Moses Mendelssohn and the Enlightenment

324 Pages·1994·23.588 MB·English

by  Allan Arkush

Moses Mendelssohn and the Enlightenment
SUNY Series in Judaica:
Hermeneutics, Mysticism, and Religion
Michael Fishbane, Robert Goldenberg, and Elliot Wolfson, Editors
Moses Mendelssohn and the Enlightenment
Allan Arkush
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS
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Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 1994 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Arkush, Allan, 1949-
Moses Mendelssohn and the Enlightenment / Allan Arkush.
p. cm. - (SUNY series in Judaica)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7914-2071-X. - ISBN 0-7914-2072-8 (pbk.)
1. Mendelssohn, Moses, 1729-1786. 2. Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm,
Freiherr von, 1646-1716-Influence. 3. Wolff, Christian, Freiherr
von, 1679-1754-lnfluence. 4. Enlightenment. 5. Philosophy,
Jewish. 6. Haskalah. I. Title. II. Series.
B2693.A75 1994
193-dc20 93-39401
CIP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
In memory of my grandfather,
Samuel Squire

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1 The Leibniz-W olffian Background 1
2 Mendelssohn's Natural Theology 37
3 The Crisis of Reason 69
4 Religion, Morality, and Politics 99
5 Spinoza and Other Adversaries 133
6 Mendelssohn's Defense of Judaism 167
7 Refashioning Judaism 241
Conclusion 289
Bibliography 293
Index 301
vii