Search Results (68)

This essay argues that the key to understanding Franz Rosenzweig’s complex oscillation between enclosed and dialogical models of identity lies in his sustained intellectual dialogue with Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy. Through a close reading of their 1916 correspondence and the works each produced in its wake, the essay shows that Rosenzweig’s philosophy of identity in The Star of Redemption was decisively shaped by Rosenstock’s emerging dialogical and linguistic insights, just as Rosenstock’s postwar writings were deeply informed by Rosenzweig’s conception of inherited, generational identity. Their exchange reveals a mutually formative conversation in which each thinker both appropriated and resisted elements of the other’s position. Rosenzweig retained a tension between enclosed and communicative identity, while Rosenstock sought to universalize and open the inherited Jewish model he found in Rosenzweig, purging it of its non-dialogical edges. By tracing this reciprocal influence across anthropology, theology, and theories of truth, the essay demonstrates that Rosenzweig’s and Rosenstock’s interwar debate constitutes not a one-sided influence but a shared intellectual project. Their struggle to balance historical rootedness with openness to others offers a valuable conceptual resource for contemporary discussions of nationalism, multiculturalism, and the status of truth in polarized societies. Full article

Time governs human experience, yet human beings continually seek to govern time. Within Jewish mysticism, time functions as a foundational and elusive dimension of human experience, serving as a dynamic arena for theosophical speculation, theurgical action, and spiritual transformation. In this context, the influential nineteenth-century Hasidic work Bnei Yissachar by Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Shapira of Dinov (1783–1841) occupies a unique position, offering a systematic and nuanced theology of sacred time. While previous scholarship has recognized the importance of sacred time in his thought, this study uncovers a complex reciprocal temporal mechanism that balances two dialectical poles: cosmic subordination and human mastery. Through a close reading of Shapira’s homilies, this article demonstrates how he navigates the tension between fixed, pre-ordained divine temporal matrices, typified by the linguistic and numerical hidden structure of the Sabbath, and active human agency capable of reshaping the qualitative influx of time, illustrated by the sanctification of the New Moon and the Passover Seder night. By integrating Lurianic kabbalistic frameworks, gematria, and linguistic ontology with embodied ritual practices, Shapira reframes the Jewish calendar as an interactive, experience-oriented relationship between the human and the divine. Full article

Irving Greenberg (b. 1933), among the most influential American Jewish theologians responding to the Holocaust, consistently describes his theological approach as “postmodern”—emphasising the breakdown of absolutes, fragmentation, and the failure of modern certainties. This article argues that the label is misleading. Through a reading of Greenberg’s foundational concepts—the voluntary covenant, tzelem Elokim, the assumption of power, and tikkun olam—set against the conceptual apparatus of continental postmodernism and classical American pragmatism, we will show that Greenberg’s theological method and normative conclusions align far more closely with the pragmatist tradition of Peirce, James, and Dewey. Where continental postmodernism tends toward deconstruction and the dissolution of normative claims, Greenberg’s thought exhibits characteristic pragmatist motifs: fallibilism without nihilism, pluralism without relativism, and a robust meliorism oriented toward world repair. His dictum that “pluralism is an absolutism that knows its limits” echoes William James’s pluralism rather than Derridean deconstruction, and his post-Holocaust ethic of power directly resists postmodern suspicion of agency. Reading Greenberg through the lens of American pragmatism offers a new perspective on post-Holocaust Jewish theology and clarifies how distinct intellectual traditions shape theological responses to catastrophe. Full article

