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Dialogical Apologetics: Leo Baeck and the Task of Jewish Philosophy

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Dialogical Apologetics: Leo Baeck and the Task of Jewish Philosophy Dialogical Apologetics: Leo Baeck and the Task of Jewish Philosophy by Yaniv Feller A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department for the Study of Religion University of Toronto Dialogical Apologetics: Leo Baeck and the Task of Jewish Philosophy Yaniv Feller Doctor of Philosophy Department for the Study of Religion University of Toronto 2016 Abstract Leo Baeck (1873-1956) is widely regarded as a symbol of German Jewry. Though numerous institutions have been named after him, Baeck’s writings are hardly read nowadays and he is not considered a source of inspiration for Jewish philosophy or a thinker of relevance for contemporary discussions. Moving away from earlier hagiographical accounts, this study argues for Baeck’s ongoing significance for both Jewish thought and the study of religion more broadly. I contend that with Baeck we can think about Jewish philosophy not as a quest for authenticity, but as a process of coming to terms with the challenge of the other and developing new questions for one’s own self- understanding. I term this process dialogical apologetics and show that Baeck is part of this long and important tradition in Jewish thought, which includes Josephus, Judah Halevi, and Nahmanides. Furthermore, Baeck’s contribution to the study of religion lies in his writings on the concept of essence, a question central in his own time that is too often neglected in contemporary scholarly discussions. Baeck does not simply privilege the essence of Judaism over the essence of Christianity; instead, he changes the terms of the debate and rejects an understanding of essence as an unchanging core in favor of a developmental concept. Finally, Baeck identified the spiritual crisis of Protestantism early on in Weimar Republic, and vigorously rejected suggestions—very much alive today—to remove the Old Testament from the Christian canon. In his theopolitics, Baeck developed a scholarly and theological language to counter what he saw as the political dangers of Marcionite Christianity. Taken as a whole, this study therefore contributes not only to a better understanding of Baeck’s thought, but also to a discussion about the tasks of Jewish philosophy and the study of religion. ii Acknowledgments The image of the scholar sitting isolated in the ivory tower is a myth. This is one conclusion from working on this dissertation, which has benefited from the assistance and help of several individuals and institutions. It is my pleasure to thank them. It has been a true honour and privilege working with my dissertation committee, a group of dedicated, thoughtful, and caring people. David Novak has been a genuine Doktorvater and moreh, guiding my way while letting me walk my own path. His erudition in both rabbinic and philosophical sources made me wonder if this is what studying under Leo Baeck, the subject of this dissertation, felt like. Conversations with Robert Gibbs have always been exhilarating, very often ending with a completely new perspective, and new questions. It is only several months after each meeting that I realized the full consequences of the ideas that emerged. Willi Goetschel was readily pointing out more possible interpretations and encouraged me to not to shy away from the radical implications of the arguments. Joseph Mangina’s helpful advice, especially regarding Christian theology, saved me from egregious mistakes more than once. I also thank Michael Morgan and Alan Mittleman for their helpful comments on the final version. Parts of this dissertation were written during a yearlong affiliation with the University of California Los Angeles, where I have benefited greatly from conversations with David Myers. They proved formative at an important moment in the process of writing. Dan Avnon (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) has been a mentor and friend for many years now. I thank him for numerous conversation and for introducing me to the thought of Martin Buber, and through it to problems in German-Jewish thought more broadly. For discussions of various aspects of the dissertation I thank Netanel Anor, Brigidda Bell, Ian Brown, Joseph Bryant, Sol Goldberg, Rachel Gordan, Omri Greenberg, Pamela Klassen, Elad Lapidot, Ryan Olfert, Martin Ritter, Adam Stern, Eli Stern, and Marc Volovici. Parts of this dissertation have been presented in various academic venues. I have enjoyed the conversations at the Franz Rosenzweig Society, the Association for Jewish Studies, the American Academy