In this seminal work, French Jewish journalist Bernard Lazare examines the social and historical factors that have shaped the conception of Judaism and the Jewish people throughout the ages. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources and his own personal experience, Lazare provides a deep and nuanced analysis of the cultural and religious identity of one of the world's oldest and most influential religions. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.