Ehud Z. Benor
Appointments
Associate Professor of Religion, Emeritus
Area of Expertise
Phenomenology of Judaism,
Maimonides,
Jewish mysticism, religious thought, and philosophy,
Theory of magic
Biography
Professor Benor (Religion Department) teaches courses on Judaism from the post-biblical period to the 20th century focusing on the history of thought in its philosophical and mystical dimensions, on the nature of ritual and its embodiment in religious law and society, and on the interrelatedness of religion, magic, and science.
Education
B.A. Hebrew University of Jerusalem
M.A. Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A.M. Harvard University
Ph.D. Harvard University
Publications
“Jewish Ethics in a Pluralistic World,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy , 5:2 (1996) 219-236.
Worship of the Heart: A Study in Maimonides’ Philosophy of Religion , (1995).
“Meaning and Reference in Maimonides’ Negative Theology,” Harvard Theological Review , 88:3 (1995) 339-360.
“Petition and Contemplation in Maimonides’ Concept of Prayer,” Religion , 24:1 (January 1994) 59-66.
“Perspectives on Maimonides,” Religious Studies Review , 20:3 (July 1994) 189a-195b.
Works in Progress
“Ethical Monotheism: A Limiting Concept in the Jewish Tradition;” Is Religion Necessarily Magical? Toward a Post Modern Theory of Magic
“Spinoza’s Theory of Religion: Ritual and the Stabilization of Superstition”
“Moral Extremism and Cognitive Virtue”
" Imitatio Dei : Cosmic and Ethical"
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