Pious Irreverence: Confronting God in Rabbinic Judaism by Dov Weiss (English) Ha

Description: FREE SHIPPING UK WIDE Pious Irreverence by Dov Weiss Judaism is often described as a religion that tolerates, even celebrates arguments with God. In Pious Irreverence, Dov Weiss has written the first scholarly study of the premodern roots of this distinctively Jewish theology of protest, examining its origins and development in the rabbinic age (70 CE-800 CE). FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Judaism is often described as a religion that tolerates, even celebrates arguments with God. Unlike Christianity and Islam, it is said, Judaism endorses a tradition of protest as first expressed in the biblical stories of Abraham, Job, and Jeremiah. In Pious Irreverence, Dov Weiss has written the first scholarly study of the premodern roots of this distinctively Jewish theology of protest, examining its origins and development in the rabbinic age.Weiss argues that this particular Jewish relationship to the divine is rooted in the most canonical of rabbinic texts even as he demonstrates that in ancient Judaism the idea of debating God was itself a matter of debate. By elucidating competing views and exploring their theological assumptions, the book challenges the scholarly claim that the early rabbis conceived of God as a morally perfect being whose goodness had to be defended in the face of biblical accounts of unethical divine action. Pious Irreverence examines the ways in which the rabbis searched the words of the Torah for hidden meanings that could grant them the moral authority to express doubt about, and frustration with, the biblical God. Using characters from the Bible as their mouthpieces, they often challenged Gods behavior, even in a few remarkable instances, envisioning God conceding error, declaring to the protestor, "You have taught Me something; I will nullify My decree and accept your word." Author Biography Dov Weiss teaches religion at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Table of Contents Chapter 1. Confrontation as SinChapter 2. From Sin to VirtueChapter 3. Varieties of ConfrontationChapter 4. Confrontation as EthicsChapter 5. The Humanization of GodChapter 6. Divine ConcessionsConclusionNotesBibliographyIndexAcknowledgments Review "The question of Gods injustice is eternal. In bringing us such a trove of sources and in laying them out in an ordered form, Weiss has provided not only a scholarly but also a theological gift." * Reviews in Religion & Theology *"Pious Irreverence is a well-conceived and highly original work that asks to what extent and in what way the human may confront divinity, considering the evident imperfections in divinely created reality. Dov Weiss makes a major contribution to the study of rabbinic literature and demonstrates remarkably wide expertise also in early Christian and Patristic texts, contemporary studies of Judaism and Christianity, and literary theory." * Marc Bregman, University of North Carolina, Greensboro *"In Pious Irreverence, Dov Weiss makes numerous important contributions: He traces the existence of an antiprotest tradition in rabbinic Judaism from the tannaitic period to the amoraic; he identifies fascinating differences between the ways Jewish and Christian antiprotestors quarantine biblical protests; and most importantly, he underscores the crucial role of the Tanhuma-Yelammedenu literature in radicalizing the protest tradition." * Tzvi Novick, University of Notre Dame * Promotional Judaism is often described as a religion that tolerates, even celebrates arguments with God. In Pious Irreverence, Dov Weiss has written the first scholarly study of the premodern roots of this distinctively Jewish theology of protest, examining its origins and development in the rabbinic age (70 CE-800 CE). Prizes Winner of Winner of the 2017 National Jewish Book Award for scholarship. Long Description Judaism is often described as a religion that tolerates, even celebrates arguments with God. Unlike Christianity and Islam, it is said, Judaism endorses a tradition of protest as first expressed in the biblical stories of Abraham, Job, and Jeremiah. In Pious Irreverence , Dov Weiss has written the first scholarly study of the premodern roots of this distinctively Jewish theology of protest, examining its origins and development in the rabbinic age. Weiss argues that this particular Jewish relationship to the divine is rooted in the most canonical of rabbinic texts even as he demonstrates that in ancient Judaism the idea of debating God was itself a matter of debate. By elucidating competing views and exploring their theological assumptions, the book challenges the scholarly claim that the early rabbis conceived of God as a morally perfect being whose goodness had to be defended in the face of biblical accounts of unethical divine action. Pious Irreverence examines the ways in which the rabbis searched the words of the Torah for hidden meanings that could grant them the moral authority to express doubt about, and frustration with, the biblical God. Using characters from the Bible as their mouthpieces, they often challenged Gods behavior, even in a few remarkable instances, envisioning God conceding error, declaring to the protestor, "You have taught Me something; I will nullify My decree and accept your word." Review Quote "The question of Gods injustice is eternal. In bringing us such a trove of sources and in laying them out in an ordered form, Weiss has provided not only a scholarly but also a theological gift."