Mystical Theology and Social Dissent
The Life and Works of Judah Loew of Prague
Judah Loew, better known as the Maharal of Prague, was a pivotal personality in late medieval European Judaism. Best known from the popular legend that credited him with the creation of a golem‹an artificial human with superhuman powers – his true importance lay in his comprehensive exposition of a unique expression of Jewish mystical theology, his call for a reformation of Jewish communal life, and his influence on subsequent Jewish life and thought.
Byron Sherwin’s lucid exposition of Loew¹s life and works, the legends that surrounded him, and the ideas developed in his massive writings ‘reveals the concealed’ by unravelling the often obscure nature of his mystical theology, his polemical jousts against past and contemporary Jewish scholars, and his innovative program for social and educational reform.
About the author
Byron L. Sherwin is Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism and Director of Doctoral Programs at Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, Chicago. His recent books include Golems among Us, Workers of Wonders, and Kabbalah: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism.
Publication details
| Format | 21.5 x 13.5 cm / 5.5″ x 8.5 |
| Pages | 254 |
| ISBN | 978-1-904113-50-8 paperback |
| Price | £16.95 / $32.50 paperback |
| Date of publication | 1983 hardback; 13 July 2006 paperback |
Contents
1 Rabbi Loew in Legend
2 Judah Loew and Modern Jewish Scholarship
3 The Man Behind the Legends: The Life of Judah Loew
4 Judah Loew: Writings and Sources
5 Judah Loew and the Jewish Mystical Tradition: Introductory Remarks
6 The Nature of God
7 The Nature of the Torah
8 Jew and Gentile: Theoretical Considerations
9 Jew and Gentile: Halakhic Concretizations
10 Man and Cosmos: The Quest for Perfection
11 Beyond Human Perfection: ‘Cleaving to God’
12 Messianic Redemption
13 Mystical Theology and Social Reform
14 Conclusion
Appendix 1: When was Judah Loew Born?
Appendix 2: In What Order did Loew Write his Works?
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Reviews
‘Very fine . . . a model of clarity and scholarship.’
Howard Schwartz, Jerusalem Post
‘A solid contribution to our knowledge of the intellectual world of central and east European Jewry in the early modern era, an area and an era that deserves greater scholarly attention.’
Ira Robinson, Association for Jewish Studies Newsletter
‘The heart of the book, on Maharal’s thought, is valuable for its careful and admirably clear explication of Maharal’s complex views on Divine attributes, Torah, Jewish uniqueness, man and his perfection, and messianism . . . to be welcomed for its lucid presentation of major themes in the thought of a protean sixteenth-century Jewish thinker who influenced certain key Hasidic, Zionistic and semi-Mitnaggedic thinkers.’
Hillel Goldberg, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
‘[An] illuminating book.’
David Katz, London Review of Books
‘Excellent.’
Chimen Abramsky, Times Literary Supplement