Maimonides On The Decline Of The Generations And The Nature Of Rabbinic Authority

Author : Menachem Kellner
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438408676
Total Pages : 149 pages
Book Rating : 4.75/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Maimonides on the "Decline of the Generations" and the Nature of Rabbinic Authority written by Menachem Kellner and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moses Maimonides, medieval Judaism's leading legist and philosopher, and a figure of central importance for contemporary Jewish self-understanding, held a view of Judaism which maintained the authority of the Talmudic rabbis in matters of Jewish law while allowing for free and open inquiry in matters of science and philosophy. Maimonides affirmed, not the superiority of the "moderns" (the scholars of his and subsequent generations) over the "ancients" (the Tannaim and Amoraim, the Rabbis of the Mishnah and Talmud) but the inherent equality of the two. The equality presented here is not equality of halakhic authority, but equality of ability, of essential human characteristics. In order to substantiate these claims, Kellner explores the related idea that Maimonides does not adopt the notion of "the decline of the generations," according to which each succeeding generation, or each succeeding epoch, is in some significant and religiously relevant sense inferior to preceding generations or epochs.

Author : Isaac Abravanel
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
ISBN 13 : 1909821160
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.63/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Principles of Faith written by Isaac Abravanel and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 1982-09-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A complete English translation of the classic work of 1504 by the renowned statesman and philosopher, Isaac Abravanel (1437-1508), concerning the philosophical ideas of Maimonides. A comprehensive introduction and notes are also provided.

Author : Menachem Kellner
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
ISBN 13 : 190982108X
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.88/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Maimonides' Confrontation with Mysticism written by Menachem Kellner and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2006-09-21 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maimonides’ vision of Judaism was deeply elitist, but at the same time profoundly universalistic. He was highly critical of the regnant Jewish culture of his day, which he perceived as so heavily influenced by ancient Jewish mysticism as to be debased. While focusing on that critique, Menachem Kellner skilfully and accessibly demonstrates how Maimonides used philosophy to purify a corrupted and paganized religion, and to present distinctions fundamental to Judaism as institutional, sociological, and historical, rather than ontological. In Maimonides’ hands, metaphysical distinctions are translated into moral challenges.

Author : Yaakov Elman
Publisher : KTAV Publishing House, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 9780881255997
Total Pages : 866 pages
Book Rating : 4.98/5 ( download)

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Download or read book חזון נחום written by Yaakov Elman and published by KTAV Publishing House, Inc.. This book was released on 1997 with total page 866 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Menachem Kellner
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
ISBN 13 : 190982142X
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.22/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought written by Menachem Kellner and published by Liverpool University Press. This book was released on 2004-07-22 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘An important contribution to the history of dogma in Judaism and to the history of fifteenth-century Jewish thought in particular.’ Chava Tirosh-Rothschild, Critical Review ‘A work of serious scholarship. It will no doubt become the standard work on the subject for many years to come.’ Jewish Book News & Reviews ‘A detailed analysis of Maimonides’s position and its aftermath ... a scholarly analysis ... Kellner steers us deftly through the complex argument. His is the most thorough treatment so far of this still relevant chapter in the history of Jewish thought.’ Jonathan Sacks, L’Eylah

Author : Israel Drazin
Publisher : Gefen Publishing House Ltd
ISBN 13 : 9789652294241
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.41/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Maimonides written by Israel Drazin and published by Gefen Publishing House Ltd. This book was released on 2008 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An examination of the remarkable penetrating mind of Moses Maimonides and to his rational eye-opening thoughts on many subjects. It includes ideas that are not incorporated in the usual books about this great philosopher because they are so different than the traditional thinking of the vast majority of people. It contrasts the notions of other Jewish thinkers, somewhat rational and others not rational at all. The reader will be surprised, if not shocked, to learn that a host of beliefs that are prevalent among the Jewish masses have no rational basis. This does not suggest that Judaism itself is irrational and absurd. Just the opposite. But many Jews have opted to believe the unreasonable and illogical conventional ideas what Maimonides would label non-Jewish sabian notions because they have not been acquainted with Maimonides correct rational alternatives and taken the time to reflect upon it.

