Torah from Heaven

Norman Solomon retired in 2001 from the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, where he was Fellow in Modern Jewish Thought. He remains a member of Wolfson College, Oxford, and of the Oxford University Unit for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He was previously Director of the Centre for the Study of Judaism and Jewish/Christian Relations at the Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham.Dr Solomon was born in Cardiff, and educated there and at St John’s College, Cambridge. He has been rabbi to Orthodox Congregations in Manchester, Liverpool, London and Birmingham. He is a Past President of the British Association for Jewish Studies, Vice President of the World Congress of Faiths, and a Patron of the International Interfaith Centre. He has participated in Interfaith Dialogue in over twenty countries on five continents; in 2004 he was Scholar in Residence at Mandelbaum House, University of Sydney. Awards he has received include the Sir Sigmund Sternberg CCJ Award in Christian-Jewish Relations (1993) and the Distinguished Service Medal of the University of San Francisco (2000).His publications include Judaism and World Religion (1991), The Analytic Movement: Hayyim Soloveitchik and his School (1993), A Very Short Introduction to Judaism (1996), Historical Dictionary of Judaism (1998), and The Talmud: A Selection (2009), as well as numerous articles and reviews. From 1985-91 he was Editor of the quarterly Christian Jewish Relations.

Reviews'Solomon intends that his book appeal to both popular and academic readership, a task he rather successfully fulfils. His literary style is characterized by the art of brevity . . . Footnotes are concise and not burdened with endless bibliographic citations. For the interested reader, references throughout the book lead to further reading . . . Theologians will benefit from a plentitude of thought-provoking critique and insight. It is for these reasons that I recommend the book . . . interesting and successful in giving a broad historical perspective as well as provoking thought.'Dan Baras, Academia.edu

