Great book!

This is truly an amazing piece of literature. From the very first page, it grabs your attention and doesn't let go. The story is engaging, filled with interesting characters and plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat.

The author's writing style is captivating, making it easy to get lost in the world they have created. The descriptions are vivid, allowing you to picture every scene in your mind as if you were there.

Whether you're a fan of fiction or non-fiction, this book has something for everyone. It offers valuable insights, makes you think, and may even change your perspective on certain things.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read. It's a must-have addition to any bookshelf and one that you'll want to read again and again.

Civilization has been advanced by the contributions of every religion. Ancient Greek-Roman and Egyptian civilizations were largely driven by the religious beliefs of their societies. Through the traditions of these religions, we have obtained Greek, Nordic, Egyptian, Hindu and other mythologies; we have obtained various brilliant stories of religious teachings and hymns to the deities. However, these major steps in art and literature are actually just the "by-products" of religious societies. In the rush to spread one religious belief, major political, geographical and choreographic changes occur through the oppression of other religious beliefs and other ethnic groups. With the lag of these changes, new and new mythological stories and hymns emerge; the religious literature of the previous era is revised. The qualities of the gods of the defeated ethnic groups in religious wars are attributed to the shoulders of the gods of the victorious ethnic groups. Looking at the history of human society, this change of belief seems to be the main driving force, like the engine of a car. With one model of engine, one can travel a long way. After several decades or even centuries, it is necessary to bring innovation to the engine, keeping in mind speed, comfortable travel and so on. If we look at the present time, the countries that are seen to lead the world, those that have achieved excellence in knowledge, science, art and literature, and those where people's safety is the highest, each of these countries has gradually changed and revised their religious engines over time, correcting the mistakes of the old model. On the contrary, in the most advanced, poor, illiterate and barbaric countries of the world, religious belief comes first; they have not modernized their old model of religious engine, and they are even angry at the thought of modernizing it. Their old model of immovable engine makes them believe that they will fall behind, and it is not necessary to be a Vidyasagar to understand this.

The discussion of the book written on the history of the Jewish people may cause many people to lose patience when arguing about the old model of religious belief, so it is necessary to say here that the history of Judaism is actually the history of continuous change over time, the history of modernization into a new model. In the present world, a rumor has spread about the Jews in the mythological period, that is, only the Jews are "geniuses". 143 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Jews in the combination of science and literature. Even if we list the world's best film directors, musicians and philosophers, the prominence of the Jews will be evident. The issue of modernizing religion over time has played an important role here. American Rabbi Marc Gellman has described in his book how Judaism has evolved into a firm belief system today after wandering around for thousands of years. This system has been proven so strong in the test of time that it is on this basis that Christianity and Islam, two major religions, have emerged. The major changes of Judaism have come about by wandering from one country to another, suffering from barbaric attacks, and it is by pointing in this direction that Gellman has given the title of his history "Wanderings" or aimless march. The book, which is full of facts, many of which are unnecessary, cannot be said to be a very good source of learning history. The book, which is written to a great extent in a random manner with an excess of religious emotion, does add some things that are in line with other sources, and this is what has been achieved.

The three major Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have survived for thousands of years because of the firm structure of their beliefs. The followers of each religion often bring up the issue of this firm structure when boasting of the superiority of their own religion. Since the foundation of this structure was established through Judaism, it is necessary to look at the origin story of Judaism in order to understand the evolution of the Abrahamic religions. To find the answer to the question of how Judaism was founded, Gellman went back to the ancient Sumerian civilization 6000 years ago. According to the Bible, Abraham's original residence was in the Ur region of southern Mesopotamia. From this Ur, about four miles away, the Sumerian civilization declined at the hands of the Ubaid people of the Al-Ubaid village around 4300-3000 BC. Many scholars consider this civilization in southern Mesopotamia (Iran, Iraq, Syria) to be the first civilization in the world. The origin of language, agriculture, sculpture, etc. also dates back to this time. Many of the Babylonian residents of this time are referred to as Akkadian, and it is very likely that the Akkadian and Assyrian languages of this region are the predecessors of today's Semitic (Hebrew, Arabic, etc.) languages. Gellman points out that the journey of all the major civilizations of the world began from the villages of Sumer such as Eridu, Ur, Erech, Lagash, Nippur, Kish, etc. The Sumerians did not call themselves Sumerians, of course; this name was given by the Akkadians. They called their region "Kengi". It was these Sumerians who invented the art of writing, and with their help, the legends, laws, and religious stories of the kings and queens who became popular among the people gradually became established in written form.

