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Yedidyah Ha-Alexandri and the Crisis of the Modern Jewish Age: Philo of Alexandria As an Exemplary H

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Yedidyah Ha-Alexandri and the Crisis of the Modern Jewish Age: Philo of Alexandria As an Exemplary H religions Article Yedidyah Ha-Alexandri and the Crisis of the Modern Jewish Age: Philo of Alexandria as an Exemplary H. asid in Nah. man Krochmal’s Thought Ze’ev Strauss Institute for Jewish Philosophy and Religion, Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies (MCAS), Universität Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; [email protected] Abstract: The present article sets out to answer the question of the extent to which Nah. man Krochmal’s reappraisal of Philo of Alexandria in the light of his Jewish faith reflects a deep spiritual crisis that was engulfing the Maskilic world: the encroaching expansion of modern Hasidism with its transformed understanding of traditional Judaism among Eastern European communities. To this end, a major component of Krochmal’s Jewish historical thought as expressed in his masterful unfin- ished work Guide of the Perplexed of the Modern Age can be revealed. The examination employs two methods in order to uncover the intent behind Krochmal’s fragmentary presentation of Philo: explor- ing his utilization of Dähne’s Geschichtliche Darstellung der jüdisch-alexandrinischen Religionsphilosophie to demonstrate the congruence of Philo’s thought with Tannaitic ethics and drawing on similar depictions of Philo found among his circles and pupils. The study claims that Krochmal’s revival of Philo as a key Jewish thinker is politically mobilized for an ideological assault on the Hasidim, with whom the Maskilim had ongoing conflicts. Reconstructing his portrayal of Philo as a paragon of Second Temple Judaism, the paper argues that Krochmal projects his own spiritual crisis from the Citation: Strauss, Ze’ev. 2021. Yedidyah Ha-Alexandri and the Maskilic settings of nineteenth-century Galicia onto the Jewish reality of first-century Alexandria, Crisis of the Modern Jewish Age: thus reproducing a valiant image of Philo as the embodiment of the Maskilic consciousness that was Philo of Alexandria as an Exemplary grappling with the ancient, overly theoretical Hasideans of his days. H. asid in Nah. man Krochmal’s Thought. Religions 12: 377. https:// Keywords: Nah. man Krochmal; Philo of Alexandria; Hasidism; Eastern European Haskalah; rab- doi.org/10.3390/rel12060377 binic literature; Jewish ethics; Solomon J. L. Rapoport; Isaac Baer Levinsohn; Avrom Ber Gotlober; golden mean Academic Editors: Elias Sacks and Andrea Dara Cooper Received: 3 April 2021 1. Introduction Accepted: 17 May 2021 Published: 22 May 2021 When approaching Philo of Alexandria (c. 15 BCE–c. 50 CE) from the perspective of Jewish history, one is initially almost compelled to accept the silence with which rabbinic 1 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral tradition passes over him. This silence becomes all the more remarkable if one bears with regard to jurisdictional claims in in mind the tremendous impact that Philo’s allegorical exegesis of Scripture exerted on published maps and institutional affil- world history in general and on the formation of Christian theology in particular. The iations. first prominent intellectual who is commonly mentioned in this context is the sixteenth- century Renaissance thinker Azariah de’ Rossi (1511–1578), four consecutive chapters of whose Light of the Eyes wrestles with Philo’s convoluted body of thought from the Jewish viewpoint.2 However, in his final analysis, de’ Rossi remains quite ambivalent towards Philo, primarily taking issue with the fact that he does not mention or acknowledge the Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. rabbinic oral tradition (De’ Rossi 2001, pp. 140–41). The first Jewish author who managed This article is an open access article to transform the rabbi’s apparent silence into a lively discourse through a profound and distributed under the terms and systematic engagement with Philo is none other than the Galician Maskil Nah. man Krochmal conditions of the Creative Commons (alias RaNaK; 1785–1840), one of the founders of modern Jewish historiography. Revealing Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// a wide array of striking commonalities between Philo’s patterns of thought and those found creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ in Tannaitic and Amoraic works, Krochmal suggests that the Jewish Alexandrians were 4.0/). actually partaking in an active dialog and exchange of ideas with the rabbis and that the Religions 2021, 12, 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060377 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Religions 2021, 12, x 2 of 26 Religions 2021, 12, 377 thought and those found in Tannaitic and Amoraic works, Krochmal suggests that2 ofthe 27 Jewish Alexandrians were actually partaking in