Judaism
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Judaism had had a long and tumultuous dialectic with Greek Philosophy, and in Maimomedes, Aristotelian logic was brought systematically for the first time into serious use in the study of the Torah. Reactions to this were less than the adoration with which Maimomedes is held today, and many congregations begged the Christians to ban the publication and distribution of this work, while other congregations embraced this rationalization of their religion. Jewish mysticism was also flourishing with the first publications of the Kabalah and an exploration of the idea that the Torah itself was the Tree of Life and to those who held fast to it would provide joy and peace.
JUDAIC MYTH LILITH Lilith is mentioned briefly in the Book of Isaiah 34:13-15, in a list of evil creatures some of which are demonic, but most of the myth regarding Lilith comes from other sources where she is cast as Adam’s first wife. She is portrayed as co-equal with Adam - perfect and without sin, but the stories also tell of her refusal to submit to Adam's will, her exile from Eden and how she became the mother of monsters. Medieval Jewish women would hang a medallion over the cradles of uncircumcised boys to protect them from her. |