One of the characteristics of civilization is to use collective wisdom to achieve something. When this knowledge is mastered by humans, the need for the arrival of various gods, goddesses, and religious beliefs arises. Since the Sumerian civilization was one of the oldest civilizations, it is natural that the invention of religious belief would also be in their hands. The ancient beliefs of the Sumerians were centered around various natural elements; they considered the moon, the sun, trees, stones, etc. as gods. For the natural changes such as rivers, rain, storm, cold, spring, etc., these deities had to be satisfied through various rituals and worships. Whether the gods listened to prayers or not was, of course, beyond the reach of ordinary people. Only a few priests with special powers could understand the mysterious language of the gods, and their descendants would maintain their profession intact over the course of thousands of years, take on the title of prophet, go to the top of the mountain and talk to God, and then establish their own Abrahamic religions (fortunately, they are few in number! It is because of the persecution of the religions preached by these few prophets that people have suffered for centuries, and it is unimaginable what would have happened if all the common people had gone to the top of the mountain to receive the hospitality of God!). These polytheistic beliefs of the early age of civilization were gradually revised, absorbed various stories from other beliefs in other regions, and finally evolved into a belief with a strong structure supporting monotheism, which is called the final form of Judaism.

One of the contributions of the Sumerian civilization is the "Epic of Gilgamesh" (2700-2500 BC), which is now recognized as an example of the oldest literature. This epic mainly describes the various expeditions of King Gilgamesh of Uruk. It has historical value, of course, but the greatness of Gilgamesh's legend lies elsewhere. There are many similarities between the story of Gilgamesh and some stories in the Hebrew Bible; the angel in the Garden of Eden, the snake's trickery, Noah's great flood - the sources of these stories in the Bible may be this epic of Gilgamesh. According to the teachings of the Bible and the Quran, on God's command, Noah built a huge ship and boarded it with all the animals and birds of the world. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written thousands of years before the Bible was created, it can be seen that Utnapishtim, on receiving God's command, took refuge in his ship with all kinds of animals and birds in the same way. In addition, this epic can also be identified as the source of the story of the birth of Adam and Eve or Eve Hawwa that only Jews, Christians and Muslims read. According to the epic of Gilgamesh, the goddess of creation, Aruru, created Enkidu with earth and water; and the goddess of life, Nintu, was created from a piece of the rib of the god of water, Enki. Like the game of relay race or pillow passing, the baton (or stick!) of the same story has been revised and passed on to the hands of the next religion; after passing through the three levels of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the story of the early stage of Gilgamesh associated with the gods and goddesses has obtained a relatively believable form.

