Ludwik Fleck Zentrum

Friday–Saturday, October 20–21, 2017 Thirty Years after: Jacob Taubes between Politics, Philosophy and Religion

A Collaboration between the Center for Literary and Cultural Research in and the Ludwik Fleck Center for Philosophy of Science in Zurich and politics? on religion, , lectual voice for recent debates person aswellavibrant intel we learnfrom Taubes, asa thesis, weaskanew:whatcan dissertation tion ofhisfamous and 70yearsafterthepublica figure. 30yearsafterhisdeath Jacob Taubes –acontroversial

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Editorial Jacob Taubes (1923–1987)wasacontroversial figure, case with CarlSchmitt orArminMohler. What impactdid out over abysses and openinguplocked doors,as wasthe Taubes wasendowed with anelusivetalentofreaching liketried toavoidcontact, HansJonas.Ontheother hand, remained aloof,others, suchasHansBlumenberg, oreven adversaries, asinthecaseof GershomScholem;whereas enough friendsbecameenemies, andteachersturnedinto Taubes was apolarizinganddisturbingintellectual.Often 1. Taubes’s Friends and Theory: Between Foes: four separate, yetinterrelated sections: intellectual figure aswellofhischallengingwritings in to dosobystructuringthemanifold aspectsofTaubes asan achievements, thirtyyearsafterhisdecease. We wouldlike largest cityistheappropriate place toreconsider Taubes’ was educatedand,finally, buriedinZurich,Switzerland’s New York, Jerusalem,Paris,he Berlin,andZurich.As Taubes wasconnected withimportantcitiessuchas academic life, aphilosopherbored by“pure philosophy”. networks, akey intellectualexploringthe margins of Jacob Taubes –amarginal rabbi atthecenter ofintellectual subjects since thedaysofhisdissertation oneschatology. same time,hepersistentlykept toanarrow arsenalof orevenhostility.sometimes metwithreservation Atthe remained a“difficult person”;sometimeshewas celebrated, other, establishingrelations andseekingconnections, but the Atlantic,traveling restlessly from onecontinent tothe He waspartofabuddingacademicjetsetonbothsides of forms affiliatedtotheJewish tradition of commentary. invariousintellectualdebates,usingadiversity intervened yet hisoeuvre remained relatively small.Hepolemically one ofthemostpotentnetworkers inthe humanities, to interpret theLetter totheRomans.Hewasarguably andnevertheless wasinspired byCarlSchmitt Arch-Jew’ and full ofcontradictions. Hecalledhimselfa‘Pauline embracing conflicting attitudes,stirringuptensions,

Editorial ‘political’? religion, andfuturecontemporary prospects ofthe from Taubes’ thoughtfor recent debatesonsecularization, discerned inhis What sources, textualtraditions, andstrategies are tobe appearances decisivelybelongingtoadualisticframework. not beingsupernatural, hence byall but‘counter-worldly’, whiletheGodofthistradition ispresentedthought, as His 3. Taubes’s inTheory: Legacy his approach toreligion andtheology? whataredisciplines? And,lastbutnotleast, thefeatures of genres? Isthere amutualinteraction betweentopicsand Taubes’ hermeneuticandphilosophicalwork?Whatare its the Jewishtradition. Canwedeterminethecharacter of eschatology,thinking, andStPaul asaturningpointin and shortcontributions focus onmessianism, gnostic of Hermeneutics.Amongrelated issues, hispapers three disciplineswere amalgamatedtoform theInstitute respective three on,all institutes–inoneperson.Later –aswellthe religion, andJewishstudies(Judaistik) combined thedisciplinesofphilosophy, of sociology In hisbeginningsatFreie UniversitätBerlin,Taubes Philosophy2. Hermeneutics, ofReligion, andInterdisciplinarity: and whatheintellectuallyembraced? hidden agendarecognizable behind hisefforts, conflicts, contacts suchasthesehaveonhisreadings? Isthere a Eschatology is a tour de force of the history ofwestern is atourdeforce ofthehistory Occidental

