The Jewish faith is based on some principles of faith which were formulated by the medieval rabbinical authorities. These principles were proposed like fundamental supportings inherent in the acceptance and the practice of the Judaism.
However, contrary to the majority of Christian mobilities , no Jewish community developed nor fixed " Catechism " , although all these formulations present a common ideological bottom.
A certain number of formulations of Juives beliefs appeared, although there is divergence as for their number and their contents. The Rav Joseph Albo, for example, counts of them three in its Sefer HaIkkarim , whereas Hasdaï Crescas counts six of them, Maïmonide thirteen, etc However, the Wise later ones tried to reconcile the apparent disagreements, while trying to show that the principles of Maïmonide are included/understood in the list of Albo.
The basic principles common to these formulations and the others are below exposed.
Exposed principles
Monotheism
The Judaism is based on a strictly unit Monothéisme, the belief not only in one God, but in the God One. The prayer par excellence associated with this principle is the Shema Israel ,
" Listen to Israel, the Eternal our God, the Eternal is Un"
également traduit
" Listen to Israel, the Eternal our God, the Eternal is Unique/Him seul."
God is designed like eternal, creator of the universe and source of morality. He has the absolute capacity and intervenes in the world with His own way. The God term thus corresponds to a true ontological reality, and not a projection of psyché human.
Maïmonide describes God in these terms: " there is a Being, perfect in any possible point, which Is the ultimate cause of any existence. Any existence depends on God and drift of Dieu" (but He does not depend on nothing).
In general, the Hebraic Bible and the rabbinical Littérature traditional affirm their faith in the Théisme and reject the Déisme. However, in works of some philosophical medieval Jews, perhaps influenced by a philosophy non-aristotelician, one finds what one could describe as limitations to His omniscience (see Solomon ibn Gabirol and Gersonide).
God is the Borè (Creative of the Universe)
According to the biblical cosmogony, the world was created by God in six days. If the majority of the Jews Haredim take the text literally, the authorities of the other theological currents, including the orthodoxe Juifs " modernes" ( Modern Orthodox in the Anglo-Saxon denomination), thinks that these " jours" should be interpreted like " stages " in the creation of the world, universe and Earth, and that the Judaism is not in contradiction with the scientific model estimating that the Universe is old of thirteen billion years.
Moreover, as the Torah really does not clarify how God created the life, some estimate that one cannot deduce from the Texts if the evolution forms or not part of the creative process of the life. The Jewish creationnism is a form of Créationnisme évolutionnaire aiming at integrating the account of Creation and the theory of the evolution.
Beaucoup of orthodoxe Jews rejects however the evolution like a factor in creation, and the Haredim Jews generally hold these ideas for heretics.
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See also Judaism and evolution; Jewish Créationnisme; biblical cosmogony
God is One
The idea of God like duality or trinity is heretic, and considered as related with the polytheism.
" , the Cause of all, is One. Not like one of a pair, neither like a species (comprising many individuals), neither like a composed object, of many elements, nor as only one simple object which is divisible ad infinitum. God is a Unit as there is not the different one. He is referred to this in the Torah (Deutéronome 6:4): " Listening, Israel, the Eternal is our God, the Eternal is Un."
Maïmonide, 13 principles of faith (second principle)
However, whereas they find this kind of incorrect designs, the Jews generally think that the not-Jews which adhere to these beliefs cannot be held for culprits.
See also divine Simplicity .
God is Tout-puissant
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Psalm 29: " Allot to God all glory and the pouvoir" .
However, as at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple, the question of the Théodicée was again raised after the horrors of the Holocauste hitlérien, and several answers were given there. They are treated in Théologie of the Holocaust.
Is the main questions relate to the divine power (Tout-puissant? How it is?) and the omnibienveillance, when one sees the existence of the evil in the world, in particular the Holocaust.
God is personal, is concerned about all and each one
Harold Kushner, a rabbi traditionalist, written:
" God shows us His love for us of extending to us in order to fill the immense gap between Him and us. God shows us His love for us of inviting us to enter an Alliance ( brit ) with Him, and by dividing with us his Torah "
The Hassidisme division partly this point of view.
On the other hand, Maïmonide and other Juifs philosophers of the Middle Ages rejected the idea of personal God, indicator on the contrary nature like conveys usual providence.
See divine Providence in the Jewish thought .
Names of God
Different the names from God is different way of expressing the various aspects of the presence of God in the world. However, God is One, and this plurality of attributes comes from the limited vision of the man.
The Nature of God
God is not-physics, not-body and eternal (not-temporal).
Corollary of that, God is different in His nature from the man, and to be considered anthropomorphic cannot in no case. All the verses of the Hebraic Bible and the rabbinical Littérature using anthropomorphisms do it in a picturesque way or because linguistics is not enough rich to express their designs differently: it would be completely impossible to speak about God without them.
See divine Simplicity; negative Theology; Tzimtzoum.
With God, and Him Only, must address the prayers
Any belief that an intermediary between the man and God could intercede near Him in its favor, that this intermediary is regarded as necessary or optional, was traditionally regarded as heretic, because that reflected the opinion of Maïmonide. This one wrote:
" God is the Only one that one can be useful and to rent We cannot act of the kind with any thing in lower part of God, that it is about an angel, of a star or one of the elements ''
There are no intermediaries between us and God. All our Prière S must be directed towards Him; it anything else which should be was this only considéré." there;
These declarations go entirely in the direction of a ic account Talmud (Avoda Zara 17 B - translation extracted from cheela.org):
On known as of Rabbi Eléazar Ben Dordaya that there was not in the world a prostitute with whom it did not have couché.
Il heard one day that there was a prostitute in a remote country which took for its sorrow a bag full with dinars.
Il took a bag of dinars and crossed for her seven fleuves.
Au critical moment, she had gaz.
Elle said: just as these gases will not turn over to their source, in the same way the repentance of Eléazar Ben Dordaya will not be agréé.
Il from went away between two mountains and known as: mountains and hills, request for moi.
Elles answered him: rather than to request for you, it is for we that we go prier.
Il known as: sun and the moon, request for moi.
Ils answered him: rather than to request for you, it is for us that we will request. He says: stars and stars, request for moi.
Elles answered him: rather than to request for you, it is for we that we go prier.
