The Jewish conundrum in world history / Alexander Militarev.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Militarev, A. I︠U︡.

Series:

Reference library of Jewish intellectual history.

Reference library of Jewish intellectual history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--Civilization.

Jews.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (305 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Boston : Academic Studies Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Following what may be conventionally called the Jewish ethno-cultural model and tracing its performance throughout history, Alexander Militarev's book is the first scholarly attempt to apply a synthetic, comprehensive approach to the Jewish phenomenon-an alternative to the metaphysical and religious ones-and to evaluate it in a comparative context. In highlighting the unique and disproportionately great Jewish contributions, and the recent Russian Jewish contribution in particular, to human civilization, it poses as its main question: "Why the Jews?" Militarev dedicates his book to the analysis of the Jewish phenomenon, its manifold reasons and consequences. Laying bare the "kitchen" of scholarly research, Militarev embarks on a scholarly adventure akin to a film-noir who-dunnit, complete with intrigue, the need for stringent self-control, inexorable doubts, and the thrill of the chase after the enigma's solution.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FOREWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

THE CRISIS OF MODERN JEWRY

BEING JEWISH: RELIGION OR NATIONALITY?

JEWISH IDENTITY IN RUSSIA

JEWS AND THE RUSSIAN INTELLIGENTSIA

"UNIVERSAL VALUES" AND THEIR BIBLICAL ROOTS

HOW DEEP ARE THE BIBLICAL ROOTS AND HOW OLD ARE THE JEWS?

THE UNIQUE NATURE OF THE JEWISH PHENOMENON IN HISTORY

WHY THE JEWS?

A CHAIN OF RANDOM EVENTS OR A PATTERN OF HISTORICAL BEHAVIOR?

THE JEWS AND THE STRATEGY OF THE SPECIES' SURVIVAL

A CHANCE CONGRUENCE OF FACTORS OR A DESIGN OF MOTHER NATURE?

THE MEANING OF THE HOLOCAUST?

ANTI-SEMITISM

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX 1. ETYMOLOGY OF SELECTED HEBREW TERMS RELATED TO INTELLECTUAL/SPIRITUAL CULTURE

APPENDIX 2. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ETYMOLOGY FOR THE INTERPRETATION OF ANCIENT WRITINGS: FROM THE HEBREW BIBLE TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

APPENDIX 3 THE GENEALOGICAL TREE OF WORLD LANGUAGES

Appendix 4: The Genealogical Tree of Afrasian (Afroasiatic) Languages

TRANSCRIPTION SIGNS AND CONVENTIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHIC ABBREVIATIONS

INDEX OF SUBJECTS

INDEX OF NAMES

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 266-[268]) and indexes.

ISBN:

1-61811-035-7

OCLC:

767953047