The Cambridge Companion to Judaism and Law

The Cambridge Companion to Judaism and Law provides a conceptual and historical account of the Jewish understanding of law.

Christine Hayes (Edited by)

9781107644946, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 February 2017

438 pages
22.8 x 15.3 x 2.5 cm, 0.65 kg

The Cambridge Companion to Judaism and Law explores the Jewish conception of law as an essential component of the divine-human relationship from biblical to modern times, as well as resistance to this conceptualization. It also traces the political, social, intellectual, and cultural circumstances that spawned competing Jewish approaches to its own 'divine' law and the 'non-divine' law of others, including that of the modern, secular state of Israel. Part I focuses on the emergence and development of law as an essential element of religious expression in biblical Israel and classical Judaism through the medieval period. Part II considers the ramifications for the law arising from political emancipation and the invention of Judaism as a 'religion' in the modern period. Finally, Part III traces the historical and ideological processes leading to the current configuration of religion and state in modern Israel, analysing specific conflicts between religious law and state law.

List of contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction. Can we even speak of 'Judaism and law'? Christine Hayes
1. Law in biblical Israel Chaya Halberstam
2. Law in Jewish society of the Second Temple period Seth Schwartz
3. Law in classical Rabbinic Judaism Christine Hayes
4. Approaches to secular law in biblical Israel and classical Judaism through the medieval period Beth Berkowitz
5. Law in medieval Judaism Zev Harvey
6. The transition to modernity and the invention of the Jewish religion Verena Kasper-Marienberg
7. Enlightenment conceptions of Judaism and law Eliyahu Stern
8. Antinomianism and its responses – eighteenth century Menachem Lorberbaum
9. Antinomianism and its responses – nineteenth century David Ellenson
10. New developments in modern Jewish thought Yonatan Brafman
11. Judaism, Jewish law in pre-state Palestine Amihai Radzyner
12. Judaism, Jewish law, and the Jewish State in Israel Arye Edrei
13. What does it mean for a state to be Jewish? Daphne Barak Erez
14. Fault lines Patricia Woods
Primary source index
General index.

Subject Areas: Law & society [LAQ], Comparative law [LAM], Judaism: sacred texts [HRJS], Judaism: life & practice [HRJP], Judaism [HRJ]