Norbert M. Samuelson is Harold and Jean Grossman Chair of Jewish Studies and Professor of Religious Studies at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Trained as an analytic philosopher, he went on to establish the Academy of Jewish Philosophy in 1980, which contributed greatly to the professionalization of Jewish philosophy in America. An ordained Reform rabbi, a constructive theologian, and a public intellectual, Samuelson has insisted that philosophy is the very heart of Judaism and that in order to survive in the 21st century Judaism must rethink itself in light of contemporary science. Through his scholarship and organizational work he has brought a Jewish voice to the dialogue of religion and science. Viewing Jewish philosophy as central to the understanding of the Jewish past, Samuelson has explicated the philosophical dimension of Judaism, from the Bible to the present.

This anthology of original essays reflects on the future of Jewish philosophy in light of the Library of Contemporary Jewish Philosophers (Brill, 2013-2018). The volume assesses the strengths of Jewish philosophy, explores the place of Jewish philosophy within the Western academy as a critique of and contribution to the discipline of philosophy, and showcases the relevance of Jewish philosophy to contemporary Jewish culture. The volume argues that Jewish philosophy is more vibrant, diverse, and culturally significant than its public image implies. Special attention is paid to the interdisciplinary nature of Jewish philosophy, the institutional settings for generating Jewish philosophy, and the contribution of philosophizing to contemporary Jewish self-understanding.

In Jewish Faith and Modern Science, renowned Jewish philosopher and rabbi Norbert Samuelson argues that modern Jewish philosophy has died_that it has failed to address the challenges to traditional beliefs posed by scientific advances, and is therefore no longer relevant to Jews today. Samuelson confronts these challenges head-on, critically reflecting on how all of the forms of contemporary Judaism, from orthodox to liberal to secular to new age, can address questions raised by the latest scientific advances. Considering questions ranging from the existence of the soul, to the relationship between God and particle physics, to the debate over when life begins and ends, Samuelson paves the way for a rebirth of Jewish philosophy applicable to life in the modern world.

T. M. Rudavsky presents a new account of the development of Jewish philosophy from the tenth century to Spinoza in the seventeenth, viewed as part of an ongoing dialogue with medieval Christian and Islamic thought. Her aim is to provide a broad historical survey of major figures and schools within the medieval Jewish tradition, focusing on the tensions between Judaism and rational thought. This is reflected in particular philosophical controversies across a wide range of issues in metaphysics, language, cosmology, and philosophical theology. The book illuminates our understanding of medieval thought by offering a much richer view of the Jewish philosophical tradition, informed by the considerable recent research that has been done in this area.

Vols. for 1969- include a section of abstracts.

The topic of this book is 'creation'. It breaks down into discussions of two distinct, but interrelated, questions: what does the universe look like, and what is its origin? The opinions about creation considered by Norbert Samuelson come from the Hebrew scriptures, Greek philosophy, Jewish philosophy and contemporary physics. His perspective is Jewish, liberal and philosophical. It is 'Jewish' because the foundation of the discussion is biblical texts interpreted in the light of traditional rabbinic texts. It is 'philosophical' because the subject matter is important in both past and present philosophical texts, and to Jewish philosophy in particular. Finally, it is 'liberal' because the authorities consulted include heterodox as well as orthodox Jewish sources. The ensuing discussion leads to original conclusions about a diversity of topics, including the limits of human reason and religious faith, and the relevance of scientific models to religious doctrine.

Revelation and the God of Israel explores the concept of revelation as it emerges from the Hebrew Scriptures and is interpreted in Jewish philosophy and theology. The first part is a study in intellectual history that attempts to answer the question, what is the best possible understanding of revelation. The second part is a study in constructive theology and attempts to answer the question, is it reasonable to affirm belief in revelation. Here Norbert M. Samuelson focuses on the challenges given from a variety of contemporary academic disciplines, including evolutionary psychology, political ethics, analytic philosophy of religion, and source critical studies of the Bible. This important book offers a unique approach to theological questions and fresh solutions to them and will appeal to those interested in the history of philosophy, religious thought, and Judaism.

The concern of The Moral Philosophy of Judaism is with the first principles that underlie the approach of Judaic ethics to the manifold issues confronting mankind generally and adherents of Judaism in particular in the contemporary world. The book explores the fundamental biblical concept of mans moral autonomy and its implications, the meaning and significance of the fundamental biblical doctrine of man being created in the image of God, the nature of an individuals moral judgment, the complex issue of the relationship between natural morality and law and between law and justice in Judaism, the concept of imitatio Dei and its implications, the meaning of good and evil from a Judaic perspective, and biblical formulation of the Golden Rule and the reasons for its reformulation in later rabbinic literature as a general guide to the establishment of a socially harmonious moral and just society.

The topic of this book is "creation." It breaks down into discussions of two distinct but interrelated questions: What does the universe look like, and what is its origin? Texts considered come from the Hebrew scriptures, Greek philosophy, Jewish philosophy, and contemporary physics. Original conclusions follow about a diversity of topics, including the limits of human reason and religious faith, the relevance of scientific models to religious doctrine, and the nature of the relationship between God and the universe.

Pondering the Imponderable explores the philosophical and theological problems of God and their implications from a Judaic perspective including the attempts at knowing the unknowable and naming the unnamable that have been articulated over the course of some two millennia, as well as how the chasm between man and God is bridged through revelation and the implications of these ideas for the ultimate question of what takes place after death, resurrection, immortality of the soul, or transmigration or reincarnation. In discussing these issues, the non-specialized reader will be introduced to the vast corpus of rabbinic literature written over a period of some two millennia to the present day and to many works that have never been translated into English.