The Jewish God Question: What Jewish Thinkers Have Said about God, the Book, the People, and the Land

(Hardback)

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The Jewish God Question explores what a diverse array of Jewish thinkers have said about the interrelated questions of God, the Book, the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel. Exploring topics such as the existence of God, Gods relationship to the world and to history, how to read the Bible, Jewish mysticism, the evolution of Judaism, and more, Andrew Pessin makes key insights from the Jewish philosophical tradition accessible and engaging. Short chapters share fascinating insights from ancient times to today, from Philo to Judith Plaskow. The book emphasizes the more unusual or intriguing ideas and arguments, as well as the most influential.The Jewish God Question is an exciting and useful book for readers wrestling with some very big questions.

Reviews

In eighty-seven brief chapters, Pessin offers an informative and highly readable survey of what Jewish thinkers, from antiquity through the twenty-first century, have had to say about God and related topics. Pessin is a learned guide, and he has written an accessible introduction to the varieties of Jewish philosophy by way of one of its central themes. -- Steven Nadler, University of Wisconsin-Madison
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Jewish theology or Jewish philosophy. Reading this book is both a joy and an education: Pessin's combination of knowledge, wit, readability, and insight is a rarity, and his survey touches on all the best-known Jewish thinkers and many more besides. -- Sanford Goldberg, Northwestern University
This book is amazingly comprehensive and written in a lively and attractive style. It will attract a broad range of readers, all of whom will profit from reading this thought-provoking work. -- Menachem Kellner, professor emeritus, Shalem College and University of Haifa
This impressive summation of a huge wealth of material will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Jewish thought. * Publishers Weekly *

Author Bio

Andrew Pessin is professor of philosophy at Connecticut College. In addition to his occasional appearances as The Genius on the Late Show with David Letterman, he is the author of a number of books, including The God Question: What Famous Thinkers from Plato to Dawkins Have Said about the Divine and The 60-Second Philosopher. Samuel Lebens is a research fellow in philosophy at the University of Haifa. He is chairperson of the Association for the Philosophy of Judaism.