REL 383 JEWISH PHILOSOPHY AND MYSTICISM: GUIDING THE PERPLEXED
This course focuses on the efforts of medieval Jews to interpret traditional Jewish ideas, narratives and practices in light of the ideas of ancient Greek philosophy. Giving particular focus to Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, we will explore Jewish philosophical visions of the good life and the good political community, of mystical longing for God, and of the secrets allegedly contained within the Torah's narratives and commandments. We will also consider the passionate opposition to the philosophical enterprise, especially from the medieval Jewish tradition known as Kabbalah, which offered its own radical vision of the secrets of the Torah.