Normon Solomon's succinct book is an ideal introduction to Judaism as a religion and way of life. Demonstrating the diverse nature and ethnic origin of Jewish people; Solomon explores how the religion has developed in the 2;000 years since the days of the Bible. This Very Short Introduction starts by outlining the basics of practical Judaism; including: festivals; prayers; customs; and various sects - and goes on to consider how Judaism has responded to; and dealt with; a number of key issues and debates; including the impact of the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel. In this new edition; Solomon considers issues of contemporary Judaism in the 21st century; incorporating new material on the relationship between the Muslim faith and Judaism; the rise of Zohar and Kabala; and considers how the faith deals with issues such as homosexuality and gay marriage.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts; analysis; perspective; new ideas; and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
#866056 in Books Perszyk Ken EDT 2012-02-20Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.70 x 1.10 x 8.60l; 1.19 #File Name: 0199590621296 pagesMolinism
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Difficult and a lot of Work...But SOOO Worth It!By J Chandler Arnett IIII have to say from the get go that this book is a Molinist's dream! Dealing with page after page of arguments for the truth of Molinism with the top Molinists and anti-Molinists exchanging ideas is difficult but rewarding. I actually pre-ordered this book so I could have it as soon as it was released. I still need to grow in my logic abilities to fully exhaust several parts of the material; but what I have been able to digest has been extremely helpful. Anyone who is interested in the issue of divine foreknowledge and human freedom needs to get this volume. Be warned however that this is certainly for the serious seeker or the academic philosopher of religion (which is not a bad thing)! I was very pleased to see most of the top Molinists contribute an article or two in this volume (William Lane Craig; Thoma Flint; etc.) as well as some of the top anti-molinists (such as William Hasker; etc.). The introduction by Ken Perszyk is an excellent one. I was disappointed that Alfred Freddoso (the translator of Molina's Part 4 of the Concordia into English) didn't have a contributing essay (although he is mentioned by name in the book). Anyway; as a Molinist and one who desires to ultimately do Ph.D. work in this area in the future I became giddy when I realized it had a section in the back titled; "Bibliography: Recent Work on Molinism!" What a list of reading material; and it will certainly keep me busy for a long while! I particularly liked the exchange between William Lane Craig and Dean Zimmerman in the book; although all of the essays were enjoyable (and many of them difficult because of my lack of skills in logic! Anyway; if you are serious about Molinism; pro or con; then you need to get this volume for yourself and work through the material.
