Description
Book SynopsisIn Jews, Judaism, and Success, Robert Eisen attempts to solve a long-standing mystery that has fascinated many: How did Jews become such a remarkably successful minority in the modern Western world?
Eisen argues that Jews achieved such success because they were unusually well-prepared for it by their religion – in particular, Rabbinic Judaism, or the Judaism of the rabbis. Rooted in the Talmud, this form of Judaism instilled in Jews key values that paved the way for success in modern Western society: autonomy, freedom of thought, worldliness, and education. The book carefully analyses the evolution of these four values over the past two thousand years in order to demonstrate that they had a longer and richer history in Jewish culture than in Western culture. The book thus disputes the common assumption that Rabbinic Judaism was always an obstacle to Jews becoming modernized. It demonstrates that while modern Jews rejected aspects of Rabbinic Judaism, they also re
Table of Contents
Preface Acknowledgments Translations of Texts and Transliterations Abbreviations Introduction: The Mystery of Jewish Success Part One. The Cultural Hypothesis Revisited: An Overview 1. Western Culture, Jewish Culture, and Four Key Values 2. Secular Jews (and Other Jews) Part Two. The Cultural Hypothesis Revisited: The Core Argument 3. Human Autonomy I: Sin, Grace, and Salvation 4. Human Autonomy II: Religious Authority 5. Human Autonomy III: Reason and Philosophy 6. Freedom of Thought and Expression 7. Valuing Life in This World I: 100–1000 CE 8. Valuing Life in This World II: 1000–1800 CE 9. Education I: 100–1500 CE 10. Education II: 1500–1950 CE Part Three. Final Matters 11. Conclusions Epilogue: Lessons for Jews, Lessons for Everyone Notes Bibliography Index
