Athens and Jerusalem. God, Humans, and Nature

Based on his 2017 Gifford Lectures, David Novak’s Athens and Jerusalem: God, Humans, and Nature is a comparative study of Jewish theology and Greek and German philosophy.
Its first chapter takes cues from Leo Strauss’ work on philosophy and theology; the second focuses on the relationship of God to nature; the third focuses on humans and nature; the fourth reads Philo of Alexandria in connection to Plato; the fifth takes up Maimonides’ usage of Aristotle’s causes; and the sixth and final chapter offers comparative readings of Immanuel Kant and Hermann Cohen, the latter bearing the former’s influence.
This book argues that tensions between Jewish and Christian doctrine may be lessened if texts are regarded as philosophical frameworks of exploration as opposed to ethical commitments.