Abstract
This chapter develops a puzzle about one of the central tenets of Judaism: that God revealed the Torah at Mount Sinai. The puzzle arises from a combination of more specific views, each of which is widely held in the Jewish theological tradition. First, that the realization of the Torah is the purpose for which the world was created. Second, that we couldn't on our own discover the truths in which the Torah consists. Third and finally, that the Torah is a sort of wisdom; indeed, that once revealed we can see the wisdom in it. The combination of these views is puzzling. If the Torah is a kind of wisdom, it seems that God could have endowed us with cognitive faculties powerful enough to discover it on our own. Given that the Torah is the purpose of creation, it seems that God would have done so. But God didn't. It looks like creation wasn't properly matched to its purpose. The author of this chapter suggests two ways of solving the puzzle, both of which contend that while a way of life in keeping with the Torah exhibits great wisdom, it's not the kind of thing that a wise individual could discover. One, drawing on the work of Hasdai Crescas, points to the demands of love, and love of God in particular. The other, drawing on the work of Nahmanides, points to the intrinsic systematicity of philosophy and theology, and the collective nature of the Sinaitic revelation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Global Dialogues in the Philosophy of Religion |
| Subtitle of host publication | From Religious Experience to the Afterlife |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Pages | 51-63 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780191955969 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780192865496 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 30 Apr 2024 |
Keywords
- Collective revelation
- Divine communication.
- Intrinsic systematicity.
- Love of God.
- Torah.
- Transcendent.
- Wisdom.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Arts and Humanities