Il known as: all thus does not depend that of moi.
Il its head between the knees put, and requested until it returned the âme.
Une voice come from the sky pronounced the following words: Rabbi Eléazar Ben Dordaya is invited to the world futur.
Rabbi cried and known as some reach the future world in several years (of labor), and others reach it in one hour!
Et it added: not only repented are well accommodated, but still they are called Rabbi .
However, other rabbinical authorities marked their dissension, at least on a point. Nahmanide, for example, estimated that it is allowed to ask the angels to intercede near God in our favor; it was according to him the case in a passage of the Seli' hot, entitled Makhnisseï Ra' hamim, which is always included in the modern editions of the Siddour. In addition, the orthodoxe Juifs Hassidiques , members of a current appeared in the years 1800, sometimes taught that their spiritual leaders, the rebbes (Yiddish for Rabbi), can play this part of intermediary between the man and God.
In addition, Rav Shneur Zalman de Liadi, founder of the Loubavitch dynasty, rose against this quasi-deification of the Tzaddik im, whereas one of its descendants, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, was venerated, with its defending body, as being the Mashiach by its faithful.
Writings
The Tanakh (Hebraic Bible), and the major part of the system of thought and belief formulated and exposed in the Talmud, are regarded as being the product of a divine Révélation.
All the medieval rabbinical authorities describe this revelation like directly and verbally specific of God to Brace
The words of the prophets are true
The message and the revelation with the prophets are regarded as divine and true, which does not mean that the prophetic books must be read literally: the Jewish tradition on the contrary always taught that the prophets use metaphors and analogies, like the speakers from time immemorial. There exists a large range of possible interpretations consisting of metaphors to explain and elucidate the prophetic verses.
The statute of Brace
The Torah and Talmud teach that God left the descendants Israel of Egypt and spoke to them with the Mont the Sinai. It is in this place that God revealed the Torah with Moïse , that the Jews call Our Master (Moshe Rabbenou) . The Jewish tradition estimates that the consigned laws are mandatoires for any Israel there.
The orthodoxe Jewish and traditionalists hold the prophecy of Brace for true. This belief is expressed by Maïmonide:
" Brace was higher than all the prophets, than they preceded it or appeared after him. Brace reached more the possible human high degree. It perceived God with a very human degree exceeding having ever existed. God spoke with all the other prophets by an intermediary -- was this the dream --. Brace only did not need that; it is that which the Torah means when God known as 'Stops with mouth, I him parlerai'"
This does not mean either that the text of the Torah is to be included/understood with the letter, with the manner of the Karaïsme. The rabbinical tradition maintains that God communicated not only the words of the Torah, but its significance. God gave rules on the manner of including/understanding and of applying the laws; these rules were transmitted by oral tradition. This oral law was finally, because of the circumstances, lying on paper almost 2000 years after being given, in the Mishna and both Talmud S.
The founders of the Judaïsme reformed replaced this principle by the theory of the progressive revelation : for them, the prophecy of Brace was not more the high degree on the matter, but rather the first of a long chain of progressive revelations to the course which humanity gradually started to include/understand the will of God better and better. This is why they estimate that the mosaic laws are not obligatory any more, and it is with the generation of the time to establish what God awaits from them ( to see the writings of the reformed Rabbin S Gunther Plaut or Eugene Borowitz ).
This principle is also rejected by the majority of the Juifs reconstructionnists, but for another reason: as they estimate that God is not a being with a will, it is not possible that a will was revealed.
The origin of the Torah
The Torah is made up of five books called (according to the Greek, and not Hebraic terminology) Genèse, Exode, Lévitique, Nombres, and Deutéronome. They report the history of the beginnings of humanity before concentrating on the history of the Hebrew , and a group among them, the Jews, which accepted the commands that the Jews are held to observe.
The rabbinical Judaism affirms that the Torah existing nowadays is the same one as that which Moïse accepted from God. Maïmonide explains:
" We do not know exactly how the Torah was transmitted to Moïse. However, when it was transmitted, Moïse transcribed it like a secretary under the dictation. [This is why] each verse of the Torah is also holy, since they come all from God, and are a whole a share of the Torah of God, who is perfect, holy and vraie."
If the Juifs Haredim generally take this principle with the letter and consider only minor errors, much of orthodoxe Juifs suggests that small faults were introduced into the text during the millenia. The goal of the Bible Massorétique (written between) was precisely to compare all the variations of the Torah in order to establish a final text. Certain orthodoxe modern, noting that there exists a certain number of " trous" in various places of the Torah, consider that certain parts of the history can be lost. However, this is altogether theoretical, and all the orthodoxe ones and haredim estimate that as well the Law Written as the Oral Law are the same ones as those which Moïse taught, for the practical aspects.
The majority of the not-orthodoxe Jews, accepting the assumptions of the biblical critical based on discoveries (or not-discoveries) archaeological and linguistic, reject this principle. They admit that the " cœur" laws written and oral can come from Brace, but affirm that the current Torah was compiled starting from several documents.
If the Juifs massortiim tend to believe that the majority of the Oral Law are of divine inspiration, holding them of the reformed Judaism and the Judaism reconstructionnist estimate that work, although admirable, is an entirely human construction all.
Traditionally, the Reformé movement advances that the Jews are obliged to follow the ethical commands of the Writings, but not ritual regulations. However, much of reformed Jews tend to return nowadays to more traditional ritual practices.
For more details, to see " Who wrote the Bible? " of Richard Elliot Friedman and the documentary entry Assumption .
Holy books
The Tanakh and the Talmud, derived from the oral interpretation of the precedent, are the principal holy books of the Judaism.
- the Tanakh contains the written Law ( Torah SheBikhtav ), the prophetic written , and some Other Writings, the Ketouvim.
- the Talmud contains the oral Loi Judaism.
Remuneration of the acts: reward and punishment
The most widespread point of view in the Jewish world, clearly exposed in the Hebraic Bible as in the rabbinical literature, is that God will reward those which observe its regulations and will punish those which transgress them in a voluntary way. The examples strew the Bible and the traditional rabbinical literature.
See free will in the Jewish thought.
However, the interpretation of rationalist philosophers, like Maïmonide, estimates that God does not distribute the remunerations of the acts to the direction " mécanique" term.