The western region of Mesopotamia (present-day Syria) was then occupied by a semi-nomadic army, whom the Sumerians knew as the Amorites. According to the Sumerians, they were a special barbarian who lived in tents on the mountains and could not master the art of cooking meat at that time. In the Bible, they are referred to as the Amorites. Abraham was probably an Amorite. The descendants of Abraham, a few generations later, were called "Semitic" after the name of one of their ancestors, Shem. According to the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, Abraham left Ur with his wife (Sarah), father (Terah) and nephew (Lot) and came to the city of Haran (part of present-day Turkey) and set up a temporary camp. Abraham stayed here until the age of 75, and then, on God's command, he set out for Canaan to spread his teachings. The patriarch or founder of the Abrahamic religions, who played an important role in their family relationships. According to the Bible, Sarah was Abraham's wife and also his sister or legitimate sister. The relationship between Sarah and Abraham's brother and sister is mentioned twice in the Bible (Genesis 12:10-13:1 and Genesis 20). In the second account, Abraham said that Sarah was his father's daughter, but their mothers were not the same (in the first account, Abraham gave a false identity of Sarah to the Pharaoh of Egypt to save his life; Abraham was afraid that if he introduced himself as Sarah's husband, the Pharaoh would kill him and take Sarah into his harem). On the other hand, Abraham's nephew Lot is famous in all three religions for the story of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. According to the Bible, after the destruction of these two cities, Lot and his two daughters took refuge in a cave and lived there. There, the two daughters made Lot drunk with wine and had sexual intercourse with him, and both later conceived Lot's children. The eldest daughter named her son "Moab" (obtained from her father); the youngest daughter named her son "Ben-Ammi" (son of my people). Moab and Ben-Ammi are respectively called the fathers of the Moabite and Ammonite peoples. In Islam, of course, there is no discussion about the relationship between Abraham and Sarah's brother and sister or the matter of Lot's two daughters. The difference in time between Judaism and Islam is several thousand years; since the matter of family relationships has changed into a matter of inheritance at that time, perhaps these controversial chapters of the family heads have been carefully deleted in Islam.

The place called Canaan in the Old Testament of the Bible is composed of parts of present-day Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Egypt. This region is named after the name of one of Noah's grandsons. Noah had three sons, namely Ham, Shem and Japheth. It is described in the Bible that one day Noah got drunk after drinking wine and fell asleep in a naked state. His eldest son, Ham, saw this and informed his two other brothers. Shem and Japheth then walked backwards and covered their father with a blanket. They did not see their father's naked body. When Noah woke up and saw his condition, he cursed Ham and said that Ham's son Canaan would be a slave to his brothers forever. This Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanites who lived in the Canaan region. Gellman, of course, believes that the name Canaan comes from the Harian word kinahu, which means purple. Canaan was famous for the purple wool, and this purple color came from the shells of a special kind of shellfish that lived on the coast of Canaan. The ancient Greeks called the residents of Canaan the Phoenicians, and the original form of this word was Phoenix, which also means purple. The importance of Canaan in the Bible is that God first promised Abraham and then his son and grandson Isaac and Jacob to rule Canaan. Since then, Canaan has been the "Promised Land" for the Jews. Based on this scripture of the Bible, the Israelis have occupied a part of Palestine and justify any attack on Palestine through this story; after all, the promise given by God must be protected! Karl Marx called religion opium. Opium is not the main food of people, it does not satisfy hunger, nor does it increase strength. The matter of religious belief is like "staple food" like rice for many ethnic groups, and one has to chew it to maintain one's existence. If necessary, one can also get drunk and enjoy the pleasure of belief.

The custom in Mesopotamia at that time was that if a woman was unable to conceive a child with her husband, the husband had to take a slave or a ward in that case, and if the slave had a child, the woman would have full rights over that child. According to the Bible, after Sarah's long infertility, Abraham took Hagar as a slave according to the custom of society, and their son Ishmael (Ismail) was born. It is at this stage of the story that the matter of circumcision or male genital circumcision is made compulsory in the Bible (on the eighth day of birth). This custom had been in existence long before the establishment of Judaism, and in the Bible it is made compulsory as part of the covenant between God and Abraham. Meanwhile, Sarah also had a son of her own (Isaac or Isaac), but the birth of Ishmael caused violent pain in Sarah's heart. Doubting the division of property, Sarah pressured Abraham to abandon Hagar and Ismail. In the eyes of that time, to abandon a slave in this way meant to be deprived of eternal security, and the result was certain death. When Hagar, who was in great danger with the child Ishmael, was about to die, God could not bear this suffering and came to their aid. The child Ishmael survived, and God promised to make him the father of a great nation. The Arabs claim to be the descendants of Ishmael. The same story is also popular in the Muslim world, but of course, the taking of Abraham's slave and other offensive elements from the Islamic point of view are carefully absent there. In the Islamic account, Hagar is Abraham's second wife.

