The Challenge of Jewish History

There is a well-known conundrum concerning Jewish history: The conventional chronology of the Western world - and academia - is in direct conflict with traditional Jewish sources over the history of — history. Incredibly, there is a gap of roughly 200 years: For instance, the Talmud says the Second Temple stood for roughly 400 years, while mainstream historians today conclude that it stood for almost 600 years.

This conflict has major implications on what occurred to who, and when. It also seems to question the accuracy of the entire Jewish tradition as accepted dating methods seem to contradict core parts of the traditional Jewish narrative.

In presenting fresh and startling astronomical, mathematical and archaeological evidence, Rabbi Alexander Hool has charted new ground in his quest to find the solution to this ancient problem. The Challenge of Jewish History is revolutionary: it questions all assumptions, dispels unfounded myths, and transports us back in time over 2,500 years.

With a subject of great significance and fascination to all those interested in history, and a wealth of scholarship and sources to impress academics, this intriguing book gives us a new perspective on Jewish — and world — history.


About the Author: Rabbi Alexander Hool grew up under the tutelage of his father, Rabbi Maurice Hool of Kingsbury, London, UK. He learned in Gateshead Yeshivah for many years under the direction of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Avrohom Gurwitz, and then moved to Israel where he has been studying (in Ponevezh Yeshivah and Kollel) for over twenty years. An eminent scholar, he has developed a particular expertise in history, dating, mathematics, and other unique and intriguing subjects.

He is the author of the acclaimed work Toras Yom VoLaylah and has published a fundamental study on ancient astronomy and its implications regarding the Halachic Dateline, as well as an analysis of the Murex Trunculus as a possible source of the ancient blue dye 'Techelet'. His most recent publication is a comprehensive investigation of the classification and calibration of measures and distances used in the Middle East before the Common Era.