Древнееврейская история в "еврейской энциклопедии" (1908-1913)

Abstract

The article analyzes the narrative of ancient Jewish history in the “Jewish Encyclopedia”, published in St. Petersburg in 1909-1913 and edited by famous representatives of the Russian-Jewish intelligentsia and historians. Since the basis for the editors of the encyclopedia was the edition of the “Jewish Enceclopedia” in English in New York in 1901-1906, the author compares the content of the articles of the same name. This task is being implemented in the context of the development of the Wissenschaft des Judentums and demonstrates a certain trend of departure from traditional Jewish historical writing at the beginning of the 20th century. The author comes to the conclusion that significant differences in views on ancient Jewish history among Russian and American publishers of Jewish encyclopedias. The Russian Jewish Encyclopedy is characterized by a broader view of the reality surrounding the Jews and the world historical context. This was expressed in a rather detailed narrative and the desire to give a more complete picture even in a small article, approaching the text of a scientific monograph with an explanation of cause-and-effect relationships. There is a gradual departure from the recognition of the long-established facts of ancient Jewish history, prescribed and recognized by the classics of German Judaism. This is expressed in the appeal to the works of domestic orientalists and historians of the Jews in Russia. On the whole, Russian-Jewish authors never manage to completely get rid of the theological accent in historical writing. However, there is a clear transition from a simple retelling of events according to the Bible to a thoughtful understanding of several controversial scientific versions of certain facts of ancient Jewish history, as well as understanding it in the context of the history of other powers of the ancient East.