Judaism and World Religion (review)

Topical Book Reviews 139 Judaism and World Religion, by Norman Solomon. New York: ~t. Martin's Press, 1991. 295 pp. n.p.!. Norman Solomon, a Jewish theologian situated in post-Holocaust Europe, addresses late twentieth-century social issues from the perspective of interreligious dialogue. The foci of Solomon's discussion include environmental conservation, contraception and abortion, liberation movements (especially Latin American), messianism, religious pluralism, and the genocide of Jews. Solomon defines Judaism vis-a-vis other living traditions, especially Christianity and Islam. He succeeds in articulating the varied texture and depth of Jewish perspectives, especially those on messianism (Chapter 6) and the Holocaust (Chapter 7). Solomon's treatment ofother religions is meager, however. This is surprising given the broadly inclusive title of the book, Judaism and World Religio!,!. When the author discusses Asian religions in particular, he lumps Hinduism and Buddhism together as one tradition and omits annotation of primary sources. He generally treats other religions as monolithic institutions and not, like Judaism, diverse communities dispersed in time and place. A strength in Solomon's work, however, is his comparison of economic politics among the major Westem religions. Solomon compares Jewish compassion for the poor in the prophetic writings of Torah with contemporary liberation theology among Catholics in third world nations and with the ban on usury and responsibility for the poor that is a potent feature of Islam. Solomon neglects any real discussion on feminist perspectives, including Jewish feminism. Feminism has been a fruitful source of interreligious dialogue in recent years and would contribute nicely to Solomon',s project. For example, a natural outgrowth of Solomon's theoretical discussion on hierarchy and ethics would be the feminist distinction between oppressive hierarchies of social power versus hierarchies of moral value and judgment necessary to ethical decision-making. Apart from its various gaps, Solomon's positive contribution in this work as a whole is to define Judaism's conscious mission as "a light to the nations." Solomon professes a universal God who supports disti!1ct, individuated cultures and ethnic groups. He rejects political imperialism as an opportunity for spreading religion and religious values. Solomon constructively offers the Noahide covenant of Genesis, a prohibition against the taking of human life, as the basis for a universal community of peace and salvation. His next stepl will be to enter into true dialogue by hearing the voices and their complexity in other traditions. Jane Marie Pinzino Department of Religious Studies University of Puget Sound ...