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NJ Jewish Theology and Jewish Studies in Germany Jewish theology and Jewish studies NJ in Germany Reflections in relation to the development of the research field in Norway Walter Homolka Abstract • This article presents some insights into the German developments of studying Judaism and the Jewish tradition and relates them to the ongoing development of the subject at universities in the Nordic countries in general and Norway in particular. It also aims to present some conclusions concerning why it might be interesting for Norwegian society to intensify the study of Judaism at its universities. Jewish studies in Germany: three branches Currently, there are some twenty Jewish In 2018, we celebrated the bicentenary of the studies degree programmes offered at German programmatic declaration of the necessity of a universities with an estimated 1,000 students ‘Science of Judaism’ by Leopold Zunz (1794‒ at undergraduate and graduate level. There are 1886).1 When the science of Judaism (Wissen - two excellence clusters: the College of Jewish schaft des Judentums) evolved at the be gin ning Studies in Heidelberg with ten professorial of the nineteenth century, it intended through chairs, affiliated to the Central Council of Jews both theological and secular studies to prove in Germany, and the School of Jewish Theology the general value of Jewish culture and civilisa- at the University of Potsdam.2 Heidelberg and tion. Access to the public university system was the Potsdam School of Jewish Theology alone denied until after the Shoah. Since then, Jewish have approximately 300 students, Jewish stud- studies have been established at various German ies in Potsdam another 60. The Selma Stern universities. Centre for Jewish Studies, Berlin-Brandenburg, In 2015, Shmuel Feiner described how in founded in 2012 as a joint initiative of the uni- the last twenty-five years Germany – besides the versities in the capital region, adds 60 postgradu- USA and Israel – has developed into one of the ate and research students.3 three biggest, most dynamic and most influen- The first German institute of Jewish stud- tial centres for Jewish Studies worldwide (Feiner ies was founded in Berlin as late as 1963. 2017: 7). Currently, some twenty universities Adolf Leschnitzer (1899‒1980), Ernst Ludwig contribute to this impressive network of Jewish teaching and research. 2 See the websites of Hochschule für Jüdische Studien and the School of Jewish Theology, Universität Potsdam. 1 For an introduction to life and work of 3 See Selma Stern Zentrum für Jüdische Leopold Zunz, see Schorsch 2016. Studien Berlin-Brandenburg’s website. 26 Nordisk judaistik • Scandinavian Jewish Studies | Vol. 29, No. 1 Ehrlich (1921–2007; one of the last students inte grating cultural and sociological approaches of the Berlin Hochschule für die Wissenschaft while, at the same time, working compara- des Judentums), Hermann Levin Goldschmidt tively. It is a secularly oriented subject, which, (1914–98), Johann Maier (b. 1933) and Jacob in Germany, is organised into two profes- Taubes (1923–87) offered courses on various sional associations: Verband der Judaisten in subjects in the field – which led to the founding Deutsch lands (Association of Judaic Scholars of an institute of Jewish studies. The department in Germany), founded in 1974, and Vereinigung of Berlin’s Freie Universität was originally con- für Jüdische Studien (Association for Jewish ceived as denominationally defined, alongside Studies), founded in 1996. institutes for Protestant and Catholic theology; Judaic und Jewish studies should not, how- the Protestant theologian Friedrich-Wilhelm ever, be understood as opposing, but as com- Marquardt gave the following summary: ‘That plementary, disciplines.4 Jewish theology adds now together with both theologies, an institute another aspect and distinguishes itself in that it for Jewish studies has also finally been founded is religiously affiliated, is taught by Jewish uni- – this is something for which there has long versity lecturers with the approval of the Jewish been a need, emanating from the spirit of polit- community, and facilitates the professional goal ical consciousness and responsibility of the Free of the training of Jewish clergy, both rabbis University in particular’ (Marquardt 2012: 36). and cantors. Since 2013, the School of Jewish Initially however, Jewish studies took a largely Theology of the University of Potsdam has, philological route and the Free University therefore, been contributing a third perspective emerged as a centre of excellence under the aus- to Jewish academic activity, providing reflection pices of the renowned Peter Schäfer, who went and instruction on Jewish belief and tradition in to Princeton and is currently director of the a living religious context. The aim of this article Jewish Museum, Berlin. is to present Jewish theology as a new university In 1994, a Jewish studies programme was subject and its implications within the context established at the University of Potsdam. It had of Jewish studies as well as other theologies. a distinctively different orientation, focusing on cultural studies and