Drawing from diverse multilingual sources, Krzemień delves into Solomon Dubno's life (1738–1813), unraveling complexities of the Haskalah movement's ties to Eastern European Jewish culture. Dubno, a devout Polish Jew and adept Hebrew grammarian, played a pivotal role in Moses Mendelssohn's endeavor to translate the Bible into German with a modern commentary (Biur). The book explores Dubno's library, mapping the intellectual realm of a Polish Maskil in Western Europe. It assesses his influence on Mendelssohn's project and the reasons behind their divergence. Additionally, it analyzes Dubno's poetry, designed to captivate peers with the Bible's linguistic beauty. The outcome portrays early Haskalah as a polyvocal, polycentric creation shaped by diverse, occasionally conflicting, visions, personalities, and egos.

A central topic in medieval Jewish philosophy and thought was the explanation of the Mosaic commandments. From Philo and Saadiah on, thinkers sought to uncover "reasons for the commandments" (ta'amei ha-mitzvot) both to demonstrate the rationality of divine legislation and to motivate performance of the commandments. Like many received topics, this enterprise was radically transformed in the hands of Maimonides. In this first book-length treatment of a subject that has been relatively overlooked by scholars since Isaac Heinemann's classic work in the 1950s, Josef Stern offers an original analysis of two major themes in Maimonides' explanation of the Law and its impact on Nahmanides. The first theme is Maimonides' reconceptualization of the huqqim, those commandments that were traditionally asserted either to have no reason or a reason that is unknown or unknowable. The second theme is Maimonides' application of his method of multi-leveled interpretation that treats texts as parables with "external" and "internal" meaning to the explanation of commandments with multiple reasons. Both of these innovative modes of explanation are adopted by Nahmanides, who refined and adapted Maimonides' structures of interpretation to express diametrically opposed contents. From this perspective there emerges a picture of the relation between these two seminal figures of medieval Judaism that is much more subtle than the received opinion that bluntly opposes them, the radical arch rationalist against the mystical traditionalist. Inquiry into ta'amei ha-mitzvot served as a locus for discussion of a broad range of philosophical topics: the attributes of God, the grounds of law and legal obligation, the structure of explanation and interpretation, idolatry, friendship and love, the status of astrology and magic, and attitudes toward the body. Stern demonstrates both the philosophical importance of these topics in Maimonides' and Nahmanides' thought and the relevance of their writings to contemporary philosophical discussions.

Provence during the twelfth century was the scene of a remarkable renaissance in Jewish scholarship. Cities such as Lunel, Carcassonne, and Montpellier became centers of learning--pivotal points of contemporary Jewish life whose influence was important in the evolution of Jewish culture in general and the development of Jewish law in particular. Rabad of Posquieres--Rabbi Abraham ben David--was one of the most creative Talmudic scholars of this period. Although celebrated for his criticism of Maimonides' "Mishneh Torah," the nature and significance of his halakic work have never before been clarified nor have his achievements been fully assessed. This biographical treatise on Rabad captures his personality, chronicles his role in the intellectual history of the Jews in southern France during the twelfth century, and outlines his influence on subsequent generations. Rabad's disciples and followers are discussed, as well as his reaction to the philosophic literature of Spanish Judaism and his relation to the emerging medieval kabbalah. Characterization of his works, description of his halakic methodology, and analysis of his literary sources focus attention on basic problems of medieval Jewish history.

Relating the Muslim understanding of Moses in the Qur'an to the Epic of Gilgamesh, Alexander Romances, Aramaic Targums, Rabbinic Bible exegesis, and folklore from the ancient and medieval Mediterranean, this book shows how Muslim scholars authorize and identify themselves through allusions to the Bible and Jewish tradition. Exegesis of Qur'an 18:60-82 shows how Muslim exegetes engage Biblical theology through interpretation of the ancient Israelites, their prophets, and their Torah. This Muslim use of a scripture shared with Jews and Christians suggests fresh perspectives for the history of religions, Biblical studies, cultural studies, and Jewish-Arabic studies.

Studies in Jewish Theology invites the reader into the 'laboratory' of a Jewish theologian as he confronts visceral issues that have confronted classical Jewish theology and that continue to challenge contemporary Jewish theological inquiry. After offering an exposition of the nature of Jewish theology and demonstrating why and how it is crucial and relevant for understanding the nature and meaning of Judaism as a religious faith, the author proposes a creative and compelling methodology for 'doing' Jewish theology. This methodology is then applied to various perennial issues of Jewish theological concern, including: the problem of evil, the nature of God, love and awe of God, God's love and law, theological foundations of the Jewish holydays, philosophies of Jewish law, and the application of Jewish theology to matters of social ethics and spirituality. Attention then turns to a consideration of Jewish-Christian theological dialogue, where a Jewish theology of Christianity, an explication of John Paul II's theology of Judaism, and medieval Jewish and Christian views of 'original sin' are presented. Finally, new perspectives on the work of contemporary Jewish theologians such as Solomon Schechter, Abraham J. Heschel, Louis Jacobs, and a survey of American Jewish theology, are discussed. A combination of erudite and accessible exposition of a wide variety of theological issues, this volume collects seventeen studies, written over three decades, by an eminent American Jewish theologian.