Veda and Torah

Barbara A. Holdrege is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a comparative historian of religions specializing in Hindu and Jewish traditions.

"In this book Barbara Holdrege has set a high standard for comparative work and has made an important contribution to both Hindu and Jewish studies. She has looked at Veda and Torah not simply as 'scripture,' but as systems of meaning, symbol systems, each with its own affiliated meanings, each with its symbolic context, and each with its history of interpretation. By addressing the whole complex in which Veda and Torah have been transmitted and by seeing their uses and interpretations in the traditions that they enliven, Holdrege has problematized and expanded the usage of the term 'scripture' and has enriched the possibilities for significant comparative study." —Diana L. Eck, Harvard University"I found Holdrege's knowledge and treatment of the Hebrew material exemplary. There can be no doubt that she has made a fascinating contribution in her analysis of the Hebrew texts in themselves, in her conceptual treatment of the notion of 'text' in Judaism, and in her instructive comparison of the Jewish and Hindu attitudes concerning this topic. In this latter domain I see her book as pioneering. Especially remarkable is the fact that in her treatment of Jewish religion she resorts to a large spectrum of Jewish corpora, beginning with Midrashic texts and ending with Kabbalah." —Moshe Idel, Hebrew University"This book is a remarkable piece of scholarship. The way in which the author employs traditional, text-based methods to enlarge scholarly understanding of what 'texts' are is revolutionary. The author demonstrates that scriptures are not just texts, one kind of religious medium alongside others, but constituent parts of religious and cultural life in ways that have been previously unappreciated and that will clearly be of interest to anthropologists and semioticians, as well as to historians and comparativists of religion." —Thomas B. Coburn, St. Lawrence University"Holdrege has produced a unique piece of work: one that is equally learned and scholarly in two completely different religious traditions. This is a remarkable achievement in and of itself and offers the possibility for a comparative study that is vastly more informed than what has passed for comparative religion in the past. Holdrege addresses some of the most important questions in the study of religion in this work: What are the sources of authority and legitimation in any given religious tradition? How are those sources—the 'canons' of religious traditions—represented, and how are they appropriated and reappropriated in the process of legitimating religious change? Her answers to these questions are informed, interesting, and significant contributions to the field of religious studies as a whole." —Brian K, Smith, University of California, Riverside

• Preface Introduction Part 1 The Word in Creation 1 Veda and Creation Veda and Creation in Vedic TextsVeda and Creation in Post-Vedic MythologyVeda and Creation in the Darsanas 2 Torah and Creation Torah and Creation in Pre-Rabbinic TextsTorah and Creation in Rabbinic TextsTorah and Creation in Kabbalistic TextsComparative Analysis 1Veda and Torah in Creation Part 2 From word to text 3 Veda and Cognition Veda and Cognition in Vedic TextsVeda and Cognition in Post-Vedic Mythology 4 Torah and Revelation Torah and Revelation in Rabbinic TextsTorah and Revelation in Kabbalistic TextsComparative Analysis 2Cognition of Veda and Revelation of Torah Part 3 Text in practice 5 Veda in Practice Recitative Transmission of the Vedic SamhitasTheurgic Conceptions of Vedic Sacrifice andRecitationInterpretation of the VedasAppropriation of the Veda 6 Torah in Practice Written Transmission of the Sefer TorahInterpretation of the TorahTheurgic Conceptions of Torah Study and PracticeAppropriation of the TorahComparative Analysis 3Veda and Torah in Practice Conclusion Notes Abbreviations Note on Translation and Transliteration Selected Bibliography Index