an active dialog and exchange of ideas with the rabbis and that the boundaries between both factions were in fact much more blurredboundaries than between they appear both factionsat first sight were (Boyar in factin much 2004, more pp. 112–16; blurred H. than Wolfson they appear 1962, atvol. first 1, p.sight 56). ( BoyarinAs the prominent 2004, pp. 112–16;historian H. of Wolfson the Wissenschaft 1962, vol. des 1, p.Judentums 56). As theHeinrich prominent Graetz historian (1817– 1891)of the notes,Wissenschaft with unreserved des Judentums appreciation,Heinrich “K Graetzrochmal (1817–1891) was the first notes, to initiate with unreserved the philo- sophicalappreciation, observation “Krochmal of history, was the specifically first to initiate Jewish the history, philosophical [providing] observation a clear ofoverview history, ofspecifically its convoluted Jewish paths”, history, thus [providing] demonstrating a clear “h overviewow to exploit of itsand convoluted utilize the paths”,rich seam thus of thedemonstrating Talmud for historical “how to exploitinvestigation”, and utilize from the which rich “he seam drew of thethe Talmudmost fruitful for historical findings forinvestigation”, the elucidation from of whichthe inner “he processes drew the of most Jewish fruitful history”. findings3 for the elucidation of the innerThe processes present of analysis Jewish history”.will focus3 on Krochmal’s seminal historiographical approach to Philo’sThe treatises present found analysis in what will focus may onbe considered Krochmal’s the seminal most historiographicalprominent and methodologi- approach to calPhilo’s treatment treatises of foundhis thought in what to be may prod beuced considered during the the most Jewi prominentsh Enlightenment: and methodological Ḥidot Minni Kedemtreatment (“Dark of his Sayings thought of toAncient be produced Times”), during Chapter the 12 Jewish of his Enlightenment: monumental HebrewH. idot Minni opus MorehKedem Nevokhei(“Dark Sayings ha-Zeman of (“Guide Ancient of Times”), the Perplexed Chapter of 12the of Modern his monumental Age”, henceforth Hebrew Guide opus), aMoreh work Nevokhei which he ha-Zeman began writing(“Guide in ofthe the early Perplexed 1830s, but of the never Modern managed Age”, to henceforth complete.4Guide In the), 4 Guidea work, Krochmal which he provides began writing a meticulous in the earlyand comprehensive 1830s, but never metaphysical managed to account complete. of Jew-In ishthe history,Guide, Krochmal drawing provideson the substantial a meticulous achi andevements comprehensive of modern metaphysical scholarship account(Klausner of 1952,Jewish p. history, 195) and drawing on a Hegelian on the substantial conceptual achievements framework.5 This of modern innovative scholarship historiographical (Klausner 5 1952treatment, p. 195) of the and Jewish on a Hegelian religion conceptualwas not confin framework.ed to academicThis innovative objectives; historiographical it was also com- mittedtreatment to and of thedeeply Jewish immersed religion in was its spiritual not confined dimensions. to academic The Guide’s objectives; ultimate it wasaim alsowas tocommitted offer perceptive to and and deeply historically immersed oriented in its spiritualobservations dimensions. about the ThecomplexGuide’s andultimate swiftly changingaim was toJewish offer reality perceptive of the andnineteenth historically century oriented with which observations many young about Jewish the complex Eastern and swiftly changing Jewish reality of the nineteenth century6 with which many young European intellectuals were struggling to come to grips. Our particular examination6 also concernsJewish Eastern this unique European objective intellectuals of the Guide were, insofar struggling as it to sets come out to to grips. answerOur the particularfollowing examination also concerns this unique objective of the Guide, insofar as it sets out to answer question: To what extent does Krochmal’s reconstruction and rediscovery of Philo reflect the following question: To what extent does Krochmal’s reconstruction and rediscovery his own concerns regarding the spiritual crises of his time, and to what extent does it of Philo reflect his own concerns regarding the spiritual crises of his time, and to what merely express his intrinsic historiographical interest in the Second Temple era? The an- extent does it merely express his intrinsic historiographical interest in the Second Temple swer to this question will be fleshed out in three thematic steps. In the first part, I will era? The answer to this question will be fleshed out in three thematic steps. In the first discuss Philo’s overall position in Krochmal’s modern Jewish historiography. I will then part, I will discuss Philo’s overall position in Krochmal’s modern Jewish historiography. turn to Krochmal’s fragmentary chapter on Philo and attempt to provide a reconstruction I will then turn to Krochmal’s fragmentary chapter on Philo and
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