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The Poetics and Theology of Adon Olam

  • Reuven Kimelman
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On Wings of Prayer
This chapter is in the book On Wings of Prayer

Abstract

This literary study of the liturgical poem Adon Olam focuses on the relationship between its poetry and theology. It follows the version of the contemporary Ashkenazic liturgy as opposed to the later longer “Sephardic” versions. The poem is analyzed in the light of its poetics, its biblical and midrashic background, and its grounding in medieval and late antique theology. It shows that for Adon Olam, eternity and infinity no more belie intimacy than sovereignty belies solicitude. By interlocking God’s grandeur and grace, a mental matrix for prayer is formed through which Adon Olam emerges as the theological introduction to the morning service.

Abstract

This literary study of the liturgical poem Adon Olam focuses on the relationship between its poetry and theology. It follows the version of the contemporary Ashkenazic liturgy as opposed to the later longer “Sephardic” versions. The poem is analyzed in the light of its poetics, its biblical and midrashic background, and its grounding in medieval and late antique theology. It shows that for Adon Olam, eternity and infinity no more belie intimacy than sovereignty belies solicitude. By interlocking God’s grandeur and grace, a mental matrix for prayer is formed through which Adon Olam emerges as the theological introduction to the morning service.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents VII
  3. Preface XI
  4. Abbreviations XV
  5. Part I: Biblical and Second Temple Studies
  6. Glimpses of Prayers and Poetics in the Book of Amos 3
  7. The Prayer in Ben Sira 22:27–23:6 and the Prosodic Version in MS ENA 3053.3 21
  8. Ben Sira’s Teaching on Prayer: The Example of the Generations of Old 37
  9. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Theology in Ben Sira 17:25–18:14 55
  10. “When she ended her prayer …”. A Study of the Relationship between the Hebrew and the Greek Texts of the Book of Esther 71
  11. Rediscoveries in Judaism: The Temple and the Return to Israel in 2 Macc 1:10–2:18 83
  12. Did Judith Go to the Miqweh? 101
  13. Wisdom 9, an “Inset Psalm” 125
  14. The Qumran Tefillin and Their Possible Master Copies 135
  15. The Prayer of Faith – the Prayer of the Righteous (Jas 5:13–18): Where the “Ways” Intersect 151
  16. Part II: Rabbinic Traditions
  17. A New Look at the Nuptial Benedictions in Babylonia and Palestine 171
  18. The Poetics and Theology of Adon Olam 187
  19. Re-Examining the Early Evidence for Rabbinic Liturgy: How Fixed Were Its Prayer Texts? 203
  20. The Introduction of the Hallel into the Passover Seder and the Split of the Chapters 114 and 115 in the Book of Psalms 233
  21. Ritual and Communal Responsibility: Hanina bar Hama and the Sepphoreans 251
  22. Whom to Remember: Sarah or Noah? 273
  23. The Behavioral and the Mental in Jewish Worship: Is There A Hierarchy? 285
  24. The Qumran Psalter and the Medieval Palestinian Tefillat ha-Shir 299
  25. “We shall glorify You, our King”: A Poetic Passage in the Second Benediction of the Grace after Meals 317
  26. The Rabbinic Traditions about the Establishment of the Amidah: Some Observations 337
  27. List of Publications of Professor Stefan C. Reif 355
  28. List of Contributors 375
  29. Index of References 377
  30. Index of Authors 398
  31. Index of Subjects 405
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110630282-013

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents VII
  3. Preface XI
  4. Abbreviations XV
  5. Part I: Biblical and Second Temple Studies
  6. Glimpses of Prayers and Poetics in the Book of Amos 3
  7. The Prayer in Ben Sira 22:27–23:6 and the Prosodic Version in MS ENA 3053.3 21
  8. Ben Sira’s Teaching on Prayer: The Example of the Generations of Old 37
  9. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Theology in Ben Sira 17:25–18:14 55
  10. “When she ended her prayer …”. A Study of the Relationship between the Hebrew and the Greek Texts of the Book of Esther 71
  11. Rediscoveries in Judaism: The Temple and the Return to Israel in 2 Macc 1:10–2:18 83
  12. Did Judith Go to the Miqweh? 101
  13. Wisdom 9, an “Inset Psalm” 125
  14. The Qumran Tefillin and Their Possible Master Copies 135
  15. The Prayer of Faith – the Prayer of the Righteous (Jas 5:13–18): Where the “Ways” Intersect 151
  16. Part II: Rabbinic Traditions
  17. A New Look at the Nuptial Benedictions in Babylonia and Palestine 171
  18. The Poetics and Theology of Adon Olam 187
  19. Re-Examining the Early Evidence for Rabbinic Liturgy: How Fixed Were Its Prayer Texts? 203
  20. The Introduction of the Hallel into the Passover Seder and the Split of the Chapters 114 and 115 in the Book of Psalms 233
  21. Ritual and Communal Responsibility: Hanina bar Hama and the Sepphoreans 251
  22. Whom to Remember: Sarah or Noah? 273
  23. The Behavioral and the Mental in Jewish Worship: Is There A Hierarchy? 285
  24. The Qumran Psalter and the Medieval Palestinian Tefillat ha-Shir 299
  25. “We shall glorify You, our King”: A Poetic Passage in the Second Benediction of the Grace after Meals 317
  26. The Rabbinic Traditions about the Establishment of the Amidah: Some Observations 337
  27. List of Publications of Professor Stefan C. Reif 355
  28. List of Contributors 375
  29. Index of References 377
  30. Index of Authors 398
  31. Index of Subjects 405
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