Book contents
- Modern Jewish Philosophy and the Politics of Divine Violence
- Modern Jewish Philosophy and the Politics of Divine Violence
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Transliteration and Translation
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Moses Mendelssohn and the Rabbinic Suspending of Coercive Punishment
- Chapter 2 Who Can Command Violence, and Who Should Obey?
- Chapter 3 Jewishness and the Prophetic Anarchism of Hermann Cohen
- Chapter 4 Franz Rosenzweig and the Jewish Alternative to Militarism
- Chapter 5 Walter Benjamin and the Antinomianism of Classical Rabbinic Judaism
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index of Sources
- Index of Subjects
Chapter 5 - Walter Benjamin and the Antinomianism of Classical Rabbinic Judaism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2023
Book contents
- Modern Jewish Philosophy and the Politics of Divine Violence
- Modern Jewish Philosophy and the Politics of Divine Violence
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Note on Transliteration and Translation
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Moses Mendelssohn and the Rabbinic Suspending of Coercive Punishment
- Chapter 2 Who Can Command Violence, and Who Should Obey?
- Chapter 3 Jewishness and the Prophetic Anarchism of Hermann Cohen
- Chapter 4 Franz Rosenzweig and the Jewish Alternative to Militarism
- Chapter 5 Walter Benjamin and the Antinomianism of Classical Rabbinic Judaism
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index of Sources
- Index of Subjects
Summary
Chapter 5 shows that Walter Benjamin’s ‘Critique of Violence’ stands in close relation to classical rabbinic understandings of law and power. It shows that the rabbinic texts have a surprisingly antinomian character when illuminated by Benjamin’s writings, and that Benjamin’s critique of mythic violence has an underlying connection to biblical and rabbinic ideas, including criticism of idolatry and understanding of God as the sole authorizer of violence.
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- Modern Jewish Philosophy and the Politics of Divine Violence , pp. 234 - 283Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023