Judaic Sources and Western Thought Jerusalem's Enduring Presence

Judaic Sources and Western Thought: Jerusalem's Enduring Presence explores the significance and enduring relevance of Judaic roots and sources of important European and Western moral and political ideas and ideals. The volume focuses on the distinct character of Judaic thought concerning moral value, the individual human being, the nature of political order, relations between human beings, and between human beings and God. In doing so, it shows how Judaic thought contains crucial resources for engaging some of the most important issues of moral and political life. The currents of thought that have shaped the so-called 'Judeo-Christian' tradition involve diverse perspectives and emphases. The essays in this volume bring into relief the distinctly Judaic origins of many of them and explicate how they remain valuable resources for moral and political thought. These are not essays in Jewish intellectual history; rather, their purpose is to clarify the conceptual resources, insights, and perspectives grounded in Judaic texts and thought. To realize that purpose the essays address important topics in philosophical anthropology, exploring the normative dimensions of human nature and fundamental features of the human condition. The essays speak to scholars and students in several disciplines and areas of study. These include moral philosophy, religion, philosophy of religion, ethics, Jewish intellectual history, comparative religion, theology, and other areas.The volume draws the work of ten scholars into a coherent whole, reflecting the connections between fundamental insights and commitments of Judaic thought and ideals.

1 - The Durability of Goodness
2 - Judaism and the Idea of the Future
3 - Hebraism: The Third Culture
4 - The Political Thought of the Biblical History, Genesis-Kings
5 - Tradition, Rationality, and Moral Life: Medieval Judaism's Insight
6 - Natural Law and Jewish Philosophy
7 - The Politics of Fear: Idolatry and Superstition in Maimonides and Spinoza
8 - Torah as Political Philosophy: Maimonides and Spinoza on Religious Law
9 - Dancing in Chains: The Baffling Coexistence of Legalism and Exuberance in Judaic and Islamic Tradition
10 - Individuality

Jonathan A. Jacobs received his Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge and was John MacMurray Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Ethics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs at the University of St. Andrews, and Visiting Scholar, Social Philosophy & Policy Center Bowling Green State University. He has also been Director of the Division of Humanities at Colgate University, where he was Richard J. and Jean Head Professor of Philosophy. Most of his work is in moral psychology and metaethics, with a focus on Aristotle and medieval philosophy, as well as issues concerning the aims and justification of punishment.