Glenn Dynner
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195175226
- eISBN:
- 9780199785148
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195175226.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter concerns the mechanics of Polish Hasidism's political ascendancy by reconstructing conquests of local institutions at various levels. In the nine case studies, the stages of Hasidic ...
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This chapter concerns the mechanics of Polish Hasidism's political ascendancy by reconstructing conquests of local institutions at various levels. In the nine case studies, the stages of Hasidic conquest range from the establishment of separate prayer houses, to domination of the communal study house (bet midrash) and/or synagogue, to control of rabbinical and other communal appointments. The chapter concludes with an assessment of governmental policy towards Hasidim that reveals, through a comparison with official treatment of Christian pilgrims and miracle sites, a surprising lack of overt discrimination against Hasidism on the part of Polish officialdom.Less
This chapter concerns the mechanics of Polish Hasidism's political ascendancy by reconstructing conquests of local institutions at various levels. In the nine case studies, the stages of Hasidic conquest range from the establishment of separate prayer houses, to domination of the communal study house (bet midrash) and/or synagogue, to control of rabbinical and other communal appointments. The chapter concludes with an assessment of governmental policy towards Hasidim that reveals, through a comparison with official treatment of Christian pilgrims and miracle sites, a surprising lack of overt discrimination against Hasidism on the part of Polish officialdom.
Adele Reinhartz
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195146967
- eISBN:
- 9780199785469
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195146967.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter examines the identity of the historical Jesus, that is, Jesus of Nazareth, with special emphasis on his Jewishness and on the social and political context in which he lived. In both ...
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This chapter examines the identity of the historical Jesus, that is, Jesus of Nazareth, with special emphasis on his Jewishness and on the social and political context in which he lived. In both cases, the ways in which these themes are portrayed in the Gospels are first considered, followed by examples of their portrayal in the Jesus movies, including the appearance of the actors who play Jesus, the use of language, the depiction of Jewish traditions and customs, and the representation of the Roman presence in Galilee and Judea.Less
This chapter examines the identity of the historical Jesus, that is, Jesus of Nazareth, with special emphasis on his Jewishness and on the social and political context in which he lived. In both cases, the ways in which these themes are portrayed in the Gospels are first considered, followed by examples of their portrayal in the Jesus movies, including the appearance of the actors who play Jesus, the use of language, the depiction of Jewish traditions and customs, and the representation of the Roman presence in Galilee and Judea.
Philip V. Bohlman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195178326
- eISBN:
- 9780199869992
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178326.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
The cultural and historical tensions between East and West are among the most complex forces in Jewish history. Jewish music has historically embodied this tension, and it is one of the ways in which ...
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The cultural and historical tensions between East and West are among the most complex forces in Jewish history. Jewish music has historically embodied this tension, and it is one of the ways in which modernity emerges as a quality of Jewish music. In the synagogue, prayer and song are directed toward the altar at the eastern end of the sanctuary. Several styles and repertories of modern popular music in Israel are designated as musica mizrahit, literally “eastern music.” In modern Europe East and West also formed along a cultural fault line between Jews speaking Yiddish as a vernacular language in Eastern Europe and Jews speaking other vernaculars in Central Europe, especially German. As Jewish musicians increasingly entered the domains of popular and entertainment music in the late nineteenth century, East and West came to represent two different, even contested, identities in the Diaspora.Less
The cultural and historical tensions between East and West are among the most complex forces in Jewish history. Jewish music has historically embodied this tension, and it is one of the ways in which modernity emerges as a quality of Jewish music. In the synagogue, prayer and song are directed toward the altar at the eastern end of the sanctuary. Several styles and repertories of modern popular music in Israel are designated as musica mizrahit, literally “eastern music.” In modern Europe East and West also formed along a cultural fault line between Jews speaking Yiddish as a vernacular language in Eastern Europe and Jews speaking other vernaculars in Central Europe, especially German. As Jewish musicians increasingly entered the domains of popular and entertainment music in the late nineteenth century, East and West came to represent two different, even contested, identities in the Diaspora.
Philip V. Bohlman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195178326
- eISBN:
- 9780199869992
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178326.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
As the first of three chapters on the “ontologies” of Jewish music — music’s aesthetic, cultural, and musical identities and capacity to exist in the world of modern Jewish society — this chapter ...
