Lubavitcher Messianism - (Bloomsbury Studies in Jewish Thought) by Simon Dein (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- In 1994 the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Schneerson, died leaving no successor.
- About the Author: Simon Dein is a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and Medicine at University College London, UK.
- 192 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Judaism
- Series Name: Bloomsbury Studies in Jewish Thought
Description
About the Book
Ethnographic study of the Lubavitcher movement, and a socio-psychological examination of Lubavitcher messianism.
Book Synopsis
In 1994 the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Schneerson, died leaving no successor. For many years his followers had maintained that he was Moshiach -the Jewish Messiah and would usher in the Redemption. After his death Lubavitch divided into two opposing groups. While some messianists hold that the Rebbe died but is to be resurrected as the messiah, others hold that he is still alive, but concealed. The anti-messianists maintain that the Rebbe could have been Moshiach if God had willed it, but they disagree vehemently that as such he could come back from the dead.
Using ethnographic data obtained by the author through twenty years of fieldwork, this book presents a social-psychological account of Lubavitcher Messianism and moves beyond the typical scholarly preoccupation with 'belief' and 'dissonance' to examine the role of rhetoric, religious experience and ritual in maintaining counterintuitive convictions. Through examining the parallels between early Christianity and messianism in Lubavitch this book provides a comprehensive perspective for examining messianism generallyAbout the Author
Simon Dein is a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and Medicine at University College London, UK. He is author of Religion and Healing Among the Lubavitch Community in Stamford Hill, North London and has spent over fifteen years conducting fieldwork among Lubavitch Hasidim, both in London and New York.