NEIGHBORS AND STRANGERS: HERMANN COHEN AND PROTESTANT BIBLICAL CRITICISM By ALISHA POMAZON, B.A. HONS., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University Copyright by Alisha Pomazon, January 2010 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-58305-0 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-58305-0 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Nnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des ftns commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada HERMANN COHEN AND PROTESTANT BIBLICAL CRITICISM Doctor of Philosophy (2010) McMaster University (Religious Studies) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Neighbors and Strangers: Hermann Cohen and Protestant Biblical Criticism AUTHOR: Alisha Pomazon, B.A. Hons., M.A. (McMaster University) SUPERVISOR: Professor D. Hollander NUMBER OF PAGES: viii, 296 ii Abstract My thesis investigates and evaluates Hermann Cohen's interest in and critiques of Protestant biblical criticism. In this thesis, I argue that Cohen's interest in Protestant biblical criticism stems from his quest to rejuvenate Jewish learning, foster relations between Jewish and Christian scholars and develop a philosophically sophisticated method for the study of the Hebrew Bible. To argue this point, I look at Cohen's philosophical construction of concepts such as monotheism, messianism and social justice, his methodology for the study of texts, his philosophical conception of "Jewish sources," and how this conception reflects contemporary interactions and tensions in Germany between scholarly biblical criticism, Jewish intellectual culture, and antisemitism. In doing so, I also examine how Cohen's complicated relationship with Protestant biblical criticism can be seen as part of Cohen's attempts to balance the assumptions he shared with Protestant biblical scholars, such as Julius Wellhausen, with his polemical response to Protestant biases in the work of other biblical scholars, such as Rudolf Kittel. This thesis, then, looks at both Cohen's implicit and explicit critiques of Protestant biblical scholarship in several of his "Jewish Writings" and in his Religion of Reason Out of the Sources of Judaism, and investigates how Cohen's interactions with Protestant biblical criticism influenced his own methodology for the study of Judaism and the Hebrew Bible. Acknowledgments First and foremost I would like to thank the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University for the opportunity and the financial support needed to pursue and complete my degree. While there is no doubt that I could thank each individual in the department for the various means of support that they have offered me during my time at McMaster, I would like to express my gratitude to a few individuals in particular. To Dana Hollander. This thesis would not have existed without you. Thank you for everything that you have given me—from advice to scholarly tools to opportunities too numerous to mention here. You always pushed me to do my best. I know I have become a better scholar because of you. To Annette Yoshiko Reed. Your never ceasing enthusiasm was always inspiring, always uplifting and always appreciated. Your insightful comments and penetrating questions motivated me further than you could imagine. To Travis Kroeker. Thank you so very much for the unwavering support that you have offered me. Your steadiness kept me sane and kept me going. To Doreen Drew. I do not know of a single day at McMaster that did not include the words "Thank you Doreen! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" Yours is the first face I saw at McMaster, and I could not have asked for a better welcome. Thank you for all your help. To Sheryl Dick. Thank you for all that you have done for me, all the laughs that we have shared and all the cupcake fun that we have had. You have helped me in ways that no one else could, and for that I will always be grateful. I would also like to like thank D.A.A.D and the Universitat Potsdam for the opportunity to study in Germany for a year and the financial support needed to do so. Thank you to all my friends and family who have supported and loved me. I love you too! Obviously there are two people that I must single out. First, my mother Joanne Pomazon. Mom, I love you. You have always