Preface

Summary

It seems to me to be surprising that more has not been written on the ways in which the Jewish philosophical tradition dealt with the topics of evil and suffering. These topics have been discussed extensively right up to the present time, and more recent disasters such as the Holocaust have renewed the search for a satisfactory resolution of the apparent contradiction between a good and omnipotent God and the suffering of the innocent. It is argued in this book that there is a tradition of dealing with these topics within Jewish philosophy, and it is my intention to outline it for readers. The text presupposes no knowledge whatsoever of either philosophy or Judaism.

I should like to thank a number of people and institutions for their help in writing this book. My college library has been very helpful in getting books and articles for me. I have had interesting discussions with John Clayton and Paul Morris about the topic. An anonymous reader for Cambridge University Press made interesting suggestions. The main debt I have is to the undergraduates whom I have taught, and also to the students at St Francis Xavier College during my term working there. I presented some of the ideas in this book at conferences in Paris, Cambridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, London, and Wolfenbüttel. I am grateful to the participants for their comments and advice. Christine Lyall Grant and Alex Wright made many useful suggestions for improving the style of the text. None of the above is to be blamed for anything in the book, which represents only my views and arguments.