Eschatology ? Whatcanwelearn

Program Schedule Friday, October20,2017 Lunch 12 am–2 pm 20. Jahrhunderts die intellektuellenKöpfe des demonic”: SusanTaubes und Jewish sources tobetruly “Too alienatedfrom her Christina Pareigis 11–12 am his work of theman,trajectories into gone”: JacobTaubes, views generation hascomeand apocalypse ofour “The Martin Treml Foes 10–11 am and Theory: Friends Taubes’s – Between 1 SESSION Taubes andhisStyle Introduction: DepecheMode. Hartmut von Sass 9.30–10 am

Dinner 8.00 pm Treml Hartmut von Sass &Martin Daniel Boyarin moderated by Mysticism? –Atalkwith What isMessianism, what 6–7 pm Coffee break 5.30–6 pm the Philosophy ofHistory Taubes, Secularization, and Gabriel Motzkin 4.30–5.30 pm Coffee break pm 4–4.30 Intervention the ChallengeofTheological Academic Philosophy, and JacobTaubes,Philosophy”. The Boredom of“Pure Herbert Kopp-Oberstebrink pm 3–4 Hegelian Jacob Taubes, theJewish Agata Bielik-Robson 2–3 pm and Religion, of Interdisciplinarity Hermeneutics, – Philosophy 2 SESSION

Prof. Dr. Agata Bielik-Robson, Professor of Jewish Studies, Saturday, October 21, 2017 University of Nottingham

SESSION 3 – Taubes’s Legacy Speakers in Theory Dr. Herbert Kopp-Oberstebrink, Lecturer at the Center for Literary and Cultural Research, Berlin 10–11 am Program Schedule Program Elettra Stimilli Prof. Dr. Gabriel Motzkin, Director of The Van Leer Jerusalem Jacob Taubes: Messianism Institute and emeritus in Philosophy of the Hebrew University and political theology after the Shoah Dr. Christina Pareigis, Lecturer at the Center for Literary and Cultural Research, Berlin 11–11.30 am Coffee break PD Dr. Hartmut von Sass, Vice Director of the Collegium Helveticum, Zurich 11.30am–12.30 pm Sigrid Weigel Dr. Elettra Stimilli, Lecturer in Philosophy at Sapienza In Paul’s Mask: Jacob Taubes University of Rome reads Walter Benjamin Dr. Martin Treml, Senior Lecturer at the Center for Literary and 12.30–1 pm Cultural Research, Berlin Concluding remarks Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Sigrid Weigel, former Director of the Center for Literary and Cultural Research, Berlin, and emerita at the Technical University of Berlin Abstracts mutation ofHegelianismcansupply. method of the pre-modern metaphysics ofanalogy, dependsonthe is nonetheless thetruedialectics,whichbreaks right: with Eschatology ural history. EvenifTaubes’ ownsolutionin waytosubvertthecourse ofnature andnat its ‘cunning’ the concept oftheantinomiantranscendence whichfinds immune totheprocess ofafull immanentisation:heretains to ‘sublate religion intophilosophy,’ whichalsomakes him Hegel himselfrejected. The Taubesian Hegelnevermanages tithesis’ –thedivine‘counterprinciple totheworld’–which an ticize’ Hegelbymaintainingtheelementof‘Jewish ing theframes oftheHegeliandialectic,buttriesto‘gnos toargue thatTaubesreconciliation. Iwilltry remains with interpret Hegelagainsthisoverarching dogmaofuniversal Glas odor Adorno,EmilFackenheim, andJacquesDerridawhose context ofthethinkers who alsobelongtothisgroup: The tion allowstoreread Taubes’ earlyworkinthetheoretical Hegelianism.’line ofthoughtcalled‘Jewish Thisclassifica Eschatology The aimof my paperwillbetopresent Taubes‘ Hegelian Jacob Taubes, theJewish Agata Bielik-Robson bearsparticularlystrong affinitiesto Taubes’attemptto operative antinomianism isnotquitesuccessful, itsunderlyingintuition asamasterpiece ofalate-modernphilosophical , whichonlytheJewish The Occidental Occidental