After the Semites who followed Abraham spread in Egypt, at one time they overthrew the power of the Pharaohs of Egypt and took over the throne. Over time, the throne again came into the hands of the Egyptians under the Ramses dynasty. To ensure that the power never again falls into the hands of the foreign Semites, the emperor first orders that all the newly born children of the foreigners be thrown into the river. Many "illegal" children born out of wedlock and the children of poor parents who are unable to raise them have also been drowned in the river. In view of this history, Gellman claims that there is no doubt in the story of Moses, the founder of Judaism, being thrown into the river after birth. According to the scriptures of the Bible, Moses, who grew up as a prince in the Pharaoh's palace, one day killed an Egyptian who was torturing a Hebrew slave of his own clan, and fled to Midian to escape the Pharaoh's wrath. There, he married Zipporah, the daughter of a priest named Jethro. Because the women of this Midian region were promiscuous and involved in "unrestricted sexual behavior", God was angry and ordered Moses to go to war against the Midianites. It is here that God first appears to Moses in the name of "Yahweh" (YHWH); before that, God introduced himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the name of "El-Shaddai" or Almighty. It should be noted here that the story of killing the Egyptian, fleeing to Midian and Moses' marriage is also in the Quran, in Surah Al-Qasas, but there are some differences in the accounts of the Bible and the Quran. According to the description of the Bible, Zipporah had seven sisters; only two are mentioned in the Quran. In the Quran, the names of Zipporah and Moses' father-in-law are not even mentioned, and according to the account of the Quran, Moses' father-in-law offers to marry his daughter to Moses on the condition that he work for him for eight years (Al-Qasas, 27). There is no mention of such a condition in the Bible. Many scholars have identified Jethro as the prophet Shu'aib in Islam, but there is no end to the controversy over this. The Druze, another Abrahamic religion in the Middle East, consider Jethro as their religious guru and claim to be his descendants. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy - which are collectively called the Torah or Taurat, according to the Jewish belief, were written by Moses after the responsibility of prophethood was entrusted to him. Many modern historians, of course, have sided with seeing Moses as a mythological figure rather than a historical figure. In this case, if one is seen as a heretic and the other as a devout worshipper of God, the Jews, Christians and Muslims will undoubtedly feel the greatest pain in the insult to the story of Moses; the pious priests who are busy proving the superiority of their own God in order to restore the purity of Moses will then all be under one blanket.

Thanks to the Pope's culture, the Ten Commandments are now well known to everyone. The story of these ten commandments comes from two books of the Torah (Exodus and Deuteronomy), which are also the main pillars of the three major Abrahamic religions. Accepting the unity of one God, being respectful to one's father and mother, abstaining from idol worship, murder, adultery, theft, falsehood, etc. - this is the essence of the Decalogue. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, emphasis is repeatedly placed on these issues. According to the scriptures of the Bible, Moses wrote these Ten Commandments after 40 days and 40 nights of continuous fasting in the presence of God. After that, Moses led his followers across the Red Sea and wandered for 40 years before setting up camp at a place called Kadesh-Barnea. The Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus identified the present-day city of Petra in Jordan as Kadesh-Barnea. From this Kadesh-Barnea, under the leadership of Moses, the Jews tried to re-enter C

I have a deep affection for Potok as a novelist. Since he is not truly a historian, he employs his own emotions to construe history, which is an intriguing method. However, it is surely not one that aims to be authoritative.

This book poses a challenge to read due to its comprehensiveness. Nevertheless, it is highly informative. It delves into how a people, rich in culture and favored, endured throughout the ages, adopting a personal perspective that is uniquely Potok's own.

Potok's ability to bring history to life through his novels is remarkable. He weaves together fictional characters and real historical events to create a vivid and engaging narrative.

