Robert Eisen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171532
- eISBN:
- 9780199785162
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171532.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This book analyzes the history of the interpretation of the book of Job by medieval Jewish exegetes. The scholarship on medieval Jewish thought has focused largely on the systematic philosophical ...
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This book analyzes the history of the interpretation of the book of Job by medieval Jewish exegetes. The scholarship on medieval Jewish thought has focused largely on the systematic philosophical aspects of this literature. The author, however, is concerned with exegesis qua exegesis. He offers a close examination of commentaries on Job written by six major thinkers: Saadiah Gaon (882-942, Egypt and Babylon), Moses Maimonides (1138-1204, Spain and Egypt), Samuel ibn Tibbon (1160-1230, Provence), Zerahiah Hen (13th Century, Barcelona and Rome), Levi Gersonides (1288-1344, Provence), and Simeon ben Zeham Duran (1361-1444, Majorca and Algiers). Saadiah and Maimonides wrote in Arabic, the other four in Hebrew. The author looks at the relationship between the commentaries and their antecedent sources as well as their relationship to the broader context of medieval Jewish thought. He also provides an overview of the questions the commentators confronted about the historicity, national origin, and “Jewishness” of the text. He argues that the commentaries on Job are linked in a coherent and evolving tradition of interpretation and he identifies various views of providence as the central concern of them all.Less
This book analyzes the history of the interpretation of the book of Job by medieval Jewish exegetes. The scholarship on medieval Jewish thought has focused largely on the systematic philosophical aspects of this literature. The author, however, is concerned with exegesis qua exegesis. He offers a close examination of commentaries on Job written by six major thinkers: Saadiah Gaon (882-942, Egypt and Babylon), Moses Maimonides (1138-1204, Spain and Egypt), Samuel ibn Tibbon (1160-1230, Provence), Zerahiah Hen (13th Century, Barcelona and Rome), Levi Gersonides (1288-1344, Provence), and Simeon ben Zeham Duran (1361-1444, Majorca and Algiers). Saadiah and Maimonides wrote in Arabic, the other four in Hebrew. The author looks at the relationship between the commentaries and their antecedent sources as well as their relationship to the broader context of medieval Jewish thought. He also provides an overview of the questions the commentators confronted about the historicity, national origin, and “Jewishness” of the text. He argues that the commentaries on Job are linked in a coherent and evolving tradition of interpretation and he identifies various views of providence as the central concern of them all.
Gerald R. McDermott
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195373431
- eISBN:
- 9780199871681
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195373431.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The chapter argues that Edwards’s biblical exegesis does not fit neatly into a simplistic dichotomy of “precritical” versus “critical,” and challenges theologians to explore Edwards’s typological ...
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The chapter argues that Edwards’s biblical exegesis does not fit neatly into a simplistic dichotomy of “precritical” versus “critical,” and challenges theologians to explore Edwards’s typological view of reality.Less
The chapter argues that Edwards’s biblical exegesis does not fit neatly into a simplistic dichotomy of “precritical” versus “critical,” and challenges theologians to explore Edwards’s typological view of reality.
Naomi Koltun-Fromm
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199736485
- eISBN:
- 9780199866427
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199736485.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Religion and Society
This book set out to demonstrate how sexuality became central to Jewish and Christian notions of holiness and holy community in the postbiblical period. In particular, this study was motivated to ...
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This book set out to demonstrate how sexuality became central to Jewish and Christian notions of holiness and holy community in the postbiblical period. In particular, this study was motivated to determine why sexuality, especially sexual restraint, became a primary demarcation of sacred community boundaries among Jews and Christians in fourth-century Persian-Mesopotamia. To accomplish this task, the book focused on the exegetical underpinnings that link holiness to sexuality in these communities’ emerging hermeneutics of holiness and sexuality. In the fourth-century Mesopotamian context, ascetic practitioners found biblical textual support as compelling as any other outside cultural norm. Sexual asceticism thus finds its rightful place in the formative periods of both religious traditions through the lens of comparative biblical exegesis, social constructs, and the study of the theological developments of the Hebrew biblical notions of holiness.Less
This book set out to demonstrate how sexuality became central to Jewish and Christian notions of holiness and holy community in the postbiblical period. In particular, this study was motivated to determine why sexuality, especially sexual restraint, became a primary demarcation of sacred community boundaries among Jews and Christians in fourth-century Persian-Mesopotamia. To accomplish this task, the book focused on the exegetical underpinnings that link holiness to sexuality in these communities’ emerging hermeneutics of holiness and sexuality. In the fourth-century Mesopotamian context, ascetic practitioners found biblical textual support as compelling as any other outside cultural norm. Sexual asceticism thus finds its rightful place in the formative periods of both religious traditions through the lens of comparative biblical exegesis, social constructs, and the study of the theological developments of the Hebrew biblical notions of holiness.