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As the first of three chapters on the “ontologies” of Jewish music — music’s aesthetic, cultural, and musical identities and capacity to exist in the world of modern Jewish society — this chapter includes a series of case studies that illustrate moments when Jewish music is identified as such. Invention refers to the ways in which imagining Jewish music undergoes a change to practicing and performing it. The music of the urban synagogue, therefore, passes from oral tradition to the hands of professionals in the nineteenth century, the Jewish cantors whose lives and publications the chapter details. Folk music attracts the attention of Jewish scholars, who ascribe specific attributes and categories to the music they collect in villages and publish in the cities of Europe. Above all, terms such as “Jewish music” acquire new currency by the end of the nineteenth century, inventing Jewish music for modern Jews as if that music had existed since time immemorial.Less
As the first of three chapters on the “ontologies” of Jewish music — music’s aesthetic, cultural, and musical identities and capacity to exist in the world of modern Jewish society — this chapter includes a series of case studies that illustrate moments when Jewish music is identified as such. Invention refers to the ways in which imagining Jewish music undergoes a change to practicing and performing it. The music of the urban synagogue, therefore, passes from oral tradition to the hands of professionals in the nineteenth century, the Jewish cantors whose lives and publications the chapter details. Folk music attracts the attention of Jewish scholars, who ascribe specific attributes and categories to the music they collect in villages and publish in the cities of Europe. Above all, terms such as “Jewish music” acquire new currency by the end of the nineteenth century, inventing Jewish music for modern Jews as if that music had existed since time immemorial.
Eyal Ben-Eliyahu, Yehudah Cohn, and Fergus Millar
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265222
- eISBN:
- 9780191771873
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265222.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter describes the following liturgical texts: prayers (the Shema liturgy, the Amidah prayer); Piyyutim by the following authors Yose ben Yose, Yannai, Elazar BeRabbi Qallir, Hadutahu and ...
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This chapter describes the following liturgical texts: prayers (the Shema liturgy, the Amidah prayer); Piyyutim by the following authors Yose ben Yose, Yannai, Elazar BeRabbi Qallir, Hadutahu and Shimon bar Megas; and synagogue prayers in Greek. For each of these texts, details on the contents, dating, language, printed editions, translations, commentaries, bibliography, electronic resources and manuscripts are provided.Less
This chapter describes the following liturgical texts: prayers (the Shema liturgy, the Amidah prayer); Piyyutim by the following authors Yose ben Yose, Yannai, Elazar BeRabbi Qallir, Hadutahu and Shimon bar Megas; and synagogue prayers in Greek. For each of these texts, details on the contents, dating, language, printed editions, translations, commentaries, bibliography, electronic resources and manuscripts are provided.
Maristella Botticini and Zvi Eckstein
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691144870
- eISBN:
- 9781400842483
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691144870.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter discusses the well-documented shift of the religious norm that transformed the Jews into the People of the Book. During the first century BCE, some Jewish scholars and religious leaders ...
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This chapter discusses the well-documented shift of the religious norm that transformed the Jews into the People of the Book. During the first century BCE, some Jewish scholars and religious leaders promoted the establishment of free secondary schools. A century later, they issued a religious ordinance requiring all Jewish fathers to send their sons from the age of six or seven to primary school to learn to read and study the Torah in Hebrew. With the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jewish religion permanently lost one of its two pillars (the Temple) and set out on a unique trajectory. Scholars and rabbis, the new religious leaders in the aftermath of the first Jewish–Roman war, replaced temple service and ritual sacrifices with the study of the Torah in the synagogue—the new focal institution of Judaism.Less
This chapter discusses the well-documented shift of the religious norm that transformed the Jews into the People of the Book. During the first century BCE, some Jewish scholars and religious leaders promoted the establishment of free secondary schools. A century later, they issued a religious ordinance requiring all Jewish fathers to send their sons from the age of six or seven to primary school to learn to read and study the Torah in Hebrew. With the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jewish religion permanently lost one of its two pillars (the Temple) and set out on a unique trajectory. Scholars and rabbis, the new religious leaders in the aftermath of the first Jewish–Roman war, replaced temple service and ritual sacrifices with the study of the Torah in the synagogue—the new focal institution of Judaism.
Jeffrey A. Summit
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195173048
- eISBN:
- 9780199872091
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195173048.003.0017
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
Drawing upon fieldwork in five different Jewish communities or synagogues in the Boston area, this chapter examines nusach as an adaptive strategy. It uses an emic, or insider's, perspective to ...
