Not in the Heavens: The Premodern Roots of Jewish Secularism
The relationship between religion and secularism has become a central question in the study of religion. But secularism is just as diverse as religion. This article treats Jewish secularism as a phenomenon with its own unique characteristics derived in part from the religious tradition against which...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
2008
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In: |
Religion compass
Year: 2008, Volume: 2, Issue: 3, Pages: 340-364 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | The relationship between religion and secularism has become a central question in the study of religion. But secularism is just as diverse as religion. This article treats Jewish secularism as a phenomenon with its own unique characteristics derived in part from the religious tradition against which it revolted. Within premodern Judaism - the Bible, Talmud, and medieval philosophy - one finds precursors to modern secular ideas. The article demonstrates how the cardinal categories of Judaism invented by modern religious thinkers - God, Torah, and Israel - were adopted by secular Jews, such as Baruch Spinoza, emptied of traditional meaning and turned into a ‘secular theology’. |
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ISSN: | 1749-8171 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion compass
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-8171.2008.00070.x |