Hasdai Crescas on Codification, Cosmology and Creation : The Infinite God and the Expanding Torah /
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This work focuses on the conception of God of the medieval Jewish philosopher and legal scholar, Hasdai Crescas (1340-1410/11). It demonstrates that Crescas' God is infinitely creative and good and explores the parallel that Crescas implicitly draws between God as creator and legislator, which is rooted in his understanding of the Deity as continuously involved in generative activity through the outpouring of goodness and love as manifest by multiple, simultaneous and successive worlds and a perpetually expanding Torah. It also reviews the Maimonidean background for Crescas' position and suggests that Crescas is countering Maimonides' stance that creation is limited to a single moment and Maimonides' notion of the Torah as perfect and immutable.
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This work focuses on the conception of God of the medieval Jewish philosopher and legal scholar, Hasdai Crescas (1340-1410/11). It demonstrates that Crescas' God is infinitely creative and good and explores the parallel that Crescas implicitly draws between God as creator and legislator. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004518650
9789004518643
Winged Words: Benjamin, Rosenzweig, and the Life of Quotation /
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This is the first book to explore the role of quotation in modern Jewish thought. Weaving back and forth from Benjamin to Rosenzweig, the book searches for the recovery of concealed and lost meaning in the community of letters, sacred scripture, the collecting of books, storytelling, and the life of liturgy. It also explores how the legacy of Goethe can be used to develop new strata of religious and Jewish thought. We learn how quotation is the binding tissue that links language and thought, modernity and tradition, religion and secularism as a way of being in the world.
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1 online resource (307 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004680210
Hasdai Crescas on Codification, Cosmology and Creation : The Infinite God and the Expanding Torah /
:
This work focuses on the conception of God of the medieval Jewish philosopher and legal scholar, Hasdai Crescas (1340-1410/11). It demonstrates that Crescas' God is infinitely creative and good and explores the parallel that Crescas implicitly draws between God as creator and legislator, which is rooted in his understanding of the Deity as continuously involved in generative activity through the outpouring of goodness and love as manifest by multiple, simultaneous and successive worlds and a perpetually expanding Torah. It also reviews the Maimonidean background for Crescas' position and suggests that Crescas is countering Maimonides' stance that creation is limited to a single moment and Maimonides' notion of the Torah as perfect and immutable.
:
This work focuses on the conception of God of the medieval Jewish philosopher and legal scholar, Hasdai Crescas (1340-1410/11). It demonstrates that Crescas' God is infinitely creative and good and explores the parallel that Crescas implicitly draws between God as creator and legislator. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004518650
9789004518643
Depeche Mode. Jacob Taubes between Politics, Philosophy, and Religion /
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Jacob Taubes is one of the most significant intellectual figures in the more recent German intellectual scene-and beyond. However, Taubes was either dismissed as a highly controversial character, or as a mere commentator of ongoing debates, or the reception was restricted to his considerations on religion and the ambivalences of secularity. This volume challenges these reductions by putting Taubes' original, albeit marginalised, texts into new, sometimes surprising contexts. Furthermore, it relates familiar topics in his oeuvre to lesser-known themes that are still highly pertinent for contemporary discussions on faith, modernity, and the limits of politics.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004505100
9789004505094
A History of Modern Jewish Religious Philosophy : Volume IV: The Crisis of Humanism (II). The End of the Jewish Center in Germany /
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The last generation of German Jewish philosophers brought the long, tragic history of German-Jewish creative thought to a close in a blaze of glory, while transitioning to the new Jewish creative centers in Israel and America. The best known (Buber, Rosenzweig, Baeck, Strauss, Scholem) and the less known (Breuer, Birnbaum, Klatzkin, Aviad-Wolfsberg, Guttmann) are thoroughly explicated here, with generous primary text citations appearing in English for the first time, making this a rich sourcebook and reference for the thinkers presented.
