God's beloved: Election and tradition in the theology of Michael Wyschogrod

This dissertation analyzes the theological writings of Michael Wyschogrod, the relationship between his thought and rabbinic Judaism, and the implications that Wyschogrod's theology may have for certain central questions in Jewish and Christian theology. In his book The Body of Faith, Wyschogrod argues that God's election of Israel is the result of God's falling in love with Abraham and bestowing a uniquely preferential love upon Abraham's descendants. Wyschogrod further insists that though Jews may instinctively resist such anthropomorphic descriptions of God, that is because Maimonides exercised an undue influence on the history of Jewish thought. This dissertation explicates Wyschogrod's approach to God's love for Israel, while comparing it with others views of divine love, especially those of Anders Nygren and of Robert Adams. Wyschogrod's own approach is often described as emerging only from a reading of Hebrew scripture that is largely unaffected by rabbinic influences, and Wyschogrod himself implies that a tension exists between his approach and the rabbinic writings. This dissertation disagrees, and suggests that while the rabbinic corpus often contains a cacophony of perspectives, nevertheless within the exegetical and anecdotal passages of the Talmud one will find many a passage that stresses the themes prevalent in Wyschogrod's thought. I attempt to articulate a Wyschogrodian account of election that draws largely on rabbinic sources, and to thereby make the case that Wyschogrod's thought occupies a place squarely within the tradition of rabbinic Judaism. I further suggest that a Wyschogrodian reading of rabbinic literature can not only provide one with greater support for the worldview expressed in The Body of Faith ; it can also allow us to better understand enigmatic aspects of rabbinic law, such as the doctrine of matrilineal descent and the laws allowing, and regulating, conversion to Judaism. This dissertation then builds on this analysis in addressing Wyschogrod's own interpretation of the Pauline writings as well as his views on Zionism, and considers the similarities and differences between Wyschogrod's writings and those of Franz Rosenzweig, who also stressed the election of Israel in his theology.