of Religion, the University of Toronto, York University, the Free University of Berlin, and the Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung Berlin. iii For their support of the dissertation, I thank the Ontario Trillium Scholarship and the Naim Mahlab Ontario Graduate Scholarship. The Leo Baeck Scholarship of the German Studienstiftung has offered not only financial support but also stimulating discussions. I thank the former director of the Leo Baeck Institute in London Raphael Gross and its current director Daniel Wildmann. Finally, the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Toronto has provided intellectual and financial resources which greatly contributed to my intellectual development. My gratitude to its past and present directors, Jeffrey Kopstein and Anna Shternshis, its graduate director Doris Bergen, and its previous undergraduate director Sol Goldberg, who took keen interest in this project. I am fortunate to have a loving and caring family. My parents, Maya and Zvi Feller, believed in me and my work even if it was not always clear why I cannot make it to dinner or visit as often as I would have liked. My siblings, Guy and Anat, my niece Noga, and my nephew Nadav bring joy and happiness wherever they are. My partner Mariam reminds me what is important in life. This work would not have been completed, let alone written, without her. It is to her I dedicate it. Love you. iv Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………………….iii Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................................v Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 The Symbol and the Thinker 1 Life Stations 6 2.1 From Lissa to Berlin (1873-1914) 6 2.2 First World War and the Weimar Republic (1914-1933) 9 2.3 Berlin under Nazi Rule (1933-1943) 11 2.4 Theresienstadt (1943-1945) 15 2.5 After the Holocaust (1945-1956) 19 The Structure of the Project 21 3.1 Scope 21 3.2 Synopsis 24 Chapter 1: Apologetic Thinking .................................................................................................26 Apologetics on Trial 26 Apologetic Thinking and Its Limits 28 The Blurring of the Border 34 3.1 “What Is Not Apologia?” 34 3.2 The Sword of Polemics and the Shield of Apologetics 38 3.3 Judging Oneself and Judging the Other 40 The Limits of Dialogue 43 Chapter 2: Exemplars of Dialogical Apologetics ......................................................................48 “You have read one, you have read enough”? 48 v Josephus Flavius: Historiography and Origins 50 Judah Halevi: The Election of Israel 54 Nahmanides: The Art of Disputation 60 The Tradition of Jewish Dialogical Apologetics 68 Chapter 3: Jesus and the Essence of Religion ...........................................................................69 Essence and the Contemporary Study of Religion 69 Adolf von Harnack 72 2.1 History of Dogma 72 2.2 The Essence of Christianity 74 2.2.1 The Method for Determining the Essence 74 2.2.2 What Is Christianity? 76 Baeck’s Replies 79 3.1 “Harnack’s Lectures on the Essence of Christianity” 79 3.2 The Essence of Judaism 84 3.2.1 Essence as Ethics 85 3.2.2 Method as Critique 90 3.2.2.1 Essence and the History of Religions 90 3.2.2.2 The Prophets between Ethic and Method 93 3.2.2.3 “Fragments of a Great Confession” 96 Essences in Conversation: Troeltsch and Loisy 99 4.1 Alfred Loisy 99 4.2 Ernst Troeltsch 103 Baeck’s Subsequent Methodological Reflections 107 The Open-Ended Wesen 109 Chapter 4: Paul and Gnosticism ...............................................................................................112 vi Old Wine in a New Skin 112 Harnack’s Marcion 114 2.1 Marcion and Gnosticism 114 2.2 Marcion and the Christian Canon 117 2.3 The Contemporary Relevance of Marcion 120 Romanticism as Marcionism 123 3.1 The Romantic 123 3.2 Paul and the Birth of Romantic Christianity 126 3.3 Romanticism as Marcionism and Gnosticism 128 The Dangers of Pauline-Marcionite Christianity 130 4.1 Christian Erlebnis 130 4.2 Erlebnis as Election 136 The Answers to Marcionite Religion 137 5.1 Judaism: Mystery and Commandment Combined 137 5.2 Re-Judaizing the Canon as an Answer to the Gnostic Challenge 144 The Realization of Marcionite Religion 146 Reclaiming Saul of Tarsus 149 Epilogue ......................................................................................................................................152 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................158 vii Introduction The Symbol and the Thinker The name Leo Baeck still commands respect and is often spoken about with veneration among contemporary Jews. If named institutions are any measure of popularity,
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