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1 online resource :
9789004533127
9789004533134
Simon Dubnow's "new Judaism" : diaspora, nationalism and the world history of the Jews /
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In this volume Robert Seltzer examines Simon Dubnow (1860-1941) as the most eminent East European Jewish historian of his day and a spokesperson for his people, setting out to define their identity in the future based on his understanding of their past. Rejecting Zionism and Jewish socialism espoused by contemporaries, he argued in "Letter on Old and New Judaism" that the Jews of the diaspora constituted a distinctive nationality deserving cultural autonomy in the liberal multi-national state he hoped would emerge in Russia. Seltzer traces the young Dubnow's personal encounter with European intellectual currents that led him from the traditional shtetl world to a non-religious conception of Jewishness that resonated beyond Tsarist Russia.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004260672 :
1873-9008 ;
The classic Jewish philosophers : from Saadia through the Renaissance /
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This book provides a standard reference of the major medieval Jewish philosophers, as well as an eminently readable narrative of the course of medieval Jewish philosophical thought, presented as a response to the spiritual-intellectual challenges facing Judaism in that period. The accounts of Saadia, Bahya, Halevi, Maimonides, and Crescas are among the fullest available in English. Other thinkers discussed in depth include Israeli, Ibn Gabirol, Gersonides, and Albo; the work also includes capsule summaries of Bar Hiyya, Falaquera, Albalag, Duran, Abravanel and others. All of the summaries place the philosophical thought of these important thinkers in the context of the historical challenges and religious concerns of their age. This book is also available in paperback.
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Originally published as ha-Filosofim ha-gedolim shelanu, Miskal/Yediot Aharonot Books, 1999. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [469]-474) and indexes. :
9789047423522 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
And they shall be one flesh : on the language of mystical union in Judaism /
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In "And They Shall Be One Flesh": On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism , Adam Afterman offers an extensive study of mystical union and embodiment in Judaism. Afterman argues that Philo was the first to articulate the notion of unio mystica in Judaism and is the source of the henōsis mysticism in the later Neoplatonic tradition. The study provides a detailed analysis of the Jewish medieval trends that developed different forms of mystical union and mystical embodiment through the divine name and spirit. The book argues that the development of unitive mysticism in Judaism is the fruit of the creative synthesis of rabbinic Judaism and Hellenistic and Arab philosophy, and a natural outcome of the theological articulation of the idea of monotheism itself.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004328730 :
1873-9008 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Religion or halakha : the philosophy of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik /
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Joseph B. Soloveitchik's philosophy plays a significant role in twentieth century Jewish thought. This book focuses on the first stages of Soloveitchik's philosophy, through a systematic and detailed discussion of his essay Halakhic Man. Schwartz analyzes this essay at three main levels: first, he considers its complex writing style and relates it to Soloveitchik's aims in the writing of this work. Second, the author compares Halakhic Man to other contemporary writings of Soloveitchik. Third, he lays out the essay's philosophical background. Through this analysis, Schwartz successfully exposes hidden layers in Halakhic Man, which may not be immediately evident. This book is also available in paperback.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [359]-363) and indexes. :
9789047419990 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
From Judah Hadassi to Elijah Bashyatchi : studies in late medieval Karaite philosophy /
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The present study is a pioneering account of the development of late medieval Karaite Jewish thought, challenging the oft-repeated assertion that Karaite thinkers remained loyal to Kalām, the dominant theological philosophy during the earlier Golden Age of Karaism. A careful reading of Karaite sources demonstrates that the watershed figure whose influence led to changes in Karaite thought was the Rabbanite Maimonides, whose attacks on the Kalām had revealed its scientific shortcomings. This book discusses major Karaite thinkers from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries, as well as the central themes in their writings. It also outlines the impact of Karaism on the dominant Rabbanite Jews and their major thinkers, especially Maimonides. It should be of interest to all those who study medieval philosophy, intellectual history, Judaism and sectarianism.
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1 online resource (xvi, 296 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [273]-289) and index. :
9789047442271 :
1873-9008 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A history of modern Jewish religious philosophy .
