Allegory, Rhetoric, Symbolism, and Metaphor in Anti-Realist Jewish Theology

This presentation proposes that the role of metaphor plays a crucial role in Jewish theological rhetoric. It is often put forward that the notion that literalism, both textually and linguistically, has the ability to undermine any sense of realism in Jewish theology. Yet the turn to anti-realism presents opportunities to reconsider metaphor and symbolism as effective linguistic-hermeneutic tools. To test the potential value of a reconsideration of active symbolism I provide a textual analysis of the theory of metaphor in the writings of Paul Ricoeur in comparison with contemporary Jewish views. This provide not only a rejection of realism, but also of the premises upon which realism has been suggested to rest: literalist and linear interpretations of text and language. This examination of metaphor will consider the role of additional literary characteristics, such as allegory, simile and symbolism. In turn it will be argued that creative literary characteristics are wholly appropriate in considering formative Jewish texts.