Daniel A. Keating
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199267132
- eISBN:
- 9780191602092
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199267138.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Presents a comprehensive account of sanctification and divinization in Cyril as set forth in his New Testament biblical commentaries. By establishing the importance of pneumatology in Cyril’s ...
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Presents a comprehensive account of sanctification and divinization in Cyril as set forth in his New Testament biblical commentaries. By establishing the importance of pneumatology in Cyril’s narrative of divine life and by showing the requirement for an ethical aspect of divinization grounded in the example of Christ himself, this study brings a corrective to certain readings of Cyril that tend to exaggerate the ‘somatic’ or ‘physicalistic’ character of his understanding of divinization, by arguing that Cyril correlates the somatic and pneumatic means of our union with Christ, and impressively integrates the ontological and ethical aspects of our sanctification and divinization. The final chapter offers brief sketches of Cyril in comparison with Theodore of Mopsuestia, Augustine, and Leo the Great, with the aim of gaining further clarity to the Christological debates of the fifth century, and a better grasp of the theological similarities and differences between the East and West.Less
Presents a comprehensive account of sanctification and divinization in Cyril as set forth in his New Testament biblical commentaries. By establishing the importance of pneumatology in Cyril’s narrative of divine life and by showing the requirement for an ethical aspect of divinization grounded in the example of Christ himself, this study brings a corrective to certain readings of Cyril that tend to exaggerate the ‘somatic’ or ‘physicalistic’ character of his understanding of divinization, by arguing that Cyril correlates the somatic and pneumatic means of our union with Christ, and impressively integrates the ontological and ethical aspects of our sanctification and divinization. The final chapter offers brief sketches of Cyril in comparison with Theodore of Mopsuestia, Augustine, and Leo the Great, with the aim of gaining further clarity to the Christological debates of the fifth century, and a better grasp of the theological similarities and differences between the East and West.
Donald Markwell
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198292364
- eISBN:
- 9780191715525
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198292364.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the writings of John Maynard Keynes and how students of Keynes have failed to study his thinking from the perspective of international ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the writings of John Maynard Keynes and how students of Keynes have failed to study his thinking from the perspective of international relations. It then provides an overview of this book, which seeks to explain the thinking about international relations which underlay Keynes’s writings and actions. It does so through a systematic exegesis of Keynes’s thinking on international relations as it evolved from his undergraduate days until his death.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the writings of John Maynard Keynes and how students of Keynes have failed to study his thinking from the perspective of international relations. It then provides an overview of this book, which seeks to explain the thinking about international relations which underlay Keynes’s writings and actions. It does so through a systematic exegesis of Keynes’s thinking on international relations as it evolved from his undergraduate days until his death.
Daniel Davies
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199768738
- eISBN:
- 9780199918980
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199768738.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter explains the place that metaphysics holds in Maimonides' thought. It also introduces the question of esotericism in the Guide and scholarship on Maimonides. It explains that the Guide is ...
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This chapter explains the place that metaphysics holds in Maimonides' thought. It also introduces the question of esotericism in the Guide and scholarship on Maimonides. It explains that the Guide is a multilayered commentary on a multilayered book; it is both exegesis and imitation of the Bible. There are a number of biblical features that it attempts to reproduce, including the variety of messages and the multiple methods of communication aimed at different levels of audience.Less
This chapter explains the place that metaphysics holds in Maimonides' thought. It also introduces the question of esotericism in the Guide and scholarship on Maimonides. It explains that the Guide is a multilayered commentary on a multilayered book; it is both exegesis and imitation of the Bible. There are a number of biblical features that it attempts to reproduce, including the variety of messages and the multiple methods of communication aimed at different levels of audience.
