Judaism and the Doctrine of Creation

A unique synthesis of religious belief and philosophy which puts an entirely new complexion on creation.

Norbert M. Samuelson (Author)

9780521452144, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 November 1994

376 pages, 5 tables
21.6 x 14 x 2.5 cm, 0.63 kg

"The book is provacative in its breadth, raising significant issues beyond even its admittedly broad-ranging topic. Samuelson provides an opportunity for the reader to contemplate not only the relation between ancient, medieval, and modern Jewish and scientific accounts of creation, but also the relation between religion and science more broadly defined....Judaism and the Doctrine of Creation is a book that should cause us to think more deeply about the scope and possibilities of modern theology in general, and of Jewish philosophy in particular." Leora Batinitzky, Modern Theology

The topic of this book is 'creation'. It breaks down into discussions of two distinct, but interrelated, questions: what does the universe look like, and what is its origin? The opinions about creation considered by Norbert Samuelson come from the Hebrew scriptures, Greek philosophy, Jewish philosophy and contemporary physics. His perspective is Jewish, liberal and philosophical. It is 'Jewish' because the foundation of the discussion is biblical texts interpreted in the light of traditional rabbinic texts. It is 'philosophical' because the subject matter is important in both past and present philosophical texts, and to Jewish philosophy in particular. Finally, it is 'liberal' because the authorities consulted include heterodox as well as orthodox Jewish sources. The ensuing discussion leads to original conclusions about a diversity of topics, including the limits of human reason and religious faith, and the relevance of scientific models to religious doctrine.

Preface
Introduction
Part I. The Modern Dogma of Creation: 1. Creation in Franz Rosenzweig's Star of Redemption
2. A critique of Rosenzweig's doctrine: is it Jewish and is it believable?
Part II. A Jewish View of Creation: 3. Classical Jewish philosophy
4. Classical rabbinic commentaries
Part III. The Foundations for the Jewish View of Creation: 5. The account of creation in Genesis
6. The account of the origin in Plato's Timaeus
Part IV. A Believable View of Creation: 7. Creation from the perspective of contemporary physics
8. Creation from the perspective of contemporary philosophy
Notes
Select bibliography
Indices.

Subject Areas: Judaism [HRJ]