Although his interpretations may not be in line with those of professional historians, they offer a fresh and alternative view of the past.

Reading Potok's works allows us to see history from a different angle and gain a deeper understanding of the human experience.

I picked up this book somewhat by accident. I was truly impressed by some of Potok's novels, especially Asher Lev. Just like in those works, in Wanderings, he shows great courage in pushing boundaries. He hypothesizes rational explanations for biblical miracles, gives significant weight to a little-known messianic episode in early modern Jewish history, which is one of the more interesting details for me. He also takes a critical look at the efforts of Jews to integrate into European society over the past few centuries.

The book is also filled with his love of language, his reverence for tradition, and a natural anguish in the face of perverse injustice. It was a surprise to me that Jews made up such a significant percentage of the Roman Empire's population. I wonder if that is generally accepted? It was not at all a surprise that they found Islamic Andalus more amenable than Christian Spain.

I can't help but wonder, 40 years after the book was published, what Potok, surely a sensitive observer, would make of the multidimensional moral dilemmas facing modern Israel. But for all that, it is impossible not to answer, with him, Yes.

Fun history is truly a captivating subject to explore.

It allows us to journey back in time and discover the fascinating events, people, and cultures that have shaped our world.

Reading about history can be like opening a door to a different era, filled with excitement, mystery, and valuable lessons.

We can learn about the great civilizations of the past, such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and marvel at their achievements in architecture, art, and science.

We can also uncover the stories of famous historical figures, like Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Genghis Khan, and understand how their actions influenced the course of history.

Moreover, studying history helps us to gain a better understanding of our own society and culture, and appreciate the progress that has been made over the years.

In conclusion, fun history is not only enjoyable to read but also provides us with a wealth of knowledge and insights that can enrich our lives.

A story that begins with the first Sumerian city-states and reaches up to today's State of Israel, told by a novelist.

It is extremely fascinating, very much so, and admittedly, it is partial. It offers easy readings and interesting reflections. There is too much material for just a few pages, but it is definitely successful.

This is a beautiful book. It takes the reader on a journey through time, exploring the rich history and cultures that have shaped the Middle East. The novelist's unique perspective brings the story to life, making it engaging and accessible to a wide audience. Whether you are a history buff or simply looking for an interesting read, this book is sure to satisfy.

Overall, it is a remarkable work that combines historical accuracy with literary flair, and it is well worth adding to your bookshelf.

Unbelievable!

This is a word that can truly capture the essence of many extraordinary events or situations.

When something is unbelievable, it goes beyond our expectations and challenges our understanding of what is possible.

It could be a miraculous recovery from a serious illness, a breathtaking scientific discovery, or an unexpected turn of events that leaves us in awe.

The feeling of unbelief often brings with it a sense of wonder and excitement.

It makes us question the limits of our knowledge and forces us to open our minds to new possibilities.

Unbelievable moments have the power to change our lives and perspectives forever.

They can inspire us to dream bigger, take risks, and pursue our passions with greater determination.

So, the next time you encounter something unbelievable, embrace it and let it expand your horizons.

For in the realm of the unbelievable, lies the potential for truly remarkable things to happen.

I took my time with this book, reading in short spurts and sometimes going two or three weeks between reads.

Since it's a history book, you can read it in this manner as there are no specific characters or scenes to recall.

The book offers a comprehensive overview of Judaism. Surprisingly, the author spends a significant amount of time initially on ancient Sumer. Apparently, the author believed that focusing on ancient city-states was essential to set the stage for Abraham, the first Jew, whose history before becoming a monotheist is unknown.

This was an ambitious endeavor, and one can sense that it was a labor of love for the author.

However, the main criticism I have of the book is that the history seems to lose momentum once the timeline reaches the 1700s. The last portion of Jewish history in this book feels shortchanged, as another reviewer described it as "compressed." This accurately captures the uneven feel of the overall history.

The history before the Enlightenment is good and provides more details.

Nevertheless, one should not expect an excessive amount of detail here, as there is a vast amount of ground to cover.

