Crisis and Apocalypse. Notes towards an Analysis of Gershom Scholem’s Reflection on Messianism
Keywords:
Gershom Scholem, messianism, apocalypse, crisis, German-Jewry, Jacob Taubes
Abstract
This paper aims to explore the reading of Jewish messianism provided by the great historian of Jewish mysticism Gershom Scholem (1897-1982). Starting by showing how messianism has been at the center of Scholem’s attention since the beginning of his scholarly activity, the main motives at the core of Scholem’s description of the messianic phenomenon are investigated. The article points out Scholem’s opposition to a positivist and neo-kantian conception of history, his predilection for the apocalyptical interpretation of Jewish messianism, and his fascination for radical movements such as Sabbatianism and Frankism. In the final part an explanation of the main critiques moved against Scholem’s view of messianism by Jacob Taubes (1923-1987) is also offered.Downloads
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Published
2015-10-23
How to Cite
Lucca E. (2015). Crisis and Apocalypse. Notes towards an Analysis of Gershom Scholem’s Reflection on Messianism. Res Publica. Revista de Historia de las Ideas Políticas, 18(2), 339-351. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_RPUB.2015.v18.n2.50794
Section
Artículos
License
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