According to their sights, the nature of the reward is that, if one improves his intellect with highest the degrees in all the possible fields, then L Intellect Agent (or creative Esprit ), which is the share of intellect " in connection avec" God, becomes immortal, and enjoys for eternity the " Glory of Its Présence".
The punishment would be simply that this does not occur; that no share of intellect is linked with God, and this lack of connection with God for eternity would be in oneself a purgatoire.
Des philosophical as Juda Halevi protested savagely against these doctrines.
See divine Providence in the Jewish thought .
This principle (in its comprehension " commune" and not " philosophique") is accepted by the majority of the theological currents of the Judaism, except for the Jews reconstructionnists.
According to Cabal (a whole of doctrines which is not universally accepted), God judges which has and which did not follow Its commands, and with which degree. Those which are not considered to be worthy find in the Sheol , the Tomb, a cold, obscure world and silencer for " to teach them leçon". Sheol can be regarded as a kind of Purgatoire, but the " damnation" is seldom eternal, and lasts often less than one year (reason for which, according to some, the Jews request for their deaths, cf Deuil in the Judaism ).
The Judaism always considered the Tikkoun Olam (perfection, or repair, of the world) as one of the fundamental reasons for which God created the world. This is why the concept of " life after the mort" according to the Judaism, while being finally a reward or eternal punishment for all, is not regarded as an imperative reason to achieve the regulations of the Judaism. In fact, it is taught that one can reach the proximity with God in this world, through the moral and spiritual perfection.
Selected Israel for a goal
God chose the people of Israel to enter a single alliance with Him; the description of this alliance is the Torah itself.
Contrary to a belief of most widespread among the not-Jews, the Jewish people forever known as only " God chose Juifs" . This assertion does not exist nowhere in the Hebraic Bible, which would claim that God loves these people exclusively, that him only can enjoy Its proximity, and that only the Jews can claim with a celestial reward. What is known as on the other hand, they is that the Jews were selected FOR a SPECIFIC MISSION, a DUTY: to be a headlight among the nations, while bringing the divine message, and to have an alliance with God as it is written in the Torah.
The Judaïsme reconstructionnist rejects this concept of election, like morally désuette.
The Rabbi Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, former Chief rabbi of the Plain Synagog of the the United Kingdom, summarizes rather well the general Jewish vision of this principle:
" Yes, I believe in the concept of Peuple elected as affirmed by the Judaism in his Scriptures, his prayers and his thousand-year-old tradition.
En truth, I believe that any people and to tell the truth, in a direction more limited, each individual are " élu" or intended for a certain clean goal to advance the intentions of Providence.
Seulement, some fulfill their mission, others non.
Peut-être the Greeks were selected for their contributions, single in their kind, with the Art and the Philosophie, the Romans for their roles of pioneers law government, the English to have brought the parliamentary reign in the world, and the Americans to lead the democracy in a pluralist company.
Les Juifs was chosen by God “to be to Me particular” as pioneers of the religion and morals; it was, and it is, their goal national."
For more details, to consult Jewish Point of view on religious pluralism .
Messianic times
See also: Messianic Times
One of the fundamental beliefs of the Judaism, merging partly with its eschatologic vision is the advent of a Messie ( Mashiach ), a king resulting from David, which will bring back the independence of the Juif people, and will reign on him in agreement with the Jewish Law, bringing to the world one era eternal peaces and of happiness.
Cependant, if the advent of this era is commonly shared by the majority of the currents, they are divided on the nature and the existence of the Messiah himself.
The heart is pure with the birth
The human ones are born morally pure, and it there not in the Judaism of concept similar to the Original sin . The Judaism affirms that people are born with a yetzer haTov (יצרהטוב), a tendency to make the good, and a yetzer haRa (יצרהרע), leaning with the evil. Each one thus enjoys the free will, including as regards carrying out its life.
The rabbis recognize even a positive aspect with the yetzer will hara : without baser instincts, not of need to thus exceed themselves, impress the other, to want some more, and not house, not of agriculture, not of civilization.
Consequently, the yetzer hatov and the yetzer will hara are included/understood as well as possible, not in a context of morals categories of good and evil, but like the conflict inherent in the man between his altruistic tendencies, or of abnegation, and those more egoistic.
The Judaism recognizes two classes of " Sin ": offenses towards other people, offenses towards God (these last can be included/understood like the violation of the contract between God and the Bne Israel).
See the Jewish point of view on the sin .
A traditional rabbinical work, the Avot deRabbi Natan , sign:
" One day, whereas Rabban Yohanan Ben Zakkaï went in Jerusalem in company of Rabbi Yehoshoua, they arrived at the place where the Temple was held of Jerusalem, now in ruins.
' Misfortune with us, " rabbi Yehoshoua deplored, because this house where the Expiation for the faults Israel was done of lying now in ruins! '
Rabban Yohanan answered, 'We have another source, so important, of atonement, the practice of the Gmilout Hassadim (granting of kindness), as it is known as: " Because I wish the gmilout hassadim traduit by piety in the version Louis Segond 1910, not the sacrifices" (Dared 6:6).
The Talmud of Babylon sign also:
" Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Eléazar explains both that as long as the Temple was upright, the furnace bridge expiait for Israel, but now it is the table of each one which expie the poor one is invited, in a satisfied way, like hôte" (Treaty Berakhot 55a).
In the same way, the liturgy of the Frightening Jours located between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippour) states that the tefila , the teshouva and the Tzedaka allow the atonement of the sins.
Basic problems
A central text?
Among the reasons for which there is no " judéchisme" , most important is undoubtedly the absence of central authority in the Judaism. Moïse itself, whose role in the Judaism is however central, was disputed its life during, as the Torah attests some (episode of the opening of the sea, golden calf, the basket, the ten explorers, Koré, etc). No text could thus be universally accepted, since Saadia Gaon, the genius of the ones, is the perfidious destroyer of the others, Maïmonide is criticized by the kabbalists, Isaac Louria by the rationalists, etc
Although certain formulas of faith were integrated in the liturgy and were used at teaching ends, they never weigh but what their author in terms of scholarship and fame weighed. However no, in spite of the number and the row of the Rabbi S and the philosophical which was harnessed there, forever reached the degree of importance which the Church attaches to the three great formulas (symbols of the Apôtres, Nicée and Athanase), or that reserved for the Kalimat Have-Shahadat in the Islam.
