Judaism is a complicated. Layers of analysis including history, culture, ethnicity, religion, and politics are required to paint an accurate picture. Fortunately, Norman Solomon does just that in his description of Judaism for Oxford University Press’s “Very Short Introductions” series.

Chapter three is particularly effective. In order to convey the breadth and depth of Jewish culture, Solomon offers a series of biographies spanning millennia that bring Judaism into focus.

For Christians reading this review, you should know that the Old Testament certainly features in Jewish history, particularly in the role of the Torah as interpreted by Jewish tradition, but this is no summary of the Hebrew scriptures. If you’re interested in that, check out volume 478 of the same series, The Hebrew Bible as Literature.

Once again, Oxford’s University Press makes a massive subject understandable in just over a hundred pages.

Solomon, Norman. Judaism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, 2000. Very Short Introductions 11.