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Drawing upon fieldwork in five different Jewish communities or synagogues in the Boston area, this chapter examines nusach as an adaptive strategy. It uses an emic, or insider's, perspective to interpret nusach's complex dimensions, on one hand, traditional Jewish prayer modes and metrical songs, on the other; the metaphorical sense of being “torn away” from tradition, and the resulting mixing with local and individual practices of music and worship. Jewish sacred song opens outward to accommodate the religious experience of liberal and orthodox Jews in Boston, and it provides a context for their lives, allowing decisions that make Judaism in America inclusive and exclusive. Specific songs, such as “Arba'im shanah” (“Forty Years”) from the Sabbath eve service, provide case studies.Less
Drawing upon fieldwork in five different Jewish communities or synagogues in the Boston area, this chapter examines nusach as an adaptive strategy. It uses an emic, or insider's, perspective to interpret nusach's complex dimensions, on one hand, traditional Jewish prayer modes and metrical songs, on the other; the metaphorical sense of being “torn away” from tradition, and the resulting mixing with local and individual practices of music and worship. Jewish sacred song opens outward to accommodate the religious experience of liberal and orthodox Jews in Boston, and it provides a context for their lives, allowing decisions that make Judaism in America inclusive and exclusive. Specific songs, such as “Arba'im shanah” (“Forty Years”) from the Sabbath eve service, provide case studies.
Tina Fruhauf
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195337068
- eISBN:
- 9780199852260
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195337068.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This book examines the powerful but often overlooked presence of the organ in synagogue music and the musical life of German-speaking Jewish communities. The author chronicles the history of the ...
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This book examines the powerful but often overlooked presence of the organ in synagogue music and the musical life of German-speaking Jewish communities. The author chronicles the history of the organ in Jewish culture from the earliest references in the Talmud through to the 19th century, by which time it had established a firm and lasting presence in Jewish sacred and secular spaces in central Europe. She demonstrates how the introduction of the organ into German synagogues was part of the significant changes that took place in Judaism after the Enlightenment, and posits the organ as a symbol of the division of the Jewish community into Orthodox and Reform congregations. Newly composed organ music for Jewish liturgy after this division became part of a cross-cultural music tradition in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Germany, when a specific style of organ music developed that combined elements of Western and Jewish cultures. Concluding with a discussion of the organ in Jewish communities in Israel and the USA, the book presents case studies which illustrate how the organ has been utilized in the musical life of specific Jewish communities in the twentieth century. Based on extensive research in the archives of organ builders and Jewish musicians, it offers descriptions of specific organs as well as portraits of Jewish organists and composers. The book's extensive companion website features full color illustrations and over 200 organ dispositions.Less
This book examines the powerful but often overlooked presence of the organ in synagogue music and the musical life of German-speaking Jewish communities. The author chronicles the history of the organ in Jewish culture from the earliest references in the Talmud through to the 19th century, by which time it had established a firm and lasting presence in Jewish sacred and secular spaces in central Europe. She demonstrates how the introduction of the organ into German synagogues was part of the significant changes that took place in Judaism after the Enlightenment, and posits the organ as a symbol of the division of the Jewish community into Orthodox and Reform congregations. Newly composed organ music for Jewish liturgy after this division became part of a cross-cultural music tradition in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Germany, when a specific style of organ music developed that combined elements of Western and Jewish cultures. Concluding with a discussion of the organ in Jewish communities in Israel and the USA, the book presents case studies which illustrate how the organ has been utilized in the musical life of specific Jewish communities in the twentieth century. Based on extensive research in the archives of organ builders and Jewish musicians, it offers descriptions of specific organs as well as portraits of Jewish organists and composers. The book's extensive companion website features full color illustrations and over 200 organ dispositions.
Runar M. Thorsteinsson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199578641
- eISBN:
- 9780191722868
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199578641.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Corresponding to chapter one, this chapter provides a general introduction to Roman Christianity. It begins with the difficult question of the origin of the Christ-movement in Rome. It is suggested ...
