The rabbinic utopia / Jacob Neusner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Neusner, Jacob, 1932-2016.

Series:

Studies in Judaism

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Utopias--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Rabbinical literature.

Judaism.

Physical Description:

xvi, 129 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : University Press of America, [2007]

Summary:

This book expounds upon the Utopian vision of Rabbinic Judaism in its classical documents. Rabbinic Judaism carries forward, and itself forms, a massive Utopian enterprise, a design of an ideal condition for humanity. It carries forward the two matched Utopian projects of the Pentateuch-Eden, the Land of Israel-and on its own forms a system for an ideal social and metaphysical order. That is because the law of that Judaism set forth a plan for the construction of an ideal society in a perfect age. Over time the Israelite community undertook to realize that plan in concrete ways: to build Utopia in the green and pleasant Land of Israel. So, normative Judaism assumes as its task to realize a Utopian vision. Its vision takes the form of law. Some of the law at the time of its presentation in the Mishnah in ca. 200 C.E. and successor documents of amplification could be realized. Some could not. But the whole of the law formed a statement of integrity. All the parts were essential to the system. By fulfilling the law, or Halakhah, the faithful Israelite would help realize in the here and now Utopia, an ideal world.

Contents:

The Order of Nature

I The Ecology of the Judaic Utopia 1

i The Orderly Character of the Natural World 2

i Man's Will for Nature 6

ii Intentionality and Attitude in Ecology 15

iii Dystopic Ecology 24

The Social Order

II Utopia and The Kingdom of Heaven 27

i Israel in the Kingdom of Heaven 27

ii The Kingdom of Heaven in Halakhic formulation 29

iii The Kingdom of Heaven in Aggadic Exposition 36

iv The Category, Kingdom of Heaven 46

III Exchanges, Transactions 49

i The Economics of Utopia 49

ii True Value 53

iii Wealth 54

iv Who Dwells in Utopia 59

v The Transformation of Utopian Exchanges and Transactions 60

IV Intentionality and the Civil Order 75

i Legitimate Violence: Who Does What to Whom? 75

ii Keritot 80

iii Sanhedrin-Makkot 82

iv Baba Qamma-Baba Mesi'a-Baba Batra 87

v Horayot 95

vi Shebu'ot 97

vii Intentionality and the Civil Order 100

World Order

V Israel and the Nations 105

i Life and Death in Israelite Utopia 105

ii The Realization of Utopia: The World to Come 109

iii Restoring Private Lives: Resurrection 119

iv Utopian Life, Dystopian Death 129.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

076183883X

9780761838838

OCLC:

166391290