Ronald Kiener | Trinity College, Connecticut (original) (raw)

Books by Ronald Kiener

Papers by Ronald Kiener

BRILL eBooks, Dec 31, 1991

American Jewish Year Book, Dec 31, 2022

Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Sep 1, 2018

In this paper, I propose that we are in the midst of an English language "translation movement" t... more In this paper, I propose that we are in the midst of an English language "translation movement" targeting historic texts of Kabbalah. This translation project is a distinctive feature of recent American Jewish culture, beginning in the 1970s and continuing to this day. It has both a scholarly and evangelistic component. As a result, a not insubstantial library of heretofore inaccessible material has been made available to a general English-reading audience, making it possible to offer the English reader a gamut of primary texts in translation. I then consider some of the technical features of translating esoteric Kabbalah into English. I situate the key feature of esoteric aura which drips from such texts within George Steiner's "hermeneutic motion." I conclude that the only proven recourse for conveying the meaning of translated esoteric texts is through copious use of glosses and learned textual notes.

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, 1992

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, 1986

Saadiah Gaon (882–942) was a prolific and pioneering teacher, sage, and communal leader who pursu... more Saadiah Gaon (882–942) was a prolific and pioneering teacher, sage, and communal leader who pursued his wide-ranging studies with a singleminded commitment. His was the first Rabbanite translation of the Hebrew Bible into Arabic; his was one of the first Hebrew dictionaries; hisSiddurmarked one of the first attempts to regularize the liturgy. HisKitāb al-Amānāt wa l-I'tiqādā(Book of Beliefs and Opinions)was the first major work of medieval Jewish philosophy. Written during his renowned forced retirement in the year 932 C.E., theKitāb al-Amānātrepresents the beginning of a long and noble tradition of Judeo-Arabic philosophy.

Paulist Press eBooks, 1986

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1984

Page 1. THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW, LXXIV, No. 3 (January, 1984) 249-66 JEWISH ISMA&amp;... more Page 1. THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW, LXXIV, No. 3 (January, 1984) 249-66 JEWISH ISMA&amp;amp;amp;#x27;ILISM IN TWELFTH CENTURY YEMEN: R. NETHANEL BEN AL-FAYYUMI By RONALD C. KIENER, Trinity College, Hartford ...

Numen, 1997

The disciples and pseudo-followers of the religious ideologues Sayyid Qutb and Rabbi Zvi Yehudah ... more The disciples and pseudo-followers of the religious ideologues Sayyid Qutb and Rabbi Zvi Yehudah Kook have now lived without their mentors for more than twentyfive years (in the case of Qutb) and for more than a decade (in the case of Kook). In both instances, putative "disciples" of these thinkers committed assassinations of the acknowledged domestic leader of a sitting goverment: Sadat in 1981 by al-Jihad al-Islami; Rabin in 1995 by Eyal. In this paper, the theories of both mentors and their ersatz disciples on the issue of violence against the sitting government will be examined for possible comparative results. Rather than finding a symmetry in these examples of Middle Eastern fundamentalist violence, the author elaborates a sharp difference between the two: one (Islam) is centered on the issue of apostasy, while the other (Judaism) is centered on the issue of communal rights and protections. Rather than providing a point for drawing similarities, fundamentalist-inspired assassination points out the differences between Israeli-Jewish and Egyptian-Islamic fundamentalisms.

The Jewish Quarterly Review, Jul 1, 1991

$Research paper thumbnail of THE HEBREW PARAPHRASE OF SAADIA GAON\u27S KITAB AL-AMANAT WA\u27L-ICTIQADAT. (HEBREW TEXT)$

The bulk of this dissertation is a scientific edition of the introduction and first five treatise... more The bulk of this dissertation is a scientific edition of the introduction and first five treatises of the anonymous Hebrew Paraphrase of Saadia Gaon\u27s Kitab al-Amanat wa\u27l-I(\u27c)tiqadat, based on the following witnesses: mss. Vatican 266 ff. 1b-137 (the text provided), Vatican 269 and Munich 42 ff. 301a-526a. In the critical introduction to the scientific edition, the editor takes up a number of issues, including an analysis of the quality of the Paraphrase as translation. Key passages from the Paraphrase are contrasted with the Arabic original and the later Tibbonide translation. The unusual language of the Paraphrase is compared to Qallirite language. The date and provenance of the Paraphrase are discussed, and evidence is presented which suggests that the Paraphrase was written in Byzantine Italy during the eleventh century. The use of the Paraphrase in medieval Jewish philosophy is then traced, especially during the Maimonidean controversy of the thirteenth century. The ...

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1987

Journal of Chinese Philosophy

The Convergence of Judaism and IslamReligious, Scientific, and Cultural Dimensions, 2011

Ajs Review the Journal of the Association For Jewish Studies, 1986

Saadiah Gaon (882–942) was a prolific and pioneering teacher, sage, and communal leader who pursu... more Saadiah Gaon (882–942) was a prolific and pioneering teacher, sage, and communal leader who pursued his wide-ranging studies with a singleminded commitment. His was the first Rabbanite translation of the Hebrew Bible into Arabic; his was one of the first Hebrew dictionaries; his Siddur marked one of the first attempts to regularize the liturgy. His Kitāb al-Amānāt wa l-I'tiqādā (Book of Beliefs and Opinions) was the first major work of medieval Jewish philosophy. Written during his renowned forced retirement in the year 932 C.E., the Kitāb al-Amānāt represents the beginning of a long and noble tradition of Judeo-Arabic philosophy.

BRILL eBooks, Dec 31, 1991

American Jewish Year Book, Dec 31, 2022

Journal of Chinese Philosophy, Sep 1, 2018

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, 1992

Ajs Review-the Journal of The Association for Jewish Studies, 1986

Paulist Press eBooks, 1986

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1984

Numen, 1997

The Jewish Quarterly Review, Jul 1, 1991

$Research paper thumbnail of THE HEBREW PARAPHRASE OF SAADIA GAON\u27S KITAB AL-AMANAT WA\u27L-ICTIQADAT. (HEBREW TEXT)$

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1987

Journal of Chinese Philosophy

The Convergence of Judaism and IslamReligious, Scientific, and Cultural Dimensions, 2011

Ajs Review the Journal of the Association For Jewish Studies, 1986

Saadiah Gaon (882–942) was a prolific and pioneering teacher, sage, and communal leader who pursu... more Saadiah Gaon (882–942) was a prolific and pioneering teacher, sage, and communal leader who pursued his wide-ranging studies with a singleminded commitment. His was the first Rabbanite translation of the Hebrew Bible into Arabic; his was one of the first Hebrew dictionaries; his Siddur marked one of the first attempts to regularize the liturgy. His Kitāb al-Amānāt wa l-I'tiqādā (Book of Beliefs and Opinions) was the first major work of medieval Jewish philosophy. Written during his renowned forced retirement in the year 932 C.E., the Kitāb al-Amānāt represents the beginning of a long and noble tradition of Judeo-Arabic philosophy.

The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1991