Rating: 
Summary: A Pleasant Buffet of Factual Errors
Review: Johnson's "A History of the Jews" is a compendium of factual errors, connected by a tissue of delightful prose. If you like fiction, this is for you.
From page 1, where he mistakenly identifies Joseph as the son of Jacob and Leah, Johnson stumbles thorugh the Genesis story--which should have been the easiest part of his book, since the Bible is easy to pick up and read. He just didn't read it.
As the errors mounted, I tired of marking them, and decided to skip to the middle of the book for a change of focus. Here I read about Disraeli and other Jews--fascinating descriptions of the men and their ideas and activities and interrelationships. But with every line, I kept thinking, "How do I know THIS is accurate? If he couldn't even report what the Bible says accurately, how can I trust his scholarship on these more difficult-to-know issues and events?"
On page 328, Johnson (perhaps) paraphrases Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-88) as saying: "The history of what Jews do, and what happens to them, cannot be part of secular history, as such, becaues it is the unfolding of God's will and rightly therefore part of Revelation. General culture and Jewish culture are not in conflict: they are quite different. By confusing the two, you can only damage Judaism. If you merege Jewish with secular history, you desacralize it and kill the living idea which is its theme." Johnson should have listened to his own words, and NOT have written this terrible book.
Rating: 
Summary: LImited in scope
Review: This is not exactly a history of the Jews. What it is, however, is a history of Jews in the Western world -- and an excellent one, at that. You should know, however, that the book is not comprehensive. It is a narrative history, and it reads like a story. There are no subsections that explain cultural, religious, or linguistic topics -- just a plodding narrative. If that is what you are after, this is a great book for you.
Rating:
Summary: From Abraham to Israel
Review: It would be tough to argue that this isn't a great book. A one-volume history of the Jews seems, to me, an impossibility. But that is exactly what Paul Johnson accomplishes with his "History of the Jews." Johnson is a popular historian, writing on such topics as Christianity, intellectuals, and modern America. A book like this almost has to be a popular history; due to the enormous scope of the topic it is impossible to explore in great depth. There is a tendency, one that I've witnessed personally, to sneer at popular history. Historians don't take these books as seriously as a scholarly monograph or book. With the recent brouhaha over Stephen Ambrose, it is sometimes understandable.Johnson's book covers the entire arc of Jewish history, from the earliest beginnings of Abraham and the patriarchs to the modern state of Israel circa 1987. Along the way Johnson covers the formation of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the Exile, the Roman period, medieval Jewry, the Ghetto system, the mass expulsions from Europe and the East, the Zionist movement and the Holocaust, and the formation of Israel. The book is organized with biographical snapshots of prominent Jews pasted onto a fabric of linear history. For each era of their history, Johnson introduces us to important figures that had a lasting impact on their time and future generations. Johnson introduces us to Maimonides, the Rothschilds, Disraeli, Theodore Herzl, David Ben Gurion, Ba'al Shem Tov, Spinoza, Hesse, Marx, and dozens of other prominent Jewish historical figures that operated in every aspect of human life. While some of these figures were more important within Jewish circles, many contributed to humanity in general. The Jewish ideals of rationalism, justice, and discipline created new ways of thinking and new ways of conducting business. Johnson sees Jews as essential to the operations of the capitalist system, with its emphasis on credit, advertising, cheaper prices, quick movement of products, and competition. Jews created the New York stock exchange in the late 18th century. They also provided loans to European states during the Napoleonic wars. While some ideas of the Jews proved useful, others proved disastrous to humanity. According to Johnson, Jews, at times, created extremely harmful ideas. The archetype of the self-hating Jew found its greatest expression in Karl Marx, the creator of Communism. Communism, as we all know, went on to kill untold millions during its reign in the 20th century. Johnson also confirms the belief that some Jews are subversive to any established ideas, including their own. It was Jews, according to Johnson, that perfected the idea of terrorism when Begin and the Irgun massacred Arabs during the Israeli wars for independence (not all Jews; Ben Gurion so despised Begin's methods that he called him "Hitler"). The book is at its best when it focuses on the large themes of Jewish existence, such as the "Wandering Jew." The Jews are roamers, constantly moving from place to place. This movement led to a system of self-government that promoted group awareness and discipline. Another large theme is found in Johnson's treatment of the creation of the Zionist state. He starts with the return of the Jews to England in the 1600's and traces it through the Dreyfus incident in France (an event that radicalized Theodore Herzl, the founding father of modern Zionism), to the Balfour Declaration during WWI, to the 1948 declaration of independence. Without even one of these events, Israel as a state might never have come into being. The scholarship in this book seems to be accurate, with some exceptions. I once wrote a paper on the Israelites, and most of the information Johnson uses meshes pretty well with what I found during my research. It's a pity he wasn't as careful in his research on the state of Israel in modern times. [...] This is excellent history, well researched and well written, for the most part. What surprised me the most was its accessibility. I rarely had to flip back and forth to rediscover terms or references to people. That is amazing for a history book of this size and scope. Expect to learn a lot from this book, as every page shines with insights and surprising information. I never knew that many common Jewish names (Stein, etc.) came from German bureaucrats who forced Jews to adopt pejorative names when they came into the country. Conversely, those who went to Israel changed their names to reflect biblical characters or events. I can't even begin to tell you how many avenues for further research and reading I got out of this book. For a one-volume history on a fascinating people, this is the book to get.