-- Reviews in Religion & Theology Promotional "Headline" Judaism is often described as a religion that tolerates, even celebrates arguments with God. In Pious Irreverence , Dov Weiss has written the first scholarly study of the premodern roots of this distinctively Jewish theology of protest, examining its origins and development in the rabbinic age (70 CE-800 CE). Excerpt from Book IntroductionShe bought her first new car and You hit her with a drunk driver. What, was that supposed to be funny? . . . What did I ever do to [Your Son] except praise His glory and praise His name? . . . Have I displeased You, You feckless thug? . . . haec credam a deo pio, a deo justo, a deo scito?cruciatus in crucem tuus in terra servus, nuntius fui; officium perfeci. cruciatus in crucem eas in crucem [should I believe that these things are from a benevolent God, from a just God, from a knowing God? To hell with Your torments (lit., crucifixions)! On earth, I was your servant, your messenger. I did my duty. To hell with Your torments. To hell with you (lit. may You go to the cross)]. --President Josiah Bartlett, "Two Cathedrals" (episode 44, May 16, 2001), The West Wing Described as "one of the best episodes in the history of American television," the finale of the second season of The West Wing revolves around the tragic and untimely death of Mrs. Landingham, the personal secretary of President Bartlett (Martin Sheen). After the funeral, the president emptied the church of his security personnel and, approaching the altar, angrily rebukes God: " cruciatus in crucem. eas in crucem !" (To hell with Your torments. To hell with You). This unexpected and irreverent diatribe from Americas most beloved fictional president stunned West Wing viewers. How could the hit TV show portray a highly ethical and faithful Christian castigating God in such brazen fashion? Noting that the episodes writer, Aaron Sorkin, is Jewish, one TV analyst offered this explanation: "Sure, [the scene] was in a church, the actor and characters were both Catholic, and the final words were in Latin. But it was a uniquely Jewish religious experience . . . . This may have been the most Jewish scene ever written (mostly) in English." Scholars often describe Judaism as a religion that tolerates, even celebrates, arguing with God. Unlike Christianity and Islam, it is said, Judaism endorses the tradition of protest as first expressed in the biblical stories of Abraham, Job, and Jeremiah. Bible scholar Carol Newsom, for example, argues that "[while] both Judaism and Christianity have retained the notion of a personal God . . . only Judaism has developed the Joban piety of argument with God." Similarly, literary scholar Bernard Schweitzer notes that "what sets Judaism apart is the liberty with which Jews express their doubts, their quarrels, and their rebellions against God." And, in light of the horrors of the twentieth century, progressive theologians Johann Baptist Metz and John K. Roth have called on the Christian community to affirm the distinctively Jewish "theodicies of protest." Surprisingly, however, despite its centrality in contemporary Jewish thought, no work has comprehensively analyzed the ancient roots of this Jewish protest theology. While scholars have treated such expression as it emerged in Hasidic thought and the post-Holocaust theology of Elie Wiesel, little has been done to trace the origins and development of this distinctive feature of Judaism. In fact, Ephraim Urbach, Arthur Marmorstein, and Max Kadushin, the leading scholars of rabbinic theology of the past generation, ignore the theme of protest altogether in their books on ancient Jewish theology. Indeed, as we shall see, when these scholars discuss theological protest they do so only as it relates to other topics such as prayer, parables, or suffering; because of their circumscribed focus, they do not analyze this religious expression in depth. Consequently, the tradition of arguing with God is often assumed in contemporary literature without understanding and appreciating its roots in the rabbinic age (70 ce-800 ce). This neglect is due in part to the unsystematic and fragmentary nature of its earliest expressions in the foundational texts of Judaism--the works of Midrash and Talmud--which were produced by rabbis in Hebrew and Aramaic more than fifteen hundred years ago. Without careful consideration of the complex history of the confrontational idea in these formative religious documents, however, simplistic celebrations of the "Jewish protest tradition" are of limited value. Utilizing diverse lenses, including the conceptual, historical, ethical, and theological, this study produces a comprehensive analysis of this bold religious tradition. In doing so, it provides greater nuance and sheds crucial light on an understudied yet central theme in Judaism. Most significantly, it demonstrates that the Jewish protest tradition is not simply the result of horrific recent historical events but is rooted in the most canonical of Jewish works: Midrash and Talmud. Defining Confrontation Before I present the major themes and arguments of this work and provide a brief chapter overview, our topic needs to be defined. The criteria of inclusion are quite flexible and broad in this study, incorporating all sorts of thinking, verbal and demonstrative communications, and expressions with or about the divine that highlight a moral or rational problem with Gods conduct or lack of conduct. This entails moderate challenges