The nations that know thee not : ancient Jewish attitudes towards other religions / Robert Goldenberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goldenberg, Robert.

Series:

Reappraisals in Jewish social and intellectual history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Old Testament.

Gods--Biblical teaching.

Gods.

Bible. Old Testament--Theology.

Bible.

Judaism--Relations--Paganism.

Judaism.

Relations.

Paganism.

Paganism--Relations--Judaism.

Judaism--History--Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D.

History.

Judaism--Post-exilic period (Judaism).

Theology.

Physical Description:

xi, 214 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, [1998]

Summary:

The Bible is harshly opposed to participation by Israelites in the worship of other nations' gods. Was this strict command to the nation of Israel not to worship other deities extended to other nations? Or was it legitimate and acceptable for other nations to worship their own gods just as Israel worshipped the God of the Covenant?

In The Nations That Know Thee Not, Robert Goldenberg takes a historical look at attitudes toward foreign religions that are found in Israel's scriptures and in post-Biblical Judaism, and traces an ambivalent attitude toward foreign religions as it developed through the history of Judaism. How did Jewish outlooks on gentile religions vary so much over time? As Jewish acceptance of paganism grew under rabbinic leadership, did Christianity become heir to other, harsher biblical attitudes toward other religions?

Systematically covering the entire range of Jewish literature of antiquity from the Bible through the rabbinic canons, Goldenberg sheds light on the ways in which ancient Jews understood the religious worlds in which they lived.

Contents:

2 Israel, the Nations, and the Gods 9

3 Transition and Experiment 29

4 Judaism at War (I) 33

5 Judaism at War (II) 51

6 Judaism at Peace 63

7 The Rabbinic Accommodation 81.

Notes:

"This book began as a paper delivered at a 1985 conference on 'Proselytism and Civility in a Pluralistic World' sponsored by the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver"--Pref.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-187) and indexes.

ISBN:

0814731074

OCLC:

37712879