The Blackwell Companion to Judaism

by Neusner, Jacob; Avery-Peck, Alan

• ISBN13: 9781577180593
• ISBN10: 1577180593
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-03-07
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This Companion explores the history, doctrines, divisions, and contemporary condition of Judaism. Surveys those issues most relevant to Judaic life today: ethics, feminism, politics, and constructive theology. Explores the definition of Judaism and its formative history. Makes sense of the diverse data of an ancient and enduring faith.

Author Biography

Jacob Neusner is Distinguished Research Professor of Religious Studies at the University of South Florida and Professor of Religion at Bard College. He has seven honorary degrees, fourteen academic medals and has published more than 800 books.

Alan J. Avery-Peck is Kraft-Hiatt Professor in Judaic Studies at The College of the Holy Cross. His has published widely and is editor of the journal The Annual of Rabbinic Judaism: Ancient, Medieval and Modern.

Table of Contents

Contributors	viii
Preface	xii
Part I The History of Judaism	1	(190)
Defining Judaism	3	(17)
Jacob Neusner
The Religious World of Ancient Israel to 586 BCE	20	(17)
Marvin A. Sweeney
Judaism and the Hebrew Scriptures	37	(21)
Philip R. Davies
Second Temple Judaism	58	(20)
Frederick J. Murphy
The Formation of Rabbinic Judaism, 70--640 CE	78	(15)
Guenter Stemberger
The Canon of Rabbinic Judaism	93	(19)
Jacob Neusner
Judaism and Christianity in the Formative Age	112	(19)
Bruce D. Chilton
Judaism in the Muslim World	131	(11)
Sara Reguer
Judaism in Christendom	142	(20)
David R. Carr
Philosophy in Judaism: Two Stances	162	(19)
S. Daniel Breslauer
Jewish Piety	181	(10)
Tzvee Zahavy
Part II The Principal Doctrines of Judaism	191	(98)
The Doctrine of Torah	193	(19)
Jacob Neusner
The Doctrine of God	212	(18)
Alan J. Avery-Peck
The Doctrine of Israel	230	(17)
Jacob Neusner
The Doctrine of the Messiah	247	(21)
William Scott Green
Jed Silverstein
The Doctrine of Hebrew Language Usage	268	(21)
David H. Aaron
Part III Modern and Contemporary Judaisms	289	(82)
Reform Judaism	291	(20)
Dana Evan Kaplan
Orthodox Judaism	311	(23)
Benjamin Brown
Conservative Judaism: The Struggle between Ideology and Popularity	334	(20)
Daniel Gordis
New Age Judaism	354	(17)
Jeffrey K. Salkin
Part IV Special Topics in Understanding Judaism	371	(141)
Ethics of Judaism	373	(20)
Elliot N. Dorff
Women in Contemporary Judaism	393	(22)
Judith R. Baskin
Judaism as a Theopolitical Phenomenon	415	(26)
Daniel J. Elazar
Contemporary Jewish Theology	441	(20)
Neil Gillman
Secular Forms of Jewishness	461	(16)
Paul Mendes-Flohr
Judaism and Zionism	477	(18)
Yosef Gorny
The ``Return'' to Traditional Judaism at the End of the Twentieth Century: Cross-Cultural Comparisons	495	(17)
M. Herbert Danzger
Abbreviations	512	(3)
Index	515