In recent years, scholarship has increasingly explored the intersections of theology, liturgy, and transgender identities. At the same time, transgender individuals continue to encounter resistance, exclusion, and stigmatization within many religious settings, where gender diversity is frequently framed as incompatible with established theological norms. Against this backdrop, this study examines the emergence of contemporary non-Orthodox Jewish prayers written by and for transgender and non-binary individuals. Drawing on a corpus of trans-specific liturgical texts, I argue that these prayers function as sites of religious and social negotiation through which marginalized identities seek recognition within existing religious frameworks. Rather than merely expressing personal spirituality, they constitute collective cultural practices that redefine the boundaries of belonging, legitimacy, and sacred personhood. Through poetic, theological, and political language, these texts challenge dominant assumptions about gender, embodiment, and religious authority while remaining intelligible within the broader Jewish liturgical tradition. The analysis demonstrates how trans prayer constructs the body not as a problem to be corrected but as a legitimate locus of sacred experience and religious meaning. In doing so, these prayers reconfigure the relationship between embodiment and spirituality, framing gender transition as a process of revelation, authenticity, and renewal rather than rupture or deviation. More broadly, they serve as mechanisms through which transgender Jews symbolically negotiate access to religious institutions, communal recognition, and theological legitimacy. I conceptualize this process as transcendent lobbying: a form of spiritual activism through which liturgical actors seek to reshape religious discourse and expand the symbolic boundaries of the sacred. Viewed sociologically, these prayers are not only theological texts but also cultural interventions that contest established power relations and create new possibilities for religious inclusion, visibility, and collective belonging. Full article

This study reexamines the Golden Calf episode (Exodus 32–33, Deuteronomy 9) through a broad literary and historical lens, highlighting its origins in Late-Bronze-Age Near-Eastern mythology, particularly the Ugaritic Baal Cycle. The episode is positioned as a polemic against Levantine polytheism, where calves symbolize a Divine progeny, conflicting with Yahwistic monotheism. Later interpretations by Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and especially the late rabbinic work Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer (PDRE) reveal evolving theological and political critiques. PDRE notably uses the narrative to challenge Byzantine icon veneration and Islamic prophetic impeccability, reflecting eighth-century Jewish responses amidst Khazar conversion and regional religious dynamics. The text’s emphasis on repentance, prophetic fallibility, and rejection of idolatrous political power underscores a distinctive Judaic stance on religious authority and governance. This integrative approach illuminates an example of the evolving translation of a motif, both by the Bible and from it, across changing religious contexts, showing the Golden Calf as a dynamic symbol in religious identity formation, polemics, and political theology from pre-Sargonic Mesopotamia through early medieval Eurasia. Full article

This article offers a fresh reading of Alonso de Oropesa’s Lumen ad revelationem gentium (1465) and of the pro-converso theology of this Hieronymite friar, through a close reading of a specific and largely neglected section of the treatise. This reading complicates the prevailing scholarly view that the Lumen expresses an essentially egalitarian theological vision. The article argues that Oropesa’s intensely anti-Jewish stance and emphasis on Pauline spirituality were part of a more layered and ambitious argument—one that sought to establish a genuine continuity between Judaism and Christianity through a creative reinterpretation of Paul and his conversion. Drawing on a highly original reading of the ice-water metaphor from Gregory the Great’s Moralia in Job and the letter-spirit binary of II Corinthians 3:6, Oropesa articulated a bold vindication of Jewish heritage as a worthy and enduring component of Christianity’s own fabric—preserved, rather than erased, through spiritual transformation. The article further suggests that this theological vision extended beyond the realm of ideas into that of practice, offering a new background for understanding the devotional culture of Hieronymite conversos and its eventual collision with the Inquisition. Full article

This study addresses the long-standing scholarly debate regarding the relationship between the thought of Rabbi Yehuda Loew ben Bezalel, known as the Maharal of Prague, 1512–1609, and the Kabbalistic tradition. While many scholars categorize the Maharal as a philosopher or suggest a stance of indifference toward Kabbalah, we argue that his conception of the Torah is fundamentally rooted in a Kabbalistic worldview. Through a meticulous textual analysis of Chapter 13 of Tiferet Israel a programmatic chapter featuring the work’s title and its only explicit Zoharic citation—we compare his teachings with earlier authorities such as R. Moshe Cordovero and R. Isaac Arama. Our analysis demonstrates that the Maharal employs a philosophical idiom to conceal mystical foundations, envisioning the Torah as a living organism with layered dimensions—garment, body, and soul. We contend that his emphasis on devekut (cleaving) through Torah study shifts the focus from intellectual apprehension to a magico-spiritual attachment. These findings situate the Maharal within the concealed Kabbalistic milieu of the sixteenth century and suggest a structural synthesis between homiletic and esoteric traditions. Full article

