The great Jewish theologian of the 20th century, Abraham Joshua Heschel suggested that different types of thinking exist and moreover, that a particular thinking can be characterized as Jewish. The impact of Greek thought on the Jewish world was inescapable, just as the non-Jewish world has al-ways had an impact on the Jewish community. Many Jews embraced Hellenism and saw no contradiction or problem in melding "Jerusalem and Athens." Heschel characterized the Hellenization of Jewish theology as an attempt to equate Plato and Moses. Those who embraced this view believed that they said the same thing. Only Plato would say it in Greek and Moses in Hebrew. Consequently, this approach saw Moses as a sort of Hebrew Plato. Despite the attempts of Philo of Alexandria, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, and many others to understand Jewish thinking and Greek thinking as expressing the same ideas and truth, the dissimilarities between the two exist at even linguistic levels, and the more significant distinction between the two types of thinking in a variety of areas become apparent. What is Jewish Thinking? Is there a type of thinking that can be characterized as Jewish? If so, what is the difference between Jewish thought and non-Jewish thinking? Does the Bible reflect a type of thinking? Is it linear? Does it correspond to Platonic or Aristotelian thought? How does rabbinic logic work? Are there polarities in the Bible? Discover this and much more in this fascinating aspect of Judaism.
The great Jewish theologian of the 20th century, Abraham Joshua Heschel suggested that different types of thinking exist and moreover, that a particular thinking can be characterized as Jewish. The impact of Greek thought on the Jewish world was inescapable, just as the non-Jewish world has al-ways had an impact on the Jewish community. Many Jews embraced Hellenism and saw no contradiction or problem in melding "Jerusalem and Athens." Heschel characterized the Hellenization of Jewish theology as an attempt to equate Plato and Moses. Those who embraced this view believed that they said the same thing. Only Plato would say it in Greek and Moses in Hebrew. Consequently, this approach saw Moses as a sort of Hebrew Plato. Despite the attempts of Philo of Alexandria, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, and many others to understand Jewish thinking and Greek thinking as expressing the same ideas and truth, the dissimilarities between the two exist at even linguistic levels, and the more significant distinction between the two types of thinking in a variety of areas become apparent. What is Jewish Thinking? Is there a type of thinking that can be characterized as Jewish? If so, what is the difference between Jewish thought and non-Jewish thinking? Does the Bible reflect a type of thinking? Is it linear? Does it correspond to Platonic or Aristotelian thought? How does rabbinic logic work? Are there polarities in the Bible? Discover this and much more in this fascinating aspect of Judaism.