to God, including simple questions, as well as more radical expressions of protest, such as critiquing Gods past actions, whether directly communicated to God or to a third party. It also includes future-oriented challenges or aggressive demands that seek to have God reverse His prior decisions. Of course, since we have only a written record of these protest expressions it is often difficult to ascertain whether the author imagined a submissive or aggressive tone to the confronters challenge. Thus, I have adopted a maximal definition of "confrontation." For the sake of literary flow, I use a number of words to denote confrontation with God, such as "complaint," "protest," "critique," "challenge," "rebuke," and "confrontation." As these terms are fluid in the English language, I use them interchangeably. That said, on occasion, when seeking to distinguish between various types of confrontation (as I do in Chapter 3), I alert the reader that I am deliberately using a specific English term over another one. This decision -- to adopt an expansive and non-rigid definition toward the category of confrontation--is borne out of a conceptual concern to test the relational contours of the human-divine dynamic. In this regard, all types of bold communication with or toward God can be instructive. And the decision to use confrontational English terms interchangeably is informed by the fact that the rabbis themselves--from the early tannaitic period onward--employ a variety of Hebrew terms to denote challenge or critique without defining them or distinguishing between them. In my research, I have not found any cogent explanation to account for why, in specific contexts, the rabbis employ certain words over others. The most common rabbinic verbs used to denote protests against God are leharher (to criticize; lit., to think), lehashiv (to challenge; lit., to respond), limot (to protest), lekro tagar (to reproach; lit., to call out as partial), and lehatia devarim (to hurl words). The rabbis also at times use biblical nouns to denote a challenge to God such as tokheah (rebuke) and riv (argument). I should also note that I include within this study any rabbinic narrative that uses these protest terms even if the details of the human-divine communication reflect a slightly different concern. Theological Protest in Pre-Rabbinic Literature Rabbinic endorsement of theological protest is, of course, informed by many passages in the Hebrew Bible where challenging God is not foreclosed as a legitimate response to suffering or unethical divine behavior. Alongside moments of pious submission to the divine will, such as the story of Abraham and the aqedah (Genesis 22), biblical texts are replete with instances in which individuals protest against God without any repercussions. The motif appears in the Pentateuchal narratives (Abraham regarding Sodom and Gomorrah; and Moses in Egypt, at Mount Sinai, and in the Wilderness), the prophetic writings (Jeremiah and Habakkuk), and wisdom literature (Job and numerous Psalms). After none of these challenges does God castigate or punish the challenger. Regarding Jeremiahs rhetorical lawsuits against God, B. Gemser remarks: "The fact that Jeremiah has allowed, or even caused, these most intimate and intrepid disputes with God to be put in writing and preserved for posterity reveals the prophets . . . innermost conviction that God finally does not reject but tolerates and vindicates even his revolting prophets." Similarly, Yochanan Muffs posits that "biblical religion does not seem to require the man of faith to repress his doubts in silent resignation. Abraham, Jeremiah and Job, all men who question Gods ways, are hardly numbered among the wicked. There is even some evidence that God demands such criticism, at least from His prophets (cf. Ezek. 22:3)." Despite my general agreement with these sentiments, Muffss description of Job as a "man of faith" whose religion does not require him to "repress his doubts" should be qualified. To be sure, Muffs bases his view on the following points: God praises Jobs speeches at the books close, declaring that, contrary to his friends, only Job has "spoken the truth" (42:7). Moreover, God doubles Jobs fortunes that he had lost (42:10). And, as the book concludes with divine praise and reward, one gets the impression that Jobs protests are not regarded by God as "sinful" or "rebellious." However, Muffs and other scholars ignore chapter 38 where God reprimands Job for his protests: "Who is this who darkens counsel speaking without knowledge? ... Where were you when I laid the earths foundations? Speak if you have Details ISBN081224835X Author Dov Weiss Short Title PIOUS IRREVERENCE Publisher University of Pennsylvania Press Series Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion Language English ISBN-10 081224835X ISBN-13 9780812248357 Media Book Format Hardcover Year 2016 DEWEY 296.311 Imprint University of Pennsylvania Press Subtitle Confronting God in Rabbinic Judaism Place of Publication Pennsylvania Country of Publication United States Publication Date 2016-08-23 UK Release Date 2016-08-23 AU Release Date 2016-08-23 NZ Release Date 2016-08-23 US Release Date 2016-08-23 Translator David E. Green Birth 1955 Affiliation Univ Of Illinois At Urbana-champaign, Usa Position Associate Director Qualifications Ph.D. Pages 304 Alternative 9780812293050 Audience Tertiary & Higher Education We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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