Holiness and the Challenges of Messianism in Early 20th Century Jewish Thought - Single View

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Type of Course	Seminar	Number
Hours per week in term	2	Term	WiSe 2019/20
Department	Institut für Jüdische Theologie	Language	englisch
Additional Links	Kommentar
application period	01.10.2019 - 10.11.2019 enrollment

Gruppe 1:

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		Day	Time	Frequency	Duration	Room	Lecturer	Canceled/rescheduled on	Max. participants
	Seminar	Di	12:00 to 14:00	wöchentlich	15.10.2019 to 04.02.2020	1.02.2.07	Dr. Pinkas	24.12.2019: Akademische Weihnachtsferien 31.12.2019: Akademische Weihnachtsferien

Description	Due to holidays the first meeting of this class will be October 29th. “Holiness” and “Messianism” are values of paramount importance in religion. What is holiness? What is the relationship between holiness and messianism? Is there Messianism without holiness? Is there holiness without redemption? The concept of holiness has received many interpretations. Within tradition, holiness is understood as an intrinsic matter (the holiness of God, the Torah, life, time, man and land) and as spiritual-mystical matter (“Holiness leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead”, Avodah Zarah 20b), however, in modern times holiness is often associated with moral. Holiness as a moral-rational task can lead to a universal approach and shallowness of religion, while holiness as an intrinsic matter may entail dangers to the centrality of morality in religion and lead to particularistic messianic approach. In this seminar we will discuss these questions as they emerged in the last golden age of Jewish thought in Germany: in light of the controversy between liberal and orthodox approaches regarding “the essence of Judaism” and between Hermann Cohen and Martin Buber concerning Zionism.
Literature	Bibliography Alen Mittleman, (ed.) Holiness in Jewish Thought, Oxford 2018 Andrea Poma, “Suffering and non-eschatological Messianism in Hermann Cohen”, in: R. Munk (ed.), Hermann Cohen’s Critical Idealism, Dordrecht 2005, pp. 413-428 Baruch Mevorah, “Messianism as a Factor in the First Reform Controversies”, Zion 34, 3-4 (1969), pp. 189-218 [Heb.] Dana Hollander, “On the Significance of the Messianic Idea in Rosenzweig”, Cross Currents 53, 4, (2004), pp. 555-565 David Novak, “Hermann Cohen on State and Nation”, in: R. Munk (ed.), Hermann Cohen’s Critical Idealism, Dordrecht 2005, pp. 259-282 Daniel Frank and Oliver Leaman (eds.), History of Jewish Philosophy, London and New York 1997 Edward Kaplan, Holiness in Words: Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Poetics of Piety, New York 1996 Eliezer Berkovits, Major Themes in Modern Philosophies of Judaism, New York 1974 Franz Rosenzweig, The Star of Redemption [1920], London 2005 Franz Rosenzweig, “The New Thinking: A Few Supplementary Remarks to the Star”, in: The New Thinking, A. Udoff and B. Galli (eds.), New York 1999, 67-102 Hanoch Ben Pazi, “'Messianic Humanism' – The Jewish Humanism of André Neher: André Neher in the Footsteps of Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel”, Daat: A Journal of Jewish Philosophy & Kabbalah, 84 (2017), pp. 407-426 Hermann Cohen, Religion of Reason Out of the the Sources of Judaism [1919], New York 1995, Chap. 1, 7, 13-14 Hermann Cohen, “A Reply to Dr. Martin Buber’s Open Letter to Hermann Cohen [1916]”, in: Reason and Hope, Eva Jospe (trans.), New York 1971, pp. 164-171 Jeffrey Andrew Barash, “The Debate on Zionism between Hermann Cohen and Martin Buber”, in: Paul Mendes-Flohr (ed.), Dialogue as a Trans-disciplinary Concept, Berlin 2015, pp. 49-59 Martin Buber, I and Thou, w. Kaufmann (trans.), New York 1970 Martin Buber, On Judaism, New York 1973 Micha Brumlik, “Messianic Thinking in the Jewish Intelligentia of the Twenties”, in: Wissenschaft vom Menschen / Science of Man, Yearbook of the International Erich Fromm Society 2 (1991), pp. 20-32. Michael Meyer, The Origins of the Modern Jew, Detroit 1967 Michael Meyer, Response to Modernity, Detroit 1995 Moshe Idel, ““Ganz Andere”: On Rudolph Otto and Concepts of Holiness in Jewish Mysticism”, Daat: A Journal of Jewish Philosophy & Kabbalah 57-59 (2006), pp. V-XLIV Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz (eds.), The Jew in the modern world: a documentary history, New York 2011 Rivka Horwitz, “Holiness in modern Jewish thought”, in: M. Idel at el. (eds.) Tribute to Sara: Studies in Jewish Philosophy and Kabbala, Jerusalem 1994, pp. 135-154 [Heb.] Rivka Horwitz, “Franz Rosenzweig and Gershom Scholem on Zionism and the Jewish People”, Jewish History, 6, 1/2 (1992), pp. 99-111 Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy [1917], J. W. Harvey (trans.), London 1936 William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience [1920], London and New York 2002 Yossi Turner, "The Dispute Between Hermann Cohen and Martin Buber on Zionism", Iyunim Betkumat Yisrael 17 (2007), pp. 155-178 [Heb.]
Certificates	Seminar requirements: Weekly reading assignments. Active participation in class discussions. “Take-home exam” towards the end of the seminar.

