Jesuitical vs. Talmudic
An exchange occurred not
long ago in California's Sacramento Superior and Municipal Courts. As a lawyer
attempted to excuse his client's behavior with a convoluted explanation, Judge
James Ford interrupted acidly with the comment, "That's just ... that's just
too Jesuitical for words." The colloquy continued as follows:
Lawyer: "Pardon me?"
Judge: "It's too Jesuitical . You probably didn't go to a
Jesuit school."
Lawyer: "Certainly didn't. I am of the Jewish faith."
Judge: "Then it's too Talmudic for words."
One can almost hear the appreciative chuckles from the
spectators' gallery at this bit of repartee--the overreactive,
tension-dispelling response that very mild witticisms tend to produce in solemn
venues. And yet someone should have risen to say, "Objection!" It is common to
regard "Jesuitical" and "Talmudic" as synonymous, but this does an injustice to
both words.
"Talmudic" originally signified nothing more than "of or pertaining to the
Talmud" ( Oxford English Dictionary ), the Talmud being the postbiblical
Rabbinic code of Jewish laws and interpretations that is the source of
authority in Orthodox Judaism. "Jesuitical" originally signified "of or
pertaining to the Jesuits; belonging to the Society of Jesus; Jesuit"
( OED , again), the Jesuits being the Roman Catholic clerical order
founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1534 as an intellectual bulwark against the
Reformation. Whatever else may be said about them, both "Talmudic" and
"Jesuitical" carry connotations of great learning and meticulous attention to
argument. Where they diverge is in motivation.
Very early, owing in part to English Protestant
propagandists, the word "Jesuitical" came to characterize a form of argument
designed less to seek the truth than to make a case, a form of argument that
was aggressive and clever but perhaps not always sincere--indeed, one that was
at times cunningly equivocal or downright deceitful. Aside from pure
anti-Jesuit animus, this nuance probably arose from the work of some
17th-century Jesuit theologians who imperfectly employed a method known as
"casuistry" in resolving questions of moral theology--an approach that gave the
broadest possible leeway to individual behavior. This form of justification,
which became known as "laxism," may explain why Jesuit priests were the
confessors of choice among Europe's Catholic aristocracy.
To characterize a lie as
an "economy of truth" would be a Jesuitical formulation. To say that one had
smoked marijuana but did not inhale would be a Jesuitical distinction. (Bill
Clinton received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, a Jesuit
school.) William Safire argues that "Jesuitical" has by now developed a sense
devoid of any overtones of prevarication: "subtle, intricate, moralistic
reasoning, informed by a rigorous logic" is his definition. I am not as
sanguine as Safire, and believe that using the word will always carry some
slight risk: It may be wielded as a slur and received as a compliment, or vice
versa.
"Talmudic" carries none of
this baggage. The Talmud, with its commentaries on the Torah and its
commentaries on the commentaries (the process goes on and on) cannot be faulted
for using guile to arrive at a congenial "truth." But the word has its own
negative connotations. Talmudic scholarship is famous for the tortuous and
painstaking manner in which truth is pursued and established--if it can be
established at all. It is assumed by Talmudic scholars that the language of the
Talmud is precise, and that each word is therefore of surpassing significance.
As a result, even infinitesimal details are treated with the utmost
seriousness. Also, while Talmudic scholarship is sometimes aimed at practical
affairs (for instance, civil and criminal law, dietary laws, the status of
women), it also considers issues that have no practical application at all, and
sometimes delves into matters that may seem utterly fanciful.
In his
book The Essential Talmud , rabbi and scholar Adin Steinsaltz recounts a
famous absurdist parody: A rabbi asked his disciple why the letter peh (p
