People, the Torah, the God

Jerome Yehuda Gellman is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Philosophy at Ben-Gurion University. He has published widely in the philosophy of religion and constructive Jewish theology. Gellman was a fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University, the Alvin Plantinga Fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Religion at Notre Dame University, and a senior fellow at the Hartman Institute. His present project is The Problem of God in Jewish Thought, forthcoming Cambridge University Press.

“Gellman’s exploration exemplifies the heights to which theology can go in conversation with philosophy, while also showcasing the limits of traditional responses when faced with modern challenges… In that his target goal is justifying Jews who already believe, one might call it a successful project in Jewish apologetics… The People, The Torah, The God is an invitation to all of us to think about Judaism more seriously and confidently.”— Steven Gotlib, LehrhausIn this book we have a masterful Jewish theology for the twenty-first century written by one of the foremost Jewish theologians in the world. Gellman’s knowledge of Judaism is vast from Bible to Talmud, Medieval philosophy to Hasidism. This is combined with an excellent philosophical mind, trained in the best of the analytic philosophical tradition, and a rich spiritual and moral sensibility. The book reworks the traditional theological triad of the people Israel, Torah, and God in accordance with the latest scholarship and attention to the most compelling contemporary issues. The book is a theological feast and a necessary read for all traditionally minded Jews who desire a philosophically rigorous, ethical, and spiritually rewarding Judaism.”— Steven Kepnes, Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies, Colgate University

• IntroductionPart 1: The People1. A Designated People I: A Figurational View2. A Designated People II: Figuration and Racism3. A Designated People III: Michael WyschogrodPart 2: The Torah4. A Critique of Torah History5. On a Failed Argument for Torah History6. Moderate Divine ProvidencePart 3: The God 7. The Autobiographical Problem Of Evil8. A Perfectly Good God9. A Conceivable, Partial, Soul-Making Theodicy for the Autobiographical Problem of EvilBibliography