Description

Due to holidays the first meeting of this class will be October 29th.

“Holiness” and “Messianism” are values of paramount importance in religion. What is holiness? What is the relationship between holiness and messianism? Is there Messianism without holiness? Is there holiness without redemption? The concept of holiness has received many interpretations. Within tradition, holiness is understood as an intrinsic matter (the holiness of God, the Torah, life, time, man and land) and as spiritual-mystical matter (“Holiness leads to the Divine Spirit. The Divine Spirit leads to the resurrection of the dead”, Avodah Zarah 20b), however, in modern times holiness is often associated with moral. Holiness as a moral-rational task can lead to a universal approach and shallowness of religion, while holiness as an intrinsic matter may entail dangers to the centrality of morality in religion and lead to particularistic messianic approach. In this seminar we will discuss these questions as they emerged in the last golden age of Jewish thought in Germany: in light of the controversy between liberal and orthodox approaches regarding “the essence of Judaism” and between Hermann Cohen and Martin Buber concerning Zionism.

Literature

Bibliography

Alen Mittleman, (ed.) Holiness in Jewish Thought, Oxford 2018

Andrea Poma, “Suffering and non-eschatological Messianism in Hermann Cohen”, in: R. Munk (ed.), Hermann Cohen’s Critical Idealism, Dordrecht 2005, pp. 413-428

Baruch Mevorah, “Messianism as a Factor in the First Reform Controversies”, Zion 34, 3-4 (1969), pp. 189-218 [Heb.]

Dana Hollander, “On the Significance of the Messianic Idea in Rosenzweig”, Cross Currents 53, 4, (2004), pp. 555-565

David Novak, “Hermann Cohen on State and Nation”, in: R. Munk (ed.), Hermann Cohen’s Critical Idealism, Dordrecht 2005, pp. 259-282

Daniel Frank and Oliver Leaman (eds.), History of Jewish Philosophy, London and New York 1997

Edward Kaplan, Holiness in Words: Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Poetics of Piety, New York 1996

Eliezer Berkovits, Major Themes in Modern Philosophies of Judaism, New York 1974

Franz Rosenzweig, The Star of Redemption [1920], London 2005

Franz Rosenzweig, “The New Thinking: A Few Supplementary Remarks to the Star”, in: The New Thinking, A. Udoff and B. Galli (eds.), New York 1999, 67-102

Hanoch Ben Pazi, “'Messianic Humanism' – The Jewish Humanism of André Neher: André Neher in the Footsteps of Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel”, Daat: A Journal of Jewish Philosophy & Kabbalah, 84 (2017), pp. 407-426

Hermann Cohen, Religion of Reason Out of the the Sources of Judaism [1919], New York 1995, Chap. 1, 7, 13-14

Hermann Cohen, “A Reply to Dr. Martin Buber’s Open Letter to Hermann Cohen [1916]”, in: Reason and Hope, Eva Jospe (trans.), New York 1971, pp. 164-171

Jeffrey Andrew Barash, “The Debate on Zionism between Hermann Cohen and Martin Buber”, in: Paul Mendes-Flohr (ed.), Dialogue as a Trans-disciplinary Concept, Berlin 2015, pp. 49-59

Martin Buber, I and Thou, w. Kaufmann (trans.), New York 1970

Martin Buber, On Judaism, New York 1973

Micha Brumlik, “Messianic Thinking in the Jewish Intelligentia of the Twenties”, in: Wissenschaft vom Menschen / Science of Man, Yearbook of the International Erich Fromm Society 2 (1991), pp. 20-32.

Michael Meyer, The Origins of the Modern Jew, Detroit 1967

Michael Meyer, Response to Modernity, Detroit 1995

Moshe Idel, ““Ganz Andere”: On Rudolph Otto and Concepts of Holiness in Jewish Mysticism”, Daat: A Journal of Jewish Philosophy & Kabbalah 57-59 (2006), pp. V-XLIV

Paul Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz (eds.), The Jew in the modern world: a documentary history, New York 2011

Rivka Horwitz, “Holiness in modern Jewish thought”, in: M. Idel at el. (eds.) Tribute to Sara: Studies in Jewish Philosophy and Kabbala, Jerusalem 1994, pp. 135-154 [Heb.]

Rivka Horwitz, “Franz Rosenzweig and Gershom Scholem on Zionism and the Jewish People”, Jewish History, 6, 1/2 (1992), pp. 99-111

Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy [1917], J. W. Harvey (trans.), London 1936

William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience [1920], London and New York 2002

Yossi Turner, "The Dispute Between Hermann Cohen and Martin Buber on Zionism", Iyunim Betkumat Yisrael 17 (2007), pp. 155-178 [Heb.]

Certificates

Seminar requirements: Weekly reading assignments. Active participation in class discussions. “Take-home exam” towards the end of the seminar.

Structure Tree

Lecture not found in this Term. Lecture is in Term WiSe 2019/20 , Currentterm: SoSe 2024