Medieval Jewish Thought

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Medieval Jewish Thought

• RELIG 210-Introduction to Judaism Lecture 10

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Medieval Jewish context

• Time of Great Scholarship, Creativity, Writing
• Two contexts
• Central European Christianity
• Encounter with Islam
• New Approaches Biblical Interpreation and
  philosophy

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Reason then and now

• Are reason and religion compatible?
• No concept of secular

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From Rabbinic Drash to Pshat

• New Approach to scripture
• Contextual, literal reading of text
• Focus on historical perspective, rationalism,
  linguistic analysis and literary genre
• Great sophistication

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Why the shift?

• Disputations with Islam and Christianity
• Direct study of the Bible
• Prove validity of the text
• Scripture as shared document
• Philosophic Rationalism in Islam
• New discoveries in philology, linguistic
• Intra-Jewish polemics

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Karaites (8-10th century)

• Challenge Rabbininc reading as normative
• Use reason and science to understand scripture
  without rabbinic mediation
• Has a tremendous impact on Jewish exegesis

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Can reason validate scripture?

• Saadia Gaon
• Decode text to prove compatible with reason
• Allegorical reading Head when applied to God
  excellence and elevation. (Study Bible, 1953)

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Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki)

• 1040-1105/French
• Running Commentary to the Talmud
• Translates technical terms (old french)
• Line drawings
• Torah commentary

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Rashis Approach

• There are many agaddic interpretations, and our
  sages have already arranged them in their proper
  place in Genesis Rabbah and other midrashic
  collections. I come only to present what the text
  says directly and such aggadah that sets the
  wording of the text on its proper bearings.

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Philosophy

• Are Reason and Revelation Compatible?
• Eternal Universe versus creation ex nihilo
• Watchmaker God vs. God who stops the son
• How can both be right?

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Reason and Revelation?

• Eternal Universe versus creation ex nihilo
• Watchmaker God vs. God who stops the son
• How can both be right?

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Moses Ben Mamon (Rambam/maimonides)

• 1135-1204 (Spain, Morocco, Egypt)

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Rambam

• Proof of Gods existence
• Explanation of prophecy
• Prophets are great philosphers
• Translate insights into figurative speech
• Mishneh Torah
• Guide to the Perplexed

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Kabbalah

• Rabbinic movement (12th Cent onward)
• Hidden tradition of scriptural interpretation

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Kabbalah and Scripture

• Scripture is like a Walnut
• Literal Content is Outer Shell
• Secret truth hidden within
• Goal Go through layers of meaning to find kernal
• Example Divine Emanations
• Dangerous Work (Four who enter Garden)

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Kabbalah and Symbolic Vocabulary

• God- Transcendent and Immanent
• En Sof, The Infinite
• Only know aspects of divine being (Sefirot)
• Sefirot as DNA of natural and supernatural
  reality
• Sefirot in Chaos-Need Restoration