Idolatry : : A Contemporary Jewish Conversation / / ed. by Alon Goshen-Gottstein.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Academic Studies Press Complete eBook-Package 2023
• HerausgeberIn: Goshen-Gottstein, Alon,
• Place / Publishing House: Boston, MA : : Academic Studies Press, , [2023]; ©2023
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Language: English
• Series: Jewish Thought, Jewish History: New Studies
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (390 p.)

Idolatry, or its Hebrew equivalent Avodah Zarah¸ is a fundamental feature of a Jewish view of other religions. All religions must pass the test of whether they are compliant with a Jewish view of religions as being free from the worship of another God. With the advance in interfaith relations, positions have been affirmed that clear most major contemporary religions from the charge of idolatry. What remains of “idolatry” once it no longer serves as a tool for evaluating other faiths? Does the category continue to have theological appeal? What are its internal uses? A cadre of Jewish scholars and thought leaders explore in this volume what the continuing relevance of “idolatry” is and how it might continue to inform our religious horizons, allowing us to distinguish between good and bad religion, both within Judaism and beyond.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- INTRODUCTION -- I Understanding Idolatry: An Invitation to a Contemporary Conversation -- II Idolatry—Revisiting a Fundamental Concept: Project Description -- 1. The Theology and Politics of Idolatry -- 2. Monotheism and Idolatry: Theological Challenges and Considerations -- 3. Idolatry on the Other Side of Modernity -- 4. Jewish Feminist Liberation Theology and the Modern Criticism of Idols -- 5. Idolatry as Dehumanization -- 6. Contemporary Idolatry and a Path to Freedom -- 7. The Idolatry of Humankind -- 8. “We Live as Did the Ancients”: Reflections on the Ambiguous Role of Idolatry in Contemporary Jewish Thought -- 9. The Dynamism of Idolatry -- 10. On Petrification -- 11. The Idolatry of the Written Word -- 12. The Concept of Idolatry in Current Times -- 13. The Line between True Religion and Idolatry -- 14. Thinking Idolatry with/against Maimonides: The Case of Christianity -- 15. Return of the Gods: A Jeux d’Esprit on Idolatry in Judaism -- 16. The Value of Idolatry -- Concluding Observations: The Discourse on Idolatry -- Index