Moses Mendelssohn's Living Script

Elias Sacks

Description

Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) is often described as the founder of modern Jewish thought and as a leading philosopher of the late Enlightenment. One of Mendelssohn's main concerns was how to conceive of the relationship between Judaism, philosophy, and the civic life of a modern state. Elias Sacks explores Mendelssohn's landmark account of Jewish practice—Judaism's "living script," to use his famous phrase—to present a broader reading of Mendelssohn's writings and extend inquiry into conversations about modernity and religion. By studying Mendelssohn's thought in these dimensions, Sacks suggests that he shows a deep concern with history. Sacks affords a view of a foundational moment in Jewish modernity and forwards new ways of thinking about ritual practice, the development of traditions, and the role of religion in society.

Translations and Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The "Living Script": Jerusalem's Perplexing Arguments
2. Conceptual Disfiguring: Jewish Practice and Philosophical History
3. The Felicity of the Nation: Jewish Practice and Social History
4. "The Strict Obedience We Owe": Jewish Practice and the Study of History
5. Rethinking Mendelssohn: Mendelssohn's Historical Judaism
Conclusion: Beyond Mendelssohn: History, Modernity, and Religious Practice
Bibliography

Sujets

• Lycée
• Philosophie
• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la religion
• History
• Judaism
• Philosophy of religion
• Philosophy
• Philosophie et théologie
• Religious
• Jewish Studies

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 12 décembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780253023872
• Langue: English

Extrait

MOSES MENDELSSOHN S LIVING SCRIPT
M OSES M ENDELSSOHN S
Living Script

Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism
ELIAS SACKS
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
2017 by Elias Sacks
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sacks, Elias, author.
Title: Moses Mendelssohn s living script : philosophy, practice, history, Judaism / Elias Sacks.
Description: Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016027822 (print) | LCCN 2016039476 (ebook) | ISBN 9780253023742 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780253023872 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Mendelssohn, Moses, 1729-1786.
Classification: LCC B2693 .S23 2016 (print) | LCC B2693 (ebook) | DDC 193-dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016027822
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For Liz
CONTENTS
Translations and Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Living Script : Jerusalem s Perplexing Arguments
2. Conceptual Disfiguring: Jewish Practice and Philosophical History
3. The Felicity of the Nation: Jewish Practice and Social History
4. The Strict Obedience We Owe : Jewish Practice and the Study of History
5. Rethinking Mendelssohn: Mendelssohn s Historical Judaism
Conclusion: Beyond Mendelssohn: History, Modernity, and Religious Practice
Notes
Bibliography
Index
TRANSLATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS
Unless otherwise noted, translations are my own .
Works by Mendelssohn
Bi ur
Sefer Netivot Hashalom ( The Book of the Paths of Peace , often referred to as the Bi ur or Elucidation ). The Hebrew commentary on and German translation of the Pentateuch appear in JubA , volumes 15.2-18.
BMH
Bi ur Milot Hahigayon ( Elucidation of Logical Terms ). The Hebrew appears in JubA , 14:23-119.
Gegenbetrachtungen
Gegenbetrachtungen ber Bonnets Palingenesie ( Counterreflections on Bonnet s Palingenesis ). The German appears in JubA , 7:65-107.
HLMK
Hakdama Lemegilat Kohelet ( Introduction to Commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes ). The Hebrew appears in JubA , 14:147-160.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem, or on Religious Power and Judaism . Translated by Allan Arkush. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1983. The German appears in JubA , 8:99-204.

