Bøger af Eliezer Segal

This volume brings together a diverse collection of studies related to Jewish history, culture religion and litgerature. The articles introduce the reader to a dazzling variety of personalities, ideologies, historical events and communal dynamics. The articles are written from a sympathetic, but non-dogmatic perspective by an expert in the academic study of the Jewish religion. They were originally published as newspaper columns, and are designed to entertain as much as to educate the intelligent non-specialist.

A Time for Every Purpose continues the series of collections of Eliezer Segal's articles about the Jewish sacred calendar that originally appeared in his "From the Sources" column in the Calgary Jewish Free Press between 2011 and 2015. As always, the author strives to maintain a balance between accurate scholarship and entertaining readability as he introduces his readers to fascinating aspects of the Jewish festivals and holy days and how they evolved in ongoing dialogue with historical changes, geographical diversity and intellectual challenges. The articles are written from a sympathetic but non-dogmatic perspective by an authority on the academic study of Judaism.

The controversial history of Jewish sermons, the physics and philosophy of rainbows, lions in the synagogue, hares in the Greek Bible, the gold standard, God in human disguise-these are but a few of the many topics that are introduced in this lively miscellany of glimpses into exotic frontiers of Jewish literature, history and tradition. In the present compendium of short studies, Eliezer Segal once again introduces the public to the fruits of Judaic scholarship, while employing a charming style that combines learning and wit. Chronicles and Commentaries is the latest addition to the author's distinguished series of collections that includes: Why Didn't I Learn That in Hebrew School? (1999), Ask Now of the Days that Are Past (2005), A Meeting-Place for the Wise (2008), and On the Trails of Tradition (2011).

The Bible has always been vital to Jewish religious life, and it has been expounded in diverse ways. Perhaps the most influential body of Jewish biblical interpretation is the Midrash that was produced by expositors during the first five centuries CE. Many such teachings are collected in the Babylonian Talmud, the monumental compendium of Jewish law and lore that was accepted as the definitive statement of Jewish oral tradition for subsequent generations. However, many of the Talmud's interpretations of biblical passages appear bizarre or pointless. From Sermon to Commentary: Expounding the Bible in Talmudic Babylonia tries to explain this phenomenon by carefully examining representative passages from a variety of methodological approaches, paying particular attention to comparisons with Midrash composed in the Land of Israel. Based on this investigation, Eliezer Segal argues that the Babylonian sages were utilizing discourses that had originated in Israel as rhetorical sermons in which biblical interpretation was being employed in an imaginative, literary manner, usually based on the interplay between two or more texts from different books of the Bible. Because they did not possess their own tradition of homiletic preaching, the Babylonian rabbis interpreted these comments without regard for their rhetorical conventions, as if they were exegetical commentaries, resulting in the distinctive, puzzling character of Babylonian Midrash.

The Most Precious Possession: The Ring of Polycrates in Ancient Religious Narratives examines variations on this ring motif as they appear in ancient religious texts, including the Gospel of Matthew, Jewish Midrash and Talmud, and Augustine's City of God.

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A collection of short essays that explore the intricate framework of sacred days and times which make up the Jewish festival calendar. It investigates the ways festival observances have been shaped over the generations, looking at different interpretations of their rituals, and their symbolism.

A collection of essays from various topics in Jewish history and traditional religious literature that demonstrates the diverse aspects of Jewish tradition.

Many of the Talmud's interpretations of biblical passages appear bizarre or pointless. From Sermon to Commentary tries to explain this phenomenon by carefully examining representative passages from a variety of methodological approaches, paying particular attention to comparisons with Midrash composed in the Land of Israel.