Description
Book SynopsisJudah Loew, better known as the Maharal of Prague, was a pivotal personality in late medieval European Judaism. Best known from the popular legend that credited him with the creation of a golem - an artificial human with superhuman powers - his true importance lay in his comprehensive exposition of a unique expression of Jewish mystical theology, his call for a reformation of Jewish communal life, and his influence on subsequent Jewish life and thought. Byron Sherwin’s lucid exposition of the life, legend, works, and ideas developed in Loew’s massive writings ‘reveals the concealed’ by unravelling the often obscure nature of his mystical theology, his polemical jousts against past and contemporary Jewish scholars, and his innovative programme for social and educational reform.
Trade Review‘Very fine . . . a model of clarity and scholarship.’
- Howard Schwartz, Jerusalem Post
‘A solid contribution to our knowledge of the intellectual world of central and east European Jewry in the early modern era, an area and an era that deserves greater scholarly attention.’
- Ira Robinson, Association for Jewish Studies Newsletter
‘The heart of the book, on Maharal’s thought, is valuable for its careful and admirably clear explication of Maharal’s complex views on Divine attributes, Torah, Jewish uniqueness, man and his perfection, and messianism . . . to be welcomed for its lucid presentation of major themes in the thought of a protean sixteenth-century Jewish thinker who influenced certain key Hasidic, Zionistic and semi-Mitnaggedic thinkers.’
- Hillel Goldberg, Journal of the American Academy of Religion‘[An] illuminating book.’
- David Katz, London Review of Books
‘Excellent.’
- Chimen Abramsky, Times Literary Supplement
Table of Contents1 Rabbi Loew in Legend 2 Judah Loew and Modern Jewish Scholarship 3 The Man Behind the Legends: The Life of Judah Loew 4 Judah Loew: Writings and Sources 5 Judah Loew and the Jewish Mystical Tradition: Introductory Remarks 6 The Nature of God 7 The Nature of the Torah 8 Jew and Gentile: Theoretical Considerations 9 Jew and Gentile: Halakhic Concretizations 10 Man and Cosmos: The Quest for Perfection 11 Beyond Human Perfection: ‘Cleaving to God’ 12 Messianic Redemption 13 Mystical Theology and Social Reform 14 Conclusion Appendix 1: When was Judah Loew Born? Appendix 2: In What Order did Loew Write his Works? Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index