This article examines the orientation that emerges during worship in the Abrahamic religions through the interrelation of bodily experience and architectural space. Drawing jointly on Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of the “lived body” and Mircea Eliade’s theory of sacred space, the study discusses how the directionality of worship in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam produces distinct spatial theologies. Methodologically, the research is based on a hermeneutic reading of selected sacred texts, rabbinic and liturgical sources, and on a comparative analysis of synagogue, church, and mosque spaces according to the criteria of orientation, architectural focus, bodily posture, congregational alignment, light, axis, threshold, and ritual surface. The proposed tripartite schema distinguishes between the horizontal covenantal orientation toward Jerusalem in Judaism, the vertical/transcendent axis associated with the cross, resurrection, and ascension in Christianity, and the downward orientation intensified around prostration in Islam. These orientations are not merely ritual prescriptions; rather, they constitute intentional structures through which the body is situated in relation to God, others, and the world. In the synagogue, the Torah ark and the direction of Jerusalem; in the church, the apse, cross, and luminous order; and in the mosque, the qibla wall, the alignment of prayer rows, and the surface of prostration are examined as architectural foci that materialize these intentional structures. The study brings together three domains that are often treated separately in literature: the phenomenology of religion, Eliadean cosmology, and architectural spatial analysis. In doing so, it proposes a comparative model of “spatial theology” among the Abrahamic traditions, articulated through the relationship between body, text, and worship structures. Ultimately, sacred space is interpreted as a dynamic order that is reconstituted in every act of worship through the convergence of bodily orientation, historical memory, and cosmic reference. Full article

The biblical commentaries of Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444) represent a major contribution to the development of patristic exegesis. His Commentary on the Gospel of John demonstrates the close interaction between Christological theology, allegorical interpretation, and ecclesial polemic within late antique biblical interpretation. While Cyril’s exegesis has often been praised for its theological sophistication, modern scholarship increasingly recognizes that his interpretive framework also contains a pronounced anti-Judaic dimension. This study examines several key passages from Cyril’s Commentary on the Gospel of John in order to analyse how typology, supersessionist theology, and polemical rhetoric function together in his interpretation. Particular attention is given to Cyril’s portrayal of Jewish ignorance, his attribution of responsibility for the death of Christ, and his typological reinterpretation of Jewish law and history. The analysis demonstrates that Cyril integrates anti-Jewish rhetoric into a broader theological system in which the Mosaic law is presented as a provisional anticipation fulfilled in Christ and realized in the Christian Church. Full article

In Mark 13:7–8, wars and natural disasters are depicted in apocalyptic themes, reflecting Jewish traditions that viewed cosmic upheaval as preludes to divine intervention. This article examines Mark 13 within its socio-historical context and in relation to Second Temple apocalyptic literature such as the Sibylline Oracles and 4 Ezra. Using a historical–critical approach, it argues that Mark’s portrayal of tribulations was not intended to foster fatalism but to cultivate vigilance, faith, and resilience. Building on this, the article explores how apocalyptic motifs can be brought into dialogue with contemporary crises, particularly ecological devastation, global conflicts, and pandemics. To enrich this dialogue, insights from African indigenous theologies—especially their communal understandings of endurance and hope—are introduced as contextual perspectives that resonate with Mark’s eschatological vision. By bridging ancient apocalyptic discourse, ecological theology, and contextual reflection, the study contends that Mark 13 offers a constructive vision of hope and ethical responsibility amid contemporary turmoil. Full article

This study analyses the theological debates surrounding the Servant Songs in the Book of Isaiah, with particular attention to the fourth song, as interpreted in medieval Jewish literature. These passages, fundamental to both Jewish and Christian tradition, became a central focus of controversial dialogue in medieval Spain. Through a systematic analysis of Hebrew commentaries, the article examines key theological issues that emerge in these debates: the universal mission of Israel, the meaning of suffering, the concept of kenosis in Pauline theology, and the doctrine of original sin. Jewish exegetes such as Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Moses Ha-Kohen of Tordesillas, and Abravanel offered critical responses to Christian claims, often proposing alternative readings based on Hebrew philology and rational anthropology. The study highlights how these exchanges contributed to a deeper understanding of divine justice, human action, and incarnation, while emphasising the importance of precise theological language in interreligious dialogue. Some anthropological and metaphysical questions briefly addressed here point to new lines of research. Ultimately, the Servant Songs reveal themselves as a privileged space for theological reflection and manifest the enduring resonance of prophetic revelation. Full article

