History of the Jewish
937470
This documentary is very well done and informative.
2389865
As a Jewish person who's lived a long life with lot Christian input in this country it was fabulous to learn about the real Jesus.  A lot of what's been said about him over the centuries is not correct and I appreciate having a better idea about the real person.  Jews did NOT kill him -- Romans did.  The idea that Jews did has inflamed anti-Jewish ideas for several thousand years.
2851445
More of a history of Judaism in the period than a tale.
1127731
Many Christians never stop to think, (this describes me).even though they are very familiar with the Old Testament, that it is really the Jewish Testament.  Christian culture is saturated with Jewishness.  Oh yes it is!  Sholem Asch's book, The Nazarene, and its many pages are saturated with the Jewish life styles of Jesus and the Jewish centuries preceding him.  These lifestyles are portrayed in great detail by a very talented Jew of the Jews who also writes about the life of Jesus with great learning.

This book was purchased in e-reader format for Kindle from Amazon.
2034899
A great resource for those interested in historical factuals on the Hebrew people. Older scholarship but I do not think there is any newer works that replace it. I bought it because it was still the main resource on this topic.
2362416
The title of this book is a bit of a misnomer.  True, there were a handful of Jewish pirates and even more Jews that were directly, or indirectly involved with piracy, through the complicated legal and illegal trade networks.  What makes this an interesting history book is the fact that it sheds some light on the history of the exodus that followed the Spanish Inquisition and the decree of 1492.  Those that fled to the New World, to escape the terror of the Spanish Inquisition are only one small part of the story of Spain's Sephardic community.  Spain's first Jews arrived with Phoenicians around 950 BC and were followed by many more, in the following centuries, due to the tumultuous history of the Jewish people.  By the time of the infamous decree of 1492, which gave Jews the option of converting to Christianity or leaving Spain; Spain had been home to Jewish communities for roughly 2500 years.  Spain was their home and many could not bring themselves to leave and choose instead to practice their faith in secrecy.  Others choose to flee to Portugal, where 5 years later they would be forced to make the same choice as they had been forced to make in Spain.  Still others fled to German speaking lands, Italy, Eastern Europe, North Africa, Turkey, France, and their descendants would immigrate to England, Scotland, Ireland, North America, Latin America, Arabia, Persia, and Central Europe.  This book does not cover the vast Diaspora of the Sephardic people.  It covers one small group of Sephardic Jews that fled to the Spanish posssions of the New World and most of that small group had nothing to do with piracy.  It also covers the establishment of Sephardic Amsterdam and the lifting of the ban on Jews, in England, but not thoroughly.  It is stil an interesting book, but it is just one small chapter in a very complicated and sad story.
3974324
This seem like a Jewish History textbook... but it can be used as an easy read!
Thank you for a great book!
3674189
I really enjoyed reading this book about the history of Jesus because is was based on actual historical Jewish and Roman records.  I think this book helps to solidify the truths that are already in the Bible.
4594978
Wanted an easy to read and understanding of the Jewish words, cultural influence and explanation of how the words were used for many years and how they may or may not be used currently. This book takes care of all of that for me. Very glad I got it,
.
305660
Keep in mind this is very Jewish, which is not a bad thing, I use it every day to study the Torah portion. Great
2510031
I am currently very interested in learning everything that I can learn about the Jewish Faith.  This particular book was absolutely wonderful!!!  It explained everything in perfect detail.  I learned so much!  I couldn't put the book down.  Once I started really getting into the book, I found the Jewish Faith to be very interesting.  I can guarantee anyone that buys this book will enjoy it.  Gina
3413275
Knowledge of the Jewish faith is essential to any serious study of the Christian scriptures. Stephen Wylen's THE JEWS IN THE TIME OF JESUS is an essential tool in understanding the Judaism of the days of Jesus Christ. The book is written in a manner that is both academic and personal. The author is a rabbi by profession but also has a keen understanding of Christianity. His writings are meant to educate Christian readers about Judaism but at time it also confronts misconceptions about Judaism.
The topics in the book include historical details regarding the Greeks, Romans, the Maccabees, etc. While this information is informative, it is not the book's greatest strength which can be found in the way the author paints a picture of Jewish life at the time of Jesus. Rabbi Wylen pays close attention to the various groups within Judaism: The Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, as well as the other figures we find in the gospel. The book helps the reader get a sense of the world of Jesus' day and the audience to whom Jesus spoke. The information about Jewish rituals and festivals is also helpful. The book also contains a great deal of information about the Temple and its history, including the revolts which led to the break between Christianity and Judaism. This information is critical in understanding the differences between the two great faiths. We also get some wonderful information about the great rabbis of Jesus' day and in the years of early Christianity.
The book is easy to read and can be used as a quick reference for people involved in preaching, Bible study, or religious education. The book has an informative bibliography which includes editorial comments by the author. While some readers may disagree with some of his opinions, they are still helpful as Christians and Jewish people try and come to an understanding of each other.
