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What Is Judaism? An Interpretation for the Present Age
A distinguished Jewish philosopher looks to the past and future in introducing the issues confronting contemporary Judaism in light of the Holocaust and the state of Israel. Includes an annotated bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 23, 2015
I wish I could be as clear as I want to. I don't know if I will. One thing is certain. I hadn't read so much about Judaism. This is a somewhat comprehensive reading in comparison. The current situation of Jews in the world, much like the one of Christians, isn't very pleasing. Terrorists from the far left, far right, terrorist groups who claim to hold Islamic beliefs... politicians. The secularist threat, the dictatorship of intolerance knows no limits.
This book is from 1986. At the time, Israel already existed, but the USSR, which also was a threat to Jews still existed. Many of the things it brings up are still too actual. More prejudices are to be left apart if we want a fruitful dialogue with Jews as Christians. More has to be recognized about the fulfillment of their Laws in our Gospels. And I don't mean on their behalf, I mean on our own. We're supposed to know where we come from.
It's very useful to know where to draw the line: for one, the things that most called my attention were those describing the religious life of the Jew, very different from the usual Catholic priest: certainly, it doesn't end with the fact that they're not celibate, it also includes the way they see "evangelization" (of course, for a Jew that doesn't exist) or heresy (again, it's very difficult, but they have a notion of pluralism that allows orthodoxs, conservative, and reformist Jews to coexist). It seems as if Fackenhaim were too careful not to step into any of these boxes because he explains how any of these reinterpreted the scriptures and prayers in positive and negative lights.
He also is clear in his dislike for Paul, which is obvious, why wouldn't he be seen as anything but a traitor by a Jew? He was a Jew who turned to Christianity. Thankfully is more of theological disagreeing other than hate, and he seems to have been open enough to read the Gospels and Letters, though his misinterpretation of the Sermon of the Mount is quite surprising. But it's obvious that if he were to accept it, he'd no longer be a Jew.
I guess there's a lot to do, to educate ourselves. Sometimes he conflates Catholicism with Protestantism, as he quotes the latter as "the Christian vision". I guess that because he's German, he's way more used to the Protestant ambient. There are things which he quotes from the baptists, that are really unacceptable to say. Still he recognizes some good elements and dares to do some insightful clarifications.
That being said, I learned about canonical, theological differences in a very general and engaging manner and it's been a nice starting point. Because he isn't beating around the bush and isn't afraid to talk about what seem to be justificatives for genocide, elitism, chauvinism... or even of what Zionism truly is supposed to entail.
This book is from 1986. At the time, Israel already existed, but the USSR, which also was a threat to Jews still existed. Many of the things it brings up are still too actual. More prejudices are to be left apart if we want a fruitful dialogue with Jews as Christians. More has to be recognized about the fulfillment of their Laws in our Gospels. And I don't mean on their behalf, I mean on our own. We're supposed to know where we come from.
It's very useful to know where to draw the line: for one, the things that most called my attention were those describing the religious life of the Jew, very different from the usual Catholic priest: certainly, it doesn't end with the fact that they're not celibate, it also includes the way they see "evangelization" (of course, for a Jew that doesn't exist) or heresy (again, it's very difficult, but they have a notion of pluralism that allows orthodoxs, conservative, and reformist Jews to coexist). It seems as if Fackenhaim were too careful not to step into any of these boxes because he explains how any of these reinterpreted the scriptures and prayers in positive and negative lights.
He also is clear in his dislike for Paul, which is obvious, why wouldn't he be seen as anything but a traitor by a Jew? He was a Jew who turned to Christianity. Thankfully is more of theological disagreeing other than hate, and he seems to have been open enough to read the Gospels and Letters, though his misinterpretation of the Sermon of the Mount is quite surprising. But it's obvious that if he were to accept it, he'd no longer be a Jew.
I guess there's a lot to do, to educate ourselves. Sometimes he conflates Catholicism with Protestantism, as he quotes the latter as "the Christian vision". I guess that because he's German, he's way more used to the Protestant ambient. There are things which he quotes from the baptists, that are really unacceptable to say. Still he recognizes some good elements and dares to do some insightful clarifications.
That being said, I learned about canonical, theological differences in a very general and engaging manner and it's been a nice starting point. Because he isn't beating around the bush and isn't afraid to talk about what seem to be justificatives for genocide, elitism, chauvinism... or even of what Zionism truly is supposed to entail.
June 30, 2023
This is so good. I read it slowly over several months. Part autobiography, part history, part primer on Judaism Fackenheim makes a great case for commandment 614: "do not grant Hitler a posthumous victory. We must survive as Jews."
April 26, 2018
Not a very good book. An attempt to modernize Judaism with no attempt to answer crucial questions clearly.
May 21, 2016
A personal, challenging, erudite and keenly articulated book that goes beyond your average primer. The 'present age' in the title refers to 20th century modernity as well as the Holocaust, its antecedents and its consequences.
April 21, 2014
A very philosophical look at Judaism.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews