The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and its Heritage

By Arthur Koestler

Book Overview

All original edition. Nothing added, nothing removed. This book traces the history of the ancient Khazar Empire, a major but almost forgotten power in Eastern Europe, which in the Dark Ages became converted to Judaism. Khazaria was finally wiped out by the forces of Genghis Khan, but evidence indicates that the Khazars themselves migrated to Poland and formed the cradle of Western Jewry. To the general reader the Khazars, who flourished from the 7th to 11th century, may seem infinitely remote today. Yet they have a close and unexpected bearing on our world, which emerges as Koestler recounts the fascinating history of the ancient Khazar Empire. At about the time that Charlemagne was Emperor in the West. The Khazars' sway extended from the Black Sea to the Caspian, from the Caucasus to the Volga, and they were instrumental in stopping the Muslim onslaught against Byzantium, the eastern jaw of the gigantic pincer movement that in the West swept across northern Africa and into Spain.
Thereafter the Khazars found themselves in a precarious position between the two major world powers: the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium and the triumphant followers of Mohammed. As Koestler points out, the Khazars were the Third World of their day. They chose a surprising method of resisting both the Western pressure to become Christian and the Eastern to adopt Islam. Rejecting both, they converted to Judaism.
Mr. Koestler speculates about the ultimate faith of the Khazars and their impact on the racial composition and social heritage of modern Jewry. He produces detailed research to support a theory which could make the term 'anti-Semitism' become void of meaning.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1939438993
• ISBN13: 9781939438997
• Release Date: August 1976
• Publisher: One 70 Press
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Forbidden Knowledge

If you've ever wondered why all the modern day Jews are white and don't look like anyone native to the middle east this book explains it all. Don't go down this rabbit hole if you're not ready. Revelation 3:9 "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."

Interesting Read

I also found this book to be quite informative and can understand that it may touch off a few issues. The interesting thing is that people would rather debunk something because of a belief system than actually READ and take to heart what the book has to reveal. It is well referenced and gives us much information concerning the issues we are facing today, how it is and will affect the world. Historically, the information is all out there, published in various places. Arthur Koestler simply brought it all together and put it into comprehensive form. If this is why he is attacked, then it's a sad statement to the conditions we are living in today.

A thought provoking book

Unlike other reviewers I found this to be a very interesting book. Despite being labeled anti-semitic by some reviewers Arthur Koestler was himself of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and proud of it. His book quotes many sources and his thesis should not be dismissed out of hand. In itself it is of historical interest to learn of the Khazar empire that ruled for several hundred years and who were a power equal to the Byzantine empire and one that stopped the Muslim onslaught against Byzantium. I can strongly encourage others to read this book and make up their own mind. Another fascinating read regarding history which deals more with the Khazars, but also historical figures such as Sargon the Great, who established the first semitic dynasty in Mesopotamia, is a book by Laura Knight-Jadczyk called "The secret history of the world".

A thought provoking book

Unlike other reviewers I found this to be a very interesting book and it appears that some of these reviewers were more interested in debunking Arthur Koestler by labelling him anti-semitic. He was himself of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and proud of it. His book quotes many sources and his thesis should not be dismissed out of hand. In itself it is of historical interest to learn of the Khazar empire that ruled for several hundred years and who were a power equal to the Byzantine empire and one that stopped the Muslim onslaught against Byzantium. I can strongly encourage others to read this book and make up their own mind.