New Perspectives in Theology of Judaism

Shubert Spero

book: New Perspectives in Theology of Judaism

Open Access Published by Academic Studies Press 2013

New Perspectives in Theology of Judaism

Shubert Spero

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781644696736

Overview
Contents

About this book

If it can be said that theology is the philosophical examination of a religion by an insider, then the present collection of essays by Shubert Spero offers us the proper formula for a truly authentic work. The author sets out to rigorously yet sensitively investigate some of the basic concepts and principles of classical Judaism. The topics addressed range from the familiar—“Is God Knowable?” and “Justifying Religious Belief”—to the unusual—”Judaism and the Aesthetic,” “Does Judaism Have a Theory of Self?” and “Does Messianism Imply Inevitability?” Current issues are not neglected, and are addressed in sections such as “Religious Zionism: What is it?” and “The Ethical Theory of Judaism.” While critical and analytic throughout, the author’s style is clear and uncluttered and uses arguments to convince rather than to impress. Neither apologetic nor unnecessarily provocative, Shubert Spero provides a fresh approach to the neglected yet vital domain of Jewish theology.

Author / Editor information

Shubert Spero (PhD Case Western Reserve University) is an ordained Orthodox rabbi who recently retired as Irving Stone Professor of Jewish Studies at Bar Ilan University, having occupied that chair since moving to Israel in 1983 from the United States. He has served as the spiritual leader of Young Israel of Cleveland, Ohio (1950-1983), and has been a major voice of modern Orthodox Judaism. He taught philosophy at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Case Western Reserve University, during much of that period. He is the author of God in All Seasons (1967), Morality, Halacha and the Jewish Tradition (1983), Holocaust and the Return to Zion: A Study in Jewish Philosophy of History (2000), Aspects of Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik’s Philosophy of Judaism (2009), and numerous essays in philosophical journals.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	1
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	5
Note From the Publisher. The Chair, the Incumbent, and the Donors Open Access Download PDF	7
Introduction Open Access Download PDF	9
Part I Viewing Judaism as a Whole
Chapter One. Is There an Indigenous Jewish Theology? Open Access Download PDF	23
Chapter Two. Toward a Philosophy of Modern Orthodoxy Open Access Download PDF	41
Chapter Three. Is Judaism an Optimistic Religion? Open Access Download PDF	55
Chapter Four. The Meaning of Existentialism for Orthodoxy Open Access Download PDF	69
Part II Torah in Depth
Chapter Five. The Biblical Stories of Creation, the Garden of Eden, and the Flood: History or Metaphor? Open Access Download PDF	81
Chapter Six. Paradise Lost or Outgrown? Open Access Download PDF	98
Chapter Seven. Multiplicity of Meaning as a Device in Biblical Narrative Open Access Download PDF	118
Chapter Eight. Torat Hashem / Torat Moshe: Exploring their Respective Roles Open Access Download PDF	133
Part III Reaching for the Heights
Chapter Nine Is God Truly Unknowable? Open Access Download PDF	165
Chapter Ten. Love of God Open Access Download PDF	182
Chapter Eleven. Selfhood and Godhood in Jewish Thought and Modern Philosophy Open Access Download PDF	194
Chapter Twelve. Unity of God as Dynamic of Redemption Open Access Download PDF	208
Part IV The Analytic in Action
Chapter Thirteen. Toward an Ethical Theory of Judaism Open Access Download PDF	219
Chapter Fourteen. What is Self-theory, and Does Judaism Need One? Open Access Download PDF	244
Chapter Fifteen. Judaism and the Aesthetic Open Access Download PDF	275
Chapter Sixteen. Providential History and the Anthropic Principle Open Access Download PDF	299
Chapter Seventeen. The Role of Reason in Jewish Religious Belief Open Access Download PDF	316
Part V History Come to Life
Chapter Eighteen. The Religious Meaning of the State of Israel Open Access Download PDF	337
Chapter Nineteen. Religious Zionism: What is It? Open Access Download PDF	357
Chapter Twenty. Does Messianism Imply Inevitability? Open Access Download PDF	368
Acknowledgements Open Access Download PDF	385
Index Open Access Download PDF	386

Language: English
Publisher: Academic Studies Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 396
Keywords: Jewish studies; Judaism; Religion; Theology; Zionism

eBook

Published: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 9781644696736