Power & Powerlessness in Jewish History

Rating:
Summary: Some interesting theories but...
Review: While there is an interesting premise to this work, the history itself doesn't back it up. Biale admirably tries to back up his thesis, and seems at times to be successful. However, it is not only at first glance that this book's information seems largely counter-intuitive. The simple fact of the matter is, as Monroe Rosenthal's book on the subject elucidates, the military tradition has not only been a constant presence in Judaism as a whole, but has been the real guaranteur of Jewish preservation throughout most of history. It is when power in the martial sense is wholly detached from the conception of the Jew that he becomes a free target to all who wish him ill, which is to say many nations and individuals throughout the course of history. It was the existence of the Jewish Parthian cataphracts that in all likelihood caused the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire to refrain from additional pogroms. In the end, while an interesting book to read, and again a change of pace, this book is not the most accurate of analyses of power in Jewish history. Still, if you wish to find evidence to back up certain left-wing theories vis-a-vis modern Israeli deterrence capabilities and the counterproductive impact they have on overall Jewish affairs, this might be the best book for you. Still, I wouldn't recommend this as your focal work to support an educated theory on the subject.