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Corresponding to chapter one, this chapter provides a general introduction to Roman Christianity. It begins with the difficult question of the origin of the Christ-movement in Rome. It is suggested that the movement originated within the local synagogue(s), and that it was long regarded as a part of Judaism. The social setting and status of the earliest Christians in Rome is then discussed. It is concluded that while most Christians in the city were of lower ranks, a small but significant minority was found at a higher social level. The chapter closes with a definition of the phrase ‘Roman Christianity’, and an assessment of the best sources available for moral teaching in Roman Christianity. These sources include Paul's Letter to the Romans, 1 Peter, and 1 Clement.Less
Corresponding to chapter one, this chapter provides a general introduction to Roman Christianity. It begins with the difficult question of the origin of the Christ-movement in Rome. It is suggested that the movement originated within the local synagogue(s), and that it was long regarded as a part of Judaism. The social setting and status of the earliest Christians in Rome is then discussed. It is concluded that while most Christians in the city were of lower ranks, a small but significant minority was found at a higher social level. The chapter closes with a definition of the phrase ‘Roman Christianity’, and an assessment of the best sources available for moral teaching in Roman Christianity. These sources include Paul's Letter to the Romans, 1 Peter, and 1 Clement.
Paul B. Duff
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138351
- eISBN:
- 9780199834150
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513835X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The different individuals and groups mentioned in Chs. 2 and 3 of the Apocalypse are the subject of this chapter. It first describes John's followers and then focuses on the Jews mentioned in Chs. 2 ...
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The different individuals and groups mentioned in Chs. 2 and 3 of the Apocalypse are the subject of this chapter. It first describes John's followers and then focuses on the Jews mentioned in Chs. 2 and 3 (who the author refers to as the “synagogue of Satan”). The beliefs and practices of John's rival “Jezebel” are examined next, specifically the activities of which John accuses her (eating ɛιδωλόθυτα and practicing πορνɛία). The chapter concludes with a focus on the “invisible majority,” those in the community who would not be considered in the camp of either John or “Jezebel” and who probably represent John's real audience.Less
The different individuals and groups mentioned in Chs. 2 and 3 of the Apocalypse are the subject of this chapter. It first describes John's followers and then focuses on the Jews mentioned in Chs. 2 and 3 (who the author refers to as the “synagogue of Satan”). The beliefs and practices of John's rival “Jezebel” are examined next, specifically the activities of which John accuses her (eating ɛιδωλόθυτα and practicing πορνɛία). The chapter concludes with a focus on the “invisible majority,” those in the community who would not be considered in the camp of either John or “Jezebel” and who probably represent John's real audience.
Robert Liberles
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195171648
- eISBN:
- 9780199871346
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171648.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
This chapter shows that during the 17th and 18th centuries, a number of changes influenced the religious lives of Jews and Christians alike. The Reformation enhanced the sense of individuality, and ...
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This chapter shows that during the 17th and 18th centuries, a number of changes influenced the religious lives of Jews and Christians alike. The Reformation enhanced the sense of individuality, and the printing press made knowledge more accessible. Historians who see Judaism either remaining static or moving uniformly toward the surrounding society fail to discern the complexities and inconsistencies that emerged within German Jewry. Although critics complained repeatedly that synagogue services revealed an atmosphere of religious indifference, enhanced notions of piety influenced both public and private dimensions of religious life. Some individuals — especially women — found new outlets to express their spirituality through personal prayer for themselves and their loved ones. By 1780, the meaning of being an observant Jew was not the same as it had been a century earlier.Less
This chapter shows that during the 17th and 18th centuries, a number of changes influenced the religious lives of Jews and Christians alike. The Reformation enhanced the sense of individuality, and the printing press made knowledge more accessible. Historians who see Judaism either remaining static or moving uniformly toward the surrounding society fail to discern the complexities and inconsistencies that emerged within German Jewry. Although critics complained repeatedly that synagogue services revealed an atmosphere of religious indifference, enhanced notions of piety influenced both public and private dimensions of religious life. Some individuals — especially women — found new outlets to express their spirituality through personal prayer for themselves and their loved ones. By 1780, the meaning of being an observant Jew was not the same as it had been a century earlier.
Tessa Rajak
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199558674
- eISBN:
- 9780191720895
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558674.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter portrays the Jewish diaspora communities of the Graeco-Roman age. They were the milieu which the Greek Bible served and where it was developed, revised, and completed. Once again, ...
