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Der Stern der Erlösung (1921; “The Star of Redemption,” 1971) is the magnum opus of the German Jewish philosopher Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929). The title alludes to the Star of David, not however as a symbol of the Jewish people but in the sense of the ontological truth of biblical faith. Rosenzweig ascribed different but complementary roles to Judaism and Christianity in the anticipatory realization of the last truth of human existence, which he identified with the term Erlösung (redemption). The re-adoption of traditional religious practice and faith by Rosenzweig, wh…

The use of the term “dialogue” to refer to authentic, that is, non-instrumental relationships between individuals or between man and God is inextricably linked with the thought of Martin Buber (1878–1965). Buber transferred the term, which he introduced in Ich und Du (“I and Thou,” 1956) in 1923, from philosophy and theology into the realms of hermeneutics (especially the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious texts), translation, and politics.1. IntroductionDialogic philosophers turned away from the Western tradition of  philosophia perennis, the quest f…

Cultural Zionism (or, according to the Hebrew expression, tsiyonut ruḥanit, "spiritual Zionism") denotes a concept of Judaism which is primarily characterized by ethical and spiritual rather than religious or political motives. As one of the main Zionist currents, the cultural Zionist doctrine is particularly associated with the Russian-Jewish essayist Aḥad Ha-Am (Hebrew for "one from the people," actually Asher Ginzberg, 1856-1927). Aḥad Ha-Am is considered a pioneer of modern Hebrew (Literature) and was a sharp critic of political Zionism. 1. AimAccording to Aḥad Ha-Am, …

The designation Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus (Free Jewish House of Study) was used by Franz Rosenzweig ([The] Star of Redemption) to label his conception of a Jewish adult education center. The expression alludes to the  bet ha-midrash, the (usually affiliated with a synagogue)  Lehrhaus (house of study), in which learners gather to study Midrashim – interpretative commentaries on the Torah, the doctrine revealed by God. For Rosenzweig,  Lernen was not synonymous with study in the sense of academic secular knowledge; it was rather a communion, a religious act th…

Jewish philosophy did not emerge from within Judaism itself. Rather, it was inspired by encountering other cultures, where the critical scrutiny of ideas and values in the light of reason had stronger roots. The confrontation caused Jewish thinking to become increasingly aware of its own universal implications and to abandon its particularistic stance. The central theme of Jewish philosophy nevertheless continued to be the relationship between reason and revelation.1. Antiquity and the Middle AgesJewish philosophy only emerged in the Diaspora. Under the influence of …

Originally a Greek term ( ou-tópos, no-place) and the title of the 1516 novel by Sir Thomas More, utopia denotes an imaginary ideal political community. In Marxist tradition, the term had negative connotations for a long time, being associated with unrealistic and naïve ideas. The philosopher Ernst Bloch (1885–1977) took up a prominent counter-position, championing in his work, above all in the book Geist der Utopie (1918; “The Spirit of Utopia,” 2000), an emphatic concept of utopia that incorporated elements of Christian and Jewish messianism.1. Ernst BlochErnst Simon Bloch was …