Item Description:

The first book in the series tells the story of the Jews in the Classical Era, 350 BCE - 750 CE. Rabbi Wein transports us to the eras of Alexander the Great; the creation of the Mishnah and Talmud, and how they saved Jewish life for all time; the Roman Empire and the courageous rebellion of Bar Kochba; the rise of Christianity; such Geonim as Rav Saadia, Rav Sherira and Rav Hai, and how they led the monumental Torah centers of Babylonia and North Africa; the emergence of Islam and the Jewish response; and Jewish life taking root in the then barbarous lands of Europe.

Table of Contents

Prologue

• Up From Despair / Focus on the Land of Israel / An International Faith / The Centrality of the Oral Law

Section I: The Beauty of Japheth and the Tents of Shem

• Going Home
• A Hostile Welcome / Rebuilding of the Temple Is Halted / In the Wake of Purim / Ezra / The Second Temple / Building a New Community / Nechemiah / Persian Tolerance / The "Great Assembly" / A Vital Partnership

• Greece and Hellenism
• The Beginning of Greek Dominance / Alexander the Great / Division of the Greek Empire / Division of the Commonwealth / A Corrupting Alliance / Translation of the Seventy /
• Hellenism / The Spread of Greek Culture / The Development of Philosophy / Three Schools of Thought / The Philosophic Challenge / The Ravages of Hellenism

• Twin Hellenism - Ptolemaic And Seleucid
• The Jews of Alexandria / Parallel Governments / The Sadducees / Tax Collection / Division of Power / The Persistence of Hellinism / Antiochus III / An Attmept to Rob the Temple

• Economic and Social Life in Judah in Second Temple Times
• The Basis of the Economy / Agriculture / Produce / Other Resources / The Trades / Slavery / Population Centers

• Chanukah and the Hasmoneans
• The Greek Notion of Sports / Jason's Decline / Menelaus and Lysimachus / Civil War / Persecution / Mattisyahu and His Sons / Yehudah HaMaccabee /
• The Miracle of Chanukah / Significance of the Miracle / The Hasmonean Kingdom / Lysias and Philip / Yehudah Defeats the Syrians

• The Hasmonean Dynasty
• A Clouded Destiny / Alexander Balas / Yonasan's Rise / Changes of Power / Tryphon's Treachery / Shimon's Victory / A Tragic Breakdown / The Exterminaiton of a Family / Jewish Independence Regained / Enlarging Judah's Borders / Dissent from Within /
• Efforts of the Pharisees / A Troubled End / The Essenes / Yehudah Aristobulus / Opposition to the Hasmoneans / Two Brothers Die / Shomis Alexandra / Alexander Yannai / Alexander Yannai and the Pharisees /
• A School System / Sacrilege in the Temple / Civil War / Alexander Yannai's End / A Period of Healing / Shomis Loses Power

Section II: Edom Ascendant

• Rome the Colossus
• Julius Caesar / A Conflict of Approaches / Tiberius / Caligula / Claudius / Nero

• Aristobulus, Hyrcanus and Antipater
• Brother Against Brother / The Rabbis Withdraw from Politics / A Pig on the Temple Mount / Pompey's Intervention / Second Siege of the Temple / Pompey's Regime / Alexander's Escapes / Disbanding of the Sanhedrin /
• Caesar and Pompey / Antipater's Ascension / Herod / Herod's Trial / Antipater's Wiles / Herod's Persistence / Hillel / A New Focus / The Houses of Hillel and Shammai / Further Atrocities of Herod / Family Murders / Herod's Temple / Hillel's Legacy

• The End of the Second Commonwealth
• A Respite from Cruelty / Corruption in the High Priesthood / The Zealots / Pontius Pilate / Gaius and Agrippa / Claudius / The Pathe to Revolt / Florus / Inner Strife / A Fatal Triumph /
• Josephus Flavius / Vespasian's Campaigns / The Year of the Four Emperors / Three Factions in Jerusalem / A Meeting with Vespasian / Yavneh / Titus Attacks Jerusalem / Tishah b'Av

Section III: Response to Exile

• Yavneh and Its Wise Men
• The Sanhedrin / Preserving the Oral Law / A Smaller Community / The Synagogue / Five Disciples / Titus and Domitian / The Leadership in Yavneh / The New Nasi / Changes in Yavneh / Nerva

• The Rise of Christianity
• Roots of the Religion / Paul / A Series of Paradoxes / Too Much the Same / A Widening Gap / One Good Word

• Bar Kochba
• Yavneh Disbanded / Lod / Roman Fury Unleashed / The Jews Revolt / Hadrian / The Sanhedrin Reconvenes / A Third Rebellion / High Hopes / The Fall of Beitar / A Failed Promise

• Rabbi Akiva and the Aftermath of Bar Kochba's Defeat
• A True Martyr / Rabbi Akiva's Disciples / Acher / Ambivalence Towards Rome / Hope for Peace / The Power of the Nasi / Antoninus and Rabbi

Section IV: Torah Remains Eternal

• Mishnah
• Rabbi's Project / Notebooks of the Scholars / Sections of the Mishnah / Migration from the Homeland / Rabbi Chiya / Rabbi's Legacy

• The Valley of Babylonia
• Rav / The Sidra / Hutzal / Nehardea / Sura / The Mantle Passes to Babylonia / Rav's Work / Rav's Prayers / Rav's Disciples / The Sassanian King / Sura and Pumbedisa / The Exilarch / Rav Huna and Mar Ukva / Rabbi Yochanan

• Rome Declines and Dies
• The Yeshivos in Tiberias and Caesarea / Decline of the Samaritans / Destruction of Nehardea / Growth of Pumbedisa / Constantine / Decline of the Jews in Israel / The Jewish Calendar / The Christian Calendar / Babylonian Leadership / Abbaye and Rava
• A Warring Family / "Julian the Apostate" / The Empire Weakens / Shifting of the Yeshivos / Rav Ashi / Reviving the Yarchei Kallah / Truce with Parthia / Leader of Pumbedisa / Leaders in Sura / Declining Fortunes in Babylonia

• The Talmud - The Book of the Jews
• Talmud Yerushalmi / Talmud Bavli / Aggadah / The Power of the Talmud / Toward Deeper Understanding

Section V: New Challenges, New Lands

• The Era of Byzantium
• The New Rashei Galusa / The Savoraim / Life Under the Byzantines / Jews in the Western Empire / Jewish Life Under Christianity / The Synagogue / Monastic Living

• Islam and the Jews
• The Founding of Islam / The Influence of Judaism / The Rule of the Sword / The Spread of Islam / Sunnis and Shiites / Omayyads and Abbasids / The Jews and Islam / The Effects of Islam

• The Era of the Geonim
• Bustenai / Bustenai and the Geonim / The Courts / The Role of the Babylonian Geonim / Chisdai and Shlomo / The Abbasids / Anan and the Birth of Karaism / The Waning Power of the Reish Galusa / The Legacy of the Geonim

Epilogue

Bibliography

Index