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This chapter portrays the Jewish diaspora communities of the Graeco-Roman age. They were the milieu which the Greek Bible served and where it was developed, revised, and completed. Once again, emphasis falls on the relationship with the dominant power and with the prevailing cultural norms. The primary evidence for the historical evolution of these communities is surveyed and landmarks in its eventful history are picked out. The continuities in its social, cultural, and religious structures, above all, the synagogue, emerge clearly. At the same time, the articulation of the Jewish community with the broader environment is expressed by a high level of individual and group integration into city life. We have evidence of interest shown by highly placed non-Jewish benefactors and sympathizers in their local synagogue. Yet there were repeated, sometimes widespread manifestations of tension and even violence. That dual experience is both the background and the shaping influence for the Greek Bible, which reflects the conflicts of life under an imperial power in a polytheistic world — uncertainty and dependence on the one hand, confidence and self-sufficiency on the other.Less
This chapter portrays the Jewish diaspora communities of the Graeco-Roman age. They were the milieu which the Greek Bible served and where it was developed, revised, and completed. Once again, emphasis falls on the relationship with the dominant power and with the prevailing cultural norms. The primary evidence for the historical evolution of these communities is surveyed and landmarks in its eventful history are picked out. The continuities in its social, cultural, and religious structures, above all, the synagogue, emerge clearly. At the same time, the articulation of the Jewish community with the broader environment is expressed by a high level of individual and group integration into city life. We have evidence of interest shown by highly placed non-Jewish benefactors and sympathizers in their local synagogue. Yet there were repeated, sometimes widespread manifestations of tension and even violence. That dual experience is both the background and the shaping influence for the Greek Bible, which reflects the conflicts of life under an imperial power in a polytheistic world — uncertainty and dependence on the one hand, confidence and self-sufficiency on the other.
Leon J. Weinberger
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774303
- eISBN:
- 9781800340978
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774303.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This book draws on a wealth of material, much of it previously available only in Hebrew, to trace the history of Jewish hymnography from its origins in the eastern Mediterranean to its subsequent ...
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This book draws on a wealth of material, much of it previously available only in Hebrew, to trace the history of Jewish hymnography from its origins in the eastern Mediterranean to its subsequent development in Western Europe (Spain, Italy, Franco-Germany, and England) and Balkan Byzantium, on the Grecian periphery, under the Ottomans, and among the Karaites. Focusing on each region in turn, the book provides a general background to the role of the synagogue poets in the society of the time; characterizes the principal poets and describes their contribution; examines the principal genres and forms; and considers their distinctive language, style, and themes. The copious excerpts from the liturgy are presented in transliterated Hebrew and in English translation, and their salient characteristics are fully discussed to bring out the historical development of ideas and regional themes as well as literary forms. The book is a valuable source-book for students of synagogue liturgy, Jewish worship, and medieval Hebrew poetry. It provides new perspectives for students of religious poetry and forms of worship more generally, while enabling the general reader to acquire a much-enriched appreciation of the synagogue services.Less
This book draws on a wealth of material, much of it previously available only in Hebrew, to trace the history of Jewish hymnography from its origins in the eastern Mediterranean to its subsequent development in Western Europe (Spain, Italy, Franco-Germany, and England) and Balkan Byzantium, on the Grecian periphery, under the Ottomans, and among the Karaites. Focusing on each region in turn, the book provides a general background to the role of the synagogue poets in the society of the time; characterizes the principal poets and describes their contribution; examines the principal genres and forms; and considers their distinctive language, style, and themes. The copious excerpts from the liturgy are presented in transliterated Hebrew and in English translation, and their salient characteristics are fully discussed to bring out the historical development of ideas and regional themes as well as literary forms. The book is a valuable source-book for students of synagogue liturgy, Jewish worship, and medieval Hebrew poetry. It provides new perspectives for students of religious poetry and forms of worship more generally, while enabling the general reader to acquire a much-enriched appreciation of the synagogue services.
Jason P. Rosenblatt
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199286133
- eISBN:
- 9780191713859
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199286133.003.0013
- Subject:
- Literature, Poetry
The history of the religious toleration of Jews in England is incomplete without acknowledgment of the direct impact of Selden’s uncommonly generous Hebrew scholarship. It is not the least of ...
