God's Chosen People: Judah Halevi's 'Kuzari' and the Shai?ai Imaam Doctrine

Description

The systematic formulation of the status of the People of Israel as the Chosen People of God stands at the heart of Judah Halevi's famous theological and polemical treatise - the Kuzari. The idea of the Chosen People is an ancient one and is deeply rooted in Judaism. Through a wide-ranging textual and phenomenological investigation, this book highlights the novel and systematic presentation of the Chosen People in the Kuzari and shows how Judah Halevi draws, in a creative manner, on terms, concepts, and themes borrowed from the Shi'i doctrine of the Imam as presented in Shi'i literature. This book presents a historical perspective for understanding the basis of Judah Halevi's attraction to Shi'i theology, with its unique category of God's Chosen. The polemical argument over the issue of the legitimate successor to leadership in early Islam, as well as the debate around the legitimate successor-group in medieval interreligious disputes, emerges as the historical background for the seemingly surprising link between the Shi'i Imam doctrine and the idea of the Chosen People in Judah Halevi's thought. This link on the one hand portrays Halevi as a bold, original thinker and, on the other, portrays the Shi'i Imam doctrine as exceedingly fruitful and reaching beyond the bounds of Islam. Contents Foreword Part I Background Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2 .The Shī‘ī Heritage Chapter 3. Jewish Exposure to the Shī‘ī Heritage Part II Continuity Chapter 4. The Unique Individuals (Afrād) Model in the Kuzari and its Shī‘ī Context Chapter 5. Evidence for the Shī‘ī Doctrine of Primordial Chosenness in the Kuzari Chapter 6. God’s Proof (Ḥujja) Part III Hierarchy and Mediation Chapter 7. The Features of Hierarchism in the Kuzari and its Shī‘ī Context Chapter 8. Superhuman Attributes Of The Chosen ‘divine Humans’ On The Upper Level Of The Hierarchy Chapter 9. Mediation Part IV Exclusivity and Dependence Chapter 10. Shī‘ī Aspects of the Concept of the Divine Order (al-amr al-ilāhī) in the Kuzari Chapter 11. The God of Creation and the God of History Part V Legitimate Succession and Chosenness Chapter 12. The Question of Legitimate Succession and its Background Chapter 13. The Question of Legitimate Succession in the Kuzari Part VI Conclusion Chapter 14. General Assessment of the Nature of the Shī‘ī Influence on the Kuzari Chapter 15. Shī‘ī Trends and the Multifaceted Nature of the Kuzari Appendix. The Linguistic and Literary Uniqueness of Book I of the Kuzari Bibliography Index of Passages from the Kuzari General Index