In this article, I argue that the command of Jesus in Luke 12:22–34 not to be anxious and afraid are supported by exegetical clues from the text and findings in anxiety recovery research. I will argue that the imperatives of Luke 12:22–34 are not intended to be alienating but instructive with regard to where we put our attention and how we handle fear. Moreover, I will demonstrate that these words are not the fruit of a detached theologian or an abstract, impractical encouragement but instead the wisdom of someone familiar with the struggles of life, particularly that of first-century Jewish Palestine. Such is a wisdom that can be drawn upon today, especially for those who struggle with anxiety. The research methodology in this article is interdisciplinary, employing theology, exegesis, and psychology. Full article

Exploring different religions allows us to identify not only differences, but also similarities between them. The search for these similarities and differences regarding such fundamental matters in human life as marriage and family justifies the creation of this article. This comparison of positions considers world religions that have existed for centuries and have a significant number of followers, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Based on holy books, documents of religious communities, and scientific publications, the authors have undertaken to answer the following questions: what are marriage and family, and how are they treated in each specific religion? How are marriages formed? What are the responsibilities of spouses/parents, and what functions do families serve? What moral norms protecting marital and family life do specific religions indicate? The value of human beings and interpersonal relationships, the succession of generations and educational needs, the responsibility of the older for the younger, and also the not uncommon permissive and corrupting trends in the world, oblige us to transmit normative content approved by individual religions that is essential for the life and development of individuals and societies. Full article

This article examines the Qurʾānic portrayal of Jesus (ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ) and the naṣārā in comparison with Samaritan and Nazarene/Ebionite profiles, situating them within the Arabicised debatespace of Late Antiquity and early Islam. Building on recent studies of Qurʾānic Christology and interconfessional exchange as well as Macdonald’s work on Samaritan theology and Thomas’s research on Christian–Muslim polemic, the study argues that overlaps in prophetology, law-centred piety, and divine transcendence reflect shared category availability rather than genealogical dependence. Methodologically, the analysis combines close readings of Qurʾānic passages (e.g., Q 4:171; 5:72–75; 4:157) with textual variants from the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP), the Septuagint (LXX), and the Masoretic Text (MT), alongside patristic notices of Jewish–Christian groups. Evidence from Sinai Arabic MS 154, an early Christian apologetic treatise preserved at St Catherine’s Monastery, illustrates how Arabic-speaking Christians engaged Qurʾānic categories in staged dialogue. The findings clarify where conceptual overlaps (titles, law, divine unity) coexisted with decisive non-overlaps (worship, sonship, atonement), showing that the Qurʾān’s Christology participated in a common discursive field while maintaining distinct theological boundaries. On this basis, the article proposes a historically grounded “Bridge-First” model for Muslim–Christian dialogue, beginning with Qurʾān-affirmed titles for Jesus and advancing toward contested claims in sequence. Full article

The purpose of this research is to examine how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members have responded to anti-Jewish theological tropes, especially in the post-Holocaust era. The thesis of this research is that, while the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not formally canonized any twentieth-century statements on antisemitism, its sacred texts—including the Book of Mormon—along with prophetic teachings and institutional actions before, during, and after World War II, reflect a consistent and distinctive theological perspective on the Jewish people as God’s covenant people with a positive eschatological role in his plan. Unique among its Christian cousins in that era, the Latter-day Saint perspective includes a general rejection of anti-Jewish tropes and—while imperfect—a general pattern of respectful engagement with Jews at both institutional and individual levels. This research is significant in an era of rising antisemitism as it promotes understanding of a religion that has historically maintained, though not perfectly, a more philosemitic approach both institutionally and individually. A deeper understanding of ideas and attitudes that discourage anti-Jewish tropes and combat antisemitism is desperately needed in the modern world. Full article