The Horizontal Society : : Understanding the Covenant and Alphabetic Judaism (Vol. I and II) / / Jose Faur.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Academic Studies Press Backlist eBook-Package 2008-2013
• VerfasserIn: Faur, Jose,
• Place / Publishing House: Boston, MA : : Academic Studies Press, , [2010]; ©2010
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Language: English
• Series: Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (676 p.)

The Horizontal Society is an exposition of rabbinic thought as exemplified by Maimonides. The thought streams of Greece, Rome, and Christendom serve as a contrast. This work is in the Hebrew rhetorical tradition of melisa. The main text in five sections-—The God of Israel, The Books of Israel, The Governance of Israel, The Memory of Israel, and The Folly of Israel—focuses on these core matters. It includes numerous references to orient the reader. The mode is similar to the author's previous work, such as Golden Doves with Silver Dots: Semiotics and Textuality in Rabbinic Tradition, interacting with the latest thought from today's academy. This book illustrates the horizontal organization of the Jewish people. Other social organization is based on hierarchy. Two principles made this difference possible for Israel. First, the Hebrew Scriptures alone propose that every human being is created in the image of God.This necessitates the absolute equality of every human being. Second, the Sinai covenant establishes the Law as the supreme authority. Whereas in other societies, might is the source of authority, in Judaism authority is limited by the Law. These principles were summarized by the last Prophet of Israel: "Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously…, profaning the covenant of our fathers?" (Mal 2:10). There is a subdivided bibliography of forty pages, including both Jewish and "Western" sources. The scholarly apparatus includes indices of terms, names, and subjects. There are also seventy appendices of interest to rabbinic readership.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Hebrew Transliteration Table -- Abbreviations -- Prologue -- Volume I -- Section I. THE GOD OF ISRAEL -- Introductory Remarks -- 1. The Book of Creation -- 2. Monolingualism and the Analphabetic Mind -- 3. God as a Writer -- 4. Of Scribes and Analphabetic Poets -- Concluding Reflections -- Section II. THE BOOKS OF ISRAEL -- Introductory Remarks -- 5. The Berit (‘Covenant’) Sinai-Moab -- 6. Scripture and the Mental Law of Israel -- 7. The Publication of Scripture -- 8. Epistles and Memoranda -- 9. Interpreting the Books of Israel -- 10. Law and the Judiciary -- 11. The Boundaries of Derasha -- Concluding Reflections -- Section III. THE GOVERNANCE OF ISRAEL -- Introductory Remarks -- 12. Of Ḥerut -- 13. Hierarchic Humanity -- 14. Horizontal Man -- 15. The Household of Israel -- 16. Humanity before Statehood -- 17. God’s Territory -- 18. The Three Crowns of Israel -- 19. Hebrew Theocracy: Sovereignty under the Law -- 20. The Crown of a Good Name -- 21. Galut: Right without Might -- 22. Jewish Dominion over the Land of Israel -- 23. Pagan Political Thought -- 24. A Perfect Tora -- 25. The Five Doctrines Taught by Patriarch Abraham -- 26. The Two-Realm Governance -- 27. Silencing Scripture -- 28. The Road to Serfdom: Freedom without Law -- 29. Paul’s Theo-politics -- 30. Escape from Guilt -- 31. Imperial Religion -- 32. The Political Dimension of Anti-Semitism -- 33. Two Concepts of Human Rights -- 34. Pax Romana and Pax Hebraica -- 35. The Sabbath is the Lord’s -- 36. Separating Church from State -- Concluding Reflections -- Section IV. THE MEMORY OF