God-Talk: an Introduction.

God-talk consists of God speaking to humans in revelation, and humans speaking to God in prayer. They are the two forms of the covenantal language spoken between God and humans in general, and specifically between God and the Jewish people. God-talk is an essential component of the languages of all...

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Published in:Modern Judaism: A Journal of Jewish Ideas & Experience Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 227 - 252
Main Author: Novak, David
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Oct2024
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: God-Talk: an Introduction.
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        au: Novak, David
        affil: University of Toronto , Canada
      su:
        God in Judaism
        Jews
        Theology
        God
        Prayers
      sug:
        subj:
          God in Judaism
          Jews
          Theology
          God
          Prayers
      keyword:
        covenant
        faith
        language
        prayer
        revelation
        theology
      ab: God-talk consists of God speaking to humans in revelation, and humans speaking to God in prayer. They are the two forms of the covenantal language spoken between God and humans in general, and specifically between God and the Jewish people. God-talk is an essential component of the languages of all historic cultures. Yet there have been attempts to dismiss God-talk from public discourse, either epistemologically by claiming it is nonsense, or psychologically by claiming it is an invented illusion. Conversely, it is argued here that Jewish God-talk (by no means uniquely) has a logic that regulates how it may and may not be intelligently spoken by its speakers; hence it is not nonsense. And it is argued here that God-talk has always been spoken in human history, that it would be unintelligible in any language whose speakers did not already intend a real referent by the name "God"; hence it is not an invented illusion. This essay is an attempt to retrieve God-talk so that it can be conducted in public discourse, even in secular space.
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    language: English
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