Jewish Identity in Modern Times: Leo Baeck and German Protestantism (European Judaism) [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Walter Homolka (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1571810595 | ISBN-13: 978-1571810595 | Publication Date: August 1995

There is no doubt about Baeck's contribution to Jewish theology in the twentieth century: it has been significant. Without ever departing completely from the ancient wellsprings of orthodoxy, he was a studious observer of the intellectual currents of his time and ambience; under theinfluence of liberal Jewish theology, he drew on and reworked those currents, weaving them into his own theological thought. A special aspect of Baeck's work is that he remained in critical confrontation with Christianity throughout his life, acting as a kind of builder of bridges between the two faiths." (From the Introduction.) It is on this aspect that the author focuses his study inwhich he examines Leo Baeck's critical evaluation of Martin Luther and Protestantism. At the same time Homolka shows how close the intellectual links between liberal Christian and liberal Jewish theology had become before the Holocaust: both sides attempted a new definition of the "essence" of their faiths and were searching for a new identity in an increasingly pluralistic and secular society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...The author is particularly interested in understanding Baecks portrayal of Judaism as a classical religion. He notes that Baecks stark contrasts and highly polemical tome can be attributed to the fact that Baeck was reacting to Harnack and other contemporary Protestant thinkers whose works were filled with descriptions of Judaism that were not only pejorative, but sometimes even antisemitic. By reading Baecks thought in the context of his environment, Homolka can retrieve the ideas that remain useful while being candid about the was in which Baeck, like every thinker, is in some way blinded by the historical forces that have shaped and sometimes distorted his thinking. This book also contains a foreword by Albert Friedlander on Baecks two and a half years in Theresienstadt, as well as an epilogue by Ester Seidel reflecting on the relationship between Baecks though and recent trends in Liberal Jewish Theology. -- Choice

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 150 pages
• Publisher: Berghahn Books (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571810595
• ISBN-13: 978-1571810595
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,437,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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