This eighteen volume set is a must have for any scholar serious about the Hebrew Scriptures. This set consists of in depth articles on all subjects within the Hebrew Scriptures as well as Jewish holidays and Jewish teachings. Really an excellent work.

This is the biography of Dona Gracia, a Jewish woman who lived in the 15th century and whose personality is characterized by intelligence, shrewdness, generosity, and religious devotion. Born in Spain, she went to Portugal in 1492, following the expulsion of the Jews. In Portugal she was forcibly converted to Christianity and became one amongst many "New Christians," "Marranos," or "Conversos." At the age of 18 she married Francisco Mendes, the richest merchant in Lisbon at that time. Seven years later she became a widow and successfully took over her husband's business. Determined to reach Turkey where under the protection of the Ottoman Empire she would be able to profess her faith freely, she embarked on a long journey, which took 17 years. This journey took her to London, Antwerp, Lyon, Venice, Ferrara, Ancona, Ragusa, Salonika and finally Constantinople. Throughout her perils she proved to be highly courageous and an excellent businesswoman. She used her wealth and contacts to help Jews escape the Inquisiton, became the self-appointed protector of the conversos, built houses of prayer and teaching, devoted herself to good works, and was know as "the heart of her people."

There are two importnat factors in the history of Dona Gracia: first, she represents one of the rare examples of fight against repression to the Jews by the use of commercial tactics (the Ancona Boycott), and the first to establish a Jewish colony in Paletine (Tiberias), a self-sustaining settlement for Jews and conversos from an hostile Europe.

The author Cecil Roth is a well-known historian. He clearly demonstrates his admiration for Dona Gracia, his praises are many, and openly admits to the fact that he has not been able to find any historical proof to the contrary. Despite this embellishment, Dona Gracia remains a distant character, she carries an aura of mystery which contributes to her "divinity." Had the Jewish faith room for "canonization" Dona Gracia would certainly be a downright candidate. Her name stands amongst famous Jewish women, and as her contemporary the author Samuel Usque says, "she is much a heroine as Miriam, Deborah, and Judith."

This novel was amazing in detail and mesmorizing in content. It was well researched! I would recommend this to anyone who loves romance, intrigue, deceit and history.

If one is looking for a solid history of the Spanish Inquisition that will introduce the reader with the main events and features of that peculiar institution, one could do worse than read this book. One could also do better, by looking instead at Peters INQUISITION or Henry Kammen's THE SPANISH INQUISITION. But since neither of those books is perfect (Peters covers the Inquisition in all its forms, and as a result the Spanish Inquisition in less detail, while Kammen tends to minimize some of the atrocities), Roth remains an extremely viable alternative.

The strongpoint of Roth's account is the clarity with which he tells the story, in particular highlighting some of the consequences that ought to have been anticipated from the manner in which the Inquisition was constructed. For instance, the Inquisition acquired the financial holdings of those whom it convicted of heresy. This, of course, provided the Inquisitors with powerful financial motivation to either find the accused guilty or to extort money from them.

The weakness of Roth's book is that while he hints at other views about events of the Inquisition, he never explains what these other views are, or what the underlying issues are.

I am utterly mystified by one reviewer who seems to criticize this book because it accuses the Church of anti-Semitism. Is this news? The entire initial point of the Spanish Inquisition was to ferret out Jews who had forcibly been converted to Catholicism and still retained their Jewish beliefs and ceremonies. I am not sure how this cannot be interpreted anti-Semitism, unless one is using some very unusual criteria. Morever, scholars working in a number of areas have detected a fair degree of anti-Semitism in the history of Roman Catholicism. Does this mean that all Roman Catholics in history have been anti-Semites? Absolutely not. But it does mean that it is a phenomenon that has reappeared over and over throughout European history. What possible reason would anyone have for denying that the Spanish Inquisition was not profoundly anti-Semitic? That it was would seem to undeniable to anyone with even the most cursory acquaintance with Spanish history.

Other reviewers have felt that Roth is merely out to criticize the Catholic Church. Simply because he critiques one aspect of the Catholic Church doesn't mean that he would find nothing of value within Catholicism. Roth was himself Jewish, so he was not writing from within the Catholic tradition. But I can't understand why someone writing from within the tradition couldn't arrive at an assessment very close to that of Roth's.

So, while this isn't the best book on the Spanish Inquisition (indeed, no clearly best book would seem to exist currently), this is a very adequate survey of the subject.

Very good book, gave you a good picture of life in those days. And the cruelty that actually took place, without going into too much detail. Definitely recommend.

Dr. Cecil Roth [1899-1970] has put out numerous books on the topic of the Jews. He was educated in Great Britain, and lived both abroad and in the United States. He was a foremost authority on the history of world Jewry. In this book, Dr. Cecil Roth documents the long series of events leading up to the Inquisition and the three-and-a-half centuries of torment that comprise this bloody epic of human history. It is done objectify, but with a candor and wit which is regrettably deficient by writers of today. The book covers the origins of the Spanish inquisition in both Spain and Portugal, as well as how it spread to the New World. The reliable author talks of the Muslims who were forced to convert, and the Protestants who suffered under the hand of the Catholic Church. The book covers the period of time from the expulsion of 1492, to the early 20th century. This book was written in 1933. If there is one book on the Jewish expereince in Iberia you desire, this is it.