This paper explores the construction of the idea of ＂Humanity＂ in classical Jewish tradition and culture. The first half of the paper traces the history of the idea from the Biblical notion of human beings created ...This paper explores the construction of the idea of ＂Humanity＂ in classical Jewish tradition and culture. The first half of the paper traces the history of the idea from the Biblical notion of human beings created ＂in the image of God＂ through medieval interpretations of that phrase, and the implications of those traditions for conceptualizing Jewish-gentile relations, and in particular, the ＂humanity＂ of gentiles. The second half of the paper treats a very different construction of Jewish-gentile relations by looking at the phenomenon of inter-cultural adaptation and exchange as it has shaped Jewish diasporic culture; this discussion focuses upon one extreme case of Jewish-gentile syncretism, the medieval Kaifeng Jewish community in China.展开更多
文摘This paper explores the construction of the idea of ＂Humanity＂ in classical Jewish tradition and culture. The first half of the paper traces the history of the idea from the Biblical notion of human beings created ＂in the image of God＂ through medieval interpretations of that phrase, and the implications of those traditions for conceptualizing Jewish-gentile relations, and in particular, the ＂humanity＂ of gentiles. The second half of the paper treats a very different construction of Jewish-gentile relations by looking at the phenomenon of inter-cultural adaptation and exchange as it has shaped Jewish diasporic culture; this discussion focuses upon one extreme case of Jewish-gentile syncretism, the medieval Kaifeng Jewish community in China.
