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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.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author details:Richard G. Marks
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):License LogoKeine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz
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