Master's thesis in the field of Abrahamic religions
Abstract;
The spread of Islamic thoughts and ideas as well as ancient Greek philosophy, including the philosophy of Aristotle and Plato, had significant effects on medieval Jewish thinkers such as Sadia Gaon and Moses Ben Maimon. Meanwhile, in the contemporary era, with the growth of the Renaissance, the change of the prevailing scientific paradigms, as well as the freedom of the Jews from the blockade and the formation of the Jewish state, the thoughts of the thinkers of this religion underwent profound changes according to the new time conditions. The formation of various theologies such as feminist theology, Holocaust theology, evil theology and so on. They are among these. Therefore, in order to carefully examine the differences between medieval and contemporary Jewish theology regarding the basic issues of God, creation, revelation, and salvation, in this thesis, the translation of articles from the book of contemporary Jewish theology[1] authored by Eliot Dorf and Louis Newman is presented along with analytical introductions. It is hoped that this work can be effective in improving the qualitative and quantitative level of Persian sources in the field of Jewish philosophy and theology in the University of Religions and Religions.
Key words: God, creation, revelation, salvation, Sadia Gaon, Moses ben Maimon
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Chapter 1- Introduction
This thesis is a translation of the book of contemporary Jewish theology that presents It is the most comprehensive Jewish religious writings from the second half of the 20th century to the present day. This book, which is an excerpt from the reflections and ideas of thinkers before and after the Second World War, has collected in a completely systematic manner a wide range of points of view and ideas that reflect contemporary Jewish theology. This wide spectrum includes the thoughts of orthodox, feminist, Israeli, American, rationalist, religious mystics and post-modern thinkers.
In this book, there are very deep introductions to each section that show the alignment or conflict between various contemporary Jewish ideas both from a historical and a philosophical perspective. After the general introductions, this book has four parts. In the first part, excerpts from the most important writings of Jewish philosophers in the early 20th century (Cohen[1], Rosenzweig[2], Buber[3], Kaplan[4] and Heschel[5]) are collected. The second part contains articles about God, creation, revelation, salvation, covenant/mission and law. In the third part, primary articles about the Holocaust and the state of Israel, which are very important for contemporary Jewish thinkers, are presented. The final part of this book is a brief discussion of the trends of Jewish theology at the dawn of the 21st century, as well as suggestions for further study. Dorf[6] is a professor of philosophy at the American Jewish University[7] in California and Louis E. Newman[8], a professor of religions at Carleton University[9] in Canada, was written. In the preface of this book, it is stated as follows: "The book of contemporary Jewish theology is presented as a volume together with our previous book, "Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Ethical Principles" (Oxford, 1995). Our goal in this book is to introduce readers to the depth of contemporary Jewish theology that has been formed and developed over recent decades. In our opinion, this historical period was very constructive for Jewish religious thoughts, and during this period, traditional issues were examined from new aspects, and also the circle of those who were experts in theological issues increased. In this book, we have put together articles from the great thinkers of the early 20th century to the recent reflections of feminists and postmoderns, which can emphasize the connection between modern Jewish theology and the traditions of the past. In this period of time when religious pluralism is widespread, we hope that such collections can help to understand more deeply the important topics of the Jewish religion. We dedicate this book to those who have so well shown you the relationship between human intimacy and divinity. Because they have given the deepest feelings of joy and happiness to our lives, which is love for God."
The authors of the articles translated in the thesis are eleven of the most outstanding professors and thinkers of Judaism, and we will briefly introduce them in the form of the table below.
Table 1- Brief introduction of the authors of the translated parts of the book
Row
Authors
Article number
Description
1
Arthur E.Cohen[11]
17
American Jewish researcher, theologian and writer; He is the author of the famous book "Discussions and Teachings" about Jewish thoughts. He has also written several novels. During his lifetime, Koen collected many rare books and established publishing houses. The spirit and artistic nature of his artist personality, along with concerns about honesty and truth, are the main themes of Koen's writings.
2
Arthur Green [12]
14
Researcher of Jewish mysticism and neo-Hasidism, professor of non-sectarian rabbis at Boston Hebrew College; He grew up in New Jersey in a conservative family. He describes his father as a military infidel. But his mother, as a traditional Jewish woman, felt obliged to teach her son Jewish teachings. When he was a student, he was challenged on the subject of God, so he began his efforts to find new approaches to Judaism. Green has written several books in the field of Jewish mysticism and Hasidism and is now known as one of the most prominent Jewish thinkers in the field of mysticism, Hasidim and spirituality.
3
Ellen M. Umansky[13]
12
Professor of Jewish Studies at Fairfield University[14] in Connecticut, USA; She is currently a member of the editorial board of Feminist Studies of Religions and was named the first prominent female figure by the Fairfield Jewish House.
4
Elliot N. Dorf
9
Conservative rabbi, professor of Jewish theology at American Jewish University in California and author; He is more interested in Jewish philosophy than any other subject. Epistemology, which deals with the question of what and the nature of knowledge, is also one of the important philosophical issues that Eliot N. Dorf has theories about it. Unlike many religious people, he believes that knowledge is different from belief. He also wrote several books in the field of Jewish theology and ethics with his colleague Lewis E. Newman wrote.
5
Immanuel Levinas[15]
15
French philosopher and expert in Talmud; He studied at the University of Strasbourg and then met Heidegger at the University of Freiburg in the field of phenomenology. At the very beginning of getting to know Heidegger, he became interested in his thoughts. But later he distanced himself from Heidegger because of his support for the Nazis. His main thoughts are in the fields of ethics and "other[16]". He believes that the other cannot be examined as a subject[17].
6
Harold M. Sholoways [18]
10
American rabbi and writer; He was born into a secular family that respected Jewish traditions and Zionism. Herold graduated from Yeshiva University in 1945 with a degree in philosophy. He established a Jewish foundation with the title of righteousness and with the aim of helping the pious in need. Also, in this foundation, teachers are taught the history of the Holocaust.
7
Lewis Jacobs[19]
8
The prominent writer and theologian and the founder of conservative Judaism; In particular, he has worked hard to reconcile Orthodox Judaism and the modern world. Jacobs also wrote about the existence of God, pain, the afterlife and miracles. He has a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a doctorate in English and Hebrew literature. He has taught English and Hebrew literature, Jewish studies and the Bible for 15 years.
9
Neil Gilman[21]
16
American rabbi, philosopher and conservative Jew; He graduated from Columbia University with a degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. Gilman is one of the members of the Conservative Jewish Commission and a professor of Jewish philosophy at the Manhattan School of Religion.
10
Steven Schwartz Shilt[22]
18
Rabbi, philosopher, theologian and journalist; In 1965, he was appointed professor of Jewish philosophy and theology at the University of Washington. He has written numerous scientific articles in the fields of ethics, aesthetics, eschatology and halakhah[23].
11
David W. Weiss[24]
13
Professor of Bacteriology and Immunology; Born in Austria, he fled to America in 1939. He has also written in the fields of Sharia and Jewish philosophy, including the book Dove's Wings: Jewish Values, Science and Halakhah.