A comprehensive analysis of reward and punishment in the Rabbinical literature of the middle ages
This dissertation concentrates on those factors which form the doctrine of G-dly reward and punishment. In other words, the philosophical approach amongst Jewish thinkers from the Middle Ages to the above subject, which taken together give expression to the doctrine of reward and ptmishment, or a...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en |
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2015
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| Online Access: | Greenberger, David Simon (1995) A comprehensive analysis of reward and punishment in the Rabbinical literature of the middle ages, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16875> http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16875 |
| Summary: | This dissertation concentrates on those factors which form the doctrine of G-dly reward
and punishment. In other words, the philosophical approach amongst Jewish thinkers
from the Middle Ages to the above subject, which taken together give expression to the
doctrine of reward and ptmishment, or at least to the possibility of determining such a
doctrine. The definition of correct behaviour is not of interest for pwposes of this
dissertation, nor is human judgement of behaviour, even according to a G-dly doctrine;
only the A-lmighty's judgement and implementation thereof
The following points are of note.
Research into the specific approach of one individual philosopher is not the aim of this
dissertation, but rather a collective crystallised viewpoint according to various different
Jewish philosophers, in order to reach a harmonious formation of the desir~ goal. Hence
the details are also important since they assist towards the goal.
The views of the philsophers are of interest and not their source, viz. from whom these
views were received or by whom the philosophers were influenced, as is usually the case
in research. Nevertheless, this aspect is elaborated upon in the introduction to this
dissertation, in the style of the customary academic research approach.
An analytical comparison is made between the opinions of various authors, taking into
account the finer points of their words, as well as between the differing opinions expressed
by a single author in his various writings, and conclusions are drawn, the results of which
are highly significant.
Besides the fact that it is not within our power to adjudicate between the views of the
great Jewish thinkers, this is even more true here, due to the metaphysical nature of the
subject, which makes logical, rational-realistic judgement very difficult. Nevertheless,
some criteria have been established for making such a decision.
In summary, this dissertation is an attempt to research many diverse opinions in the
treasury of Jewish thought from the Middle Ages, and to extract those opinions from
which a complete system of the doctrine of reward and punishment can be built. === Religious Studies and Arabic === D.Litt et Phil. (Judaica) |
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