{"product_id":"torah-from-heaven-the-reconstruction-of-faith-9781906764135","title":"Torah from Heaven: The Reconstruction of Faith","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTraditional Jewish religious belief speaks of a divinely revealed, perfect text, authoritatively expounded. The question this book addresses is one with which the author has struggled all his life: in the light of historical criticism, advances in knowledge, and changing moral attitudes, is the traditional notion of divine revelation and authoritative interpretation still valid? The focus is on Judaism and the examples are mostly drawn from that tradition, but the arguments are easy to transpose to other religions.  Norman Solomon's discussion will appeal to those who seek to identify with a religious community but who are troubled by the claim of divine authority made for the scriptures of that community. Ranging across several academic disciplines, it is addressed to people of all religions who find their heads and their hearts are not in accord with each other. It is accessible to a general readership interested in the relationship of scripture, interpretation, and religious authority, though scholars will find original observations and historical interpretations in many areas.  It should find a ready place in university and popular programmes in Jewish studies, general theology, and philosophy of religion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReviews 'Solomon intends that his book appeal to both popular and academic readership, a task he rather successfully fulfils. His literary style is characterized by the art of brevity . . . Footnotes are concise and not burdened with endless bibliographic citations. For the interested reader, references throughout the book lead to further reading . . . Theologians will benefit from a plentitude of thought-provoking critique and insight. It is for these reasons that I recommend the book . . . interesting and successful in giving a broad historical perspective as well as provoking thought.' \u003cbr\u003eDan Baras\u003ci\u003e, Academia.edu\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An excellent resource for researching Jewish intellectual discussion about the Bible.' \u003cbr\u003eZvi Grumet, \u003ci\u003eBookjed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A courageous new book . . . has an impressive range, from scholarship about biblical times to twenty-first century theology and almost all periods in between . . . despite all the detail in the book, it is very readable and comprehensible even for the beginner. It should be required reading for any modern woman or man who thinks seriously about Jewish theology in general and the question of Torah from heaven in particular.'\u003cbr\u003eMartin Lockshin,\u003ci\u003e Canadian Jewish News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An important book for anyone grappling with traditional Judaism . . . stands with Marc Shapiro's The Limits of Orthodox Theology as a seminal work that delves into the richness of our heritage to show that there is more than one way of looking at core religious ideas . . . This book gives us a history of the issues and how different thinkers over the centuries have dealt with the challenges of the Torah. It is a major contribution.' \u003cbr\u003eJeremy Rosen's blog\u003cbr\u003e'Judicious and erudite.' \u003cbr\u003eLawrence Grossman, \u003ci\u003eJerusalem Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A scholarly book, it is not written in a difficult style. And for a hardback of this print quality, it is a bargain. On one level, it is an invaluable source book on what he calls the “central doctrine” of Judaism.' Simon Rocker, \u003ci\u003eJewish Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'In this refreshingly fair, sophisticated, and engaging analysis of the doctrine of \u003ci\u003eTorah from Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e (the Jewish belief in the inerrancy and divinity of scripture), Solomon surveys the history of Jewish biblical interpretation, and concludes that every prior conception of this doctrine is lacking in either intellectual honesty or in its capacity to foster religious conviction. [He] concludes that the only religiously meaningful and intellectually coherent conception of this notion is that of myth . . . can be read by members of any religion whose faith in scripture is challenged by modern archaeological, literary, and scientific evidence . . . The book is sorely needed in Orthodox circles; it should be required reading for all Jewish seminary students, and is highly recommended for any religious individual seeking to establish intellectually stable grounds for belief in the sanctity of scripture.' \u003cbr\u003eDaniel Goodman, \u003ci\u003eReligious Studies Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNote on Transliteration  \tIntroduction \tOrientation\u003c\/i\u003e  \tOrientation \tWhere I Come From - The Seduction of ‘True Belief’ - What Does It All Mean? - Philosophical Beginnings - Facing the Questions - Pulpit and Prejudice - Interfaith Dialogue - Academic Detachment?  \t\u003cb\u003ePart I  Revelation\u003c\/b\u003e \t\u003ci\u003eTorah from Heaven: Growth of a Tradition\u003c\/i\u003e 1 Holy Books \tWhat is ‘Torah’? - The ‘Sacred Canon’ - Why the Five Books are Special - Philo on Moses and the Ancestral Books - Conclusion 2 Two Torahs? Scripture and the Rabbis \tDivine Revelation: The Story - Mythic accounts of Torah - The Written Torah and the Oral Torah - Rules of Interpretation - Interpretation Against the Plain Meaning - Conclusion 3 Mystics and Kabbalists \tPythagoras, Numerology, and the Book of Creation - Mystical Significance of the Mitzvot - Prophets after the Bible - Nahmanides (Ramban) the Mystic - Conclusion 4 The Great Chain of Being: Philosophers and Kabbalists \tPlatonists and Aristotelians - The Ascent of the Soul - The Descent and the ‘Shells’ - Reasons for the Mitzvot - Conclusion 5 Maimonides: The ‘Classical’ Position \tRevelation as History - The Oral Torah - Torah and Dogma - Conclusion: \tMaimonides the Minimalist 6 Oral Torah: What Does It Contain? \tDoes the Torah Teach Science? - The Torah of Kabbalists and Rationalists - Conclusion \t \tSummary of Part I  \t\u003cb\u003ePart II  Attack\u003c\/b\u003e \t\u003ci\u003eThe Counter-Tradition: Hard Questions\u003c\/i\u003e 7 The Counter-Tradition \tThe Alexandrians - Sadducees and Pharisees - Pagan Philosophical Critiques - Gnosticism - Later Developments - Conclusion 8 The Original Torah \tHow Texts Were Written - Evidence of the Scrolls and the Ancient Versions - The Severus Scroll - Can the Original Text be Recovered? - The Masoretes - Rabbinic Responses to Textual Variation - Modern Editions of the Bible - Conclusion 9 Contradictions, Moral Problems, Factual Errors \tThe Reconciling Hermeneutic - Interpreting Aggadah - Historical and Archaeological Problems - Moral Issues - Scientific Inaccuracy - Fantasy, Arbitrariness, Superstition - Conclusion 10 The Rise of Historical Criticism \tThe Beginnings of Biblical Criticism - Deists and Sceptics - The Bible as Literature - From History to Myth - Source Theory - Archaeology - Higher Criticism = Higher Antisemitism? - Conclusion  \tSummary of Part II  \t\u003cb\u003ePart III  Defenders of the Faith\u003c\/b\u003e \t\u003ci\u003eRepairing the Breach: In Defence of Tradition\u003c\/i\u003e 11 Defenders of the Faith \tWhat Must Be Defended - Ancient Wisdom Restored: The Renaissance - Jewish Bible Commentary Rekindled - Conclusion 12 The Transformation of Judaism: Interpretation, Interpretation, Interpretation \tElijah, the ‘Vilna Gaon’ (1720–1799) - Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) - Torah— Mystical Code, or Source of Values? 13 Mendelssohn’s Influence \tI. S. Reggio (1784–1855) - S. D. Luzzatto (1800–1865) - Heinrich Graetz (1817–1891) - Umberto Cassuto (1883–1951) 14 Independents \tJacob Zevi Mecklenburg (1785–1865) - Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808–1888) - Meir Loeb ben Yehiel Michael Malbim (1809–1879) 15 In the Steps of the Gaon: Written and Oral Torah Are One \tN. Z. Y. Berlin (1816–1893) - Meir Simha Ha-Kohen of Dvinsk (1843–1926) - Barukh Ha-Levi Epstein (1860–1942) 16 Hoffman and German Orthodoxy \tDavid Hoffman (1843–1921) - Hayyim Hirschenson (1857–1935) - Benno Jacob (1862–1945) and A. S. Yahuda (1877–1951) - Isaac Breuer (1883–1946) - Yehiel Jacob Weinberg (1885–1966) - J. H. Hertz (1872–1946)  \tSummary of Part III  \t\u003cb\u003ePart IV  New Foundations\u003c\/b\u003e \t\u003ci\u003eTorah from Heaven: The Reconstruction of Belief\u003c\/i\u003e 17 Non-Orthodox Reconstructions \tMoses Mendelssohn (1729–86): Revealed Legislation - S. L. Steinheim (1789–1866): Empiricist of Revelation - Samuel Holdheim (1806–1860) - Progressive Revelation: Krochmal, Formstecher, Hirsch, Cohen - Leo Baeck (1873–1956) - \tMartin Buber (1878–1965) - Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) - A. J. Heschel \t(1907–1972) - Emmanuel Levinas (1905\/6-1995) - Review  18 Joseph Dov Soloveitchik and the a priori Torah \tThe Hermeneutics of ‘Torah’ - Historical Criticism - The Oral Torah Problem - Conclusion 19 Feminist Critiques \tThe Sinai Covenant - Language and Gender - Images of God - Equality before the Law - The Need for Change 20 Four Defences of Traditional Belief \tHalivni: The Maculate Torah - Jacobs: Liberal Supernaturalism - Kellner: Rejection of the Dogmatic Approach - Ross: Cumulative Revelation - Strengths of the Four Approaches 21 Divided by a Common Scripture \tThe Reform Torah - The Orthodox Torah - The Conservative Torah - Go Compare Denominations  \tSummary of Part IV  \t\u003cb\u003ePart V  Torah from Heaven\u003c\/b\u003e 22 Options \tJustifications - The Community: Costs and Benefits of Belief - The Individual: Costs and Benefits of Belief 23 What Is Truth? \tWhat Is Truth? - Excursus: Consistency and ‘Double Truth’ - In What Sense Is ‘Torah from Heaven’ True? - On ‘Narrative Theology’ - Conclusion. ‘Torah from Heaven’: A Myth of Origin 24 Myth of Origin: Opportunities and Dangers \tWhat ‘Torah from Heaven’ May Signify - History and Myth Do Not Conflict - ‘Torah from Heaven’: Uses and Abuses - Benefits of Understanding ‘Torah from \tHeaven’ as Mythos Rather than Logos - Dangers from Understanding ‘Torah from Heaven’ as Logos Rather than Mythos - Things That Worry People 25 Demography versus Reason: The Future of Jewish Religion \tDoes Reason Matter? - ‘Authentic Judaism’ - Survival of the Fittest - Conclusion 26 Confronting Change \tA Meditation at the Mountains of Fire (January 2004) - Coming to Terms with Modernity - Intellectual Violence - Who Decides? - What I Have Dealt With - What I Have Not Dealt With  \t\u003ci\u003eBibliography \tIndex\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Liverpool University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50470273909079,"sku":"9781906764135","price":44.53,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781906764135.jpg?v=1744897858","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/torah-from-heaven-the-reconstruction-of-faith-9781906764135","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}