The Love of Neighbour in Ancient Judaism

Download or read book The Love of Neighbour in Ancient Judaism written by Kengo Akiyama and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-06-05 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Love of Neighbour in Ancient Judaism, Kengo Akiyama traces the development of the mainstay of early Jewish and Christian ethics: "Love your neighbour." Akiyama examines several Second Temple Jewish texts in great detail and demonstrates a diverse range of uses and applications that opposes a simplistic and evolutionary trajectory often associated with the development of the "greatest commandment" tradition. The monograph presents surprisingly complex interpretative developments in Second Temple Judaism uncovering just how early interpreters grappled with the questions of what it means to love and who should be considered as their neighbour.