1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910826936103321

Autore

Neusner Jacob

Titolo

The Perfect Torah / / Jacob Neusner

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leiden; ; Boston : , : BRILL, , 2003

ISBN

1-280-46747-9

9786610467471

1-4237-1193-9

90-474-0222-7

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (233 p.)

Collana

The Brill Reference Library of Judaism ; ; 13

Disciplina

296.1

Soggetti

Aggada - Philosophy

Jewish law - Philosophy

Judaism - Essence, genius, nature

Judaism - Sacred books

Narration in rabbinical literature

Rabbinical literature - History and criticism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Contents; Preface; I. The Legal System; II. The Match of Message and Medium (1) Halakhic; III. The Theological Structure; IV. The Match of Message and Medium (2) Aggadic; Index of Subjects; Index of Ancient Sources

Sommario/riassunto

The perfect Torah is the medium through which the one, unique God makes himself known. The Judaic statement of monotheism comes to expression in Scripture as perfected by the Oral Torah in its native category-formations, Halakhah, norms of behavior, and Aggadah norms of belief. The Halakhah of the oral Torah conveys monotheism in a philosophical mode, and the Aggadah, monotheism in a mythic mode. What is perfect about the dual Torah, written and oral, is the perfect match between the message and the medium, Halakhah for the philosophical monotheism, Aggadah for the mythic statement of the same monotheism. Chapters One and Two explain the former, Chapters Three and Four the latter. The question answered here concerns how



one canonical corpus perfects its companion and produces in consequence perfection: the realization of the initial intent and program of the Written by the Oral Torah. That is addressed by the construction of large exemplary structures of comparison and contrast in the shank of the book. Four principles are established: [1] the perfection through the systematization of the law of the Written Torah by the Oral Torah, in Chapter One; [2] the perfection of the medium of the Halakhah for the message of philosophical monotheism, in Chapter Two; [3] the perfection of Scripture's anomalous writings through the dismantling of one document and the systematic recasting of another, in Chapter Three; [4] the perfection of the medium of Aggadah in its form of narrative for the message of theology concerning God's personality and activity, in Chapter Four.