The Jewish People: Their History and Their Religion

by John D. Rayner and David J. Goldberg

Book Overview

The first part of this illustrated volume offers a survey of Jewish history and literature. The second part presents what the preface describes as 'a thematic analysis of the teachings and practice of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140154914
• Release Date: February 1989
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.0" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive account of Jewish History and Religion

I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in gaining an insight into the history, practices and literature of the Jewish people. The book is broken down into 4 parts. In Part 1, Rabbis Goldberg and Rayner explain each phase in Jewish history from Abraham to the holocaust. With regards to their analysis of the biblical period, I was very impressed at their genuine concern with true history rather than just relying on scripture to provide the details. When dealing with each period, they refrained from giving painstaking details and rather delivered a good overview. Those wishing to satisfy their curiosity for details are able to consult the bibliography for further reading.In Part 2, the Jewish literature for each period is reviewed including the origin of the Torah and an overview of Rabbinic literature such as the Talmud and beyond.Parts 3 and 4 deal with the theory of Judaism and Jewish practices. These are excellent for those who are being introduced to Judaism for the very first time, or for those who could do with some revision or brushing up on some of the important rituals, laws and festivals.Overall, I must say this book is informative and a pleasure to read and remains an excellent reference book.