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The history of the religious toleration of Jews in England is incomplete without acknowledgment of the direct impact of Selden’s uncommonly generous Hebrew scholarship. It is not the least of Selden’s historical and philological achievements that he can represent the synagogue as a positive model of church institutions, and the Sanhedrin as a civil court that the English Parliament would do well to imitate. Even in the 21st century, those two cold Greek words respectively connote Jewish inferiority and cruelty: synagoga, the decrepit old woman vanquished by a vital and young ecclesia, and Sanhedrin, the tribunal that handed Christ over to the Romans to be crucified. If contemporary readers of Selden can remove the overlay of prejudice that begrimes not only the words synagogue and Sanhedrin but also Pharisee (whose negative connotations Selden, a partisan of the oral law, did much to expunge), then his cultural influence will not have ended.Less
The history of the religious toleration of Jews in England is incomplete without acknowledgment of the direct impact of Selden’s uncommonly generous Hebrew scholarship. It is not the least of Selden’s historical and philological achievements that he can represent the synagogue as a positive model of church institutions, and the Sanhedrin as a civil court that the English Parliament would do well to imitate. Even in the 21st century, those two cold Greek words respectively connote Jewish inferiority and cruelty: synagoga, the decrepit old woman vanquished by a vital and young ecclesia, and Sanhedrin, the tribunal that handed Christ over to the Romans to be crucified. If contemporary readers of Selden can remove the overlay of prejudice that begrimes not only the words synagogue and Sanhedrin but also Pharisee (whose negative connotations Selden, a partisan of the oral law, did much to expunge), then his cultural influence will not have ended.
Thomas J. Laub
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199539321
- eISBN:
- 9780191715808
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199539321.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Military History, European Modern History
On the morning of 21 August 1941, French Communist Party activists launched a wave of symbolic assassinations by shooting Alfons Moser, a young German naval cadet. Although preoccupied by events on ...
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On the morning of 21 August 1941, French Communist Party activists launched a wave of symbolic assassinations by shooting Alfons Moser, a young German naval cadet. Although preoccupied by events on the eastern front during the Moser attack, Hitler learned about subsequent assaults, condemned Stülpnagel's response of gradually increasing reprisals as ‘much too mild’, and ordered the execution of 50 to 100 hostages after every assassination. Wilhelm Keitel, Walther von Brauchitsch, Eduard Wagner, and other senior officers in Berlin condemned Stülpnagel's restraint, joined senior Nazis like Joseph Goebbels, and pressed for severe countermeasures against Jews who allegedly organized all resistance activity. Demonstrating the ideological purity of the SS, Helmut Knochen ordered SS minions to bomb seven Parisian Synagogues, embarrassed Stüpnagel, and earned the enmity of the German military administration. This chapter examines security debates between the military administration, SS, and German diplomats in Paris and a second argument between generals in Paris and Nazis in Berlin.Less
On the morning of 21 August 1941, French Communist Party activists launched a wave of symbolic assassinations by shooting Alfons Moser, a young German naval cadet. Although preoccupied by events on the eastern front during the Moser attack, Hitler learned about subsequent assaults, condemned Stülpnagel's response of gradually increasing reprisals as ‘much too mild’, and ordered the execution of 50 to 100 hostages after every assassination. Wilhelm Keitel, Walther von Brauchitsch, Eduard Wagner, and other senior officers in Berlin condemned Stülpnagel's restraint, joined senior Nazis like Joseph Goebbels, and pressed for severe countermeasures against Jews who allegedly organized all resistance activity. Demonstrating the ideological purity of the SS, Helmut Knochen ordered SS minions to bomb seven Parisian Synagogues, embarrassed Stüpnagel, and earned the enmity of the German military administration. This chapter examines security debates between the military administration, SS, and German diplomats in Paris and a second argument between generals in Paris and Nazis in Berlin.
Frederick E. Greenspahn (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781479896950
- eISBN:
- 9781479825707
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479896950.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient inscriptions, and Jewish books preserved within various Christian communities demonstrate that Jewish identity took a variety of forms in the period following that ...
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The Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient inscriptions, and Jewish books preserved within various Christian communities demonstrate that Jewish identity took a variety of forms in the period following that described in the Hebrew Bible. However, the teachings of only one of these groups – the rabbis – became normative. This was also the period during which prayer and synagogues emerged as a widespread practice. It was also at this time that the foundation for the eventual break with Christianity, which began as a form of Judaism, was laid. Remarkably, several of the features from this Second Temple period are shared with our modern times.Less
The Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient inscriptions, and Jewish books preserved within various Christian communities demonstrate that Jewish identity took a variety of forms in the period following that described in the Hebrew Bible. However, the teachings of only one of these groups – the rabbis – became normative. This was also the period during which prayer and synagogues emerged as a widespread practice. It was also at this time that the foundation for the eventual break with Christianity, which began as a form of Judaism, was laid. Remarkably, several of the features from this Second Temple period are shared with our modern times.