Aviad Kleinberg
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231174701
- eISBN:
- 9780231540247
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231174701.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
In the Old Testament, God wrestles with a man (and loses). In the Talmud, God wriggles his toes to make thunder and takes human form to shave the king of Assyria. In the New Testament, God is made ...
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In the Old Testament, God wrestles with a man (and loses). In the Talmud, God wriggles his toes to make thunder and takes human form to shave the king of Assyria. In the New Testament, God is made flesh and dwells among humans. For religious thinkers trained in Greek philosophy and its deep distaste for matter, sacred scripture can be distressing. A philosophically respectable God should be untainted by sensuality, yet the God of sacred texts is often embarrassingly sensual. Setting experts’ minds at ease was neither easy nor simple, and often faith and logic were stretched to their limits. Focusing on examples from both Christian and Jewish sources, from the Bible to sources from the Late Middle Ages, Aviad Kleinberg examines the way Christian and Jewish philosophers, exegetes, and theologians attempted to reconcile God’s supposed ineffability with numerous biblical and postbiblical accounts of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and even tasting the almighty. The conceptual entanglements ensnaring religious thinkers, and the strange, ingenious solutions they used to extricate themselves, tell us something profound about human needs and divine attributes, about faith, hope, and cognitive dissonance.Less
In the Old Testament, God wrestles with a man (and loses). In the Talmud, God wriggles his toes to make thunder and takes human form to shave the king of Assyria. In the New Testament, God is made flesh and dwells among humans. For religious thinkers trained in Greek philosophy and its deep distaste for matter, sacred scripture can be distressing. A philosophically respectable God should be untainted by sensuality, yet the God of sacred texts is often embarrassingly sensual. Setting experts’ minds at ease was neither easy nor simple, and often faith and logic were stretched to their limits. Focusing on examples from both Christian and Jewish sources, from the Bible to sources from the Late Middle Ages, Aviad Kleinberg examines the way Christian and Jewish philosophers, exegetes, and theologians attempted to reconcile God’s supposed ineffability with numerous biblical and postbiblical accounts of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and even tasting the almighty. The conceptual entanglements ensnaring religious thinkers, and the strange, ingenious solutions they used to extricate themselves, tell us something profound about human needs and divine attributes, about faith, hope, and cognitive dissonance.
Robert Eisen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171532
- eISBN:
- 9780199785162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171532.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This analysis of Saadiah’s reading of Job begins with a brief summary of his discussion of the suffering of the righteous in Beliefs and Opinions, where he lays out the philosophical ideas that are ...
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This analysis of Saadiah’s reading of Job begins with a brief summary of his discussion of the suffering of the righteous in Beliefs and Opinions, where he lays out the philosophical ideas that are critical for his interpretation of Job. This is followed by a summary of the contents of his commentary on Job. The discussion then proceeds in the order of the three interfaces outlined in the introduction: a discussion of the sources and antecedents of Saadiah’s reading of the Book of Job; an analysis of Saadiah’s reading as an exegetical exercise grappling with the biblical text; and finally revisiting Saadiah’s discussion of the suffering of the righteous in Beliefs and Opinions to determine precisely how his systematic thinking on theodicy relates to his exegesis on Job.Less
This analysis of Saadiah’s reading of Job begins with a brief summary of his discussion of the suffering of the righteous in Beliefs and Opinions, where he lays out the philosophical ideas that are critical for his interpretation of Job. This is followed by a summary of the contents of his commentary on Job. The discussion then proceeds in the order of the three interfaces outlined in the introduction: a discussion of the sources and antecedents of Saadiah’s reading of the Book of Job; an analysis of Saadiah’s reading as an exegetical exercise grappling with the biblical text; and finally revisiting Saadiah’s discussion of the suffering of the righteous in Beliefs and Opinions to determine precisely how his systematic thinking on theodicy relates to his exegesis on Job.
Robert Eisen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171532
- eISBN:
- 9780199785162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171532.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Despite the many difficulties presented by Ibn Tibbon’s discussion of the Book of Job in Ma’amar Yikkavu ha-Mayim, it is argued that with a close reading, his interpretation of Job can be deciphered. ...
