Louis Jacobs, Beyond Reasonable Doubt. London: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1999.267pp. Beyond Reasonable Doubt is intended as a sequel to We Have Reason to Believe, a book written 40 years ago that provoked the well-known Jacobs ... Continue Reading ➨
Reviews of Louis Jacobs’s books
This section contains a selection of book reviews written by a broad range of authored, including academics and rabbis, offering critical comments on the works of Rabbi Louis Jacobs.
Norman Solomon reviews ‘Judaism and Theology’ and ‘Rabbinic Thought in the Talmud’
Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle, 10 June 2005. Judaism and Theology: Essays on the Jewish Religion. Louis Jacobs, Vallentine Mitchell, £17.95 (£39.50 HB). Rabbinic Thought in the Talmud. Louis Jacobs, Vallentine Mitchell, £17.95 ... Continue Reading ➨
‘Principles of the Jewish Faith’ review in the Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter
Originally published in the Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter. Jacobs, Louis. Principles of the Jewish Faith. Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson 1988. $35.00. ISBN 0-87668-871-7. This reprint of a volume originally published in 1964 by ... Continue Reading ➨
Review of ‘The Talmudic Argument’ by Philip R. Davies
JACOBS, L., The Talmudic Argument, Cambridge: CUP, 1984. Pp. xvi + 220. Cloth, £25.00/$44.50. ISBN 0-521-26370-0. In a series of analyses of selected Talmudic sugyot, Jacobs illustrates his thesis that these arguments have been artificially ... Continue Reading ➨
Review by R. J. Zwi Werblowsly of A Jewish Theology’
Originally published in 1974. A Jewish Theology. By Louis Jacobs. Darton, Longman & Todd, £4.75. Jewish theology is an awkward subject. There are some deny its very existence, alleging that Judaism is a “way of life” (which religion is ... Continue Reading ➨
Review of ‘Jewish Values’ in the Jewish Observer & Middle East Review
Originally published in The Jewish Observer and Middle East Review, 23 September 1960. Jewish Values, by Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs; 160 pp.; (Vallentine, Mitchell) 21s. It seems to me a little anachronistic to publish a book with the title Jewish ... Continue Reading ➨
Insoluble Problems – A Review by Abraham Chill
Originally published in The Jerusalem Post Magazine, 29 April 1983, p. 13. Teyku: A Study in the Literary Analysis and Form of the Talmudic Argument by Louis Jacobs. A Leo Baeck College Publication. London, New York, Cornwall Books, 312 pp. ... Continue Reading ➨
Jacobs’ Teyku – Review by Baruch M. Bokser
Originally published in The Jewish Quarterly Review, 75:1 (July 1984), pp. 93-5. Louis Jacobs, Teyku: The Unresolved Problem in the Babylonian Talmud: A Study in the Literary Analysis and Form of the Talmudic Argument (Leo Baeck College ... Continue Reading ➨
‘Two Un-Orthodox Rabbis’ – Review by Cecil Bloom
Originally published in The Jerusalem Post, 10 March 2000. Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Louis Jacobs. London & Portland, Oregon, The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization. 267pp. No price stated. A Modern Heretic and a Traditional Community ... Continue Reading ➨
‘A Rabbi for All Seasons’ by Jeffrey Cohen
Originally published in the Jewish Chronicle, 17 December 2004. Jewish Preaching—Homilies and Sermons, £16.95, Their Heads in Heaven—Unfamiliar Aspects of Hasidism, £17.95 Louis Jacobs, Vallentine Mitchell It was with a sense of ... Continue Reading ➨
‘Provisional Absolutes’ – A Review by Chaim Potok
Originally published in Commentary Magazine, May 1965, pp. 76-80. Principles of the Jewish Faith. By Louis Jacobs. Basic Books. 467 pp. $9.50. Reviewed by Chaim Potok Rabbi Louis Jacobs is troubled by the “obstacles to belief in some of the ... Continue Reading ➨
Is Theology Good for the Jews? – Review by Solomon Goldman
Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. FAITH. By Rabbi Louis Jacobs. Vallentine, Mitchell. 42s. Rabbi Nahman of Bratzlav (1772-1811), great-grandson of the founder of Chasidism, answered the question, “Is theology good for the Jews?” ... Continue Reading ➨
Review by Bruce Findlow in ‘The Inquirer’
Originally published in The Inquirer (18 May 1968). Rabbi Jacobs' Defence of Theism A defence of theism addressed to doubting Jewish readers? A Jewish defence of theism addressed to Christians? Rabbi Louis Jacobs’ new book Faith (Vallentine, ... Continue Reading ➨
Review by David R. Blumenthal of ‘Jewish Mystical Testimonies’
Originally published by the Institut de recherche et d'histoire des textes (July-December 1977), pp. 450-2. Louis Jacobs.—Jewish Mystical Testimonies. New York, Schocken Books, 1976; IX + 270 pages. Jewish Mystical Testimonies is a collection ... Continue Reading ➨
Review by Alan W. Miller of Principles of the Jewish Faith
Originally published in Jewish Social Studies, January 1966, pp. 57-60. JACOBS, LOUIS. Principles of the Jewish Faith. New York. Basic Books, Inc. 1964. Pp. xii, 473. This is a masterly attempt to reinterpret the thirteen articles of faith laid ... Continue Reading ➨
Review by George A. F. Knight of ‘Principles of the Jewish Faith’
Originally published in the Scottish Journal of Theology, 19:1 (March 1966), pp. 96-8. Principles of the Jewish Faith, an Analytical Study. By Louis Jacobs. Vallentine Mitchell, London, 1964. Pp. 473. 63s. Rabbi Jacobs has set himself the task ... Continue Reading ➨
‘Asking the Rabbi’ – review in ‘The Jewish Echo’
Originally published in The Jewish Echo, 30th January 1976. Theology in the Responsa. By Louis Jacobs. (Littman Library of Jewish Civilisation, Routledge and Kegan Paul £6). Pre-judging a book by its day title—or, for the matter of that, by the ... Continue Reading ➨
Review by Michael H. Newman of ‘Seeker of Unity’
Seeker of Unity Louis Jacobs (Vallentine Mitchell, 25/-) The “Seeker” was Rabbi Aaron of Starosselje, and it was God’s Unity within the universe that he sought. Aaron of Starosselje lived about 150 years ago, and was the favourite disciple ... Continue Reading ➨
Seymour J. Cohen reviews ‘Jewish Values’
Originally published in Conservative Judaism, Fall 1962-Winter 1963. Reprinted in The Bulletin of the Anshe Emet, 'From the Pulpit' section, p. 2. A REVIEW OF Jewish Values, by Louis Jacobs, Vallentine, Mitchell, London, 1960. Great concern has ... Continue Reading ➨
Review by Ben Zion Bokser of ‘Principles of the Jewish Faith’
Originally published in Jewish Bookland, September 1965. PRINCIPLES OF THE JEWISH FAITH: An Analytical Study. By Louis Jacobs. N.Y., Basic Books, 1964. 473 p. $9.50. RABBI LOUIS JACOBS is a controversial figure in English Jewry. He had been ... Continue Reading ➨