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The culmination of Eliezer Schweid's life-work as Jewish intellectual historian, this five-volume work provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary account of the major thinkers and movements in modern Jewish thought, in the context of general philosophy and Jewish social-political historical developments. A major theme of the work is the response of Jewish thought to the rise and crisis of Western humanism from the 17th through the 20th centuries. Volume One, "The Period of the Enlightenment," includes a methodological introduction to the larger work, as well as thorough presentations of Spinoza, Mendelssohn, Maimon, Ascher, Wessely, Schnaber and Krochmal. Capsule essays on Kant, Hegel, and Schelling highlight the issues they raise that would be of crucial importance for Jewish thought. \'Schweid introduces the reader to many writers and thinkers who pioneered a new approach toward Jewish law and lore [...]. This is a work which should be in every university and seminary library.\' Morton J. Merowitz, Librarian and independent scholar, Buffalo, NY (AJL Reviews, Nov/Dec 2011)
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1 online resource (xv, 361 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004207349 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The mystery of the earth : mysticism and Hasidism in the thought of Martin Buber /
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Challenging the prevalent view that in order to establish his "Dialogical" thought Martin Buber had to forsake his earlier "mystical" work, Israel Koren demonstrates instead that mystical paradigms serve as the foundation for Buber's dialogue and endow it with greater depth. While most scholars portray Buber's dialogical thought mainly in its Western and modern philosophical background, the author examines Buber's interpretation of Hasidic themes such as Devekut (attachment to God) among others, in order to establish that his dialogical writings evolved out of his interpretation of Judaism in general, his understanding of the Hasidic conception of the world and the mission of man in Hasidism in particular. Buber's work is therefore shown to be original mystical neo-Hasidic thought, which serves as a new link in the historical chain of Jewish mysticism.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [369]-386) and indexes. :
9789004181243 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A history of modern Jewish religious philosophy.
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The culmination of Eliezer Schweid's life-work as a Jewish intellectual historian, this five-volume work provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary account of the major thinkers and movements in modern Jewish thought, in the context of general philosophy and Jewish social-political historical developments, with extensive primary source excerpts. Volume Two, \'The Birth of the Jewish Historical Studies and the Modern Jewish Religious Movements,\' discusses the major Jewish thinkers of central and eastern Europe before 1881, in connection with the movements they fostered: German-Jewish Wissenschaft (Zunz), Reform (Formstecher, Samuel Hirsch, Geiger), Neo-Orthodoxy (S. D. Luzzatto, Steinheim, Samson Raphael Hirsch), Positive-Historical (Frankel, Graetz), and Neo-Haredi (Kalischer, Malbim, Hayyim Volozhiner, Salanter). In addition, extensive attention is given to the thinkers of the east-European Haskalah, both earlier (Levinsohn, Rubin, Schorr, Mieses, Abraham Krochmal) and later proto-Zionist thinkers (Zweifel, Smolenskin, Pines, Lilienblum).
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1 online resource (xii, 330 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004290372 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Without any doubt Gersonides on method and knowledge /
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Gersonides-Rabbi Levi ben Gershom (Provence, 1288-1344)-was a multifaceted thinker. Endowed with his original and critical mind, he did not accept the authority of his predecessors but investigated every matter for himself. His extraordinary attention to method-both of inquiry and of writing-stands out clearly in his own work and in his reading of certain biblical books. The eight articles on Gersonides' thought and method collected in this volume address four main topics: Gersonides' methods of inquiry and composition; the use of introductions in his own works and in biblical books; his method in the supercommentaries on Averroes; and his methods of biblical exegesis. \'Klein-Braslavi's (sic) book...is highly recommended for all libraries that take seriously philosophy, the life of the mind and cognition.\' David B. Levy, Touro College
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004206991 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Seeing with both eyes : Ephraim Luntshitz and the Polish-Jewish renaissance /
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This is an integrated study of the revival of philosophical studies in 16th-century central-European Jewry focusing on seven major thinkers and especially on the intellectual development of Ephraim Luntshitz (1550-1619). Preoccupation with philosophy is traced through Moses Isserles, Solomon Luria, Mordecai Jaffe, Abraham Horowitz, Eliezer Ashkenazi, Maharal of Prague, and Ephraim Luntshitz. Analysis of these thinkers' intellectual affiliations is based on close analysis of their primary texts, of which a generous selection is provided in translation for the first time. This work advances the scholarly study of 16th-century Polish-Jewish culture, the Polish Jewish Renaissance, the philosophical interests of Ashkenazic Jewry, Jewish responses to Renaissance humanism and the Reformation, and the early-modern background for the 18th-century Jewish Enlightenment.
