Simon Schama's "Story of the Jews"

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March 28th, 2014 at 9:07:46 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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Quote: Nareed
Anyway, Judaism is strictly monotheistic. Jews may mention Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses in their prayers, but no one every prays to them. Only to Jehovah (wink!). It would be very itneresting to know how this came about.


In the series they visit an archeological site at the Valley of Elah with archaeologist Yossi Garfinkel. Yossi expresses his opinion that monotheism probably developed very slowly.
March 29th, 2014 at 6:35:50 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569


The finale of the second section about Jews in the Middle Ages was the Spanish synagogue built in Venice by the Sephardic Jews that were expelled by the Catholic monarchs of Spain in 1492.

I did not realize that the Ottoman Empire actively encouraged the Sephardic Jews to settle in their empire after they were expelled from Spain. The Sultan, /Bayezid II felt they would enrich his kingdom.

March 31st, 2014 at 2:17:34 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Pacomartin


In the late 1800's William R Hearst would go to EU and buy
entire rooms like this. Everything, wall, floors, ceilings, and
everything in the room. A crew of craftsman would take
it all down, number each piece and ship it the warehouse
in NYC. Horribly expensive, even in 1890, Hearst bought
a great number of these rooms in EU and reassembled
them in his mansions. Thank god, because they'd all be
gone by now. Old royalty was disposing of their properties
at an alarming rate in those days and Heasrt took full
advantage of it.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
April 2nd, 2014 at 1:42:16 PM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
The third episode of the series traces the beginning of integration of Jewish life in 1750 with Europe at large. The importance of music is highlighted. It peaks at the financial collapse of 1870 and the resulting outpouring of anti-semitism, the birth of Zionism in 1895, and ends with the rise of the Nazis.

It's a chilling story.
April 4th, 2014 at 3:24:56 AM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
One might ask why you are relying on theology to study the Jews?

America did not like the Musselmen for their imposition of groundless war on shipping, but little was said about their religious beliefs. England, France, Holland, Spain and America wanted to blockade the Mussel for waring on civilized commerce.

If you take a group of Christian children and have them follow Jewish dietary laws are they synthetic Jews.

Did Europe want to liberate these lands that blocked travel to the spice lands?
April 4th, 2014 at 7:41:43 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: Fleastiff
One might ask why you are relying on theology to study the Jews?
Jewish people are an ethnic group, but they are also associated with the origin of monotheism. Also the idea of a formless God (not an animal) originated with them.

Quote: Fleastiff
America did not like the Musselmen for their imposition of groundless war on shipping, but little was said about their religious beliefs. England, France, Holland, Spain and America wanted to blockade the Mussel for waring on civilized commerce.

Does Musselmen = Muslim? If so, your comment "little was said about their religious beliefs" doesn't make much sense.

Quote: Fleastiff
If you take a group of Christian children and have them follow Jewish dietary laws are they synthetic Jews.
No

Quote: Fleastiff
Did Europe want to liberate these lands that blocked travel to the spice lands?


By mid-7th century AD the rise of Islam closed off the overland caravan routes through Egypt and the Suez, and sundered the European trade community from Axum (present day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia) and India. Arab traders eventually took over conveying goods via the Levant and Venetian merchants to Europe until the rise of the Ottoman Turks cut the route again by 1453.

But since the 16th century most access was via ship, and liberating the land routes was not considered of much importance.
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