Inaugurele Lezing 2007-2008 MOSES MAIMONIDES: HALAKHIST, PHILOSOPHER, JEW Prof. dr. Arthur Hyman (Yeshiva University - New York) Woensdag 17 oktober 2007 om 20.00 uur Universiteit Antwerpen, Rodestraat 14 - R.004, 2000 Antwerpen Lezing in het Engels Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) was, by general agreement, one of the greatest Jewish scholars of all times. In the Jewish world, Maimonides is known - first of all - as a great halakhist, an expert in Jewish law. In that role, he wrote his Commentary on the Mishnah, a commentary on a fundamental part of the Talmud. For most scholars, this would have been the accomplishment of a lifetime. For Maimonides this was only the beginning. For beyond the Commentary he composed the Mishneh Torah, his magisterial code of Jewish law. In this work he undertook what no one had undertaken before him - to compose a guide book for the practice of the totality of Jewish law - not only laws that were still applicable in his own day, but also laws that had not been practiced in hundreds of years, such as the agricultural laws practiced in ancient Palestine and the laws of the Temple of old. But Maimonides was not satisfied with providing practical guidance for Jews; beyond that he wanted to articulate an intellectual and spiritual understanding of Jewish tradition. To that end he formulated, in the Commentary on the Mishnah, 13 principles of Jewish belief and he equally included a Book of Knowledge in his Mishneh Torah. This he did to make sure that every Jew, even the most unlearned, would have a spiritual conception of God and that each Jew would have a more spiritual understanding of his tradition. Beyond being concerned about the spiritual life of ordinary Jews, he addressed the needs of those Jews who, having studied philosophy, were concerned about possible conflicts between their religious beliefs and what they had learned in their philosophic studies. To these he showed in his Guide of the Perplexed, that Jewish religious beliefs, such a beliefs in God, revelation, and providence were compatible with philosophic teachings. Through Latin translations of the Guide, this work became part of the medieval Christian philosophy. In addition to writing on halakhah and philosophy, Maimonides also composed medical treatises and during the second part of his life he practiced medicine rather than earn his livelihood as a rabbi. Arthur Hyman, who holds the Ph.D. degree from Harvard University and the M.H.L. degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, is a Historian of Philosophy who has specialized in Medieval Jewish Philosophy. He serves as Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University in New York. A member of several learned societies, he has served as president of the American Academy of Jewish Research and as president of the American Society for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He is the recipient of the award for textual studies of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and holds honorary doctorates from the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. His publications include a textual edition of Averroes' Ma'mar be-Esem ha-Galgal and Eschatological Theories in Medieval Philosophy. He is also the co-editor of Philosophy in the Middle Ages: the Christian, Islamic and Jewish Traditions, the author of essays on Maimonides, and the editor of Maimonidean Studies. Lezingen 1ste semester 2007-2008 Donderdag 25 oktober 2007 ANTAGONISME TUSSEN VLUCHTELINGEN: SALAMON DEMBITZER EN ALFRED DÖBLIN Prof. dr. Joris Duytschaever (Universiteit Antwerpen) Donderdag 8 november 2007 EMMANUEL LÉVINAS: PENSEUR JUIF DU 20ÈME SIÈCLE Drs. Eli Schönfeld (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) Lezing in het Frans Donderdag 15 november 2007 THE OLD WORLD IN THE NEW: REIMAGINING THE SHTETL IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN JEWISH FICTION Dr. Ursula Zeller (Institute for Jewish Studies, University of Basel / James Joyce Foundation Zurich) Lezing in het Engels Donderdag 22 november 2007 LE PREMIER RECUEIL DE CONTES ET LÉGENDES YIDDISH (BÂLE 1602) Prof. dr. Astrid Starck (University of Basel) Lezing in het Frans Donderdag 29 november 2007 THE FRAGILE POWER OF CONSENT: CONSENSUAL TRANSFER OF FAMILY PROPERTY IN 18TH CENTURY ASHKENAZIC JEWRY Prof. dr. Birgit Klein (Hochschule für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg) Lezing in het Engels Donderdag 6 december 2007 THERE ARE NO JEWS IN FRANCE Prof. dr. Domna Stanton (The Graduate Center, City University of New York) Lezing in het Engels Donderdag 13 december 2007 THE JEWISH ARAB CONFLICT IN HEBREW CHILDREN'S LITERATURE Prof. dr. Yael Darr (Tel Aviv University) Lezing in het Engels Donderdag 20 december 2007 THE APOSTLE PAUL IN THE JEWISH IMAGINATION Prof. dr. Daniel Langton (University of Manchester) Lezing in het Engels De donderdagavondlezingen vinden plaats om 20.00 uur op de Stadscampus, Rodestraat 14 (lokaal R.013), 2000 Antwerpen. Alle lezingen zijn gratis toegankelijk. Inschrijven is niet noodzakelijk.