Bøker av Louis (Lancaster University) Jacobs

All the fundamental tenents of Judaism as expressed in the Thirteen Principles of Faith laid down by Maimonides are subjected to a brilliant, courageous interpretation--a major work.

Jewish thinkers throughout the ages have been as passionate in their concern about the meaning and nature of faith as Christian theologians. This is a lucid and profound examination of Jewish approaches to belief, by a controversial and respected scholar who analyses the nature of God through a critical study of all vital philosophical sources. We are shown the conflicts--and how they are resolved--between rational and traditional views on faith, between instinctive acceptance and a more sophisticated, polemical approach. The views of mediaeval and modern theologians, Christian and Jewish (Kabbalists, religious existentialists, fundamentalists, mystics) are appraised and contrasted in the most open-minded manner. Of special interest, perhaps, is the understanding critique of the Freudian and Marxist opposition to belief in a deity. On a more mundane level, those seeming contradictions in the structure of existence which confound most men, such as the problem of evil, are analyzed in a way that is both practical and heartening. Dr. Jacobs has succeeded in demonstrating, to readers of all faiths, that particular nature of Judaism which is both universalistic and, at the same time, deeply concerned about the individual.

What does it mean to trust in God?How can man love God?If timidity is unwholesome, why does Scripture speak of the fear of God?When should a lie be told?What ought to be our attitude to warfare?Of what relevance is the ideal of holiness to men and women of this age?How can pride be conquered?Can a man love his neighbor as himself?In Jewish Values, these and many other ethical and religious questions are considered in the light of Jewish teachings. It is the author's thesis that a gap exists between traditional views as presented in the classic sources of Judaism and their application in the lives of our contemporaries, but he is convinced that this gap can be bridged. This book is a contribution to the building of such a bridge or, at least, as the author suggests, it is a surveyor's plan of part of the work to be done.

This book attempts to uncover the basic form and structure of the Babylonian Talmud, which is a centrally important text in Jewish studies. By examining a number of talmudic passages, and subjecting them to close analysis, this book arrives at important conclusions, and shows, for example, that the Talmud is an academic, rather than a practical work.