History, Religion, and Antisemitism (Centennial Book) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Religion poses a problem for historians..." (more)
Key Phrases: rational empirical thinking, nonrational associations, nonrational thinking, New York, Middle Ages, Roman Catholic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Langmuir critically probes the vast literature on the nature of religion--the work of Emile Durkheim, Clifford Geertz, Robert Bellah, Mircea Eliade, William James, and others. He finds standard definitions and descriptions wanting, but his appraisals brilliantly survey the basic worlds that have shaped religious studies."--Charles H. Lippy, "Church History

Product Description

Gavin I. Langmuir's work on the formation and nature of antisemitism has earned him an international reputation. In History, Religion, and Antisemitism he bravely confronts the problems that arise when historians have to describe and explain religious phenomena, as any historian of antisemitism must. How, and to what extent, can the historian be objective? Is it possible to discuss Christian attitudes toward Jews, for example, without adopting the historical explanations of those whose thoughts and actions one is discussing? What, exactly, does the historian mean by "religion" or "religious"?
Langmuir's original and stimulating responses to these questions reflect his inquiry into the approaches of anthropology, sociology, and psychology and into recent empirical research on the functioning of the mind and the nature of thought. His distinction between religiosity, a property of individuals, and religion, a social phenomenon, allows him to place unusual emphasis on the role of religious doubts and tensions and the irrationality they can produce. Defining antisemitism as irrational beliefs about Jews, he distinguishes Christian anti-Judaism from Christian antisemitism, demonstrates that antisemitism emerged in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries because of rising Christian doubts, and sketches how the revolutionary changes in religion and mentality in the modern period brought new faiths, new kinds of religious doubt, and a deadlier expression of antisemitism. Although he developed it in dealing with the difficult question of antisemitism, Langmuir's approach to religious history is important for historians in all areas.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 391 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (February 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520077288
• ISBN-13: 978-0520077287
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #888,785 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Probes Religion and Rationality well, not Antisemitism, September 4, 2001

By	Christopher W. Chase "Christopher W. Chase" (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gavin Langmuir's text '"History, Religion and Antisemitism" is a landmark book in the area of defining religion and its relationship to cultural movements and reason.

In the first part of the book, Langmuir surveys the efforts made to define "religion" by a number of scholars, and finds problems with all of them. Religion is a notoriously difficult concept to define, so this is no surprise. What Langmuir contributes to this issue is a separation between private religious impulses, and religious institutions. Langmuir refers to the former as "religiosity" and to the latter as "religion." Under these definitions, almost all humans have religiosities of one form or another, but they do not become a "religion" until some form of institutionalization takes place. This definition is not without difficulties, but it does deserve serious engagement.

"History" is also covered in the first part of the book. With regard to "history," Langmuir's book is more about the interpretation of history rather than history itself. In looking at the motivations and judgments of historical figures, Langmuir questions why we must accept explanations of earlier scholars or historical figures with regard to their actions or motivations. Langmuir argues that as present-day critics and judges we can reach different conclusions about the past rather than be bound by those people's explanations for their own behavior.
In the last part of the text, Langmuir weaves these two notions together to analyze antisemitism. While others have tried to provide social, theological, or racial reasons for antisemitic actions and behaviors, Langmuir concludes that antisemitism is reducible to an "irrational" form of religiosity., a paranoid conspiracy theory about a group of people---like that found in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion." Some worldviews are irrational and illogical, and antisemitism is one of them, according to Langmuir.

I disagree with Langmuir's analysis of antisemitism, although his work on history and religion is still valuable. Antisemitism has many facets, from theological to social. Certain New Testament quotations can be used to justify antisemitism and early Christian theology, including Augustine, is notoriously uncomfortable with the presence of Jews. Antisemitism and fascism have histories of their own, and are not simply periodic insane ramblings from people who lack appropriate medication. Rather, they are human worldviews with a coherence and logic of their own. This in no way justifies them as practices, but running away from them and dismissing them as simply "illogical" will not make them go away or help us to understand these all-too-human worldviews any better.

For a better treatment and analysis of contemporary antisemitism read Michael Barkun's work "Religion and the Racist Right."

5.0 out of 5 stars An understanding of one form of the Evil , November 16, 2006

By	Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

In this work Langmuir takes the eleventh and twelvth centuries as the key period in the transformation from what he calls Anti- Jewishness to Anti- Semitism. Anti- Jewishness as he understands it has to do with Christianity's conflict with Judaism on matters of faith and practice. Anti- Semitism he insteads see as irrational, and fueled by imaginative constructions and fantasies. The latter as he understands is a reflection of Christian uncertainty in itself at this time.
Langmuir has a wide knowledge of sociology, and anthropology and his writing focuses on understanding collective and social phenomenom.
This work may not be the comprehensive history of Anti- Semitism which would explain it in all its various historical manifestations. But it is an informed scholarly work for all those who wish to understand the medieval Christian variant of this form of human evil.