적인 자유주의 사이의 긴장은 유대 역사의 역동성을 만들어내는 원천이다. 존슨은 유대인이 세계 곳곳에서 박해받으면서도 지적 우위를 유지할 수 있었던 비결로 '교육에 대한 광적인 집착'과 '토론 문화'를 제시한다.
보수주의 역사가의 시선과 한계 폴 존슨은 대표적인 보수주의 역사가다. 따라서 그의 시선은 유대인의 '정체성 유지'와 '전통의 힘'에 우호적이다. 이는 유대 역사를 긍정적이고 일관된 서사로 읽어내게 하는 장점이 되지만, 때로는 시오니즘의 정당성을 옹호하는 과정에서 팔레스타인 잔혹사나 내부의 비판적 목소리를 다소 부차적으로 처리한다는 비판에서 자유롭지 못하다.
결론: 유대인은 우리에게 무엇인가? 존슨에게 유대인은 '인류의 거울'이다. 그들은 가장 밑바닥의 고통과 가장 높은 지적 성취를 동시에 경험했다. <유대인의 역사>는 결국 한 민족의 기록을 넘어, 인간이 극한의 상황에서 어떻게 존엄을 유지하고 지성을 꽃피울 수 있는가에 대한 방대한 보고서다. 유대인의 역사를 이해하는 것은 곧 서구 문명의 도덕적 근원을 이해하는 것이며, 인간 본성이 가진 끈질긴 생명력을 확인하는 과정이다.
세진님, 폴 존슨의 시각 외에 다른 관점에서의 유대사 분석이나 특정 시대(예: 디아스포라 시기)의 더 자세한 요약이 필요하시면 말씀해 주세요. 도와드리겠습니다.
===
<책: Paul Johnson, History of the Jews (유대인의 역사) — 요약 + 평론>
1. 책의 기본 성격
<Paul Johnson>의 History of the Jews (1987)는 고대 히브리 시대부터 현대 이스라엘 건국까지 약 4,000년에 걸친 유대인의 역사를 서술한 대중 역사서입니다.
저자는 영국의 보수적 가톨릭 지식인이며, 유대 역사 자체보다 **“유대인이 서구 문명에 끼친 영향”**을 강조하는 특징이 있습니다.
따라서 이 책은 다음 두 가지 성격을 동시에 가집니다.
-
유대인의 장기 역사 개관
-
서구 문명 속 유대 지적 전통에 대한 해석
학술 전문 연구서라기보다 지적 교양서에 가까운 책입니다.
2. 전체 역사 구조
Johnson은 유대 역사를 대략 여섯 시기로 설명합니다.
-
성서 시대
-
제2성전 시대
-
탈무드 시대
-
디아스포라 중세
-
근대 유럽
-
시온주의와 현대 이스라엘
핵심 주장은 다음과 같습니다.
유대인은 “역사 속에서 살아가는 민족”이며
신앙·법·교육을 통해 공동체를 유지했다.
3. 성서 시대: “윤리적 일신교의 탄생”
Johnson은 유대 역사의 가장 중요한 기여를 윤리적 일신교로 봅니다.
핵심 요소
-
유일신 신앙
-
역사 속에서 활동하는 신
-
도덕적 계약 (Covenant)
특히 그는 다음을 강조합니다.
-
아브라함 전통
-
모세 율법
-
예언자 전통
Johnson의 해석에 따르면
유대인은 역사 최초로
“윤리적 신”을 제시한 민족이다.
이 전통이
-
기독교
-
이슬람
-
서구 윤리
의 기초가 되었다고 봅니다.
4. 바빌론 유수와 “책의 민족”
기원전 586년 바빌론 유수는 유대 역사에서 결정적 사건입니다.
Johnson의 해석
이 사건이 유대인을
“영토 중심 민족 → 텍스트 중심 민족”
으로 변화시켰다고 봅니다.
중요한 변화
-
성전 중심 종교 → 율법 중심 종교
-
제사 → 학습
-
왕 → 학자
이때부터
율법 해석 공동체가 형성됩니다.
5. 탈무드 시대
Johnson은 탈무드를 매우 높이 평가합니다.
탈무드는
-
법
-
철학
-
논쟁
-
교육
을 결합한 독특한 문명이라고 봅니다.
그는 다음 특징을 강조합니다.
유대 교육 문화
-
문해율이 매우 높음
-
토론 중심 학습
-
법적 사고
Johnson은 이것이 유대인의 지적 전통을 만들었다고 설명합니다.
6. 디아스포라 중세
70년 로마가 예루살렘을 파괴한 후 유대인은 전 세계로 흩어집니다.
Johnson은 이를
“유대 역사에서 가장 창조적인 시기”
라고 평가합니다.
중세 유대인은
세 문화권에서 활동했습니다.
-
이슬람 세계
-
기독교 유럽
-
지중해 무역 네트워크
대표적 인물
-
마이모니데스
-
이븐 가비롤
특히 그는
이슬람 문명 속에서 유대 지성이 번성했다고 강조합니다.
