Religion and the Individual: A Jewish Perspective (Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions)

Religion and the Individual: A Jewish Perspective (Cambridge Studies in Religious Traditions)

by Louis Jacobs (Author)

Synopsis

The aim of this study is to demonstrate that, for all the admitted emphasis on peoplehood in the Jewish religious tradition, there are equally strong individualistic tendencies within Judaism which should not be confined to the sidelines. Dr Jacobs maintains that - in any balanced view of Judaism - it needs to be shown that what the individual does with his life has eternal significance for that same individual, not only for the Jewish people as a whole. Through a careful analysis of the primary texts, Jacobs conducts a thorough survey of some of the most important instances where the individual is discussed in the Jewish religious tradition. In so doing, his aim is not to elevate individualism at the expense of the Jewish community, but rather to show that Judaism pivots centrally neither on the people nor on the individual, but rests, rather, on both: his contention, finally, is that each needs to be taken equally into account if a balanced opinion of both is to be formed.

$123.84

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 176
Edition: 1992 Edition
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 09 Jan 1992

ISBN 10: 0521411386
ISBN 13: 9780521411387

Media Reviews
...thorough and intelligent presentation of primary sources. Louis E. Newman, Religious Studies Review