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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Lisa on June 29, 2009, 09:06:15 PM

Title: Has Anyone Here Read Paul Johnson's "History Of The Jews?"
Post by: Lisa on June 29, 2009, 09:06:15 PM

My brother in law lent me the book, and I just started it.  For those of you who've read it, what do you think?

Title: Re: Has Anyone Here Read Paul Johnson's "History Of The Jews?"
Post by: Yochai on June 29, 2009, 11:02:58 PM

It is a good book in the respect that Johnson treats the Jews favourably in many ways when looking at history.

On the other hand, his grasp of the Jewish religion is not that great, and is tainted by his left-wing beliefs.  In talking about certain religious issues, he takes certain passages out of context; as wll, he holds to the modernist academic view of the Rambam, which is quite inaccurate, and heavily based on ideology.

Nonetheless, I found it to be a very good book, and even though he is a bit of a lefty, Johnson is an author who respects the JEwish people and what they have done.

Title: Re: Has Anyone Here Read Paul Johnson's "History Of The Jews?"
Post by: Lisa on June 30, 2009, 10:34:24 AM

Thanks Yochai. 

Title: Re: Has Anyone Here Read Paul Johnson's "History Of The Jews?"
Post by: GoIsraelGo! on June 30, 2009, 11:36:45 AM

Hi Lisa, I have the book " History of the Jews" but I have not read all of it.



                                       Shalom - Dox

Title: Re: Has Anyone Here Read Paul Johnson's "History Of The Jews?"
Post by: Cato on June 30, 2009, 11:55:09 AM

Quote from: Lisa on June 29, 2009, 09:06:15 PM

My brother in law lent me the book, and I just started it.  For those of you who've read it, what do you think?

I have not read it. Paul Johnson was for a long time editor of the leftish magazine the New Statesman, but I recall him later describing the deliberate destruction of the southern African economies as one of the most shameful episodes of the 20th century, so he must have sense.