Louis Jacobs
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781874774587
- eISBN:
- 9781800340305
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781874774587.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
More than forty years have passed since the author first put forward the argument that traditionally observant Jews have no reason to take issue with the results obtained by the historical critics in ...
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More than forty years have passed since the author first put forward the argument that traditionally observant Jews have no reason to take issue with the results obtained by the historical critics in their investigation into the Bible and the other classical sources of Judaism. The author has argued that the traditional doctrine which claims that ‘the Torah is from Heaven’ can and should be maintained — provided that the word ‘from’ is understood in a non-fundamentalist way to denote that there is a human as well as a divine element in the Torah: God revealing His will not only to but through the Jewish people in their historical experiences as they reached out to Him. As a result of these views, which were first published in the still-controversial text We Have Reason to Believe, the Anglo-Jewish Orthodox hierarchy banned the author from serving as an Orthodox rabbi. This was the cause of the notorious ‘Jacobs affair’, which culminated in the creation of the New London Synagogue and, eventually, in the establishment of the Masorti movement in the UK with strong affinities with Conservative Judaism in the United States. This book examines afresh all the issues involved. It does so objectively, meeting the objections put forward by critics from the various trends within the Jewish world, both Orthodox and Reform, and inviting readers to follow the argument and make up their own minds.Less
More than forty years have passed since the author first put forward the argument that traditionally observant Jews have no reason to take issue with the results obtained by the historical critics in their investigation into the Bible and the other classical sources of Judaism. The author has argued that the traditional doctrine which claims that ‘the Torah is from Heaven’ can and should be maintained — provided that the word ‘from’ is understood in a non-fundamentalist way to denote that there is a human as well as a divine element in the Torah: God revealing His will not only to but through the Jewish people in their historical experiences as they reached out to Him. As a result of these views, which were first published in the still-controversial text We Have Reason to Believe, the Anglo-Jewish Orthodox hierarchy banned the author from serving as an Orthodox rabbi. This was the cause of the notorious ‘Jacobs affair’, which culminated in the creation of the New London Synagogue and, eventually, in the establishment of the Masorti movement in the UK with strong affinities with Conservative Judaism in the United States. This book examines afresh all the issues involved. It does so objectively, meeting the objections put forward by critics from the various trends within the Jewish world, both Orthodox and Reform, and inviting readers to follow the argument and make up their own minds.
Paula Fredriksen
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780300225884
- eISBN:
- 9780300231366
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300225884.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Often seen as the author of timeless Christian theology, Paul himself heatedly maintained that he lived and worked in history's closing hours. His letters propel his readers into two ancient worlds, ...
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Often seen as the author of timeless Christian theology, Paul himself heatedly maintained that he lived and worked in history's closing hours. His letters propel his readers into two ancient worlds, one Jewish, one pagan. The first was incandescent with apocalyptic hopes, expecting God through his messiah Jesus Christ to fulfill his ancient promises of redemption to Israel. The second teemed with ancient actors, not only human but also divine: angry superhuman forces, jealous demons, and hostile cosmic gods. Both worlds are Paul's, and his convictions about the first shaped his actions in the second. Only by situating Paul within this charged social context of gods and humans, pagans and Jews, cities, synagogues, and competing Christ-following assemblies can we begin to understand his mission and message. The book offers a dramatically new perspective on one of history's seminal figures.Less
Often seen as the author of timeless Christian theology, Paul himself heatedly maintained that he lived and worked in history's closing hours. His letters propel his readers into two ancient worlds, one Jewish, one pagan. The first was incandescent with apocalyptic hopes, expecting God through his messiah Jesus Christ to fulfill his ancient promises of redemption to Israel. The second teemed with ancient actors, not only human but also divine: angry superhuman forces, jealous demons, and hostile cosmic gods. Both worlds are Paul's, and his convictions about the first shaped his actions in the second. Only by situating Paul within this charged social context of gods and humans, pagans and Jews, cities, synagogues, and competing Christ-following assemblies can we begin to understand his mission and message. The book offers a dramatically new perspective on one of history's seminal figures.