ISRAEL -- Introductory Remarks -- 37. National Memory -- 38. The Matrix of Jewish Memory -- 39. Walking Under the Fox’s Shadow -- 40. The Emergence of the Sword/Cross Axis -- 41. A Crisis of Memory -- 42. Unmasking Spurious Verus Israel -- 43. The Publication of the Mishna -- 44. Minting Tradition into Oral Law -- 45. National and Vernacular Memory -- 46. Meliṣa and the Realm of the Verisimilar -- 47. Expanding National Memory -- 48. Kalla and the Formation of the Babylonian Talmud -- Concluding Reflections -- Section V. THE FOLLY OF ISRAEL -- Introductory Remarks -- 49. Qabbala and the Conveyence of Talmudic Tradition -- 50. “Little Foxes” — Rabbis without Qabbala -- 51. The Day of the Willow -- 52. The Genesis of Jewish Heroic Virtue -- 53. Heroic Knowledge -- 54. Payback Time — the Case of the Catalonian Rabbis -- 55. “Our Lords, the Rabbis of France” -- 56. Fighting Assimilation? -- 57. Kabbalah vs. Qabbala -- 58. Cult of the Occult -- 59. The anti-Scientific Obstinacy of the Maimonideans -- 60. The Five Pillars of Anti-Maimonidean Kabbalah -- 61. The Problem with ‘Philosophy’ … -- 62. A Reflective Response to R. Hayye Gaon’s Call -- 63. The Mishne Tora -- 64. Hierarchic Truth -- 65. The Inerrant Saint -- 66. Israel’s Fourth Miracle -- Concluding Reflections -- Epilogue -- Front Matter 2 -- APPENDICES -- 1. Vocalization of the Scroll of the Tora -- 2. Hebrew ‘Writing’ and ‘Reading’ -- 3. Alphabetization and Masora -- 4. Precept, Monolatry, and Sanctity -- 5. Defilement of the Hands -- 6. ‘Depositing a Text’ for Publication -- 7. An Academy to Police the Hebrew Language -- 8. Reciting a Text for Publication -- 9. Wearing Phylacteries -- 10. The Autonomy of the Law -- 11. Alien Cult -- 12. Morasha -- 13. Becoming a Single Body -- 14. Gideon and Washington -- 15. The Concept of Galut -- 16. By Virtue of Conquest -- 17. Private Property -- 18. Equality before the Law -- 19. Ṭ'M -- 20. Malicious Erudition -- 21. Why we should all strive to be Illiterate -- 22. Purloining an Ass for Christ: Freedom without Law -- 23. Ingesting Jesus -- 24. Extreme Dichotomy -- 25. Erasing the Memory of ‘Amaleq -- 26. ‘Prophets/Scribes’ and the National Archives of Israel -- 27. Yeshiba -- 28. Perush, Be’ur, and Peshaṭ -- 29. Pappus b. Judah -- 30. Verus Israel? -- 31. Remez -- 32. Qabbala and Halakha -- 33. Halakha le-Moshe mi-Sinai -- 34. Derekh Qeṣara -- 35. God’s Mystery -- 36. Seder -- 37. The Four Levels of Instruction -- 38. Teaching Tora in Public -- 39. Shone: Rehearsing and Conveying Halakha -- 40. Megillat Setarim -- 41. The Publication of Oral Texts -- 42. TQN -- 43. The Introduction of the Monetary System in Rabbinic Tradition -- 44. Oral Law -- 45. Writing the Oral Law -- 46. Was there a ‘Dispensation’ to write the Oral Law? -- 47. Hebrew ḥibber and Arabic tadwin -- 48. Gemara and Talmud -- 49. Emora -- 50. National Publication for Use in Constitutional Interpretation: the Jewish and the US Systems -- 51. Tanya Kevatteh -- 52. Leaning Towards the Majority -- 53. Mahdora -- 54. “Little Foxes” -- 55. Minim and Minut -- 56. Tukku -- 57. About “Strict Talmudists” -- 58. Semantic Assimilation -- 59. Heroes and Heroism -- 60. Ḥasid and Ḥasidut -- 61. The Targum -- 62. Writing a Sefer Tora -- 63. The Sorrowful Scholarship of Professor Baer -- 64. Medieval Jewish Prophets -- 65. The Science of Necromancy -- 66. The Mandate of the Jewish Court According to Ramban -- 67. The Ministry of Luminous Rabbis: Unerring and Inerrable -- 68. Settled Law -- 69. Relying on Legal Sources and Authorities -- 70. The Library of Lucena -- Bibliography -- INDICES -- Index of References -- Index of Subjects -- Index of Names -- Index of Terms