Why principles of faith?
The principles of faith were absolutely not necessary to the Jews at the time of the emergence of the Judaism, which was initially the religion of a nation: it was in Judéens what the worship of Athéna Pallas was to the Athenians, it was lived without having to think itself, if not in the way of practically applying the precepts of its Law. One was Jewish of birth, or not. To become Jewish by conversion, it was to decide to enter of lime pit foot the people, and to take part in its becoming national.
The question was born with the appearance of internal dissensions (incipient Christianity), and especially of external attacks (Christianity made up and Islam).
The religions missionaries that are Christianity and Islam were forced, in order to convince crowd, to stop a final formulation their lesson, to present what held of the monk like arising from universal logic.
The admission of the neophytes depended on the profession and the acceptance of these principles of belief. It could not thus remain of uncertainty on what was essential and what was not it, task which it returned to the authorities to fill, by formulating dogmas in a way easy to memorize and assimilate.
These articlees of faith had also as a task to distinguish sells by auction it the illicit one, in order to distinguish the " croyant" " hérétique".
These motivations to define a creed were less intense in the Judaism.
On the one hand, the greatest dissension which touched the Judaism apart from the Christianity, and which saw part of the Jews rejecting the authority of the oral tradition to trust only with the '' Miqra '' (from where their name of karaïtes), did not call into question the basic problems, and their formulations are rather similar.
In addition, the Judaism was never extremely carried to the evangelization. Conversions of mass had been carried out with an aim of guaranteeing safety in the interior of the borders, not to extend them to other territories and tribes.
In addition, the Jews recognized with the nations their merits and did not claim to have the monopoly as regards justice nor of accuracy.
Any man seeking to bring the reconciliation and peace was regarded as belonging to the house of Abraham. Was right and had a share in the world to come very Gentil which conformed to the seven Lois noahides,
- prohibiting:
- # the murder,
- # the idolatry,
- # the blasphemy,
- # flight,
- # sexual relationships with close relations relationships,
- # the pulling up of a member to an live animal
- and prescribing to constitute a legal system in order to make respect these laws.
- the immersion in a Mikvé (ritual bath), become the Baptism in the Christianity,
- the Brith milah (circumcision),
- the acceptance of the character mandatoire of the mitzvot (regulations of the Torah)
We do not place on the same foot as us a person entered our religion by the only confession. We ask him acts, which include car-imposed limitations, the purity, the study of the Torah, for the circumcision and the realization of other duties requested in the Torah.
By doing this, the rabbi runs the counter to his interlocutor, who awaits from him arguments . In all this book, Juda Halevi will be évertuera to show the nonspeculative character of the Judaism, whose science underlies the acts, but whose acts are at the bottom more important than science.
The only principles of faith requested from the candidate with conversion were thus those which obedience in Halakha underlay, i.e. the existence of God and the holiness (i.e. specificity) of Israel as people of the Alliance contracted with God.
Is there dogma in the mitzvot?
As of the formulation of the articlees of faith of Maïmonide, its more savage opposing contemporary, Rav Abraham Ben David de Posquières exclaims that the Judaism is a religion of acts and not of dogmas .
The erudite controversy as for knowing if the practice of the mitzvot of the Judaïsme is implicitly related to the doctrines of the Judaism was abundantly discussed by the scholars on the matter. For example, in its Jerusalem , Moïse Mendelssohn defends the " point of view of; non-dogmatique" nature of the Judaism. On the contrary, according to him, the Jewish doctrines consist, although revealed by God, in universal truths applicable to all humanity.
The Rav Yehouda Löw supports the opposite, by denouncing the limits which could not have been crossed without the legitimisation of their transgression by the theories of Mendelssohn. Underlying the practice of the laws and ritual, the implicit recognition of these basic principles is, among which culminates the belief as a God, the revelation, and divine justice (all less easily atteignables if the Judaism is discussed from an only philosophical point of view, like proved it Spinoza).
The first to try to formulate the principles of the Jewish faith was one of the first representatives of Jewish philosophy, Philon of Alexandria, which, of the remainder, was not listened as well by the Jews as by the Christians. Its five articles were the following:
- God Is and Reigns
- God Is a
- the world was created by God
- creation is one, and
- divine providence reigns on it.
Principles of faith during time
Beliefs in Mishna and Talmud
The rabbis were in all times trained in controversies, with Jews as with not-Jews, and had to strengthen their faith against the attacks of the Greek philosophers, the gnostic sects, the first Christians, etc
The Mishna (Sanhédrin 11:1) excludes in a general way of the world to come the Épicuriens and those which rejected the belief in the resurrection of dead or in the divine origin from the Torah. The Guemara, elaborative on this point, draws up a list of heretics according to the Jewish Law (see Hérésie).
Rabbi Akiva also regarded as heretics the readers of the Sefarim Hitzoniim - external books (with the biblical gun lately consisted the Large Parliament), as well as the people who claimed to bring the cure by means of murmured magic formulas. Abba Shaoul nominated like liable to suspicion of inaccuracy any person pronouncing the unutterable Nom of God. One can deduce from it that any person not doing all that was located in orthodoxy.
As for knowing which is the principle underlying the Judaism, although it is about an attitude rather than of a profession of faith, Rabbi Akiva is described discussing with one of his pupils, Shimon Ben Azaï: the first allots it to the verse " You will like your next like you-même" , while the second regard which it is about " this is the book of the productions of Adam" (i.e. there is not only one line from of which all result, but that consequently, the good goes down from bad and conversely).
The definition of Hillel the Old one, in its discussion with pagan putting it at the challenge to convert it into summarizing the Torah to him time to be held on a foot (Talmud, treated Shabbat 31a), made Rule of gold the basic principle of the Law.
Rabbi Simlaï, a doctor of IIIe century EC., makes go up the development of the religious principles of the Judaism with Moïse, with his 613 regulations positive and negative; with David, which enumerates 11 of them, according to the Rabbi; with Isaïe, which enumerates six of them; with Michée, which enumerates three of them; with Habacuc which summarizes simply all the religious faith in this only sentence: " The piles lives in its foi" (Talmud, treated Makkot 23b-24a).