Linda L. Barnes and Susan S. Sered (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195167962
- eISBN:
- 9780199850150
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167962.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Throughout much of the modern era, faith healing received attention only when it came into conflict with biomedical practice. During the 1990s, however, American culture changed dramatically and ...
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Throughout much of the modern era, faith healing received attention only when it came into conflict with biomedical practice. During the 1990s, however, American culture changed dramatically and religious healing became a commonplace feature of the country's society. Increasing numbers of mainstream churches and synagogues began to hold held “healing services” and “healing circles”. The use of complementary and alternative therapies—some connected with spiritual or religious traditions—became widespread, and the growing hospice movement drew attention to the spiritual aspects of medical care. At the same time, changes in immigration laws brought to the United States new cultural communities, each with their own approaches to healing. Cuban santeros, Haitian mambos and oungans, Cambodian Buddhist priests, Chinese herbalist-acupuncturists, and Hmong shamans are only a few of the newer types of American religious healers, often found practicing within blocks of prestigious biomedical institutions. This book offers a collection of chapters examining this new reality. It brings together scholars from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives to explore the field of religious healing as understood and practiced in diverse cultural communities in the United States.Less
Throughout much of the modern era, faith healing received attention only when it came into conflict with biomedical practice. During the 1990s, however, American culture changed dramatically and religious healing became a commonplace feature of the country's society. Increasing numbers of mainstream churches and synagogues began to hold held “healing services” and “healing circles”. The use of complementary and alternative therapies—some connected with spiritual or religious traditions—became widespread, and the growing hospice movement drew attention to the spiritual aspects of medical care. At the same time, changes in immigration laws brought to the United States new cultural communities, each with their own approaches to healing. Cuban santeros, Haitian mambos and oungans, Cambodian Buddhist priests, Chinese herbalist-acupuncturists, and Hmong shamans are only a few of the newer types of American religious healers, often found practicing within blocks of prestigious biomedical institutions. This book offers a collection of chapters examining this new reality. It brings together scholars from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives to explore the field of religious healing as understood and practiced in diverse cultural communities in the United States.
Bracha Yaniv
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781906764371
- eISBN:
- 9781800343436
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781906764371.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The carved wooden Torah arks found in eastern Europe from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries were magnificent structures, unparalleled in their beauty and mystical significance. The work of ...
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The carved wooden Torah arks found in eastern Europe from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries were magnificent structures, unparalleled in their beauty and mystical significance. The work of Jewish artisans, they dominated the synagogues of numerous towns both large and small throughout the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, inspiring worshippers with their monumental scale and intricate motifs. Virtually none of these pieces survived the devastation of the two world wars. This book breathes new life into a lost genre, making it accessible to scholars and students of Jewish art, Jewish heritage, and religious art more generally. Making use of hundreds of pre-war photographs housed in local archives, the author develops a vivid portrait of the history and artistic development of these arks. Analysis of the historical context in which these arks emerged includes a broad survey of the traditions that characterized the local workshops of Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. The author provides a detailed analysis of the motifs carved into the Torah arks and explains their mystical significance, among them representations of Temple imagery and messianic themes — and even daring visual metaphors for God. Fourteen arks are discussed in particular detail, with full supporting documentation; appendices relating to the inscriptions on the arks and to the artisans' names will further facilitate future research. The book throws new light on long-forgotten traditions of Jewish craftsmanship and religious understanding.Less
The carved wooden Torah arks found in eastern Europe from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries were magnificent structures, unparalleled in their beauty and mystical significance. The work of Jewish artisans, they dominated the synagogues of numerous towns both large and small throughout the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, inspiring worshippers with their monumental scale and intricate motifs. Virtually none of these pieces survived the devastation of the two world wars. This book breathes new life into a lost genre, making it accessible to scholars and students of Jewish art, Jewish heritage, and religious art more generally. Making use of hundreds of pre-war photographs housed in local archives, the author develops a vivid portrait of the history and artistic development of these arks. Analysis of the historical context in which these arks emerged includes a broad survey of the traditions that characterized the local workshops of Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. The author provides a detailed analysis of the motifs carved into the Torah arks and explains their mystical significance, among them representations of Temple imagery and messianic themes — and even daring visual metaphors for God. Fourteen arks are discussed in particular detail, with full supporting documentation; appendices relating to the inscriptions on the arks and to the artisans' names will further facilitate future research. The book throws new light on long-forgotten traditions of Jewish craftsmanship and religious understanding.
