Natural Law in Judaism

This 1998 book presents a theory of natural law, significant for the study of Judaism, philosophy and comparative ethics.

David Novak (Author)

9780521055680, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 January 2008

224 pages
21.5 x 13.9 x 1.2 cm, 0.3 kg

' … Novak's argument … addresses the dilemmas of Jewish modernity determined by three momentous experiences: civil emancipation, the Holocaust, and the establishment of the State of Israel. His book will be of value not only to participants in the current debate about natural law but to anyone interested in contemporary intellectual and social implications of biblical interpretation.' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

This 1998 book presents a theory of natural law, significant for the study of Judaism, philosophy and comparative ethics. It demonstrates that the assumption that Judaism has no natural law theory to speak of is simply wrong. The book shows how natural law theory, using a variety of different terms for itself throughout the ages, has been a constant element in Jewish thought. The book sorts out the varieties of Jewish natural law theory, illuminating their strengths and weaknesses. It also presents a case for utilizing natural law theory in order to deal with theological and philosophical questions in Judaism's ongoing reflection on its own meaning and its meaning for the wider world. David Novak combines great erudition in the Jewish tradition, the history of philosophy and law, and the imagination to argue for Judaism in the context of current debates, both theoretical and practical.

Preface
1. The challenge of modern secularity
2. Scriptural foundations
3. Jewish ethics and natural law
4. Maimonides' teleology of the law
5. Natural law and created nature
6. Noahide law and human personhood
7. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Judaism [HRJ]