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Despite the many difficulties presented by Ibn Tibbon’s discussion of the Book of Job in Ma’amar Yikkavu ha-Mayim, it is argued that with a close reading, his interpretation of Job can be deciphered. This will be the primary challenge of this chapter. Much of the chapter will be spent attempting to discern what Ibn Tibbon says about Job. Only when this is accomplished will it be possible to analyze his reading in accordance with the three interfaces that are the focus of this study. Ibn Tibbon has emerged here as an interpreter who sees himself primarily as a commentator on Maimonides, rather than as an independent thinker in his own right. It is also evident that despite his dependence on Maimonides, Ibn Tibbon sometimes comes up with insights that are very much his own. These include a host of ideas that supplement, but also at times overturn, Maimonides’ understanding of the biblical text. Most significant is Ibn Tibbon’s notion that the Book of Job is designed to teach that providence is to be equated with immortality and that there is no individual providence in this world that guards physical well-being.Less
Despite the many difficulties presented by Ibn Tibbon’s discussion of the Book of Job in Ma’amar Yikkavu ha-Mayim, it is argued that with a close reading, his interpretation of Job can be deciphered. This will be the primary challenge of this chapter. Much of the chapter will be spent attempting to discern what Ibn Tibbon says about Job. Only when this is accomplished will it be possible to analyze his reading in accordance with the three interfaces that are the focus of this study. Ibn Tibbon has emerged here as an interpreter who sees himself primarily as a commentator on Maimonides, rather than as an independent thinker in his own right. It is also evident that despite his dependence on Maimonides, Ibn Tibbon sometimes comes up with insights that are very much his own. These include a host of ideas that supplement, but also at times overturn, Maimonides’ understanding of the biblical text. Most significant is Ibn Tibbon’s notion that the Book of Job is designed to teach that providence is to be equated with immortality and that there is no individual providence in this world that guards physical well-being.
Robert Eisen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171532
- eISBN:
- 9780199785162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171532.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This discussion of Zerahiah begins by outlining the contents of Zerahiah’s reading of Job, with special attention given to deciphering its esoteric doctrines. It then examines the three interfaces ...
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This discussion of Zerahiah begins by outlining the contents of Zerahiah’s reading of Job, with special attention given to deciphering its esoteric doctrines. It then examines the three interfaces around which this study has been structured. It is shown that Zerahiah presents a reading of Job that is very much in the spirit of Ibn Tibbon’s exegetical enterprise in that he uses Maimonides’ Guide as a resource to produce a comprehensive commentary on the biblical text. Yet, there is also evidence to suggest that some of Zerahiah’s key insights regarding Job are taken directly from Ibn Tibbon himself. It is possible that Zerahiah may be closer to Ibn Tibbon in philosophical orientation than scholars up to now have appreciated. However, in a number of ways Zerahiah goes beyond Ibn Tibbon. He composes an exposition on the entire Book of Job, and this allows him to develop elements of Maimonides’ reading of Job to a much greater extent than Ibn Tibbon did. The most significant example of this tendency is his fascinating discussion of allegory. In addition, Zerahiah’s commentary displays a greater independence from Maimonides than does that of Ibn Tibbon. Most important in this regard is its elitist emphasis.Less
This discussion of Zerahiah begins by outlining the contents of Zerahiah’s reading of Job, with special attention given to deciphering its esoteric doctrines. It then examines the three interfaces around which this study has been structured. It is shown that Zerahiah presents a reading of Job that is very much in the spirit of Ibn Tibbon’s exegetical enterprise in that he uses Maimonides’ Guide as a resource to produce a comprehensive commentary on the biblical text. Yet, there is also evidence to suggest that some of Zerahiah’s key insights regarding Job are taken directly from Ibn Tibbon himself. It is possible that Zerahiah may be closer to Ibn Tibbon in philosophical orientation than scholars up to now have appreciated. However, in a number of ways Zerahiah goes beyond Ibn Tibbon. He composes an exposition on the entire Book of Job, and this allows him to develop elements of Maimonides’ reading of Job to a much greater extent than Ibn Tibbon did. The most significant example of this tendency is his fascinating discussion of allegory. In addition, Zerahiah’s commentary displays a greater independence from Maimonides than does that of Ibn Tibbon. Most important in this regard is its elitist emphasis.
Robert Eisen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171532
- eISBN:
- 9780199785162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171532.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter begins with a synopsis of Gersonides’ views on providence in his systematic work for the purpose of getting acquainted with the basic philosophical concepts that underlie his commentary ...
