1 JTH 5338 God: Philosophical Perspectives Spring 2021 Thursday, 2:45-4:20 Professor Yonatan Y. Brafman Email: yobrafman@jtsa.edu Office Hours: Monday, 1:00-2:00pm This course examines contemporary philosophical perspectives on God, including God's existence and attributes, as well as God's relation to creation, evil, miracles, revelation, and morality. Modes of human knowledge of God, including through reason and experience, as well as its expression in language are also analyzed. Course readings are principally of recent philosophical articles and chapters. Focus is placed on understanding and assessing philosophical arguments with the aim of developing a rationally defensible and compelling Jewish theology. Course Goals • Students will examine contemporary philosophical perspectives on God • Students will understand philosophical arguments concerning God • Students will assess philosophical arguments concerning God • Students will develop a rationally defensible and compelling Jewish Theology Student Outcomes • Students will be able to: o describe philosophical perspectives on God o detail the premises and conclusions of philosophical arguments concerning God o evaluate the cogency and validity of philosophical arguments concerning God o construct a Jewish Theology that they can rationally and existentially accept Required Texts • All readings will be posted on Canvas Background Resources • Dorff and Newman, Contemporary Jewish Theology (Oxford) • Frank, Leaman, and Manekin, The Jewish Philosophy Reader (Routledge) • Frank and Segal, Jewish Philosophy Past and Present: Contemporary Responses to Classical Sources (Routledge) • Flint and Rea, The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology (Oxford) • Wainwright, The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion (Oxford)