I almost wish the author had divided this into two books - part 1 and part 2.

Nonetheless, I do think this is a good book for history enthusiasts and those interested in Jewish history.

I am truly fascinated by Jewish history, and this book is simply outstanding in its details.

It commences way before what I would regard as recorded history in the context of man (not the Bible's). It reveals numerous details that I was completely unaware of.

For instance, it shows that the Jewish people were a highly significant part of Polish history and were well-respected citizens there long before Hitler came to power. The depth of information in this book is truly remarkable.

It is an excellent reference book. However, since I am not in a position to buy books at the moment, I will have to wait and see if I decide to purchase it later.

Overall, this book has piqued my interest and made me eager to learn more about the rich and complex history of the Jewish people.

This topic falling into Potok's hands is good because Potok is an excellent writer. And this is good (and in my opinion: Potok is also an excellent writer) because he brings with him a wide and deep knowledge from the rich messianic tradition. At the same time, he is able to evaluate different cultures and even enjoy them. From this stems one of the book's greatest virtues: it does not present Judaism in isolation but in the context of the religions and civilizations that live beside it and are often hostile to it. The material of the volume is not structured by chronology but rather by the cultures with which the children of Israel associated the Sabbath and the cultures against which they defined themselves. The description of these interactions not only injects dynamism into the text but also helps readers relate what they have read to the knowledge they have from their own culture. Another characteristic of this profound treatise is Potok's interpretation of culture. According to the author, culture is something organic, it has its life cycles, it is fertilized by other cultures, and if it isolates itself from them, it withers and ages. The history of the Jews is no exception to this necessity.

The story can be divided into two parts along an obvious breakpoint: the first stage is the period before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, and the second is the period that follows. The key moment of the first block is the process by which the Jewish "people" and then the Jewish state are formed, in continuous interaction with the surrounding semi-tribes and then with the great ancient empires: Egypt, Babylon, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans. The limited number of sources casts a shadow over this part. Potok is also forced to rely mainly on the Old Testament, which does not always make it easy for the readers to enjoy the text. Judges, kings, and prophets follow one another, and the Jews find themselves sometimes up and sometimes down with their own unique God, groaning under the yoke of slavery, and sometimes they themselves impose slavery on those they have defeated with the power of their sword. Potok tries to work objectively, based on the available facts, but there are many unclear points and uncertainties that are difficult to overcome. Nevertheless, it is an exciting story, so full of saints, great-format figures, heroes, and remarkable people, as well as remarkable heroes. Hollywood could draw inspiration from it for a hundred years.

Then come the Romans, and Israel is forced to submit to them. For a while. But then the stubborn Jews had enough of the persecutions committed against their religion and they took up the rebellion itself. They caused a great upheaval to the Roman Empire, and legions bled to death against their fanatical guerrillas, but then the written form prevailed: Titus destroyed Jerusalem together with the Temple in 70 AD. This is not only a terrifying tragedy but also a symbolic event: the end of the Jewish state. From now on, out of necessity, the diaspora, the Jews scattered throughout the world, take on the leading role. And this is accompanied by the fact that Judaism is permanently pushed into a minority - just as they had dreamed of the coming of the Messiah before, now (for the next 2000 years) they can dream of an independent Jewish state. And the life of a minority is bitter bread because the people are at the mercy of the good will of the majority that forms the state - and this good will is often even less than meager.

And of course, this is where the Christians come into the picture. The "sister religion" that often got mixed up in a Cain-Abel relationship with Judaism. Why? Because they are strangers. Because they are Christ-killers. Because their customs are strange. Because they are usurers. Usurers! Of course. Because the Jews were gradually pushed out by the Christian states first from the occupations related to land ownership and then from trade as well - what was left was the banking business, lending at interest, from which the Christians were, of course, prohibited. Some Jews found their livelihood here, and among the successful ones, they were able to offer their money-lending services to kings and popes - and although their fate was still uncertain (any king could put the one who lent him money outside the law in an instant, and no one protected the Jew), but worldly power was able to offer him some protection. However, this proved to be a double-edged sword. Because the fact that some of the Israelites, for example, as tax collectors, were squeezed between the aristocracy and the "people" paved the way for economic anti-Semitism: the masses saw the Jew as the one who exploits them. The fact that there was always an aristocrat and a king behind him did not reach their consciousness. It is no wonder, then, that pogroms and blood libels followed one another, in which power (often ecclesiastical power) successfully channeled the peasants' anger and frustration towards the Jews.