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This chapter begins with a synopsis of Gersonides’ views on providence in his systematic work for the purpose of getting acquainted with the basic philosophical concepts that underlie his commentary on Job. It then proceeds with an analysis of the commentary on Job in accordance with the three interfaces. The discussion of the third interface returns the to treatment of providence in Gersonides’ The Wars of the Lord and gives an evaluation of its relationship to the commentary on Job. It is shown that Gersonides’ reading of Job represents an important transition in the interpretation of this text in medieval Jewish philosophy. With this reading, Aristotelianism still reigns supreme as the thought system for interpreting Job; yet, a conservative step has been taken away from the most radical type of Aristotelian reading found in Ibn Tibbon.Less
This chapter begins with a synopsis of Gersonides’ views on providence in his systematic work for the purpose of getting acquainted with the basic philosophical concepts that underlie his commentary on Job. It then proceeds with an analysis of the commentary on Job in accordance with the three interfaces. The discussion of the third interface returns the to treatment of providence in Gersonides’ The Wars of the Lord and gives an evaluation of its relationship to the commentary on Job. It is shown that Gersonides’ reading of Job represents an important transition in the interpretation of this text in medieval Jewish philosophy. With this reading, Aristotelianism still reigns supreme as the thought system for interpreting Job; yet, a conservative step has been taken away from the most radical type of Aristotelian reading found in Ibn Tibbon.
Robert Eisen
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195171532
- eISBN:
- 9780199785162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171532.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Because Duran presents his systematic views on providence in his introduction to the commentary on Job, this chapter will deal with Duran’s thinking on this issue as part of the summary of the ...
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Because Duran presents his systematic views on providence in his introduction to the commentary on Job, this chapter will deal with Duran’s thinking on this issue as part of the summary of the commentary, rather than in a separate section. The analysis as a whole will be aided by the fact that Duran’s philosophical thought is in many respects a reaction against Maimonides, and he therefore does not adopt esoteric discourse. It is shown that Duran’s commentary on Job presents another rich and original interpretation of the book. While his exposition is dependent on previous philosophical readings of Job — particularly Saadiah’s — Duran’s commentary also betrays the strong influence of non-philosophical sources in rabbinic midrash and Kabbalah, and these influences result in a reading of Job that is very conservative in orientation. The traditional turn initiated by Gersonides is completed in Duran. This provides a reading of Job that is “rationalistic” in the broad sense of the term, but one that has abandoned Aristotelianism and its concomitant radicalism.Less
Because Duran presents his systematic views on providence in his introduction to the commentary on Job, this chapter will deal with Duran’s thinking on this issue as part of the summary of the commentary, rather than in a separate section. The analysis as a whole will be aided by the fact that Duran’s philosophical thought is in many respects a reaction against Maimonides, and he therefore does not adopt esoteric discourse. It is shown that Duran’s commentary on Job presents another rich and original interpretation of the book. While his exposition is dependent on previous philosophical readings of Job — particularly Saadiah’s — Duran’s commentary also betrays the strong influence of non-philosophical sources in rabbinic midrash and Kabbalah, and these influences result in a reading of Job that is very conservative in orientation. The traditional turn initiated by Gersonides is completed in Duran. This provides a reading of Job that is “rationalistic” in the broad sense of the term, but one that has abandoned Aristotelianism and its concomitant radicalism.
Peter Adamson
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195181425
- eISBN:
- 9780199785087
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195181425.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter discusses al-Kindī’s main influences from Greek works produced by the translation movement, and how al-Kindī thought the ideas from these works should be put together into a coherent ...
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This chapter discusses al-Kindī’s main influences from Greek works produced by the translation movement, and how al-Kindī thought the ideas from these works should be put together into a coherent philosophical curriculum. In philosophy, al-Kindī was most influenced by Aristotle and by Neoplatonic works (such as the Liber de Causis and Theology of Aristotle, which are Arabic versions of works by Proclus and Plotinus). His vision of philosophical methodology follows a Greek tradition of dividing philosophy up in terms of the different objects studied in different sciences. Finally, the chapter discusses the role of the Arabic language and Islam in al-Kindī’s thought by surveying texts in which he engages in Koranic exegesis, and by explaining his project of developing a new Arabic terminology in philosophy.Less
This chapter discusses al-Kindī’s main influences from Greek works produced by the translation movement, and how al-Kindī thought the ideas from these works should be put together into a coherent philosophical curriculum. In philosophy, al-Kindī was most influenced by Aristotle and by Neoplatonic works (such as the Liber de Causis and Theology of Aristotle, which are Arabic versions of works by Proclus and Plotinus). His vision of philosophical methodology follows a Greek tradition of dividing philosophy up in terms of the different objects studied in different sciences. Finally, the chapter discusses the role of the Arabic language and Islam in al-Kindī’s thought by surveying texts in which he engages in Koranic exegesis, and by explaining his project of developing a new Arabic terminology in philosophy.
