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Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > Philosophy of religion
Ma?berot Immanuel is a collection of twenty-eight chapters in
Hebrew of rhymed prose and poetry written by the poet and amateur
philosopher Immanuel of Rome during an era of rapid political
change in late medieval Italy. The final chapter, Mah?beret
Ha-Tofet Ve-ha-'Eden (A Tale of Heaven and Hell), like Dante's
Commedia, depicts Immanuel's visits to hell and heaven. Bridging
Worlds focuses on the interrelation of Immanuel's belletristic work
and biblical exegesis to advance a comprehensive and original
reading of this final chapter. By reading Immanuel's philosophical
commentaries and literary works together, Dana Fishkin demonstrates
that Immanuel's narrative made complex philosophical ideas about
the soul's quest for immortality accessible to an educated
populace. Throughout this work, she explains the many ways
Mah?beret Ha-Tofet Ve-ha-'Eden serves as a site of cultural
negotiation and translation. Bridging Worlds broadens our
understanding of the tensions inherent in the world of late
medieval Jewish people who were deeply enmeshed in Italian culture
and literature, negotiating two cultures whose values may have
overlapped but also sometimes clashed. Fishkin puts forth a
valuable and refreshing perspective alongside previously unknown
sources to breathe new life into this extremely rich and culturally
valuable medieval work.
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