(+) By Light, Light: The Mystic Gospel of Hellenistic Judaism (1935 Goodenough), book

By Light, Light: The Mystic Gospel of Hellenistic Judaism (1935) is a book by Erwin R. Goodenough.

Abstract

Seeing a Judaism radically transformed in the Hellenistic Diaspora and a lack of any systematic examination of this phenomenon, Goodenough sets forth a daring thesis which challenged the notions of Judaism during the second temple period and Christian origins. As opposed to a sort of Normative legalism, Judaism in the Greek speaking Diaspora transformed itself into a mystery religion, where the adherent’s goal was salvation and oneness with the Divine through mystical ascent. The chief witness to this mystic Judaism is Philo of Alexandria, whose advanced, well-formed allegories reveal that Philo was not the originator of this mystery. Hellenistic Judaism had become a mystery in the centuries leading up to Philo and this was the world into which he entered. While other Jewish Hellenistic authors are discussed in their relation to this mystery religion, the prime focus is on Philo whose Scriptural allegories Goodenough sees as having a single, unified objective – the mystic goal. A groundbreaking work which continues to spark debate in Philonic studies. – Jason Zurawski, University of Michigan

Editions and translations

Published in New Haven, Yale University Press; and London [England]: Oxford University Press, 1935. Reissued in Amsterdam [Netherlands]: Philo Press, 1969.

Table of contents

• Introduction
• I. The God of the Mystery
• II. The Higher Law
• III. The Torah
• IV. The Mystery of Aaron
• V. Enos, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham
• VI. Isaac and Jacob
• VII. Moses as Presented to the Gentile Inquirer
• VIII. The Mystic Moses
• IX. The Mystery
• X. The Mystery in Non-Philonic Writings
• XI. The Mystic Liturgy
• Epilogue: Traces of the Mystery in the Kabbalah
• Appendix: Law in the Subjective Realm

External links

• Google Books