Description
Book SynopsisAlexander 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 Through Altmann’s skilful use of hitherto unpublished archival material, the reader is introduced to the vast array of people—men of letters, artists, politicians, scientists, philosophers, and theologians—with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.
Trade Review'Alexander Altmann's monumental new biography not only supersedes the Kayserling study but should also serve as a turning point in the historical re-evaluation of Mendelssohn's role in the process of Jewish emancipation ... The happy combination of all these qualities in Professor Altmann makes his work a major achievement of scholarship.'
- Jacob Katz, Commentary'The definitive biography of Mendelssohn.'
- Salo W. Baron, Jerusalem Post Magazine'There is an overpowering effect on the reader in studying the results of Professor Altmann's facts compiled as a biography and emerging as so much more: as history, as a record of controversies over religious adherence and strict and faithful Jewish observance, as theological disputation, as remarkable reporting on the philosophic discourses with noted Christians as well as Jews, as commentary on Jewish laws by the hero of the book whose piety and Jewish devotions are respected to this day... Altmann's creative work excels in many respects. It is history par excellence. It is thorough research. It is unsparing in criticism and it recognizes the merits of controversy. It will rank as an indestructible work and will be among the classics in biographic literature.’
- Detroit Jewish News‘This monumental work is now required reading for everyone interested in Jewish intellectual history and in the spiritual, cultural, and religious development of the Jewish people in modern times.’
Moshe Pelli, Jewish Quarterly Review‘Generally, Judaica books published by university presses are definitive studies certain to be “classics” a hundred years from now. Among these is Alexander Altmann's biography... This is a definitive biography... it is written in a beautiful style... I predict that one hundred years from now...
Moses Mendelssohn will be read and studied in new and reprinted editions.’
- Jewish SpectatorTable of ContentsPreface
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 EnlightenmentThe Contest
Literary Activity, 1783-1785
Morning Hours In Combat
The Social and Domestic Scene
The End
Epilogue
Notes
Index of Subjects and Names
