Judaism: An Introduction

The story of Judaism is a story of paradox. It is the story of how a small cluster of desert tribes gave birth to a monotheistic doctrine that profoundly shaped the history of human civilization. It is the story of how that initially obscure desert doctrine came to be codified into the Hebrew Bible, one of the world's greatest works of literature. It is the story of how a small minority came to be viewed by the majority as disproportionately powerful and, following pogrom and Holocaust, were driven to the edge of extinction. And it is the story of how a displaced people, globally dispersed throughout other nations for two-and-a-half millennia, came to forge a modern, secular Israeli state which many Jews believe to have been granted an explicitly divine mandate. Oliver Leaman carefully and creatively explores the nature of these apparent contradictions. He discusses the origins of the Jewish Bible; recounts the history of the Jewish people from the era of Patriarchs and Prophets through the Middle Ages up to the contemporary era; outlines the Jewish liturgical calendar and its major rites and modes of worship; and considers the great variety of Jewish literatures (including modern post-Holocaust writers like Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel), art, food and culture. Further chapters examine such topics as mysticism and kabbalah; modern Hebrew; interfaith relations; and the highly contested question, "Who is a Jew?". IB Taurus 2010

udp://tracker.openbittorrent.com:80
udp://open.demonii.com:1337
udp://tracker.coppersurfer.tk:6969
udp://exodus.desync.com:6969

ramikaz (2011-09-07)

If you want the REAL introduction, read: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion -
and The Talmud -

emmemmess (2011-09-07)

@kimm
most jews not violent nut jobs?
You haven't visited Jerusalem or Bethlehem then!
The whole world sees what the "non-violent" jews are doing in the middle-east.
You'd make an ideal candidate as a spokesman for Gaddafi.

qwertzo99 (2011-09-07)

@RustGOLD
Just shut up you lie spreading jew!
Here for others who want to know more about "muslim gangs kidnapping christian girls and rapping them":

That's from egyptian christian website! In your face RustGOLD and all other dumb hating trash.

 bigbluesea (2011-09-07)

Wow!

BigUglyMotha (2011-09-09)

Why do muslims hate Judaism ? Because Islam is a satanical ideology hell bent on the destruction of anything pertaining to God. Everything their so called "prophet" did only resulted in death and destruction.
Thank you bookzilla for this Introduction. I'm very interested to know more about Judaism and please feel my heart felt sympathies and solidarity for the plight of your people, especially in Israel where they are surrounded by so much hostility and insanity.

qwertzo99 (2011-09-10)

@RustGOLD
You can see my article is newer and in it, it basically contradicts everything you just posted. Luckily for you the site seems offline or unavailable so people can't check it.
As it stands in my article link (which is newer) it says that many parents intentionaly lie and create stories of abduction because they don't want that their friends and family knows that their daughter chose islam. Christine and Nancy you mentioned in one of your post are also in the article. At the request of parents they were caught by police but after police found they willingly left their homes to marry they let them go. They even posted a picture of them two at Tahrir Square with demonstrators chanting with the demonstrators. No doubt, excellent place for "kidnapped" girls. And like the lawyers say (christian lawyers) these reports by parents are fake. They don't want to accept that their girls have fall in love and left.
Just like that lawyer says: If a christian parent says his daughter left home to marry a muslim guy and convert to islam, nobody will accept it, but if he says that she was kidnapped - it's ok.
Your quoting Christine and Nancy while my newer link clearly counters that they were kidnapped tells me that you haven't even read the post but just searched older posts that only tell lies that suit your propaganda.
Nice try but lies have a short legs.

qwertzo99 (2011-09-10)

@BigUglyMotha
No, it's because jews are nation of prophet killers and harrassers and they create trouble where every they go.
Don't just say muslims hate jews, christians hate them too. Remember medieval times? WW2? African americans hate them too (jews were the ones who had international slave trade, but you didn't know about that).
Russians hate jews too. Jews ARE the "Russian Mafia" as western media calls them to avoid calling them jewish mafia. Israel is a haven for criminals organizations like "Russian Mafia". US diplomatic cables released on Wikileaks say just that.
Jews used terrorism to create Israel even though they were immigrants AND A MINORITY. They drove people away from their homes and keep them into state of war.
Why people hate jews that much? A very good question.

max201111 (2013-11-15)

@ramikaz the elders of zion, real introduction? Blow it out your ass!
qwertzo99 fuck yourself!