Lastly, the Jewish Law states the principle yehareg bicycle ya' avor : if one is constrained there, rather than to transgress, it is preferable to choose death in certain situations, which are the Idolâtrie, the inceste, the " non-chasteté" , and the murder. One can easily deduce from it that the positive injunctions which made them opposite course were regarded as fundamental articles of the Judaism.
Beliefs in the Middle Ages
The constitution of articlees of faith had thus not been extremely popular in the Judaism until the Middle Ages, and the constitution of the Enquiry. With the lawsuit of Talmud in Paris in 1242, during which quantity of specimens were flarings - on the public place opened the era of the disputations. Not that they had not existed before, but the friendly verbal tournament had become a true theological polemic with strong political consonance.
In addition, the conquest of the East by Islam saw re-appearing of the forgotten religious tendencies, including within the Judaism, which made secession of the rabbinical Judaïsme, becoming the Judaïsme karaïte. It is in answer, as well with the latter as with the Muslim world, than the first formulation of the rabbinical principles of faith appeared, of the kalâm of Saadia Gaon in a work entitled Kitab Al-Amanat wal-l' tikadat (in Hebrew, Emounot VeDeot , but the exact translation is rather " Deliver articlees of faith and doctrines of the dogma).
Ces principles can be summarized in three principal articles:
- Belief in the existence of God and His Unit
- Obligation to carry out the mitzvot that It prescribed us, with the belief of the remuneration of the acts.
- Belief in the delivery of the people of Israel.
Belief in the Medieval will era
Detailed constructions off articles off faith did not find favor in medieval Judaism before the will era, when Jews were forced to defends to their faith from both Islamic and Christian enquiries, disputations and polemics. The necessity off defending to their religion against the attacks off other philosophies induced many Jewish leaders to define and formulate to their beliefs. Saadia Gaon 'S " Emunot ve-Deot" is year exposure off the hand tenets off Judaism. They are listed ace: The world was created by God; God is one and incorporeal; belief in Revelation (including the divine origin off tradition; man is called to righteousness and endowed with all necessary qualities off mind and drunk to avoid Sin; belief in reward and punishment; the Drunk is created pure; after death it leaves the body; belief in Resurrection; Messianic expectation, remuneration, and final judgment.
Judah Halevi endeavored, in his given Kuzari to the fundamentals off Judaism one another basis. He rejects all appeal to speculative reason, repudiating the method off the Motekallamin. The miracles and traditions are, in their natural character, both the source and the obviousness off the true faith. In this view, speculative reason is considered fallible due to the inherent impossibility off objectivity in investigations with moral implications.
Maimonides' 13 principles off faith
Historically, Judaism has considered belief in the divine revelation and acceptance off the Oral Written and Torah ace its fundamental core belief. Different This gave small channel to many formulations inherent ace to the specific theological beliefs in the Torah and Talmud. Perhaps the best known formulation is that off Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, better known ace Maimonides gold " The Rambam" (1135-1204 EC). Thesis principles were controversial when first proposed, evoking criticism ace minimizing acceptance off the entire Torah (Rabbi S. off Montpellier, Yad Rowed, Y. Alfacher, Rosh Amanah). Over time two poetic restatements off thesis principles ( Ani Ma' amin and Yigdal ) became canonized in the Jewish prayerbook, and thesis principles eventually became widely held inherent ace fundamental beliefs in Judaism. Over the centuries, has number off other formulations off Jewish principles off faith also appeared, and though they differ with unquestionable respect to details, they all demonstrate has commonality off core ideology. Maimonides' thirteen principles off faith assert the following:
- I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed Be His Name, is the Creator and Guide off everything that has been created; He alone has made, does make, and will make all things.
- I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed Be His Name, is One, and that there is No unity in any manner like His, and that He alone is our God, who was, and is, and will Be.
- I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed Be His Name, is not has body, and that He is free from all the properties off matter, and that there edge Be No (physical) comparison to Him whatsoever.
- I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed Be His Name, is the first and the last.
- I believe with perfect faith that to the Creator, blessed Be His Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right to pray to any being besides Him.
- I believe with perfect faith that all the works off the prophets are true.
- I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy off Moses, our teacher, peace Be upon him, was true, and that He was the chief off the prophets, both off those who preceded him and off those who followed him.
- I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the same that was given to Moses, our teacher, peace Be upon him.
- I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not Be changed, and that there will never Be any other Law from the Creator, blessed Be His name.
- I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed Be His name, knows all the deeds off human beings, and all to their thoughts, ace it is said: “that fashioned the hearts off them all, that comprehends all to their actions.”
- I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed Be His Name, rewards those that keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.
- I believe with perfect faith in the coming off the Messiah; and even though He may tarry, with all this I wait every day for his coming.
- I believe with perfect faith that there will Be has revival off the dead At the time when it shall please the Creator, blessed Be His name, and exalted Be His Name for ever and ever.
Principles off faith after Maimonides
The successors off Maimonides, from the thirteenth to the fifteeneth century -- Nahmanides, Abba Husband Ben Moses, Simon Ben Zemah Duran, Albo, Isaac Arama, and Joseph Jaabez -- narrowed his thirteen articles to three core beliefs: Belief in God; in Creation (gold revelation); and in providence (gold remuneration).
Others, like Crescas and David Ben Samuel Estella, spoke off seven fundamental articles, laying stress one free-will. One the other hand, David Ben Yom-Tob ibn Bilia, in his " Yesodot ha Maskil" (Fundamentals off the Thinking Man), adds to the thirteen off Maimonides thirteen off his own -- number which has off contemporary Albo also thing for his fundamentals; while Jedaiah Penini, in the last chapter off his " Behinat ha-Dat, " enumerated No less than thirty-five cardinal principles.
In the fourteenth century Asher Ben Jehiel off Toledo raised his voice against the Maimonidean articles off faith, declaring them to Be only temporary, and suggested that another Be added to recognize that the Exile is have punishment for the sins off Israel. Isaac Abravanel, his " Rosh Amanah, " took the same attitude towards Maimonides' creed. While defending Maimonides against Hasdai and Albo, He refused to accept dogmatic articles for Judaism, criticizing any formulation ace minimizing acceptance off all 613 mitzvot.
