Daniel R. Langton – författare

Darwin in the Jewish Imagination provides an overview of Jewish responses to Darwinian evolution, one of the most transformative and challenging ideas of the industrial age. Spanning a century of intellectual and cultural history, it examines how Jewish thinkers-traditionalists, reformers, secularists, mystics, and philosophers-grappled with the profound implications of evolutionary theory for their religious beliefs and cultural identities. The book offers close readings of key figures and debates from Europe to the United States, situating them within the broader contexts of the religion-science controversy, Jewish-Christian interfaith relations, and the intellectual challenges of modernity. A central theme is the pan(en)theistic tendency evident in Jewish thought, reflecting a vision of God as intimately connected with the evolving universe and its natural laws. It explores how Jewish thinkers reinterpreted foundational concepts such as creation, divine action, and human morality in light of Darwin's ideas. This interdisciplinary work not only illuminates how Jewish thought adapted to evolutionary theory but also reveals the broader cultural and theological exchanges shaping modern Judaism. By examining these responses, the book sheds light on how science and Jewish religion have engaged in an enriching dialogue, with profound consequences for modern Jewish thought, belief, and identity.

The Apostle Paul in the Jewish Imagination is a pioneering multidisciplinary examination of Jewish perspectives on Paul of Tarsus. Here, the views of individual Jewish theologians, religious leaders, and biblical scholars of the last 150 years, together with artistic, literary, philosophical, and psychoanalytical approaches, are set alongside popular cultural attitudes. Few Jews, historically speaking, have engaged with the first-century Apostle to the Gentiles. The modern period has witnessed a burgeoning interest in this topic, however, with treatments reflecting profound concerns about the nature of Jewish authenticity and the developing intercourse between Jews and Christians. In exploring these issues, Jewish commentators have presented Paul in a number of apparently contradictory ways. The Apostle Paul in the Jewish Imagination represents an important contribution to Jewish cultural studies and to the study of Jewish-Christian relations.

The Apostle Paul in the Jewish Imagination is a pioneering multidisciplinary examination of Jewish perspectives on Paul of Tarsus. Here, the views of individual Jewish theologians, religious leaders, and biblical scholars of the last 150 years, together with artistic, literary, philosophical, and psychoanalytical approaches, are set alongside popular cultural attitudes. Few Jews, historically speaking, have engaged with the first-century Apostle to the Gentiles. The modern period has witnessed a burgeoning interest in this topic, however, with treatments reflecting profound concerns about the nature of Jewish authenticity and the developing intercourse between Jews and Christians. In exploring these issues, Jewish commentators have presented Paul in a number of apparently contradictory ways. The Apostle Paul in the Jewish Imagination represents an important contribution to Jewish cultural studies and to the study of Jewish-Christian relations.

Volume 13 of Melilah, an interdisciplinary electronic journal concerned with Jewish law, history, literature, religion, culture and thought in the ancient, medieval and modern eras.