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1 online resource. :
"English and Hebrew titles of primary works": pages [xv]-xvi.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]-220) and index. :
9789047432746 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Existential Philosophy of Etty Hillesum : An Analysis of Her Diaries and Letters.
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In The Existential Philosophy of Etty Hillesum Meins G.S. Coetsier breaks new ground by demonstrating the Jewish existential nature of Etty Hillesum's spiritual and cultural life in light of the writings of Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Hillesum's diaries and letters, written between 1941 and 1943, illustrate her struggle to come to terms with her personal life in the context of the Second World War and the Shoah. By finding God under the rubble of the horrors, she rediscovers the divine presence between humankind, while taking up responsibility for the Other as a way to embrace justice and compassion. In a fascinating, accessible and thorough study, Coetsier dispels much of the confusion that assails readers when they are exposed to the bewildering range of Christian and Jewish influences and other cultural interpretations of her writings. The result is a convincing and profound picture of Etty Hillesum's path to spiritual freedom.
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1 online resource (xxvii, 635 pages, [7] pages of plates) : illustrations. :
9789004266100 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Renaissance Philosophy in Jewish garb : foundations and challenges in Judaism on the eve of modernity /
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Based on several years of research on Jewish intellectual life in the Renaissance, this book tries to distinguish the coordinates of "modernity" as premises of Jewish philosophy, and vice versa. In the first part, it is concerned with the foundations of Jewish philosophy, its nature as philosophical science and as wisdom. The second part is devoted to certain elements and challenges of the humanist and Renaissance period as reflected in Judaism: historical consciousness and the sciences, utopian tradition, the legal status of the Jews in Christian political tradition and in Jewish political thought, aesthetic concepts of the body and conversion.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [255]-270) and index. :
9789047425281 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The serpent kills or the serpent gives life the kabbalist Abraham Abulafia's response to Christianity /
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Abraham Abulafia (1240 - c. 1291) founded an enormously influential branch of Jewish mysticism, referred to as the prophetic or ecstatic kabbalah. This book, from several perspectives, explores the impact of Christianity upon Abulafia. His copious writings evince an intense fascination with Christian themes, yet Abulafia's frequent diatribes against Jesus and Christianity reveal him to be deeply conflicted in his relationship to his southern European religious neighbors. This book undertakes a careful study of Abulafia's writings, suggesting that the recognition of an inner dynamic of attraction and revulsion toward the forbidden other provides a crucial key to understanding Abulafia's mystical hermeneutic and his meditative practice. It also demonstrates that Abulafia's uneasy relationship to Christianity shaped the very core of his mystical doctrine.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004194472 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The national element in Hermann Cohen's philosophy and religion /
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Hermann Cohen was a passionate philosopher whose national engagement was an integral component of his work. This national engagement comprised a cultural 'Germanness' (Deutschtum), ethically oriented to the state, and a religious Judaism beyond the political. These two forms of \'nationality\' influenced Cohen's system of philosophy and his Jewish thought from his broadest to his most subtle points. The National Element in Hermann Cohen's Philosophy and Religion explores Cohen's views on World War I, Zionism, Jewish orthodoxy, assimilation, and racism. Then it looks at his system: logical dispositions of the idea of nationality, the ethics of the nation-state, and Cohen's aesthetics of national elements of expression. In connection with that, the study explores the Jewish dimension of nationality, a cornerstone for the concept of revelation and communal service in Cohen's Religion of Reason Out of the Sources of Judaism .
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1 online resource (xv, 258 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004232617 :
1873-9008 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Jewish philosophy for the twenty-first century : personal reflections /
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Jewish Philosophy for the Twenty-First Century encourages contemporary Jewish thinkers to reflect on the meaning of Judaism in the modern world by connecting these reflections to their own personal biographies. In so doing, it reveals the complexity of Jewish thought in the present moment. The contributors reflect on a range of political, social, ethical, and educational challenges that face Jews and Judaism today and chart a path for the future. The results showcase how Jewish philosophy encompasses the methodologies and concerns of other fields such as political theory, intellectual history, theology, religious studies, anthropology, education, comparative literature, and cultural studies. By presenting how Jewish thinkers address contemporary challenges of Jewish existence, the volume makes a valuable contribution to the humanities as a whole, especially at a time when the humanities are increasingly under duress for being irrelevant.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004279629 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.