The Enlightenment
In the late 18th century Europe was swept by off group intellectual has, social and political movements, together known ace The Enlightenment. Thesis movements promoted scientific thinking, free thought, and allowed people to question previously unshaken religious dogmas. Like Christianity, Judaism developed several responses to this unprecedented phenomenon. One response saw the enlightenment ace positive, while another saw it ace negative. The enlightenment meant equality and freedom for many Jews in many countries, so it was felt that it should Be warmly welcomed. Scientific study off religious texts would allow people to study the history off Judaism. Summon Jews felt that this would bring much to Judaism. Others, however, believed that this might cal into question summon previously held dogmas Judaism butt; does yew have few beliefs were found to incorrect Be, where would one Draw the line?
In response to thesis exits, different Jews developed denominations. The entry one Haredi Judaism discusses in more detail how and why the enlightenment led to the development off the modern Jewish denominations.
Holocaust theology
Because off the magnitude off The Holocaust, many people cuts Re-examined the classical theological views one God' S goodness and actions in the world. Summon question whether people edge still cuts any faith after the Holocaust. Summon theological responses to thesis questions are explored in Holocaust theology. -->
Juda Halevi, tested, also in answer to a Karaïte, to determine the basic principles of the Judaism on another basis in the Kuzari already mentioned. Rejecting any call to the speculative reason and the method of Kalâm, it asserta that the miracles and the traditions are, in their natural form, as well the source as the proof of the true faith. It is on the irruption of God in the history, noted and attested by the whole of the people Jew in front of the Mont the Sinai, that is based the Jewish faith.
As for the articlees of faith karaïtes , they were summarized in Eshkol ha-Kofer , the work of Hakham Yehouda Ben Eliya Hadassi:
- God is the Creator of all the beings created.
- God is transcendent and neither equal nor associated.
- the entire universe was created.
- God called Moïse and the other Prophets of the biblical gun.
- the Law of Brace alone is true.
- Connaître the language of the Bible (i.e the Hebrew ) is a religious duty.
- the Temple of Jerusalem is the palate of the Master of the world.
- belief in resurrection, contemporary of the arrival of the Messiah.
- final Judgment.
- Remuneration.
13 principles of faith of Maïmonide
The most famous formulation of the principles of faith was enacted by Rav Moshe Ben Maïmon, Rambam for the Jews, Maïmonide for Christians (1135-1204 EC.), in his comment on the Mishna ( treated Sanhedrin , chapter 10), in order to determine which can be regarded as " Israël".
These principles were highly discussed, as well on the number and the form as the bottom. Yad Rowed, Alfacher and others criticized their minimization of the Torah. Rav Abraham Ben David de Posquières criticized the incorporation of the divine incorporality among those; Hasdaï Crescas proposed of them six, its disciple Joseph Albo three; both were criticized by Isaac Abravanel which, restoring the principles of Maïmonide, denied any permanent character to them and recognized their utility only compared to the context where the Jews were; the Jewish community was unaware of them during several centuries ( Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought , Menachem Kellner).
With time, two versifications of these principles ( Ani Ma' amin -- presented below and the anthem Yigdal ) were however integrated in the Jewish prayer books, and the principles became strongly populaires.
Ils are currently regarded as mandatoires by the orthodoxe Juifs (without however having the statute of a crowned text, rather a " assistance-mémoire"), and whoever does not divide them is suspect of heresy:
-
I believe of a perfect faith that the Creator, rented either His Name, is the Créateur and Guides of all that was created, and that only made Him, and made and will make on all things.
- I believe of a perfect faith that the Creator, rented either His Name, is Unique, of a Unicity as there is not absolutely null different, and only is to Him our God, Was, Is and Will be.
- I believe of a perfect faith that the Creator, rented either His Name, is not a body, and that It is free of all the properties of the matter, and that absolutely nothing resembles to Him.
- I believe of a perfect faith that the Creator, rented either His Name, is the Prime Minister and that It is the Last.
- I believe of a perfect faith that in the Creator, rented either His Name, for Him only it is advisable to request, and that it is not advisable to request with other or occurrence only Him.
- I believe of a perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are truth.
- I believe of a perfect faith that the prophecy of Brace our Master, peace is on him, was true, and that he was father of the prophets, of those which preceded it and of those which followed it.
- I believe of a perfect faith that all the Torah which is now in our hands, is that given to Moïse our Master, peace is on him.
- I believe of a perfect faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, and that there will not be an other Torah by the Creator, rented either Its Name.
- I believe of a perfect faith that the Creator, rented either His Name, knows any act of the men, and all their thoughts as it is known as: " He which forms their heart with all, Which includes/understands all their actions." (Psalms 33:15)
- I believe of a perfect faith that the Creator, rented either His Name, remunerates well with those which keep Its commands, and punishes those which transgress His commands.
- I believe of a perfect faith in the arrival of the Messiah. And even if it delays, in spite of that, I will wait each day that it comes.
- I believe of a perfect faith that there will be a resurrection of deaths, at the moment which the Creator will like, rented either Its Name, and Its memory will be exalté for always and the eternity of eternities.
In an important way, Maïmonide, while enumerating the above mentioned ones, adds the caveat according to:
" There is no difference between verses " his wife was Mehithabel" (Gen. 10:6 -- an apparently unimportant verse), and " Listen, Israël" (a verse of unanimously recognized importance)… whoever would deny such verses would deny God consequently and would show contempt for Its lesson even more than another skeptic, because he would affirm that the Torah could be divided between a core and a bark… " ( Comment on Mishna )
He thus did not regard these principles as including the Jewish faith, but rather like principles whose rejection, was this one of them, was this by ignorance, would exclude the denier from the orthodoxy of the Judaism, even of the Judaism itself, whereas the rejection of the remainder of the Torah must result from a conscious act to be marked seal of incroyant.
Toutefois, so much Rav Joseph Albo that Raavad criticize the list of Maïmonide because it contains articles which, while being true, are not enough to classify according to them among the heretics those which would reject them by ignorance.
According to certain scholars of the Judaism, like S.D. Luzzato, Marc Shapiro or professor Menachem Kellner, much of beliefs allotted to Maïmonide, in particular on the resurrection of deaths, are with opposite of what he really believed, but this is matter with debate.
