In this Book

buy this book Buy This Book in Print
summary

How the Jewish people went from farmers to merchants

In 70 CE, the Jews were an agrarian and illiterate people living mostly in the Land of Israel and Mesopotamia. By 1492 the Jewish people had become a small group of literate urbanites specializing in crafts, trade, moneylending, and medicine in hundreds of places across the Old World, from Seville to Mangalore. What caused this radical change? The Chosen Few presents a new answer to this question by applying the lens of economic analysis to the key facts of fifteen formative centuries of Jewish history. Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein offer a powerful new explanation of one of the most significant transformations in Jewish history while also providing fresh insights into the growing debate about the social and economic impact of religion.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page, Copyright, Dedication
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. p. vii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. List of Illustrations
  2. pp. xi-xii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. List of Tables
  2. pp. xiii-xiv
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Preface
  2. pp. xv-xviii
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. pp. 1-10
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 1 70 CE–1492: How Many Jews Were There, and Where and How Did They Live?
  2. pp. 11-51
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 2 Were the Jews a Persecuted Minority?
  2. pp. 52-65
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 3 The People of the Book, 200 BCE–200 CE
  2. pp. 66-79
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 4 The Economics of Hebrew Literacy in a World of Farmers
  2. pp. 80-94
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 5 Jews in the Talmud Era, 200–650: The Chosen Few
  2. pp. 95-123
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 6 From Farmers to Merchants, 750–1150
  2. pp. 124-152
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 7 Educated Wandering Jews, 800–1250
  2. pp. 153-200
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 8 Segregation or Choice? From Merchants to Moneylenders, 1000–1500
  2. pp. 201-247
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 9 The Mongol Shock: Can Judaism Survive When Trade and Urban Economies Collapse?
  2. pp. 248-260
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. CHAPTER 10 1492 to Today: Open Questions
  2. pp. 261-273
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Appendix
  2. pp. 274-286
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Bibliography
  2. pp. 287-316
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 317-324
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Other Works in the Series
  2. pp. 325-326
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.