Author : Shaul Magid
Publisher : Academic Studies PRess
ISBN 13 : 1644690918
Total Pages : 326 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Piety and Rebellion written by Shaul Magid and published by Academic Studies PRess. This book was released on 2019-09-17 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Piety and Rebellion examines the span of the Hasidic textual tradition from its earliest phases to the 20th century. The essays collected in this volume focus on the tension between Hasidic fidelity to tradition and its rebellious attempt to push the devotional life beyond the borders of conventional religious practice. Many of the essays exhibit a comparative perspective deployed to better articulate the innovative spirit, and traditional challenges, Hasidism presents to the traditional Jewish world. Piety and Rebellion is an attempt to present Hasidism as one case whereby maximalist religion can yield a rebellious challenge to conventional conceptions of religious thought and practice.

Author : Michael S. Berger
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0195352718
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.19/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Rabbinic Authority written by Michael S. Berger and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1998-10-15 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Rabbis of the first five centuries of the Common Era loom large in the Jewish tradition. Until the modern period, Jews viewed the Rabbinic traditions as the authoritative contents of their covenant with God, and scholars debated the meanings of these ancient Sages words. Even after the eighteenth century, when varied denominations emerged within Judaism, each with its own approach to the tradition, the literary legacy of the talmudic Sages continued to be consulted. In this book, Michael S. Berger analyzes the notion of Rabbinic authority from a philosophical standpoint. He sets out a typology of theories that can be used to understand the authority of these Sages, showing the coherence of each, its strengths and weaknesses, and what aspects of the Rabbinic enterprise it covers. His careful and thorough analysis reveals that owing to the multifaceted character of the Rabbinic enterprise, no single theory is adequate to fully ground Rabbinic authority as traditionally understood. The final section of the book argues that the notion of Rabbinic authority may indeed have been transformed over time, even as it retained the original name. Drawing on the debates about legal hermeneutics between Ronald Dworkin and Stanley Fish, Berger introduces the idea that Rabbinic authority is not a strict consequence of a preexisting theory, but rather is embedded in a form of life that includes text, interpretation, and practices. Rabbinic authority is shown to be a nuanced concept unique to Judaism, in that it is taken to justify those sorts of activities which in turn actually deepen the authority itself. Students of Judaism and philosophers of religion in general will be intrigued by this philosophical examination of a central issue of Judaism, conducted with unprecedented rigor and refreshing creative insight.

Author : Marc Angel
Publisher : Jewish Lights Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1580234119
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Maimonides, Spinoza and Us written by Marc Angel and published by Jewish Lights Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A challenging look at two great Jewish philosophers, and what their thinking means to our understanding of God, truth, revelation and reason. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) is Jewish history's greatest exponent of a rational, philosophically sound Judaism. He strove to reconcile the teachings of the Bible and rabbinic tradition with the principles of Aristotelian philosophy, arguing that religion and philosophy ultimately must arrive at the same truth. Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) is Jewish history's most illustrious "heretic." He believed that truth could be attained through reason alone, and that philosophy and religion were separate domains that could not be reconciled. His critique of the Bible and its teachings caused an intellectual and spiritual upheaval whose effects are still felt today. Rabbi Marc D. Angel discusses major themes in the writings of Maimonides and Spinoza to show us how modern people can deal with religion in an intellectually honest and meaningful way. From Maimonides, we gain insight on how to harmonize traditional religious belief with the dictates of reason. From Spinoza, we gain insight into the intellectual challenges which must be met by modern believers.

Author : Sophia Menache
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004679189
Total Pages : 439 pages
Book Rating : 4.84/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Communication in the Jewish Diaspora written by Sophia Menache and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2024-01-22 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although Jews lacked a political locus standi for a communication system in the Middle Ages and Early Modern periods, their involvement in trade and the close relations among Jewish communities fostered the development of effective channels of communication. This process responded primarily to security and socio-economic considerations but it has important implications for the development of communication systems as well. Written by some of the most outstanding researchers in the field of Jewish history, this collection offers a rich and consistent picture of the main developments in communications in the Jewish world before the era of mass-media. This pioneering research reconsiders the principal means of communication among the Jewish communities in the Islamic world, Christian Europe, the Ottoman Empire, and the New World, from the seventh until the nineteenth centuries.