When Truth Is »Hurled Earthwards«: Manuscript Variants and Coherentist Truth-Conceptions in Contemporary Rabbinic Discourse

This article identifies multiple theories of truth operative within contemporary rabbinic discourse that allow for nuanced discussions of the legislative powers of tradition while not attempting to diminish the credibility of established historical chronicle. Several debates regarding the validity of empirical evidence within halakhic deliberations are better understood through this articulated distinction between »halakhic truth« and »historical truth.« Conceptual parallels to this approach are noted within neo-Hegelian philosophy and the legal writings of American philosopher of law, Ronald Dworkin. The article also claims that although the philosophical articulation of this distinction is first found in the early 20th century, its conceptual antecedents can be directly traced to 18th-century Lithuanian scholarship, with comparable precedent in the writings of the 13th-century French Tosafists.