A Short History of Jewish Ethics: Conduct and Character in the Context of Covenant

What exactly do we mean by "Jewish ethics"? A Short History of Jewish Ethics traces the development of Jewish moral concepts and ethical reflection from their origins in the Hebrew Bible through to the present day.

In this engaging and unique introduction, Alan Mittleman explores Jewish moral concepts through Jewish historical sources, beginning with the Bible and then looking at the Hellenistic Jewish synthesis of biblical thought and Greek philosophy. He covers various types of classical rabbinic, medieval philosophical, and popular pietistic literature,  then turns to modern Jewish thought,  traditional Jewish work on ethics in the modern period, and  contemporary Jewish ethics. Mittleman contends that Jewish ethics is centrally concerned to reflect on the relationship between conduct and character, against the theological background of the concept of covenant. From Moses to Maimonides to modern figures such as Emmanuel Levinas, A Short History of Jewish Ethics offers fascinating insights into the evolution of the historical voices and writings that remain woven into the fabric of contemporary Jewish consciousness.