photo
courtesy: Ann Borden, Emory University
David R. Blumenthal
Jay and Leslie Cohen
Professor of Judaic Studies, retired
Professor
Blumenthal did path-breaking work in medieval intellectual Jewish history with
his early studies in Yemenite philosophy, his two-volume textbook on Jewish
mysticism (Understanding
Jewish Mysticism), and his later work that established the
concept “philosophic mysticism” as a category of analysis in
medieval philosophy and mysticism (Philosophic
Mysticism: Essays in Rational Religion).
Professor Blumenthal also did innovative work in modern Jewish religious
thinking: in spiritual theology (God
at the Center), in post-shoah theology (Facing
the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest), and in social
psychology and moral education in the post-shoah era (The
Banality of Good and Evil: Moral Lessons from the Shoah and Jewish Tradition).
His newest book, Keeping
God at the Center: Contemplating and Using the Prayerbook, is a
return to his work in Jewish spirituality.
Professor
Blumenthal is also the subject of a book in the series Library of
Contemporary Jewish Philosophers, ed. by H. Tirosh-Samuelson and A.
Hughes, entitled David
R. Blumenthal: Living with God and Humanity.
In addition, Professor Blumenthal was among the earliest scholars to use
multi-textual writing in “Text-ing" in Facing the
Abusing God: A Theology of Protest), “Reading Genesis,”
“Praying Ashrei,” and “The Creator
and the Computer.” He is the author of Portal for Jewish Prayer,
published in Reverberations
and of Keeping
God at the Center: Contemplating and Using the Prayerbook.
He has also
encouraged students to
write creative essays and has put up their work on his website.
Finally, Professor Blumenthal has reached out from Religious and Jewish Studies
to the arts and, together with his wife Ursula, has curated an exhibit, with a
website and podcast, of Salvador Dali’s suite of lithographs, “Aliyah,
the Rebirth of Israel.” He has taught a course on the Akeda and its expression in art, sculpture, literature, and
music. More recently, Professor Blumenthal has helped to establish an internet
data base for Israeli and
Topical Judaica Philately and has hosted a course on this topic based upon
the holdings of Emory University.
Professor Blumenthal is a member of the European Academy of Sciences, the
American Academy of Religion, and the Rabbinical Assembly of America. He also
received a Doctor of Humane Letters from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College. Professor Blumenthal is now retired from Emory College.
Visitors to
this page are welcome to download and use the material. Professor Blumenthal
only asks that the requisite courtesy and law be observed in crediting him. He
welcomes inquiries and can be reached at reldrb@emory.edu.
contemporary theological reflection
on prayer
on the abusing God
on mysticism
on the banality of evil
autobiographical
other
book reviews
articles specially designed for the web
Reading
Genesis.
Translated into Slovak by Barbora Lebedova, 4/10/18. (Web
version).
Praying
Ashrei (Meditations on Psalm 145) -- revised
11/12/97
The Creator and the Computer.
Translated into Swedish by Weronika Pawlak, 9/22/17.
(Web
version).
Translated into Ukrainian by Sandi
Wolfe, 8/27/19. (Web
version).
Commentary to Sefer Yetsira.
“Madonna’s “Isaac” / Madonna’s Akeda: A Lesson for Scholars, Old and Young,” The Immanent Frame .
Portal for
Jewish Prayer, Reverberations.
syllabi and teaching materials
biblical studies
medieval Judaism
modern Judaism
evil studies
miscellaneous
Israeli and Topical Judaica Philately (revised 9/19/2017) (updated monthly)
Gyongyi "Ginger" Goldhammer, June 16th, 1907 - June 9th, 2008 (updated
3/26/19)
Salvador
Dali, "Aliyah, The Rebirth of Israel
(revised 8/24/21).
Translated into Hindi by Nikol Barton,
5/15/2018. (Web
version).
Translated into Urdu by Samuel Badree,
8/24/21 (Web version).
Translated into Sindhi by Samuel Badree,
8/24/21 (Web
version).
books
full curriculum vitae
(revised 4/9/2022)
This Home Page and the material linked to it is copyrighted (c).
last update: 4/9/2022