David d’Beth Hillel and Jacob Sapir
- Two 19th century rabbis born in Vilna and educated in its raditionalist rationalism interacted with India’s temple Hinduism in different ways. Both were fascinated with Hindu worship and images, but David d’Beth Hillel entered temples and disputed with priests, while Jacob Sapir observed from outside, composing written pictures of Hindu images using a biblical vocabulary of abomination. D’Beth Hillel employed Hebrew linguistics to uncover secret meanings of Hindu words. However, both travelers interpreted Hindu religiosity similarly, as idolatrous worship. They explained this Hinduism historically as a survival of Judean idolatry brought to India by Jewish migrants, or as a survival from an ancient culture of idolatry that once filled the world. Both rabbis also perceived Jewish elements in Hinduism, which they explained from Jewish migrations of the past. The similarities in their conceptualizations of Hinduism point to a common Jewish worldview that constructed the world as opposing realms of revelation and idolatry, and also toTwo 19th century rabbis born in Vilna and educated in its raditionalist rationalism interacted with India’s temple Hinduism in different ways. Both were fascinated with Hindu worship and images, but David d’Beth Hillel entered temples and disputed with priests, while Jacob Sapir observed from outside, composing written pictures of Hindu images using a biblical vocabulary of abomination. D’Beth Hillel employed Hebrew linguistics to uncover secret meanings of Hindu words. However, both travelers interpreted Hindu religiosity similarly, as idolatrous worship. They explained this Hinduism historically as a survival of Judean idolatry brought to India by Jewish migrants, or as a survival from an ancient culture of idolatry that once filled the world. Both rabbis also perceived Jewish elements in Hinduism, which they explained from Jewish migrations of the past. The similarities in their conceptualizations of Hinduism point to a common Jewish worldview that constructed the world as opposing realms of revelation and idolatry, and also to common theories about how cultural change occurs through survivals, corruptions, and diffusion.…
Author details: | Richard G. Marks |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-408884 |
ISBN: | 978-3-86956-418-0 |
ISSN: | 1614-6492 |
ISSN: | 1862-7684 |
Title of parent work (English): | PaRDeS : Journal of the Association of Jewish Studies [23 (2017)] = JewBus, Jewish Hindus & other Jewish Encounters with East Asian Religions |
Title of parent work (German): | PaRDeS : Zeitschrift der Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien [23 (2017)] = JewBus, Jewish Hindus & other Jewish Encounters with East Asian Religions |
Subtitle (English): | Their Encounters with Temple Hinduism in 19th Century India |
Publisher: | Universitätsverlag Potsdam |
Place of publishing: | Potsdam |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2018/03/16 |
Publication year: | 2018 |
Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
Publishing institution: | Universitätsverlag Potsdam |
Release date: | 2018/03/23 |
Issue: | 23 |
First page: | 19 |
Last Page: | 39 |
Source: | PaRDeS : Zeitschrift der Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien [23 (2017)] | ISBN 978-3-86956-418-0 | S. 19-39 |
RVK - Regensburg classification: | BD 1680 |
Organizational units: | Extern / Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien e. V. |
DDC classification: | 2 Religion / 20 Religion / 200 Religion |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access |
Universitätsverlag Potsdam | |
Collection(s): | Universität Potsdam / Zeitschriften / PaRDeS : Zeitschrift der Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien e.V., ISSN 1862-7684 / PaRDeS (2017) 23 / Articles |
License (German): | Keine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz |