Challenging Colonial Discourse: Jewish Studies And Protestant Theology In Wilhelmine Germany (Studies in European Judaism, V. 10)

Contents......Page 8
Foreword by Susannah Heschel......Page 14
Preface......Page 18
Introduction......Page 22
PART ONE THE CONTEXT OF THE ENCOUNTERS AND CONTROVERSIES......Page 60
1. The Collapse of the Jewish Coalition with Liberalism and the Spread of "Modern Anti-Semitism"......Page 62
2. The Remaining Limitations of the Emancipation of the Jews and Judaism......Page 70
3.1. "Assimilation," "Acculturation," and "German-Jewish Subculture"......Page 79
3.2. "Defense Work" between "Trotzjudentum" and "Jewish Renaissance"......Page 87
3.3. "Self-Emancipation" – the Impulse of the Zionist Movement......Page 93
1. The Beginnings and Development of Jewish Studies in the Nineteenth Century......Page 98
2.1. "Positive-Historical" Judaism — the Jewish Theological Seminary in Breslau......Page 104
2.2. Liberal Judaism — The "Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft des Judentums" in Berlin......Page 109
2.3. "Torah and Scholarship" — The Orthodox Rabbinical Seminary of Berlin......Page 115
3.1. Jewish Research between Discrimination and Claim to Relevance......Page 120
3.2. Jewish Studies and "Defense Work" against Anti-Semitism......Page 123
PART TWO THE PERCEPTION OF PROTESTANT THEOLOGY......Page 128
1.1. The Contemporary Context: Demonization of Judaism through Anti-Talmud Propaganda and Accusations of Ritual Murder......Page 130
1.2. The Defense of Jewish Morality as Reflected in the Debate between David Hoffmann and Gustaf Dalman, 1886/1894......Page 133
2.1. Delitzsch's Controversy with Abraham Berliner over the "Instituta Judaica," 1884/85......Page 143
2.2. The Debate of Jewish Scholars with Delitzsch's "Ernste Fragen an die Gebildeten jüdischer Religion," 1888/89......Page 151
3.1. "Herculean labor" — Strack's Refutation of the Anti-Semitic Disparagement of the Jewish Religion......Page 157
3.2. Appreciation of Strack's Scholarly Activity in the Area of Jewish Studies......Page 165
4. "We May Not Bite the Hand that Feeds Us" — Interpretation of the Relationship between Jewish Studies and the "Mission to the Jews"......Page 171
1. Adolf von Harnack and the Debate about the "Essence of Judaism"......Page 180
2.1. The Religious History of "Late Judaism" — a New Orientation?......Page 191
2.2. The Methodological Controversy over Bousset's Representation of the History of the New Testament Era......Page 198
2.3.1. Religion of Particularism? Israel's Chosenness and the Universalism of Judaism......Page 211
2.3.2. "Legal" Ethics? — The Torah as a Sign of God's Love......Page 213
2.3.3. "Simhat Torah" — Liberal and Orthodox Defense of Torah Piety......Page 216
2.3.4. Religion of Fear? — Understanding of God and Piety of Judaism......Page 223
2.4. New Accents in Bousset's Image of Rabbinic Judaism, 1915......Page 226
3. Refusal of Discourse — The Structure of the Debate about "Late Judaism"......Page 228
1. The Position of Biblical Research within Jewish Studies......Page 238
2. God's Torah for Israel — Benno Jacob's Concept of a Jewish Biblical Scholarship......Page 241
3. The Value and Originality of the Hebrew Bible: The "Babel-Bible-Controversy", 1902–1905......Page 251
4. "Ethical Monotheism" — Max Wiener's Reception of the Protestant Interpretation of Prophecy, 1909/12......Page 260
5.1. The "Blasphemy" trial against Theodor Fritsch, 1912/13......Page 269
5.2. Rudolf Kittel's "Supreme Expert Opinion"......Page 279
5.3. Jewish Refutations of Kittel's Arguments, 1914–1917......Page 289
6. Ambivalent Experiences with Protestant "Biblical Criticism" — A Conclusion......Page 299
PART THREE THE FUNCTION AND EFFECT OF THE CHALLENGE......Page 308
1. On the Dialectic of the Relationship between Liberal Judaism and Liberal Protestantism......Page 310
2.1. "Assimilation" through Dissolution? The "Case" of Jakob Fromer (1904–1907)......Page 313
2.2. Leo Baeck's Plea for Integration into a Pluralistic Society (1911)......Page 320
2.3. "Conversion from Judaism to Germanness" — Friedrich Niebergall's Plea for a Renunciation of Jewish Identity (1912)......Page 323
3.1. "Return to Judaism?" — The Controversy between Leo Baeck and Ferdinand Kattenbusch about the Nature of Liberal Protestantism (1909)......Page 328
3.2. "The Meaning of Judaism for Religious Progress" — Hermann Cohen at the "World Congress for Free Christianity and Religious Progress," Berlin 1910......Page 335
3.3. "Will to Judaism" — The "Guidelines for a Program for Liberal Judaism," 1912......Page 342
4.1. The Confrontation between Zionist and Liberal Jewish Identity......Page 347
4.2. The "Guidelines" as a Rapprochement to Protestantism — The Controversy with Orthodoxy, 1912/13......Page 352
4.3. Max Dienemann's Definition of the Relationship between Judaism and Christianity, 1914......Page 358
5. On the Process of "Dis-encounter" in the Controversy between Liberal Judaism and Liberal Protestantism — Analysis......Page 362
1. Introduction — The Conditions of a Dialogic Rapprochement......Page 372
2.1. "The Ghetto of Judaism will not completely fall until the Ghetto of its Science falls" — the Emancipatory Impulse......Page 374
2.2. Felix Perles's Appeal to the Scientific Ethos of German Universities......Page 381
3.1. Paul Fiebig's Concept for the Reform of New Testament Research and His Assessment of Jewish Studies......Page 385
3.2. Between Ignorance and Anti-Semitic Views — The Beginnings of the Gießener Mischna, 1912......Page 398
3.3. Attempts to Include Jewish Scholars in Research and Teaching, 1912–1914......Page 410
4.1. "First Know, then Judge and Act" — Martin Rade's Vote for the Establishment of a Jewish Theology Department, 1912/13......Page 419
4.2. A "Vital Upward-Striving Branch on the Great Tree of German Humanities" — the Vote of Willy Staerk, 1914......Page 425
4.3. The Failure of the Project of a "Jewish Theology Department"......Page 428
4.4. A "Righteous Gentile" — Max Löhr's Plea for a Chair for Jewish Studies in Prussia, 1915......Page 431
5. Reorientation of Jewish Studies in Light of the Disappointed Hope for Participation — Analysis and Prospects......Page 441
Epilogue......Page 448
Abbreviations......Page 466
Bibliography......Page 470
Appendix: List of Scholars......Page 562
Index......Page 576