Chapter 5: Jewish Theology and Theological Writings
Religions of a Single God - A Critical Introduction to Monotheisms from Judaism to Baha'i - Zeba A. Crook
Zeba A. Crook [+ ]
Carleton University
Zeba A. Crook is Professor of Religious Studies at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada. He is a specialist in early Christianity and Graeco-Roman culture, but was drawn to the study of religion more broadly, and the study of these three religions in particular by teaching it. That his course on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam at Carleton University has attracted an average of six hundred students per year since he arrived there in 2003 shows the enduring interest in this material among young adults.
Description
Jewish mythological and theological narratives of their origins reveal the view that God was active in the world, creating it, teaching it, punishing it, choosing a people to be uniquely loyal to him and serve as beacons in the world, and promising to stand by them. These foundation narratives tell us about the Jewish view of God. Jewish theology has a long and rich tradition, but this short chapter can offer just a few of the central components of Jewish theology: monotheism, covenant and election, sin and repentance, messiah, Kabbalah, and afterlife. From there we turn to a survey of the writings that are central of the construction of Jewish religious life: Torah and Talmud.