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Abstracts Herbert Kopp-Oberstebrink ly much-debatedquestionof anti-academicism. also explore theissue ofinterdisciplinarity andthecurrent the 1950sand1960s.Inreference toTaubes, thepaperwill established inGermanacademicphilosophicaldiscourse of osophical positionsthatwere intheprocess ofbecoming andotherphil ‘philosophicalanthropology’ the so-called of andtheintitialpost-war Heidegger-debate, Heidegger core ofmy presentation. will behisdiscussion Examples of epistemological interest connected therewith make upthe osophical discourse. Theparadoxical strategies and Taubes’s phy andalwayspointingoutlimits anddeficienciesofphil At thesametime,hisapproach iscriticaltowards philoso ing totherichphilosophicaltradition from Platoonwards. Areading ofthesetextsreveals Taubes’sand being. resort tions anddebatesofthetime,asfor thatontime example well. Taubes’s textsofthe1950spresent philosophicalques ic career inGermany, however, istaken inconsideration as Stated andJerusalem.Theperiodofhissubsequentacadem his early, formative yearsasayoungacademicintheUnited losophy inTaubes’s andtheology The thought. focus ison The paperadresses theintricate relation of(academic)phi Intervention the ChallengeofTheological Academic Philosophy, and Philosophy”. Jacob Taubes, The Boredom of“Pure

------Abstracts des 20.Jahrhunderts intellektuellen Köpfe Susan Taubes und die sources tobetrulydemonic”: “Too alienatedfrom herJewish Christina Pareigis tions. has politicalimplicationsandthatitmotiva maintaining thataspecific conception oftheapocalypse Therethe apocalypseisexamined. isadifference between larization. Thesameissue ariseswhenthe conception of itself beanindicationofsomekindconceptual secu Understanding religion asbeingprimarilypoliticalmay whether Paul thoughtofJudaismasapoliticalreligion. stood JudaisminthewaythatTaubes and understoodit, political theology. ItisquestionablewhetherPaul under ception required himtoconceive ofJudaisminterms conceive ofChristianityasapoliticalreligion. That con that secularizationhadreally occurred. However, hedid ance toapoliticalconception ofhistory, didnotbelieve According Löwith, Taubes, toKarl despitehisadher Philosophy ofHistory Taubes, Secularization,andthe Gabriel Motzkin passionierte Brief- undTagebuchschreiberin. viele Autorschaften: alsSchriftstellerin,Philosophin, als Susan Taubes (1928–1969)vereinte inihrem Schreiben

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Abstracts Abschluss ihrer religionsphilosophischen Dissertation in Den erstenRomanschriebsie1956,unmittelbarnachdem Prisma literarisch verarbeiteter Fremdzuschreibungen. vorwärtsstrebende jungeStudentin,hiereinschillerndes Spannungsfeld mehrerer Perspektiven: dortdieunbeirrt als Zeugnisse einesintellektuellenNetzes gelesen,im mente zusammenmitspäterentstandenenRomanszenen Durch eineintertextuelleLektüre werden dieseDoku begleitet war. Alberts Camus,GershomScholemundEmmanuelLévinas, Lektüren undpersönlichenBegegnungen,daruntermit hung ihrer philosophischenEssays aus voneinemWirbel Notizen derfrühen1950erzeigen,wieintensivdie Entste mit Jacob Taubes. Briefkorrespondenzen undhinterlassene salem undParis an;eswaren zugleichdieerstenEhejahre inJeru philosophin während desStudiumsindenUSA, Deutlichste Konturen nahmihre Autorschaft alsReligions ein unddieselbenPerson zubleiben. eines Lebens Moderne, dieUnmöglichkeit, dieLänge für vonGewaltund Fremdheit Erfahrungen ohne Gott, inder ten Aufzeichnungen beschäftigten,fort: Leben in einerWelt zu Beginnder1950erJahre inpubliziertenEssays undpriva Nachdenken überFragestellungen, diesiealsPhilosophin Mit denMittelnderLiteratur schriebSusanTaubes das sierte. entwickeltes autobiographisches Erinnerungskonzept reali sie mitdiesemliterarischen Schreibprojekt einüberJahre spiele mitunterschiedlichenPerspektiven verraten, dass Tage vorihrem Tod. MetapoetischeReflexionenund Vexier Taubes’Harvard. letzterRoman Divorcing erschienwenige ------Abstracts Jacob Taubes (1923–1987)baffledscholars andstudents, trajectories intohiswork Jacob Taubes, viewsoftheman, generation hascome andgone”: apocalypseofour “The Martin Treml as acritiqueofpower. capableofproposingology anactwhichisinitselfpolitical instead diverge andmessianism becomes, for him,the withpoliticsinorder theology Thetwo tolegitimateit. tify politician proposed Taubes byCarlSchmitt. doesnotiden trasts the“sovereign” unitybetweenthetheologianand emerges anewdefinitionof politicaltheology, which con element present Thus,inhisworkthere intheBiblicalpact. of Pauline discourse andatonce underlinestheantinomic of Paul theApostle,inwhichhehighlightsJewishroots focuses on politics. Thisintervention Taubes’ interpretation Taubes’s reflection isthe relationship between religion and apocalypse’ofthe the ‘historical acclamations oftheNazi regime and After theplebiscitary the Shoah after and politicaltheology Jacob Taubes. Messianism Elettra Stimilli sitions. Hetaught philosophy atdifferent universities,but conflicts, afigure of contradictions, andathinker inoppo followers andenemies for along time,ashewasamanof Shoah , thefocus ofthe

