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Judaism: Development and Life » (4th Edition)

Book cover image of Judaism: Development and Life by Leo Trepp

Authors: Leo Trepp
ISBN-13: 9780534546342, ISBN-10: 053454634X
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Cengage Learning
Date Published: July 1999
Edition: 4th Edition

Author Biography: Leo Trepp

Book Synopsis

Holocaust survivor Trepp (Jewish studies, U. of Mainz, Germany; formerly, Napa Valley College, CA) introduces Judaism to both Jews and non-Jews. Coverage includes history, sacred texts, theological issues, life as , the position of women, and other continuing challenges. This edition (no dates are given for previous ones) expands coverage of Israel, the peace process there, the Holocaust, and intrafaith relations. Includes illustrations, a glossary of Jewish terms and personages, and an extensive categorized bibliography. An auxiliary online library database is available. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

	Preface	ix
Chapter 1	Introduction: The Jews and the Fabric of Judaism	1
	The Torah	2
	God	3
	The Land	4
	Mitzvah	6
	The Messiah	6
	The Covenant: Interaction of Elements	8
Part I	The Loom of History
Chapter 2	The Biblical, Hellenistic, and Talmudic Periods	10
	Biblical History	10
	Restoration and the Beginning of Post-Biblical History	22
Chapter 3	The Impact of Christianity	36
	Jesus and the Jews	37
	Paul and the Parting of Ways	41
	The Split Widens	49
Chapter 4	The World of "Jewish Middle Ages"	54
	From the Age of Rome to the Age of Reason	54
	The World of "Jewish Middle Ages"	54
	The Sefardim	59
	The Ashkenazim	67
	Renaissance and Reformation	78
	Eastern European Jewry	82
	The Jews in the Middle Ages	93
	The Blending of Cultures	93
Chapter 5	Jewish Mysticism, Hasidism, and Modern Jewry	94
	Mysticism	94
Chapter 6	Emancipation and the Modern Age in Western Europe	109
	What Is Emancipation?	109
	Jewish Religion Adapts to a New Age	114
	The Impact of Anti-Semitism	120
Chapter 7	The American Destiny	125
	Judaism in a New Land	125
	The Emergence of a Pluralistic Judaism	135
	American Jewry Today	150
	Jewish Organizations	152
	Contemporary Challenges and Societal Issues	153
Chapter 8	Zionism and the State of Israel	157
	The Significance of Zion in Jewish Consciousness	157
	Background and Beginnings	159
	Zionism	160
	From Blueprint to Reality	162
	Societal Issues in Israel	173
	Israel and the World	175
Chapter 9	The Holocaust	177
	A Long Silence Ends	177
	The Road Toward the Holocaust	178
	Lessons of the Holocaust	184
Chapter 10	Jews outside Israel and North America	186
	The Postwar Fate of the Jews	187
	The Former USSR and Communist Countries	193
	South America	197
	Other Parts of the World	198
Chapter 11	The Restored Christian-Jewish Dialogue	201
	Judaism and the Monotheistic Religions	201
	The New Dialogue	203
	Protestantism	216
	Dialogue with Islam	219
	Contacts with Eastern Religions	220
Appendix	Quotations from the French Bishops' Statement	221
Part II	Wellsprings of the Jewish Spirit
Chapter 12	Tanakh	224
	Torah	225
	Nevee-im	239
	Ketuvim	249
	The Apocrypha	255
	Jewish Apocalyptic Literature and Its Impact	256
	Tradition and Biblical Criticism	257
Chapter 13	Of Oral Torah	260
	Background	260
	Masters of the Talmud	263
	Organization of the Talmud	265
	Commentaries and Codes	267
Chapter 14	Definitions and Symbols: God, Humanity, and Eternity	276
	God: Concepts and Theological Issues	276
	Humanity	280
	Supernatural Beings	283
	The Messiah, Resurrection, and Eternal Life	285
	Some Symbols	288
Chapter 15	Theological Issues	292
	Early Theologians and Philosophers	292
	The Ages of Reason and Enlightenment	296
	Twentieth-Century Theology and Philosophy	298
	Eugene B. Borowitz: Evolution in History--The Problem of the Contemporary Jew	310
Chapter 16	Attempts at Holocaust Theology	313
Part III	Life As Mitzvah
Chapter 17	Prayer and the House of the Lord	323
	Life As Mitzvah	323
	The Berakhah (Benediction)	324
	Prayer and Its Structure	325
	The House of the Lord	335
Chapter 18	The Mitzvah of Physical Consecration: Dietary Laws	340
	Prohibited Foods	341
	Restrictions on Permitted Foods	341
Chapter 19	Sabbath, Day of Re-creation	344
	Prohibition of Work	345
	Observance of the Sabbath	345
	Personal Reflections	349
Chapter 20	The Jewish Calendar and Holy Days	350
	The Jewish Calendar	350
	Rosh Hashanah	352
	Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement	355
	Sukkot: Covenant of Nature and Society	358
	Rosh Hodesh: The Beginning of a Month	362
	Hanukkah	362
	Other Days of Observance	365
	Pessah (Passover)	366
	The Birth and Covenant of Freedom	366
	The Period of Counting	372
	Modern Days of Popular Observance	372
	Shavuot, Covenant of Torah	373
	The Three Pilgrimage Festivals--General Rules for Holy Day Observance	374
	Summer Days of Mourning	375
	Variations	375
Chapter 21	The Years of Life	378
	The Jewish Home and Jewish Names	379
	Joining the Household of Israel	380
	Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah	384
	Marriage	385
	Sickness and Death	390
	Variations in Mourning Practices	393
Chapter 22	The Position of Women	394
	Contemporary Jewish Women Face Tradition	394
	Women in the Bible	394
	Women and the Laws of Torah	397
	Women Fashion a Spiritual Life	401
	Women on the Move	401
	Demands, Achievements, and Challenges	403
Chapter 23	Retrospect and Prospect	405
	American Jews As "Goy"	405
	Jews As "Am"--The Need to Restore the Covenant	406
	On the Jewish Condition	407
	Outside Pressures	409
	The Challenge of the Future	410
	Glossary	411
	Bibliography	421
	Index	436