The Love of God: Divine Gift, Human Gratitude, and Mutual Faithfulness in Judaism (Library of Jewish Ideas, 8) - Hardcover

Levenson, Jon D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691164290 ISBN 13: 9780691164298

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2015

Synopsis

The love of God is perhaps the most essential element in Judaism―but also one of the most confounding. In biblical and rabbinic literature, the obligation to love God appears as a formal commandment. Yet most people today think of love as a feeling. How can an emotion be commanded? How could one ever fulfill such a requirement? The Love of God places these scholarly and existential questions in a new light.

Jon Levenson traces the origins of the concept to the ancient institution of covenant, showing how covenantal love is a matter neither of sentiment nor of dry legalism. The love of God is instead a deeply personal two-way relationship that finds expression in God's mysterious love for the people of Israel, who in turn observe God’s laws out of profound gratitude for his acts of deliverance. Levenson explores how this bond has survived episodes in which God’s love appears to be painfully absent―as in the brutal persecutions of Talmudic times―and describes the intensely erotic portrayals of the relationship by biblical prophets and rabbinic interpreters of the Song of Songs. He examines the love of God as a spiritual discipline in the Middle Ages as well as efforts by two influential modern Jewish thinkers―Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig―to recover this vital but endangered aspect of their tradition.

A breathtaking work of scholarship and spirituality alike that is certain to provoke debate, The Love of God develops fascinating insights into the foundations of religious life in the classical Jewish tradition.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"Here is biblical and theological scholarship at its finest. With a rare combination of historical analysis, conceptual synthesis, and existential alertness, Levenson penetrates and illuminates the Bible and Jewish tradition. His writing is consistently fresh, lucid, and incisive. This is a book to savor."--R. W. L. Moberly, Durham University

"A richly rewarding study of one of the central values of Judaism. In this deep and splendid book, Jon Levenson shows yet again that he is one of the finest contemporary Jewish scholars."--Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

"This book is nothing less than a reformulation of the whole idea of the love of God. Levenson offers a profound rereading of the evidence, one that stresses the continuity of Jewish thought from biblical times to the present. A strikingly original work, The Love of God is a landmark contribution to religious studies."--James L. Kugel, author of The Ladder of Jacob: Ancient Interpretations of the Biblical Story of Jacob and His Children

"As one expects from Levenson, the book is elegantly written and clearly argued. It will be of great interest to Jewish and Christian readers alike."--Richard J. Clifford, SJ, Boston College

About the Author:

Jon D. Levenson is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard University. His many books include Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel, which won the National Jewish Book Award, and Inheriting Abraham and Creation and the Persistence of Evil (both Princeton).

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0691164290
• ISBN 13: 9780691164298
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 264