Gnosis and History: Polemics of German-Jewish Identity from Graetz to Scholem

Abstract

During first century after establishment of Wissenschaft des Judentums as an academic discipline, contemporary ideology and politics often colored work of Jewish historians. As Immanuel Wolf, one of founders of Verein fiir Cultur und Wissenschaft der Juden, declared in his outline of Wissenschaft des Judentums in 1819, scientific knowledge of Judaism must decide on merits or demerits of Jews, their fitness or unfitness to be given same status and respect as other citizens.' More directly, scholarly studies of Leopold Zunz served as instruments of emancipation for German Jews. Like Wolf, Zunz believed that the equality of Jews in customs and life will follow from equality of Wissenschaft des Judentums.2 In his Gottesdienstliche Vortrage der Juden, historisch entwickelt (1832), he documented long tradition of Jewish sermon literature. Thus, he rebutted claims of Prussian government, which dismissed German-language synagogue sermons as illegitimate innovations of Jewish liturgy. Zunz's later scholarship also intervened in contemporary politics. In reaction to a decree that forbade Jews from adopting Christian names, Zunz wrote Die Namen der Juden to demonstrate that many