Natural Law in Judaism

ISBN-13: 9780521631709 / Angielski / Twarda / 1998 / 224 str.

David Novak

Opis

Natural law is the idea that our basic moral principles apply to every human being, and are accessible to human reason. Most people have assumed that since Judaism seems to consist of a specific historical revelation and a specific tradition, that an idea such as natural law is foreign to it. This book shows that natural law is part of Judaism, and that it is consistent with its specific revelation and tradition. In this book, not only is the history of an idea shown with great accuracy, but the idea of natural law is presented as a way of conveying some of Judaism's meaning for life today.

Recenzje

' … Novak's argument … addresses the dilemmas of Jewish modernity determined by three momentous experiences: civil emancipation, the Holocaust, and the establishment of the State of Israel. His book will be of value not only to participants in the current debate about natural law but to anyone interested in contemporary intellectual and social implications of biblical interpretation.' Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

Spis treści

Preface; 1. The challenge of modern secularity; 2. Scriptural foundations; 3. Jewish ethics and natural law; 4. Maimonides' teleology of the law; 5. Natural law and created nature; 6. Noahide law and human personhood; 7. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.