Rabbinic AuthorityOxford University Press, 15/10/1998 - 240 من الصفحات The Rabbis of the first five centuries of the Common Era loom large in the Jewish tradition. Until the modern period, Jews viewed the Rabbinic traditions as the authoritative contents of their covenant with God, and scholars debated the meanings of these ancient Sages words. Even after the eighteenth century, when varied denominations emerged within Judaism, each with its own approach to the tradition, the literary legacy of the talmudic Sages continued to be consulted. In this book, Michael S. Berger analyzes the notion of Rabbinic authority from a philosophical standpoint. He sets out a typology of theories that can be used to understand the authority of these Sages, showing the coherence of each, its strengths and weaknesses, and what aspects of the Rabbinic enterprise it covers. His careful and thorough analysis reveals that owing to the multifaceted character of the Rabbinic enterprise, no single theory is adequate to fully ground Rabbinic authority as traditionally understood. The final section of the book argues that the notion of Rabbinic authority may indeed have been transformed over time, even as it retained the original name. Drawing on the debates about legal hermeneutics between Ronald Dworkin and Stanley Fish, Berger introduces the idea that Rabbinic authority is not a strict consequence of a preexisting theory, but rather is embedded in a form of life that includes text, interpretation, and practices. Rabbinic authority is shown to be a nuanced concept unique to Judaism, in that it is taken to justify those sorts of activities which in turn actually deepen the authority itself. Students of Judaism and philosophers of religion in general will be intrigued by this philosophical examination of a central issue of Judaism, conducted with unprecedented rigor and refreshing creative insight. |
المحتوى
Introduction | 3 |
The Domains of Divine Revelation and Rabbinic Activity and Their Relationship | 16 |
Institutional Authority of the Talmudic Sages | 27 |
Personal Qualities of the Talmudic Sages | 69 |
Rabbinic Authority as Authority Transformed | 97 |
Conclusion | 153 |
Notes | 157 |
205 | |
215 | |
طبعات أخرى - عرض جميع المقتطفات
عبارات ومصطلحات مألوفة
academy accepted according Amoraic Amoraim analysis applied authoritative Babylonian Talmud biblical BT Sanhedrin chapter claim commandment commentary contemporary context debate decisions decrees derived Deut devar mishnah discussion divinely inspired enactments entire epistemic authority error Eruvin exegetical fact function Geonim God's ground Halakhah halakhic hermeneutical High Court Hilkhot historical individual institutional interpretive community Israel issue Jerusalem Jewish law Jewish tradition Jewry Jews Judah Judaism judge legitimate licensing Maimonides maximalist meaning medieval scholars Mishnah Mishneh Torah Moses Nachmanides Nevertheless normative notion one's opinions Oral Law Oral Torah oral tradition ordination original Palestine Palestinian particular period position practice prophet Rabbinic activity Rabbinic authority Rabbinic exegesis Rabbinic law Rabbinic legislation Rabbinic literature Rav Ashi realm reason religious rendered revealed role rules Sanhedrin semikhah sense Sinai sources specific status subsequent talmudic Rabbis talmudic Sages Tannaim theory thority transmitted understanding University Press valid verse words York