trying to be as interdis cip- Jewish theology: aims and development linary as possible (Grözinger 2014). From this new foundation emerged a bipolar approach to Rabbi Louis Jacobs (1920–2006) clearly illus- studying Judaism (Lehnhardt 2017: 1). trated the difference between denominational ‘Judaistik’ – known internationally both as Jewish theology und secular Jewish studies using Judaic studies and Jewish studies – dealt with the example of Jewish history: research on and the portrayal of Judaism in all of its historical forms up to the present day. In Jewish theology differs from other branches the Anglo-American context, this also includes of Jewish learning in that its practitioners are what is known as ‘Jewish Civilisation’, and today personally committed to the truth they are comprises, accordingly, the history of religion, seeking to explore. It is possible, for instance, culture, philosophy, literature, and Hebrew lan- to study Jewish history in a completely guage, as well as the general history of Judaism – both within and outside the Diaspora – from its 4 Schäfer and Herrmann 2012: 53, fn 2. Here, beginnings to the present day. Judaic and Jewish it is stated that both Judaic and Jewish Studies studies see themselves – like Islamic studies can be traced back to the ‘Wissenschaft des Judentums’ (science of Judaism), which also – as a philological and historical dis cipline, contains theological components; see p. 55. Nordisk judaistik • Scandinavian Jewish Studies | Vol. 29, No. 1 27 detached frame of mind. The historian of The call for a Jewish theological faculty Jewish ideas or the Jewish people or Jewish grew louder in the context of the Jewish strug- institutions need have no wish to express gle for emancipation in the German states at Jewish values in his own life. He need not be the beginning of the nineteenth century, for a Jew at all. … But while the historian asks example from rabbis such as Ludwig Philippson what has happened in the Jewish past, the (1811–89). In 1835, independently of Abraham theo logian asks the more personal question: Geiger, Philippson expressed his wish for a what in traditional Jewish religion continues Jewish seminary in his magazine Predigt- to shape my life as a Jew in the here and now? und Schulmagazin. In 1837, in the Allgemeine The historian uses his skills to demonstrate Zeitung des Judenthums, he published his ‘Call to what Jews have believed. The theologian all Israelites in Germany’ to provide the means is embarked on the more difficult, but, if for a Jewish theological faculty and semin- realised, more relevant, task of discovering ary (Philippson 1837: 349). His elder brother what it is that a Jew can believe in the present. Phöbus Philippson (1807–70) proposed, in a ( Jacobs 1973: 1)5 more structured sense, dividing Jewish theol- ogy into four main areas: an exegetical, a dog- The questions raised by Jewish theology matic, a historical and a practical theology, and have long been asked. Already in the tenth cen- suggested supporting the first three areas with, tury, Saadia Gaon (882−942) produced the work respectively, philology, philosophy and history as which is regarded as the first systematic Jewish models and supplementary sciences. In this con- theology, his Sefer ha-emunot ve-ha-deot (‘The text, the elder Philippson repeatedly emphasised Book of Beliefs and Opinions’, written in Arabic the importance of a connection to the general around 933). historical sciences. The academic training of ‘Jewish theology’ as a university subject, ‘clergy’ at universities to instruct the Jewish however, was only formally developed and popu lation according to the principles of reli- used as a term in the modern era by Rabbi gious and civil emancipation was of particu- Abraham Geiger (1810−74). The ‘Wissenschaft lar importance to him. ‘The university is the des Judentums’ (science of Judaism) formed pre-eminent and appropriate educational insti- the background to his efforts, which he estab- tution‚ because it is here that the freedom to lished as a historical discipline on the basis of study is exercised, the most crucial element of all the philosophically aligned Haskalah (i.e. the spiritual education.’6 Jewish Enlightenment) (Herzig 2002: 146–52, Thus, the Philippsons wholeheartedly sup- 158–64). For Judaism, both the ‘Wissenschaft ported the intentions of Abraham Geiger, who des Judentums’ and the Haskalah signified an also aimed – in the spirit of his teacher Leopold arousal from the long slumber of what could be Zunz – to create ‘out of Judaism a new and termed a ‘Dark Age’ of the spirit (see Wilhelm revived Jewishness’ (Geiger and Elbogen 1910: 1967: 1–59 and Ucko 1967: 315–52). 17). In the course of time, however, Zunz und Geiger offered two very different contributions 5 This concurs with Schleiermacher’s dictum, according to which all the subjects and topics of theology could actually be materials of 6 Phöbus Philippson (pseudonym Dr. Uri), other sciences, with theology hence basically ‘Ideen zu einer Encyclopädie und Methodo- possessing no object of research within the logie der jüdischen Theologie’, cited from House of Sciences.
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