The 13 principles of Maïmonide do not have, as it known as, ever was higher received official approval, and until recently, the authorities as regards Jewish Loi have never esteem necessary to make them accept partly or in entirety. However, during the two centuries spent, of the increasingly many fringes of the orthodoxe community asked to make them accept. Others, including orthodoxe, refuse this application like unfounded, because its sights were never regarded as having the last word as regards Jewish theology.
Principles of faith after Maïmonide
Successors of Maïmonide of thirteenth at the fifteenth century -- Nahmanide, Abba Husband Ben Moshe, Shimon Ben Tzemah Duran, Joseph Albo, Isaac Arama and Joseph Yaabetz -- the articlees of faith by thirteen will reduce to three:
- Belief as a God
- Belief in creation (or the revelation)
- Belief in divine providence (or the remuneration).
Others on the other hand will add in these articles, like David Ben Yom Tov ibn Bilia, which changes them to 26 in its Yessodot haMaskil (Bases of the Enlightened Man), or Yedaïa Penini, which does not enumerate less the thirty-five one in its final chapter of Be' hinat haDat (Examination of the Faith).
With the fourteenth century, Rav Asher Ben Yehiel of Tolède will make hear its voice against the articles of Maïmonide, denouncing their apparent claim with the intemporeity, and will suggest adding one of them, the recognition owing to the fact that the Exile is a punishment for the sins of Israel. Isaac Abravanel will have, as one said, the same attitude in his " Rosh Amana" : although defending these articles against the philosophical arguments of Hasdaï Crescas and Joseph Albo, it will refuse any to them dogmatic value, estimating like all the kabbalists , that the 613 mitzvot are all that can be done as regards articlees of faith.
Beliefs in the Age of Enlightenment - assimilationism
The movement of the Lumières which shook Europe of the XVIIIe century did not save the Judaism. One recommended the scientific reasoning, the free examination,… pushing people to be questioned what monolithiquement (or almost) had been monolithiquement established before as regards religious beliefs.
As for Christianity, of many answers fused within the Judaism, of the impregnation and the total implication for these ideas of emancipation which promised to the Jews to be people finally like the others, to mistrust for what could prove to be a mirror with the larks.
The first encased the step with Spinoza, studying the Writings scientifically, replacing the practice of the Judaism by the science of the Judaism ( Judentum Wissenschaft ). The seconds were attached more than ever to the ancestral beliefs and practices and, fearing that the " preuve" inanity of a dogma does not involve reaffirmed the abandonment of all, them, adopting the famous principles if discussed of Maïmonide, because judged as at the point of balance between the faith and the reason.
It was this time which saw the appearance of the various theological currents within the rabbinical Judaism, often justified by a need to reduce the practices. " Dogmes" and acts were once more welded in the middle of the problem.
Theology of the Holocaust
The Holocaust Nazi was for the Judaism, not only European, but world, an irrevocable destruction (what with the etymological direction Shoah means, in opposition to " 'horban" , word indicating for example the destruction of the Temples of Jerusalem) , of which the magnitude left the intact faith of well few people, in particular with regard to the actions of God in this world or its omnibénévolence. Some required even if it were still legitimate to have the faith
let us Citons on this subject the dialog between Elie Wiesel and Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Lubavitch er Rebbe:
Certain theological answers to these questions will be examined in the Théologie of the Holocaust. Dogma in Judaism
Judaism has historically been characterized by oral year acceptance off the entire written and Torah ace it' S fundamental core. Different formulations off beliefs and philosophical speculation were accepted insofar ace they existed within, and were compatible with, the Torah system.
Dogma in Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism considers itself to Be in direct continuity with historical rabbinic Judaism. Therefore, aces above, it accepts philosophic speculation and statements off dogma only to the extent that they exist within, and compatible are with, the system off written and oral Torah.
Had to this, there is No one official statement off principles. Rather, all formulations by accepted early Torah leaders are considered to cuts possible validity. Additionally, ace has matter off practice Orthodox Judaism lays stress one the performance off the actual commandments. Dogma is considered to Be the coil-understood underpinning off the practice off the Mitzvot.
Dogma in Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism developed in Europe and the United States in the late 1800s, ace Jews reacted to the exchanges brought butt by the enlightenment and emancipation. In many ways it was reaction to what were seen ace the excesses off the Reform has movement. For much off the movement' S history, Conservative Judaism deliberately avoided publishing systematic explanations off theology and belief; this has conscious attempt to hold together has wide coalition. This concern became has not-exit after the left-wing off the movement seceded in 1968 to form the Reconstructionist movement, and after the right-wing seceded in 1985 to form the Union for Traditional Judaism.
In 1988, the leadership council off Conservative Judaism finally issued year official statement off belief, " Ve-Emunah emits: Statement off Principles off Conservative Judaism". It noted that has Jew must hold some beliefs. Conservative However, the rabbinate also notes that the Jewish community never developed any one binding Catechism. Thus, Emits Ve-Emunah affirms belief in God and in God' S revelation off Torah to the Jews; however it also affirms the legitimacy off multiple interpretations off thesis resulting. Atheism, Trinitarian views off God, and polytheism are all ruled out. All forms off relativism, and also off literalism and Fundamentalism are also rejected. Essential It teaches that Jewish law is both still valid and, goal also holds to off has more open and flexible view how law has and should develop than the Orthodox view. -->
Statements of principles of the current currents of the Judaism
Orthodoxe Judaism
It acts, rather than of a current, a whole of movements having resisted the ideas of assimilation preached by the Jewish Lights. There thus cannot, in the absence of a unified body, to be of official formula: each group says heir to the tradition of Jewish theology, but all recognize in a general way a more or less literal acceptance of the principles of Maïmonide. Some think that these principles are only one possibility among others.
Judaism " traditionnaliste"
The Judaïsme traditionalist (or conservative , because its goal is mainly to preserve the traditions) is a movement developed in Europe and in the United States towards the beginning of the twentieth century, it rejected, as the orthodoxe ones of which it was not départait originally, the Reform and what they judged his excesses. He dissociated nevertheless orthodoxy, preaching a method of criticism historical " positive" , according to which the Jewish Law had from time immemorial been constituted with its time, and was not to await the re-establishment of the Sanhédrin to continue with évoluer.