4258839
"Study Bible" is a good term to describe this book. This book literally "studies" the Bible from the historical Jewish context. For the modern day Jewish and Gentile believer, it provides a view into historical Jewish culture and broadens the student's  understanding of the times and the land in which the Jews lived and illuminates the use and meaning of words and phrases. The Topical Articles most helpful. They are short commentary on  specific themes referencing many Old and New testament scriptures, thereby connecting biblical writings as one continuing story. Very thorough introduction to the Jewishness of scripture. Another thing I greatly appreciate is this Jewish author's unbiased approach to scripture interpretation and commentary, he does not "take sides."  He presents information and leaves it with the reader to work out his own salvation in fear and trembling and to "connect the dots."
1559194
A well written book that brings the early days of Talmudic Judaism alive. Written as a fictonal novel based on the life of Elisha bar Abuiya, the book explores the challenges of faith, doubt, redemption and logic. A page turner, the 500 pages move swiftly from boyhood through death, and bring the cultural clashes between Gentile and Jewish philosophy and religion into a perspective that can be compared to our modern era. A great read.
2200660
The body of this work consists of excepts from the writings of the early Hasidic Rabbis in the classical period (1780-1811)of the movement. This was the first work of such excerpts in English. Dan claims that the emphasis given to the later Hasidic writers in popular anthologies have given a distorted picture of the major literature of the movement. Instead of the highly popular narrative works Dan's anthology provides selections from the sermons that constitute a major form of Hasidic writing. He aims to minimalize Kabbalistic terminology and those writings containing large doses of homilectical formulation.
Dan prefaces the excerpts with a valuable survey essay on the origins of Hasidism and its subsequent historical development .
He notes that while many date the origin of the movement to the first public appearance of Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov(1736), and others place the founding date as 1760 when the Besht was succeeded by Rabbi Dov Baer(The Maggid of Mezherich), and still others choose 1772 when the death of the Maggid led to the beginning of many different Hasidic schools, his own preference is for 1780. He prefers this date because he believes that in Judaism 'ideas spread  through the power of the written word more than by any other means' and that this is the date when major Hasidic writings  were first published. The publication of 'Toledot Yaakov Yosef' a compilation of sayings by the Besht, was quickly followed by other books by Ya'akov Yosef, Dov Baer's 'Maggid Devarar Le'Yaakov' the 'Noam Elimech' and the 'Tanya'. Dan claims that by the early nineteeth century Hasidism already had a considerable literature from the  different schools of 'Hasidism'.
Dan then goes on to talk about the importance of the homilectical sermon in the period 1780-1815. He too traces the effect of Kabbalistic literature on Hasidism. And he also discusses how the opposition to the Hasidic movement of the Mitnagdim related strongly to their fear of the return of destructive Shabbateanism. Nonetheless Dan points to the distinctive character of Hasidism vis- a- vis Kabbalah.
"Hasidism was not fundametally mystical in the usual sense of the word.. Hasidism was a mass movement, but the mystical stance is intensely individualistic and cannot easily be maintained in a formally structured group setting, at least not for long."
Dan traces how Lurianic Kabbalah the doctrine of the Sefirot did influence Hasidism, but how Hasidism was primarily a movement of revival and its characteristic doctrines not revolutionary. He points out how it placed new emphasis on ideas long present in Judaism, such as joy in prayer and the performance of Mitzvot, love for the whole people of Israel including the poor and the ignorant.
He points out that one of the central elements which came to feature in Hasidism, the devotion to the Tsaddik was very far from the Shabbatean ideas of Nathan of Gaza or the messianic conception of Lurianic Kabbalah. " Hasidism, it might be said, fragmented the superhuman messianic hero of Sabbatianism and distributed the pieces across time and space into every generation and communhity' The doctrine of the Tsaddik who was an intermediary and provided 'unusual spiritual endorsements' and blessings in this world 'for children, long life and sustenance' became central to the movement. The Tzaddik ideally reached the higher spiritual worlds ordinary people could not as it were attain for themselves. The intense relationship between Tsaddik and his followers also led to his taking upon himself their 'sinful thoughts' and ideally transforming them to 'good'. Dan does not say this, but the excessive dependance on the  Tsaddik has for many been seen as a violation of the Jewish principle affirming the importance of the individual 's personal freedom in decision.
This introduction is truly an illuminating one, and the excerpts very often beautiful and inspirational.
911097
A very readable and informative history of our "Russian" ancestors,told mostly via personal stories of well known Jewish Americans. It also helps understanding of many of the habits and attitudes we observe today.
3908489
This is a great overview of the milieu of the Jews from about 200 BC through 200 AD. Cohen is clear and sticks to the facts as far as they are known/knowable.  It's written for a wide audience and I think that anyone interested in the Bible, Palestinian history, Jewish history, etc, would enjoy this broad introduction.  It's like a freshman college course and you will enjoy it!