Israel Abrahams (1858-1925) was a leading British Jewish scholar. In 1902 Abrahams came to the United States to teach at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. From the preface, ""The writer has attempted in this volume to take up a few of the most characteristic points in Jewish doctrine and practice, and to explain some of the various phases through which they have passed, since the first centuries of the Christian era."" This small book is an excellent reference for anyone wanting to understand the Jewish religion.