Thinking About God (Rabbi Kari Tuling) -- A Review
THINKING ABOUT GOD: Jewish Views (JPS Essential Judaism Series). By Rabbi Kari H.
Tuling. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2020. Xxxi + 387 pages.
As a
Christian, my thinking about God is channeled through Jesus, whom I affirm to
be the Word of God incarnate (John 1:1-14). That said, my Christian understanding
of God is rooted in texts that emerge out of Judaism. Therefore, if I am to
understand who God is, I would be well-advised to consider Jewish views of God.
What I mean to say is that the earliest Christians, the ones who produced the
New Testament, were, for the most part, Jews who came to follow Jesus, who was
Jewish. They depended on what Christians call the Old Testament, which is known
among Jews as the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. Thus, we share Scriptures, even if we
interpret them differently at points. Just as Christians have traditions that
embody and interpret Sacred Scripture, the same is true for Jews.
In her
book Thinking about God, Rabbi Kari H. Tuling takes us through a series
of questions that speak to how Jews understand God. Hearing these views
explicated is truly helpful, for Tuling brings to the conversation another way
of looking at shared texts. What we learn is that although the text of Sacred
Scripture, especially the Torah, is fixed, the same is not true of its
interpretation and application. Thus, the Rabbis determined that the
interpretation of Scripture belonged to them and that it should be adjudicated
by the majority, even, interestingly enough, if the dissenter could claim God's
endorsement (p. 358).
The
book has its origins in a course taught at the University of Cincinnati titled
"Thinking about God: Jewish Views.” Tuling proceeds with her task with the
understanding that there is a diverse tapestry of thought within Judaism. To
communicate her message, Tuling organizes the conversation topically, doing so while
covering the "full span of Jewish history" and by taking an
"intertextual approach by highlighting the interplay between texts over time
and how the later texts participate in the ongoing process of Jewish
commentary" (p. xxvi). As you can see this course of study is very
text-oriented.
Tuling divides
the ten chapters of the book into four parts or sections. She begins each
chapter by stating three questions. The first question is answered with more
depth and the latter two are given briefer exposition. The way she develops the
chapters and parts reflects a recognition that there are differences of
interpretation and understandings of God within Judaism. She notes that while
Judaism is monotheistic, the Hebrew Bible shows traces of monolatry (worship of
one God, while recognizing that there are other gods). I appreciate her use of
the word monolatry, which focuses on the worship of one God, without assuming that
there is only one God. Contextually this is probably a better word than
henotheism that has a more doctrinal sense to it.
Part 1
is titled "Is God the Creator and Source of All Being—including evil? In
two chapters, Tuling explores the question of God's role in creation, beginning
with a biblical view, and then she takes us through a series of interpretive
responses. These start with the liturgy of Judaism, then the ancient rabbinic
view, a medieval interpretation, and finally two modern views. This is followed
by a summary section and then two more sections that deal with questions of the
seven-day creation and the intended role of humanity within creation. This
pattern is largely followed throughout the book. Bible, liturgy, rabbinic view,
medieval view, modern view, followed by a summary statement. Finally, she
addresses the two remaining questions, though in much briefer space. The second
chapter in Part One focuses on the question of evil and its origins if God the
creator is good. Regarding the nature of sin, Tulling comments that for Jews, “sin
is not a state of being.” People make mistakes and God holds them accountable,
but biblically the origin and continuation of sin is something for which there
are various answers, even within Scripture (pp. 35-36). There is not just one
view on this matter within Judaism nor in Christianity, though both affirm that
the creation is in its origins good. Thus, God is not the cause of evil but is
a result of free will. For many Jews (and growing numbers of Christians) the
presence of evil requires a rethinking of God’s omnipotence.
Chapters
three through five develop the question of whether God has a personality as
opposed to being an impersonal force. Thus, chapter three asks the question of
whether God is like a person. Then there is a chapter on whether God has
gender. Part of the conversation here speaks to questions of how Scripture is
read and translated. Then finally, there is the question of what is meant in
the declaration that God is one. Regarding the final question, on the oneness
of God, we are reminded of the importance of the Shema in defining
Jewish understandings. Regarding this emphasis within Judaism, Tuling notes
that “when we try to define God—to tame our God-concepts so they might be comprehensive—we
tend to imagine things that are not God. Affirming the singularity and
uniqueness of God helps us to recognize that God is so much bigger, and grander,
than our comprehensions” (p. 166). Even a Trinitarian, such as am I, can agree
with this!
Part
Three seeks to answer the question of whether God redeems or whether God might
not redeem. This section incorporates two chapters. The first is more personal—it
asks the question of how God might intervene in our lives. Among the questions
addressed in this chapter concern whether God acts on behalf of the Jewish
community and whether the creation of the modern state of Israel is evidence of
divine providence. Then, in chapter seven, the question is whether God
intervenes in history. While the questions found in the first of these chapters
focuses on the Jewish community, in the second she takes a wider view but doesn’t
leave aside her concern for the Jewish community. Thus, in these two chapters,
she addresses the question of suffering, especially Israel's suffering. That
includes the question of the Holocaust.
Finally,
in Part Four the remaining three chapters address the question of whether God
is a covenantal partner and lawgiver. Additionally, she asks whether these
roles can be rethought in our modern age. As a Christian, I live with the
assumption that God has made several covenants, some like that with Noah on
behalf of all humanity, and the one at Sinai with a particular people. What is
interesting here is the discovery that within Judaism the question of the
nature of that covenant is being debated. So, chapter 8 addresses the question
of the relationship between God and Israel. Chapter 9 speaks to the question of
whether the covenant remains binding, especially if God didn't write the Bible,
as to whether how the covenant is to be understood in the context of living
peacefully in a pluralistic world. Finally, in chapter 10, she addresses the
question of how revealed law should be understood. Here the question of
interpretation comes into full view -- including the assumption that it is to
be interpreted according to a rabbinic majority.
In many
ways this can be read as a reference book, providing answers to specific
questions. We are reminded that Judaism is not monolithic. As I’ve been told
many times by my Jewish friends, there isn't just one Jewish view of anything.
By taking a more historical look at these questions, taking them from Scripture
down through various traditions to the present, we get a true sense of that
diversity. While the book is written for a Jewish audience, it is written in a
way that I, as a non-Jew, could understand what she was laying out. Yes, it is
filled with insider language, but it's not overwhelming. And speaking as a
Christian historian, theologian, and pastor, I recommend that my Christian
sisters and brothers check Rabbi Tuling’s book Thinking About God. Not
only will you develop a new appreciation for Judaism, but you might also gain a
new understanding of the Christian faith. You might also read Scripture
differently.
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