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Abstracts es popupinTaubes’s intellectualuniversein thebeginning Taubes’ writings.Yet, whosesentenc whichBenjaminis it, Quotes from Benjaminrunlike athread through Jacob reads Walter Benjamin In Paul’s Jacob Taubes Mask: Sigrid Weigel retreat andsometimeutopia. temporary theo-politics afterthesecularization,andfinally Paris as Western intelligentsiaaftertheShoah,West-Berlin with New York Cityphase IIwithAmericanacademiaandthe cism (beingbothstudentandcriticofGershomScholem), with Leo Strauss), Jerusalemwithmessianism andmysti its discontent (thepostdocphaseatJTSandtheencounter destroyed), New York and CityphaseIwithJewishtheology tion project, butwiththeexperience ofawholeworldbeing well versedinChristiantheology, bothCatholicandProt understood himselfmostlyasananti-philosopher. Hewas and Zurich go with eschatology ( and Zurichgowitheschatology and interests withcitieswhere helivedandworked: a specialway:itcombines hisdifferent intellectual traits The paperwantstointroduce into Taubes’s life andworkin reality. Isthispossible, orwhatcould itmean? andoneintruthorrather unveiled tically –asasurvivor gone”, andoneconcludes thathenowlivedpost-apocalyp said that“theapocalypseofourgeneration hascome and cosmopolitan life tothethendividedcity. Hehimselfonce Neverthelessand partisanstruggles. hebestowedanaura of spiritual centre there, whileheyetengagedincontroversies Free University, triedtoform anextensive intellectualand Taubes, nowthefounding chairfor JewishStudiesatthe library. From the1960s,upon hisarrivaltoWest-Berlin, both traditional Jewishsources andtheWestern academic East-European Yeshiva exiledtoSwitzerland.Hedrew from butalsoanordainedestant, rabbi, trained atatraditional not onlywiththedisserta - - - - - Abstracts puts onBenjaministhatofPaul. egete ofPaul’s lecture onPaul in1987where Benjaminappearsasanex charged trace ofthoughts.Thislineculminatesin Taubes’ authors seemtorepresent oppositepolesofanelectrically here,a linkingofBenjaminandCarlSchmitt; theseboth The second linestartsnearlyadecadelaterandpursues Marcionite ofmodernity.and finallyasa theorist ofmessianism, asanauthorofpoliticaltheology, pears inthemaskofa„moderntheologicalmarxist“, asa character. Hethenundergoes several metamorphosis,ap which are elsewhere considered ofhavinganaesthetic Marcionite Modern the stageaswarrantor ofhistorico-philosophical questions, a – History of jamin Concept the Surrealism ology on Notes which Taubes’ reads Benjamin.Thefirstlinerunsalongthe of the1960s?Thelecture pursuestwolinesofthewayin (1969),hisnotesfor theseminaronBenjamin’s Epistle to the Romans the to Epistle (1963),thearticleon in1984/85uptothearticleon (1986);here Benjaminenters . Thelastmask Taubes Culture and Ide and Culture On On Ben - - - -

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