Reprint of a 1973 work (Harvard U. Press). Studies the process by which the Jews, isolated in ghettos on the fringe of society until well near the end of the 18th century, made their first steps toward integrating into the mainstream of European life. Argues that the French Revolution, the loosening of bonds between church and state, and the ideals of the enlightenment made possible the Jew's transition from the ghetto to partial inclusion in society at large; during this transition, Jewish intellectuals were attracted to the "secular knowledge" of languages, mathematics, philosophy, and the wider world beyond their ancient learning. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.