John L. Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195137361
- eISBN:
- 9780199834730
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195137361.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Passages in the Old Testament that tell of violence against women have received intense scrutiny from feminist biblical critics, who have also decried the way these women's terrifying stories have ...
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Passages in the Old Testament that tell of violence against women have received intense scrutiny from feminist biblical critics, who have also decried the way these women's terrifying stories have been neglected or discounted over the centuries. But how did these women and their stories really fare at the hands of traditional, “precritical” interpreters? This book examines scores of biblical commentaries from the Judeo‐Christian tradition, ranging from Philo and patristic authors, through medieval and rabbinic interpreters, to the Protestant Reformers and other commentators of the sixteenth century. Specific narratives examined include the story of the exile of Hagar (Genesis 16 and 21, Galatians 4), the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11), the gang rape of the Levite's concubine (Judges 19–21), and Lot's offer of his daughters to the men of Sodom (Genesis 19). A detailed examination of the history of interpretation sets forth the diverse agendas that these biblical stories served and makes clear that many precritical interpreters struggled intensely with these texts, with the injury to these women, and even with the apparent divine cruelty that allowed such tragic outcomes. The book concludes that these stories and these women were by no means neglected by premodern biblical commentators, and that there is a remarkable coincidence of interest shared by feminist interpreters and their traditional, precritical counterparts.Less
Passages in the Old Testament that tell of violence against women have received intense scrutiny from feminist biblical critics, who have also decried the way these women's terrifying stories have been neglected or discounted over the centuries. But how did these women and their stories really fare at the hands of traditional, “precritical” interpreters? This book examines scores of biblical commentaries from the Judeo‐Christian tradition, ranging from Philo and patristic authors, through medieval and rabbinic interpreters, to the Protestant Reformers and other commentators of the sixteenth century. Specific narratives examined include the story of the exile of Hagar (Genesis 16 and 21, Galatians 4), the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11), the gang rape of the Levite's concubine (Judges 19–21), and Lot's offer of his daughters to the men of Sodom (Genesis 19). A detailed examination of the history of interpretation sets forth the diverse agendas that these biblical stories served and makes clear that many precritical interpreters struggled intensely with these texts, with the injury to these women, and even with the apparent divine cruelty that allowed such tragic outcomes. The book concludes that these stories and these women were by no means neglected by premodern biblical commentators, and that there is a remarkable coincidence of interest shared by feminist interpreters and their traditional, precritical counterparts.
G. Sujin Pak
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195371925
- eISBN:
- 9780199870981
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195371925.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
This book explores the interpretation of a set of messianic Psalms in the exegesis of the Christian medieval tradition, Luther, Bucer, and Calvin and in the debate over the “Judaizing Calvin” between ...