References appear as Jerusalem , English page/German page.
JubA
Gesammelte Schriften Jubil umsausgabe . Edited by Ismar Elbogen, Fritz Bamberger, Alexander Altmann et al. 24 vols. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: F. Frommann, 1971-.
Morgenstunden
Morgenstunden, oder Vorlesungen ber das Daseyn Gottes ( Morning Hours, or Lectures on the Existence of God ). The German appears in JubA , 3.2:1-175.
OL
Or Lanetiva ( Light for the Path , the introduction to the Bi ur ). The Hebrew appears in JubA , 14:209-268.
On Evidence
On Evidence in Metaphysical Sciences. In PW , 251-306. The German appears in JubA , 2:267-330. References appear as On Evidence, English page/German page.
Ph don
Ph don, or on the Immortality of the Soul . Translated by Patricia Noble. New York: Peter Lang, 2007. The German appears in JubA , 3.1:5-159. References appear as Ph don , English page/German page.
PW
Philosophical Writings . Translated and edited by Daniel O. Dahlstrom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Rhapsody
Rhapsody, or additions to the Letters on Sentiments. In PW , 131-168. The German appears in JubA , 1:381-424. References appear as Rhapsody, English page/German page.
Ritualgesetze
Ritualgesetze der Juden, betreffend Erbschaften, Vormundschaftssachen, Testamente und Ehesachen, in so weit sie das Mein und Dein angehen ( Ritual Laws of the Jews Regarding Inheritances, Guardianships, Wills, and Matrimonial Matters, Insofar as They Concern Mine and Thine ). The German appears in JubA , 7:109-251.
To Enlighten
On the Question: What Does to Enlighten Mean? In PW , 311-317. The German appears in JubA , 6.1:113-119. References appear as To Enlighten, English page/German page.
Vorrede
Vorrede zu Manasseh Ben Israels Rettung der Juden ( Preface to Manasseh Ben Israel s Vindication of the Jews) . The German appears in JubA , 8:3-25.
WJCB
Moses Mendelssohn: Writings on Judaism, Christianity, and the Bible . Translated by Allan Arkush, Curtis Bowman, and Elias Sacks. Edited by Michah Gottlieb. Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2011.
Works by Other Authors
DVRC
Grotius, Hugo. De Veritate Religionis Christianae ( On the Truth of the Christian Religion ). Amsterdam: Elzeviriana, 1669. References appear as DVRC , section (page).
Guide
Maimonides, Moses. The Guide of the Perplexed . Translated by Shlomo Pines. 2 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963. References appear as Guide , part and chapter (volume and page).
MR
Michaelis, Johann David. Mosaisches Recht ( Mosaic Law ). 6 vols. Frankfurt: J. G. Garbe, 1775-1800. References appear as MR , section (page).
Search
Cranz, August Friedrich. The Search for Light and Right in a Letter to Mr. Moses Mendelssohn, on the Occasion of his Remarkable Preface to Menasseh ben Israel. In WJCB , 55-67. The German appears in JubA , 8:73-87. References appear as Search, English page/German page.
SSB
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. S mtliche Schriften und Briefe . Edited by Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1923-.
Theodicy , PD
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm. Preliminary Dissertation on the Conformity of Faith with Reason. In Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man, and the Origin of Evil , 73-122. Translated by E. M. Huggard. Edited by Austin Farrer. La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1985. The French appears in Die philosophischen Schriften , 6:49-101. Edited by Carl Immanuel Gerhardt. 7 vols. Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1960-1961. References appear as Theodicy , PD paragraph (English page/French page).
TTP
Spinoza, Baruch. Theological-Political Treatise . Translated by Samuel Shirley. 2nd ed. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 1998. The Latin appears in Opera , 3:1-267. Edited by Carl Gebhardt. 4 vols. Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1925. References appear as TTP , English page/Latin page.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THIS BOOK HAS its origins in an undergraduate seminar at Harvard University, where Asher Biemann introduced me to Mendelssohn s Jerusalem . After I continued my work on Mendelssohn, philosophy, and Jewish studies at the Hebrew University and Columbia University, the project emerged as a Princeton University doctoral dissertation, written under the guidance of Leora Batnitzky and Jeffrey Stout. Jeff is an extraordinarily devoted scholar and teacher, and he has consistently pushed me to aim for excellence. Leora, my primary adviser, has supported my work ever since our first meeting. The interpretive care that she lavishes on texts, the philosophical imagination that she brings to her work, and the dedication and warmth with which she approaches students and colleagues continue to provide a powerful-indeed, inspirational-model for me. Special thanks are also due to Daniel Garber, Eric Gregory, and Cornel West. I could not have pursued this project without their generosity, rigor, and deep learning.
The project took shape as a book after I joined the faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder, which has become a vibrant intellectual home for me. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues and students in the Department of Religious Studies and Program in Jewish Studies.
Michael Morgan has been a mentor since we met during my final year at Princeton, and my thinking on Mendelssohn-and on so much else-has benefited immensely from our conversations over the years. Allan Arkush, Michah Gottlieb, Martin Kavka, and Randi Rashkover have all been steadfast supporters, and this book would not have been possible without their encouragement, warmth, and philosophical acumen.
Michael Meyer and Paul Nahme read over full drafts of this book and provided invaluable feedback. Michael s intellectual generosity and vast knowledge enriched this project immeasurably. Paul has become one of my most cherished conversation partners, and he has pushed me to be more rigorous and bold than I would-or could-otherwise have been. Other colleagues who have commented on portions of this manuscript, or who have provided me with invaluable feedback and encouragement through conversations, include Fannie Bialik, Shira Billet, Yonatan Brafman, Edward Breuer, Samuel Brody, Stephen Bush, Joseph Clair, David Decosimo, Molly Farneth, Paul Franks, Nan Goodman, Sarit Kattan-Gribetz, Sarah Imhoff, Thomas Lewis, Charles Mankein, Sarah Pessin, Benjamin Pollock, Jason Rubenstein, David Shneer, Eliyahu Stern, David Sorkin, Suzanne Stone, Daniel Weiss, Deborah Whitehead, Kevin Wolfe, and Derek Woodard-Lehman.
Robert Schine and Davide Stimilli provided feedback on many of my German translations, and Mark Schulz reviewed many of my Latin translations, saving me from a variety of errors. Needless to say, any remaining mistakes are my own.
Dee Mortensen shepherded this project to completion at Indiana University Press. David Miller, David Hulsey, Sarah Jacobi, Paige Rasmussen, and Rhonda Vander Dussen (also at IUP) and Mary Ribesky (at Westchester Publishing Services) over