The world we engage with is a vibrant collage brought to consciousness by language and our creative imagination. It is through the symbolic forms of language that the human world of value is revealed—this is where religious scholar Michael Fishbane dwells in his latest contribution to Jewish thought.In Fragile Finitude, Fishbane clears new ground for a theological life through a novel reinterpretation of the Book of Job. On this basis, he offers a contemporary engagement wi...

A powerful exploration of how literature expresses and transforms our earliest preverbal experiences.Primacies begins with the assertion that our earliest preverbal experiences are accompanied by a primary language—a universal expression of tears, cries, and laughter offered long before we learn our distinctive, ordinary languages. For Michael Fishbane, these "primacies" release the raw feelings of our existential condition and catalyze our most powerful li...

This volume is a study of Jewish liturgical poetry (Piyyuṭ) from late antiquity in Byzantine Palestine (5–6th century CE) through 11th century in Ashkenaz (Rhineland) and in northern Egypt. This poetry is based on synagogue lectionaries composed for the Sabbath and Festivals of the Jewish ritual calendar year. The central focus is on the various genres of these liturgies and their expansion into forms of prosodic epic (from short, dense quatrains to expanded prosodic recitations t...

The Jewish intellectual tradition has a long and complex history that has resulted in significant and influential works of scholarship. In this book, the authors suggest that there is a series of common principles that can be extracted from the Jewish intellectual tradition that have broad, even life-changing, implications for individual and societal achievement. These principles include respect for tradition while encouraging independent, often disruptive thinking; a precise system of log...

A Centennial, writes Hebrew College President Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, “is an invitation to reflect on the last century of teaching and learning at Hebrew College, to ask ourselves what has changed and what has endured, to explore accomplishments and share ongoing struggles, to articulate our aspirations for the next one hundred years.” A compilation of captivating essays on Jewish studies alongside powerful personal memoirs from the College’s earliest years until today, Ḥiddushim capt...

Leon R. Kass has been helping Americans better understand the human condition for over four decades-as a teacher, writer, scholar, public champion of the humanities, and defender of human dignity. From bioethics to civic education, from interpreting the Bible to weighing the moral implications of modern science, Kass has offered wisdom, guidance, and instruction. In this volume, fifteen of Kass's admirers, including students, colleagues, and friends, honor his work by reflecting on the bro...

Restores to the forefront of the Christian tradition the importance of the divine feminine• The first complete English-language translation of the original Coptic Gospel of Mary, with line-by-line commentary• Reveals the eminence of the divine feminine in Christian thought• Offers a new perspective on the life of one of the most controversial figures in the Western spiritual traditionPerhaps no figure in biblical scholarship has been the subject of more cont...

From the social philosopher and New York Times–bestselling author of The Sane Society: An analysis of the Old Testament as a revolutionary humanist work.The Old Testament is one of the most carefully studied books in the world's history. It is also one of the most misunderstood. This founding text of the world's three largest religions is also, Erich Fromm argues, an impressive radical humanist text. He sees the stories of mankind's transition fro...

Martin Buber's I AND THOU has long been acclaimed as a classic. Many prominent philosophers, religious thinkers and writers have acknowledged its influence on their works. Students of intellectual history consider it a landmark; and the generation born since WWII considers Buber as one of its prophets.

Since its publication in 1994, An Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics has become a standard text for a generation of students, pastors, and serious lay readers. This second edition has been substantially updated and expanded, allowing the authors to fine-tune and enrich their discussions on fundamental interpretive topics. In addition, four new chapters have been included that address more recent controversial issues: • The role of biblical theology in interpretation • How to deal with c...

An exploration of what religion and spirituality mean to us as humans by the New York Times –bestselling author and social psychologist."A daring book to have cast into the midst of the world's excitements, for it will itself breed new excitements. . . . It is not a book to be missed by those interested in man's spiritual growth." — New York TimesIn 1950, Erich Fromm atte...

With so many Bible translations available today, how can you find those that will be most useful to you? What is the difference between a translation that calls itself “literal” and one that is more “meaning-based”? And what difference does it make for you as a reader of God’s Word? How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth brings clarity and insight to the current debate over translations and translation theories. Written by two seasoned Bible translators, here is an authoritative gui...