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This book explores the interpretation of a set of messianic Psalms in the exegesis of the Christian medieval tradition, Luther, Bucer, and Calvin and in the debate over the “Judaizing Calvin” between Hunnius and Pareus. By doing so, the author uncovers debates concerning christological readings of the Old Testament, Christian uses of Jewish exegesis, and shifting definitions of the “literal sense.” Through the study of the interpretive history of these Psalms, Pak demonstrates that both Luther and Bucer retain the Christian antecedent tradition's reading of these Psalms as literal prophecies of Christ's incarnation, passion, resurrection, and ascension, while Calvin represents a significant departure from this tradition in reading them more as concerning the life of David than Christ. The author employs this interpretive history to argue points about Calvin's uses of Jewish exegesis, exegetical parallels between Bucer and Calvin, the emergent role of biblical exegesis in the processes of confessional formation, and the consequences of various Christian readings of the Old Testament for Christian‐Jewish relations. The central argument of the book is the attempt to place Calvin's exegesis of these Psalms as a critical turning point within the history of Christian biblical interpretation. While Calvin remains for this author soundly within the precritical tradition, he foreshadows and embodies significant exegetical emphases to come.Less
This book explores the interpretation of a set of messianic Psalms in the exegesis of the Christian medieval tradition, Luther, Bucer, and Calvin and in the debate over the “Judaizing Calvin” between Hunnius and Pareus. By doing so, the author uncovers debates concerning christological readings of the Old Testament, Christian uses of Jewish exegesis, and shifting definitions of the “literal sense.” Through the study of the interpretive history of these Psalms, Pak demonstrates that both Luther and Bucer retain the Christian antecedent tradition's reading of these Psalms as literal prophecies of Christ's incarnation, passion, resurrection, and ascension, while Calvin represents a significant departure from this tradition in reading them more as concerning the life of David than Christ. The author employs this interpretive history to argue points about Calvin's uses of Jewish exegesis, exegetical parallels between Bucer and Calvin, the emergent role of biblical exegesis in the processes of confessional formation, and the consequences of various Christian readings of the Old Testament for Christian‐Jewish relations. The central argument of the book is the attempt to place Calvin's exegesis of these Psalms as a critical turning point within the history of Christian biblical interpretation. While Calvin remains for this author soundly within the precritical tradition, he foreshadows and embodies significant exegetical emphases to come.
G. Sujin Pak
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195371925
- eISBN:
- 9780199870981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195371925.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Chapter 3 demonstrates Martin Bucer's use of historical exegesis to provide readings of these eight messianic Psalms in reference to Christ and the church. The author argues that Bucer remains in ...
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Chapter 3 demonstrates Martin Bucer's use of historical exegesis to provide readings of these eight messianic Psalms in reference to Christ and the church. The author argues that Bucer remains in keeping with the antecedent Christian tradition in the content that he finds in these Psalms (i.e., literal prophecies of Christ and the church), but differs in his method both through his use of historical exegesis and his employment of Jewish exegesis. The author also exhibits Bucer's use of Jewish exegesis to highlight and anchor the new theological themes that he finds in these Psalms, such as election, the beneficence of God, and the cultivation of piety. The chapter concludes with an analysis of Bucer's views on Jews and Jewish exegesis.Less
Chapter 3 demonstrates Martin Bucer's use of historical exegesis to provide readings of these eight messianic Psalms in reference to Christ and the church. The author argues that Bucer remains in keeping with the antecedent Christian tradition in the content that he finds in these Psalms (i.e., literal prophecies of Christ and the church), but differs in his method both through his use of historical exegesis and his employment of Jewish exegesis. The author also exhibits Bucer's use of Jewish exegesis to highlight and anchor the new theological themes that he finds in these Psalms, such as election, the beneficence of God, and the cultivation of piety. The chapter concludes with an analysis of Bucer's views on Jews and Jewish exegesis.
Troels Engberg‐Pedersen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558568
- eISBN:
- 9780191720970
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558568.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This introductory chapter identifies three basic profiles of the book. First, the aim is to develop Paul's concrete cosmology as an alternative way of understanding a range of central concepts in ...
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This introductory chapter identifies three basic profiles of the book. First, the aim is to develop Paul's concrete cosmology as an alternative way of understanding a range of central concepts in Paul, e.g. ‘being in Christ’, that traditionally have only been understood in metaphorical or cognitive ways. Second, the book argues for the need for an explicitly philosophically oriented form of interpretation (‘philosophical exegesis’), in which the interpreter applies categories of interpretation that make sense philosophically, whether in an ancient or a modern context. Third, the book aims to focus on everything Paul says about bodies and bodiliness. At the end it is further claimed that the book will show the supposed gap between ‘ideas’ and ‘practice’ to be non-existent in Paul.Less
This introductory chapter identifies three basic profiles of the book. First, the aim is to develop Paul's concrete cosmology as an alternative way of understanding a range of central concepts in Paul, e.g. ‘being in Christ’, that traditionally have only been understood in metaphorical or cognitive ways. Second, the book argues for the need for an explicitly philosophically oriented form of interpretation (‘philosophical exegesis’), in which the interpreter applies categories of interpretation that make sense philosophically, whether in an ancient or a modern context. Third, the book aims to focus on everything Paul says about bodies and bodiliness. At the end it is further claimed that the book will show the supposed gap between ‘ideas’ and ‘practice’ to be non-existent in Paul.