Le Massorti movement gathered actually a coalition of currents judging itself median, rejecting the ideas of " gauche" (the reform) like " droite" (orthodoxy) with variable sympathies according to the members. This is why he originally abstained from publishing a set of principles, encouraging pluralism in the beliefs.
This attitude became nevertheless null and void when l'" wing gauche" movement made secession to form the Judaism reconstructionnist (cf will infra) in 1968, followed " wing droite" in 1985 which formed the Union for the Traditional Judaism.
In 1988, a formulation was made public, " Emits Ve-Emunah: Statement off Principles off Conservative Judaism " (Truth and faith: conservative declaration of the principles of the Judaism ).
Elle includes/understands:
- belief as a God and the revelation of His Torah with the Jews (but it is flexible as for the belief, admitting that the Torah cannot be very whole of divine origin)
- the rejection of atheism, trinitarism and polytheism.
- the Relativisme, literalism and the Fondamentalisme are rejected in the same way.
- the Halakha is always valid and essential, BUT cases of exception are acceptable. The halakha must adapt at the time.
Statements of principles of the reformed Judaism
The reformed Judaism is current frankly a progressist, often with the contempt of the tradition and rabbinical ordinances, mainly represented in the United States.
Although several statements of principles were written (in 1885,1937,1976 and 1999 -- that of 1999 called the Jews reformed to voluntarily join again with the tradition, but the later versions returned to the version of the CCAR - Exchange Conference off American Rabbis - of 1976, which thus makes currently authority), its way of thinking can be summarized by the formula of the rabbi reformed W. Gunther Plaut:
Israël traditionally started with the harout -- commands engraved on the Tables of the Law -- who became then the hérout -- freedom.
Les reformed Juifs starts with the herout to decide what will be the harout .
The reformed Judaism does not preach adhesion with any belief nor principle apart from prohibition to adhere to Christian beliefs (personal autonomy has precedence of all these declarations, except for this point).
Statement of principles of the Judaism reconstructionnist
The Judaïsme reconstructionnist is current quasi-exclusivement American based on a theological alternative of the naturalism of John Dewey. It combines atheistic beliefs with a religious terminology in order to build a satisfactory philosophy from a religious point of view for those which lost faith in the traditional religion.
In this theology, God is neither personal, nor supernaturel, It is the whole of the natural processes making it possible the man to achieve itself. According to the founder of this movement, Rav Mordechaï Kaplan,
“to believe in a God means to hold for asset which the destiny of the man is to rise above rough and to eliminate any form from violence and exploitation of the human society. ”
Many Jews reconstructionnists reject theism, being defined rather as naturalists or humanistic. Criticisms rose, showing the reconstructionnism “to make atheism more acceptable to the Jews by rewriting the dictionary”. A significant minority within the movement reconstructionnism nevertheless rejected theology naturalist to return to theism.
Just like the reformed Judaism, the Judaism reconstructionnist estimates that personal autonomy has precedence of the Jewish law, theology and traditions. No belief, including the Halakha are regarded as normative. However, those are prone to a vote of the community rather than of a purely individual choice. In 1986, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) and the Federation off Reconstructionist Congregations (FRC) made pass the " Platform one Reconstructionism" (2 pages).
It is not a question of a whole of obligatory principles, but rather of a consensus of the current beliefs. The great points are:
-
the Judaism is the result of a natural human development, not having had recourse to a divine intervention.
- the Judaism is an evolving/moving religious civilization.
- the Zionism and the Aliyah (immigration in Israel) are encouraged.
- the congregation of faithful can take share with the decisions, as much as the rabbis.
- the Torah was not inspired by God, it is only the fruit of the development socio-history of the Jewish people.
- God is the whole of the forces and processes natural making it possible humanity to fully develop and to improve morally.
- the idea of a " populate élu" by God for some goal, in some manner that it is, " is judged; morally impossible" , because any person believing " in it; imply by there the superiority of the elected community and the rejection of the autres".
- This principle opposes the reconstructionnists to the other currents, since he shows them racism. The Jews not reconstructionnists reject this charge vigorously. ( See People elected )
Sources
, Which quotes to him like sources:
- Blech, Benjamin Understanding Judaism : The Basics off Deed and Creed Jason Aronson; 1992, ISBN 0-876682-91-3.
- Boteach, Shmuel Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge: BASIC Concepts off Hasidic Thought Jason Aronson; 1995. Paperback. ISBN 0-876685-57-2
- Dorff, Elliot NR. and Louis E. Newman (eds.) Contemporary Jewish Theology: Except for Reader Oxford Univ; 1998. ISBN 0-195114-67-1.
- Dorff, Elliot NR. Conservative Judaism: Our Ancestors to Our Descendants (Revised edition) United Synagog off Conservative Judaism, 1996
- Platform one Reconstructionism FRC Newsletter, Sept. 1986
- Fox, Marvin Interpreting Maimonides , Univ. off Chicago Near. 1990
- Robert Gordis (ED.) Emits Ve-Emunah: Statement off Principles off Conservative Judaism JTS, Rabbinical Assembly, and the United Synagog off Conservative Judaism, 1988
- Julius Guttman, Philosophies off Judaism Translated by David Silverman, JPS, 1964
- Maimonides' Principles: The Fundamentals off Jewish Faith , in " The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology, I" Volume; , Mesorah Publications 1994
- Kaplan, Mordecai Mr. Judaism ace has Civilization Reconstructionist Press, New York. 1935. Jewish Society Publication; 1994
- Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought , Menachem Kellner, Oxford University near, 1986
- Maslin, Simeon J., Melvin Merians and Alexander Mr. Schindler, What We Believe… What We Do…: In Pocket Guides for Reform Jews UAHC Press, 1998
- Maimonides Thirteen Principles: The Last Word in Jewish Theology? Marc. B. Shapiro, The Torah U-Maddah Newspaper , vol. 4,1993, Yeshiva University
- Shapiro, Marc The Limits off Orthodox Theology: Maimonidies' Thirteen Principles Reappraised The Littman Library off Jewish Civilization; 2004, ISBN 1-874774-90-0.
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