Idolatry: A Contemporary Jewish Conversation ed. by Alon Goshen-Gottstein (review)

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Reviewed by:

• Idolatry: A Contemporary Jewish Conversation ed. by Alon Goshen-Gottstein
• Zev Garber

Idolatry: A Contemporary Jewish Conversation. Edited by Alon Goshen-Gottstein. Jewish Thought, Jewish History. Boston, MA: Academic Studies Press, 2023. Pp. 375. $119.00, cloth; $25.00, paper.

The premise of this impactful collection on idolatry is the centrality of God within biblical and rabbinic Judaism. God-talk in the Torah and among the Sages lives by revelation and interpretation (midrash); the Lord alone is God, uniquely one, eternal not corporeal, who can be praised and questioned if warranted. Judaism prohibits any form of idolatry even if it is used to worship the one God of Judaism, as occurred during the sin of the golden calf (Exodus 32). The opening obligations toward God are proclaimed in the `aseret ha-dibrot/Ten Commandments/Decalogue (Ex. 20:2–7; Dt. 5:6–11). The God of Israel is the universal Sovereign of the world, who has redeemed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery; the unity and spirituality of God prohibits depiction by any graven image or any manner of likeness of heaven above, earth below, or the sea underneath. The worship of 'elohim 'acherim ("other gods/foreign gods," the biblical term for idolatry), depicted on the book's cover, in any form or through icons is absolutely prohibited; "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Ex. 20:7; Dt. 5:11) is a commandment against perjury, profane swearing, and false contracts.

Biblical idolatry is the worship of gods (or celestial bodies or natural phenomena) in place of the one God who created the world, redeemed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and revealed the Torah on Mount Sinai. Idol-worshiping [End Page 279] nations and their sacred altars and pillars are absolutely denied presence in the Land of Israel. No treaties are to be signed with them, nor can marriages of daughters and sons occur with them (Deuteronomy 7). Additionally, rabbinic Judaism defines idolatrous practice as one of three cardinal sins for which one is supposed to die rather than transgress (along with murder and illicit sex). A ban on blasphemy, murder, incest, and idolatry are some of the Noahide commandments, the seven laws that Judaism teaches are incumbent on all of humanity (Gen. 9:1–17). In sum, embracing `avodah zarah (foreign/strange service/work, idolatry) amounts to the denial of the whole Torah (Maimonides).

The practice of idolatry is an obligatory test applied by Judaism to all religions to judge whether they are compliant with the belief and practice of strict monotheism. Limited contact, prohibition, and restriction are applied if they are seen as practitioners of `avodah zarah; no close social contact is permitted, lest it lead to intermarriage, nor attendance at devotional worship, lest it lead to conversion. With the advance in interfaith dialogue and relations, positions have been affirmed that most major contemporary religions are cleared from the charge of idolatry (pagan, polytheism, animism). For example, Christology is viewed as a shituf (partnership) that permits Christians to worship God in ways that deviate from the absolute monotheism of Judaism. Goshen-Gottstein notes that, for a number of religions in India (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism), murti (idols) are seen as symbols for the absolute but not the Absolute.

What remains of idolatry, now that its essential categorical essence and usage no longer define or separate Judaism from other religions, nor does theology serve as the definitive tool for evaluating other faiths? Pertinent questions whether idolatry is extant are responded to in the affirmative by the cadre of Jewish scholars who reflect on classical and contemporary idolatrous effects within Judaism. In the Introduction, the editor discuses contemporary Judaism's encounter with Hinduism and his acceptance of emerging Jewish diversity and outreach. The other sixteen contributors speak less of Judaism's exclusivist, inclusivist, and pluralistic views and see contemporary idolatry as strains of intellectual ideas rather than icons of faith emanating from politics, psychology, religion, sociology, etc. They embrace issues of mortal imperfection, limitation, and morality of an imperfect world order, illuminating mortal limitation, responsibility, and response.

Eilon Shamir asserts that idolizing elements of partial reality (beauty, fame, wealth) in contrast to the belief...