7. 유럽의 박해
Johnson은 유럽 기독교 사회에서 유대인 박해를 자세히 설명합니다.
대표적 사건
-
십자군 학살
-
스페인 추방 (1492)
-
동유럽 포그롬
하지만 그는 박해를 강조하면서도
유대 공동체의 생존 능력
을 더 강조합니다.
생존 전략
-
교육
-
상업 네트워크
-
공동체 조직
8. 근대와 유대인의 부상
근대 이후 유대인은 유럽 사회에서 중요한 역할을 하게 됩니다.
대표 분야
-
금융
-
과학
-
철학
-
예술
Johnson은 이를
“유대 지적 전통의 폭발”
이라고 설명합니다.
대표 인물
-
마르크스
-
프로이트
-
아인슈타인
그는 유대인의 지적 영향력을 매우 크게 평가합니다.
9. 홀로코스트
Johnson은 나치의 유대인 학살을
“유럽 문명의 붕괴”
로 설명합니다.
약 600만 명이 학살되었고
유럽 유대 문명은 사실상 파괴되었습니다.
이 사건은
-
시온주의 확산
-
이스라엘 건국
으로 이어졌다고 봅니다.
10. 시온주의와 이스라엘
Johnson은 시온주의를
유대 역사 속 자연스러운 귀결
로 설명합니다.
그는 다음 논리를 제시합니다.
유대인은
-
오랜 박해 경험
-
디아스포라 불안정성
때문에
국가가 필요했다는 것입니다.
따라서
1948년 이스라엘 건국을
역사적 정의의 회복
으로 해석합니다.
이 부분은 책에서 가장 논쟁적인 부분입니다.
11. Johnson의 핵심 주장
Johnson의 전체 역사 해석은 다음과 같습니다.
유대 문명의 특징
-
역사 의식
-
법 중심 사회
-
교육 중심 문화
-
디아스포라 네트워크
그는 유대인을
“세계 최초의 지적 민족”
이라고 표현합니다.
12. 학문적 평가
이 책은 널리 읽히지만
학계에서는 평가가 엇갈립니다.
장점
-
방대한 역사 서술
-
읽기 쉬운 문체
-
유대 문화 설명 능력
문제점
-
보수적 역사관
-
시온주의 편향
-
아랍·팔레스타인 시각 부족
13. 학문적 비판
특히 세 가지 비판이 많습니다.
1. 유대 중심 서술
Johnson은 유대인을 지나치게 긍정적으로 묘사합니다.
예
-
지적 우월성 강조
-
역사적 역할 과장
2. 시온주의 정당화
이스라엘 건국을
거의 비판 없이 정당화합니다.
팔레스타인 문제는 비교적 짧게 다룹니다.
3. 사회경제 분석 부족
Johnson은
-
계급
-
경제 구조
-
정치 권력
같은 요소를 충분히 분석하지 않습니다.
14. 다른 역사서와 비교
이 책은 다음 책들과 비교됩니다.
대표적 비교
Shlomo Sand
The Invention of the Jewish People
Norman Finkelstein
The Holocaust Industry
Ilan Pappé
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
이 책들은 Johnson보다 훨씬 비판적입니다.
Johnson은
전통적 서구 친이스라엘 역사관
에 가깝습니다.
15. 역사적으로 중요한 통찰
그럼에도 불구하고 Johnson 책에는 중요한 통찰이 있습니다.
특히 두 가지
1. 텍스트 중심 문명
유대 문명은
토론과 해석 중심 문화
라는 분석은 설득력이 있습니다.
2. 디아스포라 네트워크
유대 공동체가
-
상업
-
학문
-
금융
에서 강한 이유를 설명합니다.
16. 종합 평가
History of the Jews는
완전히 객관적인 학술서라기보다
“유대 문명에 대한 서구 지식인의 장대한 해석”
에 가깝습니다.
이 책의 가치
-
유대 역사 전체 개관
-
서구 문명과 유대 전통 연결
하지만 한계도 분명합니다.
특히
-
시온주의 편향
-
팔레스타인 문제 축소
17. 결론
Paul Johnson의 책은
유대인을
역사 속에서 끊임없이 살아남은 문명
으로 묘사합니다.
그의 메시지는 단순합니다.
유대인의 힘은
-
텍스트
-
교육
-
공동체
에 있었다는 것입니다.
그러나 현대 중동 정치까지 고려하면
이 책은 반드시 비판적 독서가 필요한 역사서입니다.
원하시면 다음도 정리해 드리겠습니다.
1️⃣ <Paul Johnson vs Shlomo Sand 유대 역사 해석 비교>
2️⃣ <유대인 정체성: 실제 역사 vs 정치적 신화>
3️⃣ <이스라엘 건국을 보는 4개의 역사관 비교> (Johnson / Pappé / Sand / Finkelstein)
세진님 관심 분야와 매우 깊게 연결되는 주제입니다.
===
===
No comments:
Post a Comment