Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- PART I THE APOSTLE PAUL AND POPULAR JEWISH CULTURAL IDENTITY
- PART II THE APOSTLE PAUL AND JEWISH RELIGIOUS IDENTITY: NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES AND THEOLOGICAL APPROACHES
- PART III THE APOSTLE PAUL AND JEWISH INTEREST IN THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION: ARTISTIC AND LITERARY APPROACHES
- PART IV THE APOSTLE PAUL AND JEWISH CRITIQUES OF THE PLACE OF RELIGION IN SOCIETY: PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROACHES
- 7 The Philosophical Writings of Baruch Spinoza, Lev Shestov, and Jacob Taubes
- 8 The Psychoanalytical Writings of Sigmund Freud and Hanns Sachs
- Conclusion
- Appendix: The Story of Abbu Gulish in The Book of Tales
- Bibliography
- Scripture and Other Ancient Writings Index
- General Index
- References
7 - The Philosophical Writings of Baruch Spinoza, Lev Shestov, and Jacob Taubes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- PART I THE APOSTLE PAUL AND POPULAR JEWISH CULTURAL IDENTITY
- PART II THE APOSTLE PAUL AND JEWISH RELIGIOUS IDENTITY: NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES AND THEOLOGICAL APPROACHES
- PART III THE APOSTLE PAUL AND JEWISH INTEREST IN THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION: ARTISTIC AND LITERARY APPROACHES
- PART IV THE APOSTLE PAUL AND JEWISH CRITIQUES OF THE PLACE OF RELIGION IN SOCIETY: PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROACHES
- 7 The Philosophical Writings of Baruch Spinoza, Lev Shestov, and Jacob Taubes
- 8 The Psychoanalytical Writings of Sigmund Freud and Hanns Sachs
- Conclusion
- Appendix: The Story of Abbu Gulish in The Book of Tales
- Bibliography
- Scripture and Other Ancient Writings Index
- General Index
- References
Summary
‘Jewish philosophy’ has been defined in a number of different ways. Some regard it as the explication of Jewish beliefs and practices by means of philosophical concepts and norms. Others, such as L. E. Goodman, would place less stress on religious belief.
Jewish philosophy is philosophical inquiry informed by the texts, traditions and experiences of the Jewish people. Its concerns range from the farthest reaches of cosmological speculation to the most intimate theatres of ethical choice and the most exigent fora of political debate. What distinguishes it as Jewish is the confidence of its practitioners that the literary catena of Jewish tradition contains insights and articulates values of lasting philosophical import.
In so far as the views expressed by the Jewish-born thinkers in this chapter reflect common experiences among post-Enlightenment Jews, in so far as their Jewish backgrounds helps account for their contributions to the wider political debate and theory, and in so far as their arguments draw heavily upon traditional literary resources, the Bible in particular, one could argue that they belong to the honourable tradition of Jewish philosophy. As Jewish philosophers, however, Baruch Spinoza, Lev Shestov, and Jacob Taubes do have certain serious shortcomings. A philosophical tradition should be understood first and foremost in terms of the key philosophic problem, or set of problems, that gave rise to it in the first place. For these thinkers, the key problem concerns the nature of religious authority within society.
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- The Apostle Paul in the Jewish ImaginationA Study in Modern Jewish-Christian Relations, pp. 234 - 262Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010