Rating: 
Summary: A Saga Of Four Thousand Years!
Review: This is my third book by British historian Paul Johnson. There is no question that he is an extremely talented writer and an excellent but opinionated historian. As always this combination makes for a lively and exciting read. Johnson states in the introduction that, as a believing Christian, he feels he owes much to the Jewish people who he greatly admires. He therefore felt that he wanted to write a complete history. It proves that a good Jewish history does not need to be written by a Jew. Johnson divides Jewish history into a series of epochs, each one of which consumes a part in the book. The chapters are called "Israelites" which covers the biblical period, "Judaism" which covers the period from the building of the Second Temple through the early Christian and early Islamic period, "Cathedocracy" in which Johnson deals with the experience of the Jews under medieval Christendom and Islam, "Ghetto" which deals with the late Medieval and Renaissance period in Europe. "Emancipation" which discusses the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, "Holocaust" which needs no further explanation and "Zion" which covers not only the birth of modern Israel but also the post-war Jewish experience world wide. This book is enormously detailed and highly opinionated. Johnson's affection for the Jewish people shines through on virtually every page. Never one to hedge on a conclusion, Johnson has opinions on everyone from Abraham to Begin. My favorite chapter was the opening one, "Israelites". Here Johnson attempts to use similarities between biblical descriptions and known facts of other ancient civilzations to demonstrate that the bible, from Abraham forward is essentially historical. This section will be of enormous interest to everyone, whatever your knowledge of the bible. The Jewish saga is the human saga. It is complete with pathos, absurdity, tragedy and triumph. It is remarkable that an ancient people could survive under such hostile conditions. Really a miracle. Johnson captures the essence of that miracle. The entire book will be of interest to those with less than complete knowledge of Jewish history. It will also be excellent reading for those who have a good knowledge of Jewish history because of Johnson's excellent writing ability. This book is well worth the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant but one-sided
Review: Disclaimer: I have only read the Polish translation of this book. This is a very well written popular contribution to the history
of Jews which provides the readers with a lot of important facts
as well as amuses them with a carefully chosen anecdotal
material.
It is to be noticed that the author is an extremely talented
writer; one can read this book like a very interesting novel -
I devoured it within two nights. After reading the book,
I started to appreciate even more the critical role the Jewish
people played in the development of our civilization and understand
the reasons why they are one of just three or four ancient
cultures that survived to our days.
I believe we should all have an idea about the unimaginable
atrocities of the holocaust if we want to avoid something
similar to happen in the future - and the author's account
on this subject is very strong.
Why only three stars ? The annoying feature of the book is
the complete lack of any attempt to be impartial; the author
presents his own opinions as if they were "the only right ones".
This is especially irritating in the last chapter - the weakest
in the book - in which the author's judgments are similar
to the principles of the American Middle-Eastern policy with
its characteristic hypocrisy and double moral standards.
Rating:
Summary: A good history book
Review: Paul Johnson's text of the Jewish history is very good. His narrative takes us from the beginning of the Jewish people to its present day achievements. Johnson may have been less critical than some would like, and the history-telling sometimes gets confusing -- not everyone is at ease with Hebrew names. But he keeps you fascinated and interested, and presents a comprehensive portrait of this great people.
Rating:
Summary: A Moving Book
Review: This is a wonderful book. But, more important, this book is a good antidote to the (scary) growth of Anti-Semitism worldwide. There are many things to learn here and many things to ponder deeply.
Rating:
Summary: Love it!!!!!!
Review: Whaaooh! This may be the only book written by a Gentile / Christian of which I can say that I love it. Johnson shows how, how our people is the light of the nations, of the world, the truly chosen race, the offspring of Abraham. He covers at depth all the suffering jealous gentiles have inflicted us, and how we survived throughout the centuries, millenia... I had just read before two awfully anti-Semitic diatribes, Finkelstein's Holocaust Industry and Shahak's Israel Religion (and Strobel's awful fundamentalist propaganda, the Case for Christ). What I can't understand is how two Jews like Shahak and Finkelstein can do us so much evil and defiling, whereas someone we would consider as a gentile and heretic like Johnson can write such a great book about us? The ways of the Lord are unfathomable. Anyway I only wish Arafat would read Johnson's present marvellous book!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Unanimous Praise Surprising
Review: The unanimous praise for Johnson's book on Jewish history seems more informed by its accessibility than by its analysis or depth of argument. Johnson cites Biblical passages written generations after the events they describe (and edited by more generations) as if they were verbatim transcripts. His arguments are often conclusory, suggesting a journalist's desire to cover his ground quickly. His source materials are voluminous and he has done much work, but his reach exceeds his grasp. He considers little of the available material on his subject from archeology, sociology or anthropology. He keeps to a traditional narrative (the eternal victim role for the Jews), that is tinged with the fervor and filter of a Christian convert. James Carroll, in his valuable work, Constantine's Sword, may circle for paragraphs before reaching a conclusion. Norman Cantor may challenge more devout, conservative or less critical thinkers with his deeply informed but cynical or personal judgments. Johnson simply assures his readers that they have accompanied him on a 4000 year journey and that they have arrived safely home.
Rating:
Summary: Moving Work of History.
Review: A truly well written, readable historical work. Johnson is a phenomonal story teller, with a gift of great research skills. Reading this book will truly enrich any true lover of well written history. This is not a book about religion, or about a certain people, this is a book about eternal truth.
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