The Questionable Judaism of Moses Mendelssohn

Abstract

Renowned during the latter part of the eighteenth century as the German Socrates, Moses Mendelssohn today occupies only a minor place in most histories of philosophy. He is generally recognized by historians of Jewish religious thought, however, as the inaugurator of a new epoch. Even those who see little merit in his overall theological position readily grant that Mendelssohn is the founder of modem Jewish philosophy. In retrospect, it is rather surprising to see how little he had to do in order to earn this title. Few, if any, figures in the history of Jewish thought have attained a stature comparable to that of Mendelssohn on the basis of so little work. Only a relatively small part of his entire opus is devoted to specifically Jewish matters, and only a small fraction of that consists of writings that could be properly designated as philosophical, as opposed to merely exegetical. For the most part, Mendelssohn concerned himself with the elaboration of a Jewish philosophy rather late in life and only with somewhat limited purposes in mind. He did not seek to develop a comprehensive philosophy of Judaism; rather, he endeavored to explain, in general terms, how he was able to combine allegiance to reason with loyalty to the God of Israel. His effort to do so rested on his deep-seated assurance of human beings' ability to discern the existence of a God who governed the world benevolently. Revelation, according to Mendelssohn, added nothing new to the essential truths of natural religion. God had vouchsafed it to the Jews alone in order to prepare them to play a specific role in