Evil and Suffering in Jewish Philosophy

The problems of evil and suffering have been extensively discussed in Jewish philosophy, and much of the discussion has centred on the Book of Job. In this study Oliver Leaman poses two questions: how can a powerful and caring deity allow terrible things to happen to obviously innocent people, and why have the Jewish people been so harshly treated throughout history, given their status as the chosen people? He explores these issues through an analysis of the views of Philo, Saadya, Maimonides, Gersonides, Spinoza, Mendelssohn, Hermann Cohen, Buber, Rosenzweig, and post-Holocaust thinkers, and suggests that a discussion of evil and suffering is really a discussion about our relationship with God.

• First book of its kind in English • Written accessibly with a student readership in mind • Covers a wide range from the earliest Jewish philosophers to post-Holocaust thinkers • Emphasises a philosophical approach to the subject, but will also be relevant to theologians

1. Job; 2. Philo; 3. Saadya; 4. Maimonides; 5. Gersonides; 6. Spinoza; 7. Mendelssohn; 8. Cohen; 9. Buber; 10. The Holocaust; 11. Back to the Bible.

‘An instructive and thought-provoking study, and a fine introduction for the non-specialist to the range of Jewish philosophical reflection.’

– Rabbi Fred Morgan, The Expository Times