Moses Mendelssohn : a biographical study
著者
書誌事項
Moses Mendelssohn : a biographical study
（The Littman library of Jewish civilization）
Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 1998
- : pbk
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注記
Includes bibliographical references and index
"First published in hardback by Alabama University Press 1973, First published in paperback 1998" -- T.p. verso
内容説明・目次
内容説明
Alexander Altmann's acclaimed, wide-ranging biography of Moses Mendelssohn (1729-96) was first published in 1973, but its stature as the definitive biography remains unquestioned. In fact, there has been no subsequent attempt at an intellectual biography of this towering and unusual figure: no other Jew so deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition was at the same time so much a part of the intellectual life of the German Enlightenment in the second half of the eighteenth century. As such, Moses Mendelssohn came to be recognized as the inaugurator of a new phase in Jewish history; all modern Jews today are in his debt.
Altmann presents Moses Mendelssohn in strictly biographical terms. He does not attempt to assess his significance with the hindsight of historical perspective nor to trace his image in subsequent generations, but rather to observe his life from the period within which it was set. Altmann has written an absorbing and compelling narrative that makes a whole epoch come alive with great drama, for Mendelssohn's life was a kaleidoscope of the European intellectual scene, Jewish and non-Jewish. As both a prominent philosopher and a believing Jew, Mendelssohn became a spokesman for the Jews and Judaism; he was one of the rare figures who become the symbol of an era. Through Altmann's skilful use of hitherto unpublished archival material, the reader is introduced to the vast array of people-men of letters, artists, politicians, scientists, philosophers, and theologians-with whom Mendelssohn was in contact, and sometimes in conflict.
What was Mendelssohn's Judaism like? To what extent did the disparate worlds of Judaism and modern Enlightenment jostle each other in his mind and to what degree could he harmonize them? These questions are not easily answered, and it is only in the aggregate of a multitude of accounts of experiences, reaction, and statements on his part that the answer is to be found. Alexander Altmann's analysis of this wealth of material is extraordinary in its discernment, subtlety, and clarity of expression.
This masterly work will be of interest not only to those who are concerned with Jewish intellectual history but also to those interested in eighteenth-century cultural and social history, philosophy and theology, literary criticism, aesthetics, and the other areas of intellectual activity in ferment at that time. The general reader will also find much of contemporary relevance in Mendelssohn's life, not only because of his exemplary devotion to reason and tolerance, but also because of his lifelong struggle with the basic dilemma of the Jew in the modern world: the attraction of assimilation versus the singularity of Jewish life, and the preservation of Jewish identity versus integration in the wider society.
目次
- Preface 1 Years of Growth Childhood in Dessau Early Years in Berlin The Budding Philosopher Lessing The Metaphysician The Bel Esprit A Learned Society Kohelet Mussar 2 Maturity and Fame Marriage and Family Life Thomas Abbt The Prize-Essay The Correspondence about the Vocation of Man The Phaedon Questions and Answers Cognate Hebrew Writings 3 Turning Point: The Lavater Affair 'Juif de Berlin' The Prehistory of the Lavater Affair Lavater's Challenge and Mendelssohn's Reply First Reactions and Behind-the-Scene Activities
- Lavater's Reply and Mendelssohn's Epilogue Reverberations of the Conflict Literary Concerns and Another Lavater Episode 4 Changes in the Pattern of Life The Strange Illness Ups and Downs
- A Chronicle of Events Hebraica and Judaica The Chronicle Continued Some Philosophical Preoccupations Friends in Unexpected Quarters 5 The Teacher The Avant-Garde of Haskala The German Translation of the Pentateuch Obstacles on the Road Completing the Work 6 Political Reformer Spokesman of his People Co-operation with Dohm A Momentous Event and a New Tract for the Times The Issue of Educational Reform The Summer of 1782 Jerusalem 7 Strains and Stresses Friendship with Lessing: The Last Phase A Projected Essay on Lessing's Character Jacobi's Attitude toward Mendelssohn: Antecedents of their Conflict An Uneasy Correspondence 8 Guardian of the Enlightenment The Contest Literary Activity, 1783-1785 Morning Hours In Combat The Social and Domestic Scene The End Epilogue Notes Index of Subjects and Names
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