Gilbert Dahan
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199206575
- eISBN:
- 9780191709678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206575.003.00016
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
In providing a model of allegorical interpretation and in condemning the fabula on several occasions, St Paul laid the foundation for Christian exegesis. During the following generations Christian ...
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In providing a model of allegorical interpretation and in condemning the fabula on several occasions, St Paul laid the foundation for Christian exegesis. During the following generations Christian and Jewish exegesis went separate and mutually opposing ways, the former opting for allegorical exegesis, the latter for ‘mythic’ exegesis. However, it appears that any traditional confessional exegesis has need of these two elements — allegory and myth. Under diverse forms, myth reappears in western Christian thought, during the 12th and 13th centuries — first myths of pagan antiquity, then Jewish agadot. The constant occurrences of the expression Iudei fabulantur in 13th-century exegesis seem to respond to this need. By means of a brief linguistic analysis and an examination of commentaries on the pastoral epistles in which Paul condemns myth, this chapter attempts to lay the groundwork for a broader inquiry to ascertain the place of myth or of fabula in Christian exegesis.Less
In providing a model of allegorical interpretation and in condemning the fabula on several occasions, St Paul laid the foundation for Christian exegesis. During the following generations Christian and Jewish exegesis went separate and mutually opposing ways, the former opting for allegorical exegesis, the latter for ‘mythic’ exegesis. However, it appears that any traditional confessional exegesis has need of these two elements — allegory and myth. Under diverse forms, myth reappears in western Christian thought, during the 12th and 13th centuries — first myths of pagan antiquity, then Jewish agadot. The constant occurrences of the expression Iudei fabulantur in 13th-century exegesis seem to respond to this need. By means of a brief linguistic analysis and an examination of commentaries on the pastoral epistles in which Paul condemns myth, this chapter attempts to lay the groundwork for a broader inquiry to ascertain the place of myth or of fabula in Christian exegesis.
Naftali Loewenthal
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199206575
- eISBN:
- 9780191709678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206575.003.0018
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This chapter describes how transcendently mystical readings can coincide with homiletical and halakhic exegesis in the context of late 18th-century Habad Hasidism. It argues that, for the hasidim, or ...
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This chapter describes how transcendently mystical readings can coincide with homiletical and halakhic exegesis in the context of late 18th-century Habad Hasidism. It argues that, for the hasidim, or at least for some of them, all roads lead to Jerusalem, that is, to a sense of contact or even union with the Divine, reaching beyond the finite definitions and limitations of the world. The meaning of the text joins with the radiance beyond the text.Less
This chapter describes how transcendently mystical readings can coincide with homiletical and halakhic exegesis in the context of late 18th-century Habad Hasidism. It argues that, for the hasidim, or at least for some of them, all roads lead to Jerusalem, that is, to a sense of contact or even union with the Divine, reaching beyond the finite definitions and limitations of the world. The meaning of the text joins with the radiance beyond the text.
Michael Fishbane
- Published in print:
- 1988
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198266990
- eISBN:
- 9780191600593
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198266995.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Introduction to the unit on legal exegesis begins with a presentation of the scope and content of Biblical law as a factor in the emergence of exegesis. Such factors as verbal, semantic, and ...
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Introduction to the unit on legal exegesis begins with a presentation of the scope and content of Biblical law as a factor in the emergence of exegesis. Such factors as verbal, semantic, and syntactic ambiguity of legal formulations; the feature of legal ellipses and gaps in the legal codes; the occurrence of repetitions and contradictions in the various legal corpora; and the phenomenon of ad hoc cases that do not clearly relate to existing rules and practices, are all noted as elements that sponsor interpretation among ongoing inheritors of the legal tradition in ancient Israel. Introductory comments on the various legal genres and types are offered.Less
Introduction to the unit on legal exegesis begins with a presentation of the scope and content of Biblical law as a factor in the emergence of exegesis. Such factors as verbal, semantic, and syntactic ambiguity of legal formulations; the feature of legal ellipses and gaps in the legal codes; the occurrence of repetitions and contradictions in the various legal corpora; and the phenomenon of ad hoc cases that do not clearly relate to existing rules and practices, are all noted as elements that sponsor interpretation among ongoing inheritors of the legal tradition in ancient Israel. Introductory comments on the various legal genres and types are offered.
