Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Jewish Studies Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Jewish Studies

Wolfson's Pragmatic Crescas, Warren Zev Harvey Mar 2023

Wolfson's Pragmatic Crescas, Warren Zev Harvey

Journal of Textual Reasoning

In a 1912 essay, written when he was a student of Santayana's at Harvard, a young Harry Austryn Wolfson (1887-1974) presented Hasdai Crescas as a forerunner of American Pragmatism. Wolfson emphasized Crescas' "Hebraic" focus on action, and his critique of the Aristotelian notion of the vita contemplativa as the goal of life. The scientist's pleasure is not in contemplation itself, but in problem-solving, and problem-solving presupposes a "practical interest in the world." In 1929, Wolfson wrote his monumental Crescas' Critique of Aristotle, the most important study of Crescas' philosophy and one of the most impressive works of scholarship on …


Feminist Theology And The Fantastic In Jewish Poetics And Children's Literature (1960s–Present), Meira S. Levinson Feb 2020

Feminist Theology And The Fantastic In Jewish Poetics And Children's Literature (1960s–Present), Meira S. Levinson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation traces the development of Jewish fantasy rhetoric in post-WWII British and American literature, focusing on three genres: kabbalistic Beat poetry, children’s fantasy, and graphic novels/comics. Despite increasing scholarly attention to all these areas, little work has focused on fantasy rhetoric or issues of gender and sexuality within non-canonical Jewish literature, or on interplays of religion and fantasy in children’s literature. Jewish kabbalistic poetry and children’s fantasy speak to each other in their mutual engagements with the otherworldly, mystical and monstrous, interrogations of gender, and complex portrayals of feminist theological potentialities. I identify and analyze Jewish-hermeneutic themes and methodologies …


A Newcomer's Guide To Kabbalah, Ernest M. Oleksy Dec 2018

A Newcomer's Guide To Kabbalah, Ernest M. Oleksy

The Downtown Review

Kabbalah is a mystical and highly spiritual form of Judaism. Popularized by its endorsement by high-profile celebrities like Madonna, the average layperson knows enough about Kabbalah to recognize it as a vaguely familiar term, but not much else. This article strives to serve as an entry-point for both an intellectual and a popular audience to help familiarize readers with core components of Kabbalah and to help to begin fostering an appreciation for this very sophisticated faith. Matters of history, philosophy, science, doctrine, and more pertaining to Kabbalah will be discussed in this article


Deronda And The Tigress: Judaism, Buddhism, And Universal Compassion In George Eliot’S Daniel Deronda, Joshua Frank Moats Aug 2012

Deronda And The Tigress: Judaism, Buddhism, And Universal Compassion In George Eliot’S Daniel Deronda, Joshua Frank Moats

Masters Theses

Many scholars have discussed Judaism and the ethics of George Eliot in Daniel Deronda, but few have explored the impact of Buddhism upon the novel. This thesis is the first study to demonstrate the influence of Buddhism upon George Eliot's fiction. By tracing Eliot's interest in the emerging field of comparative religion, I argue that Buddhism offered Eliot a unique religion that was compatible with her secular humanism. Although Buddhism appears explicitly in Deronda in only a few instances, I contend that Eliot uses the tradition of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalism as the predominant theology in Deronda because …


Temple And Jerusalem In Jewish Life Of The Medieval Diaspora, Asher Finkel Ph.D. May 2005

Temple And Jerusalem In Jewish Life Of The Medieval Diaspora, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper examines the importance of the Temple in Jewish tradition and the presence of Jews and their rabbinic leaders in Jerusalem throughout the Middle Ages. The paper was presented at the 40th International Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 6, 2005.


Rabbinic Hermeneutics Of Medieval Jewish-Christian Polemics, Asher Finkel Ph.D. May 2004

Rabbinic Hermeneutics Of Medieval Jewish-Christian Polemics, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This paper compares and contrasts rabbinic hermeneutics of Jewish-Christian polemics during the twelfth and thirteen centries and was presented at the 39th International Conference on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University on May 6, 2004.


The Exegetic Elements Of The Cosmosophical Work, Sepher Yesira, Asher Finkel Ph.D. Jan 1993

The Exegetic Elements Of The Cosmosophical Work, Sepher Yesira, Asher Finkel Ph.D.

Rabbi Asher Finkel, Ph.D.

This study examines the exegetic elements and historical setting of the Sepher Yesirah. The copyright is held by Peter Lang. Learn more about Mystics of the Book: Themes, Topics, and Typologies at http://bit.ly/ZgII2c.