been there for me, taking care of me, teasing me, helping me. Thank you for everything you have done, and thank you for no longer calling my thesis "your paper." Yes, Mom, I am finally done my paper! Last, but not least, I would like to thank Joseph LaRose. No words could express what you have done for me, and so the only thing I can say is thank you. v Contents Abbreviations viii Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Cohen and the Biases of Biblical Criticism 8 Introduction 8 Hermann Cohen and Neighbor Love 10 Cohen and Determining Methods for the Study of Judaism 18 Cohen's Analysis of the Relationship Between Antisemitism 31 and Biblical Criticism "Gesinnung" and Biblical Scholarship 39 Cohen and Kittel 50 The Neighbor in Religion of Reason 65 Conclusion 75 Chapter 2: Cohen and the Methodological Advancements of 78 Biblical Scholarship Introduction 78 Protestant Biblical Studies as a Source of Hope 81 Eigenart 83 Eigenart as the Basis for Proper Methodology 92 Bertholet and Baudissin in Religion of Reason? 105 Monotheism, Messianism and the State of Israel 108 The Prophets and History 114 World History, Nationalism and Universality: Cohen's Theories 127 in Relation to His Analysis of German Biblical Studies Conclusion: How Bertholet and Baudissin Help Us Understand 130 Religion of Reason as Cohen's Contribution to Biblical Studies as a Whole Chapter 3: Scholarship on the Prophets: Meeting Ground for 135 Cohen, Wellhausen and Troeltsch? Introduction 136 Cohen and Wellhausen 110 Cohen's Eulogy for Wellhausen 143 Cohen and Wellhausen on the Prophets 150 Cohen and Troeltsch 187 Conclusion: The Significance of the Prophets in Cohen's 204 Thought Chapter 4: Continuity and Discontinuity: Cohen, Levenson and 207 Kugel on the Problems of Biblical Studies Introduction 207 Kugel and the Problems of Biblical Studies 210 Levenson and the Assumptions of Biblical Studies 219 Cohen and Our Biblical Scholars 236 Biblical Studies: Views of Education 259 Conclusion 278 vi Thesis Conclusion 283 Bibliography 291 Abbreviations Works by Hermann Cohen JSI Judische Schriften. Ed. Bruno Strauss, vol. 1 (Berlin: Schwetschke, 1924). JS III Judische Schriften. Ed. Bruno Strauss, vol. 3 (Berlin: Schwetschke, 1924). RR Religion of Reason Out of the Sources of Judaism. Trans. Simon Kaplan (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995). RV Religion der Verknuft aus den Quellen des Judentums (Wiesbaden: Fourier, 1978). Reprint of 2nd edition. Werke 15 Werke: Kleinere Schriften IV: 1907-1912. Ed. Hartwig Wiedebach, vol. 15 (Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 2009). Werke 16 Werke: Kleinere Schriften V: 1913-1915. Ed. Hartwig Wiedebach, vol. 16 (Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1997). Werke 17 Werke: Kleinere Schriften VI: 1919-1918. Ed. Helmut Holzhey, Julius H. Schoeps and Christoph Schulte, vol. 17 (Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 2002). Other Works AWG Wolf Wilhelm Graf Baudissin, "Die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Religionsgeschichte, Rede zum Antritt des Rektorates der Koniglichen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat in Berlin" (Berlin: Gustav Schade, 1912). NU Wolf Wilhelm Graf Baudissin, "Nationalismus und Universalismus, Rede zur Gedachtnisfeier des Stifters der Berliner Universitat Konig Friedrich Wilhelms III" (Berlin: Norddeutsche Buchdruckerei, 1913). NRSV Bible: New Revised Standard Version (London: Collins Publishers, 1989). LBIYB Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook vin 1 PhD Thesis - Alisha Pomazon, Department of Religious Studies, McMaster University Introduction During his lifetime, Hermann Cohen (1842-1918) participated in heated debates among Jewish and Christian scholars over the study of Judaism and the Hebrew Bible. Although Cohen was a philosopher and neither an historian nor a biblical critic, he was heavily invested in the state of biblical studies and Wissenschaft des Judentums. Sharply aware of the large stakes involved in these areas, he saw biblical texts not only as objects of study, but as sources that remained vitally important to Jews and Christians alike. In his view, the way in which these texts were seen and studied affected how Judaism and Christianity were understood both by scholars and by society at large.