Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg and the foundation of Jewish political thought / Joseph Isaac Lifshitz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lifshitz, Joseph Isaac, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Meir ben Baruch, of Rothenburg, approximately 1215-1293--Philosophy.

Meir ben Baruch.

Rabbis--Germany--Philosophy.

Rabbis.

Jewish philosophy.

Philosophy, Medieval.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 266 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Other Title:

Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg & the Foundation of Jewish Political Thought

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book is a scholarly examination of the political thought of Rabbi Meir (Maharam) of Rothenburg, the most important thirteenth century German Rabbi who was associated with the Pietist movement of the period. From the Maharam's responsa on community matters, a coherent political thought emerges that exercised nearly unprecedented influence on European Jewish communities up to the Jewish Emancipation. Rabbi Meir's extremely sophisticated attempt to balance the demands of the community against those of the individual was facilitated by a characteristic three-tiered structure to his political thought: concrete legal rules supported by value-laden legal principles built upon his general religious ideology. Through a systematic analysis of the Maharam's political thought, Isaac Lifshitz offers an original contribution to Jewish studies, political theory, and the study of legal philosophy. By considering the legal and theological underpinnings of one of Medieval Jewry's most influential figures, it also makes a contribution to the history of ideas in the Medieval period.

Contents:

Cover; Half-title ; Title page ; Copyright information ; Table of contents ; Acknowledgments ; Introduction ; 1 Historical Background: R. Meir and His Teachers and Students ; 2 Politics as Private Interest ; 3 The Sacred Nature of the Political Sphere

4 Politics as an Extralegal Activity Appendix: R. Meir's Responsa Sources ; Bibliography ; Name Index ; Subject Index ; Framing the Discussion: Overview of the Literature ; Methodology: Identifying the Relevant Texts ; Methodology: Halakhah and Agadah - Laws, Principles, and Ideology

Overview of the Book The Jewish Communities of Germany and Northern France, 1000-1300 CE ; Development of Talmudic Exegesis in Germany and Northern France (1000-1300) ; Highlights of R. Meir's Biography ; R. Meir's Halakhic Approach

Jewish Political Theory in Germany and Northern France (1000-1300) Community as Partnership ; Monetary Custom in Jewish Law ; Beyond Partnership: The Corporate Elements of the Community ; The Common Good ; Public Law ; Majority Rule ; A Qualitative Division of the Community

Agency and Representation The Theological Definition of Community ; The Ambiguity in R. Meir's Thought ; Theological Unity and Despotism ; Primary Sources ; Secondary Sources ; Political Theology in the Middle Ages ; Principles, Rules, and Ideology ; Introduction

Dina de-malkhuta dina

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

1-316-44379-5

1-316-44680-8

1-316-44637-9

1-316-44766-9

1-316-44852-5

1-316-44723-5

1-316-44938-6

1-139-02641-0