The Enlightenment offered a partial cure for this, although one of its figures (for example, Voltaire) was incidentally also a bloodthirsty anti-Semite. However, here and there, the possibility opened up for the Jews to assimilate - if they wanted to at all. This is, of course, a terrifying dilemma: to remain, to preserve the faith, the tradition, and with it to take on the confrontation, or to melt peacefully. There were those who chose the latter, but their efforts were not successful either, as anti-Semitism found its way: now it was no longer the religion but the origin that became the main criterion of Judaism. And the ancestors cannot be simply wiped out. Unless together with the descendants.

(Note: Potok devotes remarkably little time to presenting Hitler and the Holocaust - he only touches on it. One of the reasons for this is hardly that countless exhaustive analyses have already been written on the topic. The other reason I don't know.)

It is a very valuable volume. It is particularly interesting that it presents a parallel universe to the history we know, where Jesus (Joshua) is only a footnote, and the Islamic conquest of Spain is not a scandal but an opportunity for the birth of a flourishing Sephardic Jewish culture in Cordoba. Potok sometimes leads us into this world, into the treasure trove of Hasidic tradition or Jewish poetry, with a palpable joy, presenting it as a multi-colored existence that may seem one-dimensional at first glance. Although I suspect that upon closer inspection, every culture is multi-colored and exciting. I think that's why some people keep themselves away from cultures: because what we don't know, it's easier to hate.

* To be precise: this was already the second time the Temple was destroyed. The Babylonians first had this idea in 586 BC. (This event was followed by the famous "Babylonian captivity".) But this time the Temple was rebuilt.

It is not the history studied at school, fortunately

Another book written by a rabbi and dealing with the Jews, this is in a sense a history of the world from the Jewish perspective, and can be divided into three parts: that corresponding to the biblical period, the time of the Talmud (up to, say, the late Middle Ages), and the modern era. The first part is simply wonderful: on the one hand, Potok nitpicks at the biblical historical text, saying for example that the extender deliberately reversed Solomon's offer of some cities in the Jewish territory to Tyre. On the other hand, you see a love for that chosen people and for its God who "is there". A beautiful look at world history. In the second part, there is a polemical vein, curiously less so towards the Arabs and more so towards the Hellenistic period. To say that from Alexander the Great onwards the only valid Hellenistic product is Ptolemy seems to me an exaggeration. Here too it is interesting to see the history of the beginning of Christianity, and especially of Paul of Tarsus, seen "from the other side". The third part is mainly a collection of snapshots of various European Jewish figures. The 20th century is deliberately left aside, and I can't fault him for that.
Overall, a historical book that reads like a novel, and that's no small feat. For the completists, the original title is "Wanderings. Chaim Potok's History of the Jews" and the translators are Maria Luisa Sgargetta and Piero Stefani.

Brother Mead would be so proud.

Of my own volition, I am delving into the study of history. This is not just any ordinary textbook; rather, it serves as an invaluable aid to the Bible.

It offers a unique perspective, that of a Jew, on the historical context surrounding the events that took place in the Old Testament.

Ingesting and retaining the information I am reading requires a significant amount of work. However, as I am approximately 20% of the way through, I have come to the conclusion that it is well worth the effort.

The insights and knowledge I am gaining are truly enlightening and are enhancing my understanding of both history and the Bible.

I look forward to continuing this journey of learning and discovery, and I know that Brother Mead would be pleased with my progress.