• Note on TransliterationIntroductionOrientationOrientationWhere I Come From - The Seduction of ‘True Belief’ - What Does It All Mean? - Philosophical Beginnings - Facing the Questions - Pulpit and Prejudice - Interfaith Dialogue - Academic Detachment?Part I RevelationTorah from Heaven: Growth of a Tradition1 Holy BooksWhat is ‘Torah’? - The ‘Sacred Canon’ - Why the Five Books are Special - Philo on Moses and the Ancestral Books - Conclusion2 Two Torahs? Scripture and the RabbisDivine Revelation: The Story - Mythic accounts of Torah - The Written Torah and the Oral Torah - Rules of Interpretation - Interpretation Against the Plain Meaning - Conclusion3 Mystics and KabbalistsPythagoras, Numerology, and the Book of Creation - Mystical Significance of the Mitzvot - Prophets after the Bible - Nahmanides (Ramban) the Mystic - Conclusion4 The Great Chain of Being: Philosophers and KabbalistsPlatonists and Aristotelians - The Ascent of the Soul - The Descent and the ‘Shells’ - Reasons for the Mitzvot - Conclusion5 Maimonides: The ‘Classical’ PositionRevelation as History - The Oral Torah - Torah and Dogma - Conclusion: Maimonides the Minimalist6 Oral Torah: What Does It Contain?Does the Torah Teach Science? - The Torah of Kabbalists and Rationalists - ConclusionSummary of Part IPart II AttackThe Counter-Tradition: Hard Questions7 The Counter-TraditionThe Alexandrians - Sadducees and Pharisees - Pagan Philosophical Critiques - Gnosticism - Later Developments - Conclusion8 The Original TorahHow Texts Were Written - Evidence of the Scrolls and the Ancient Versions - The Severus Scroll - Can the Original Text be Recovered? - The Masoretes - Rabbinic Responses to Textual Variation - Modern Editions of the Bible - Conclusion9 Contradictions, Moral Problems, Factual ErrorsThe Reconciling Hermeneutic - Interpreting Aggadah - Historical and Archaeological Problems - Moral Issues - Scientific Inaccuracy - Fantasy, Arbitrariness, Superstition - Conclusion10 The Rise of Historical CriticismThe Beginnings of Biblical Criticism - Deists and Sceptics - The Bible as Literature - From History to Myth - Source Theory - Archaeology - Higher Criticism = Higher Antisemitism? - ConclusionSummary of Part IIPart III Defenders of the FaithRepairing the Breach: In Defence of Tradition11 Defenders of the FaithWhat Must Be Defended - Ancient Wisdom Restored: The Renaissance - Jewish Bible Commentary Rekindled - Conclusion12 The Transformation of Judaism: Interpretation, Interpretation, InterpretationElijah, the ‘Vilna Gaon’ (1720–1799) - Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) - Torah— Mystical Code, or Source of Values?13 Mendelssohn’s InfluenceI. S. Reggio (1784–1855) - S. D. Luzzatto (1800–1865) - Heinrich Graetz (1817–1891) - Umberto Cassuto (1883–1951)14 IndependentsJacob Zevi Mecklenburg (1785–1865) - Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808–1888) - Meir Loeb ben Yehiel Michael Malbim (1809–1879)15 In the Steps of the Gaon: Written and Oral Torah Are OneN. Z. Y. Berlin (1816–1893) - Meir Simha Ha-Kohen of Dvinsk (1843–1926) - Barukh Ha-Levi Epstein (1860–1942)16 Hoffman and German OrthodoxyDavid Hoffman (1843–1921) - Hayyim Hirschenson (1857–1935) - Benno Jacob (1862–1945) and A. S. Yahuda (1877–1951) - Isaac Breuer (1883–1946) - Yehiel Jacob Weinberg (1885–1966) - J. H. Hertz (1872–1946)Summary of Part IIIPart IV New FoundationsTorah from Heaven: The Reconstruction of Belief17 Non-Orthodox ReconstructionsMoses Mendelssohn (1729–86): Revealed Legislation - S. L. Steinheim (1789–1866): Empiricist of Revelation - Samuel Holdheim (1806–1860) - Progressive Revelation: Krochmal, Formstecher, Hirsch, Cohen - Leo Baeck (1873–1956) - Martin Buber (1878–1965) - Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929) - A. J. Heschel (1907–1972) - Emmanuel Levinas (1905/6-1995) - Review 18 Joseph Dov Soloveitchik and the a priori TorahThe Hermeneutics of ‘Torah’ - Historical Criticism - The Oral Torah Problem - Conclusion19 Feminist CritiquesThe Sinai Covenant - Language and Gender - Images of God - Equality before the Law - The Need for Change20 Four Defences of Traditional BeliefHalivni: The Maculate Torah - Jacobs: Liberal Supernaturalism - Kellner: Rejection of the Dogmatic Approach - Ross: Cumulative Revelation - Strengths of the Four Approaches21 Divided by a Common ScriptureThe Reform Torah - The Orthodox Torah - The Conservative Torah - Go Compare DenominationsSummary of Part IVPart V Torah from Heaven22 OptionsJustifications - The Community: Costs and Benefits of Belief - The Individual: Costs and Benefits of Belief23 What Is Truth?What Is Truth? - Excursus: Consistency and ‘Double Truth’ - In What Sense Is ‘Torah from Heaven’ True? - On ‘Narrative Theology’ - Conclusion. ‘Torah from Heaven’: A Myth of Origin24 Myth of Origin: Opportunities and DangersWhat ‘Torah from Heaven’ May Signify - History and Myth Do Not Conflict - ‘Torah from Heaven’: Uses and Abuses - Benefits of Understanding ‘Torah from Heaven’ as Mythos Rather than Logos - Dangers from Understanding ‘Torah from Heaven’ as Logos Rather than Mythos - Things That Worry People25 Demography versus Reason: The Future of Jewish ReligionDoes Reason Matter? - ‘Authentic Judaism’ - Survival of the Fittest - Conclusion26 Confronting ChangeA Meditation at the Mountains of Fire (January 2004) - Coming to Terms with Modernity - Intellectual Violence - Who Decides? - What I Have Dealt With - What I Have Not Dealt WithBibliographyIndex