Ran HaCohen – författare

The 19th century saw the rise of Biblical Criticism in German universities, culminating in Wellhausen’s radical revision of the history of biblical times and religion. For German-Jewish intellectuals, the academic discipline promised emancipation from traditional Christian readings of Scripture – but at the same time suffered from what was perceived as anti-Jewish bias, this time in scholarly robes. “Reclaiming the Hebrew Bible”‎ describes the German-Jewish strategies to cope with Biblical Criticism – varying from an enthusiastic welcome in the early decades, through modified adoption in Jewish Reform circles, to resolute rejection in the Orthodox camp. The study surveys the awareness and attitudes towards Biblical Criticism in the popular German-Jewish periodicals, and analyzes in depth the works of the first modern Jewish historian I. M. Jost (1793–1860), of the theologian S. L. Steinheim (1789–1866), and of the Reform activist Siegmund Maybaum (1844–1919).

The 19th century saw the rise of Biblical Criticism in German universities, culminating in Wellhausen’s radical revision of the history of biblical times and religion. For German-Jewish intellectuals, the academic discipline promised emancipation from traditional Christian readings of Scripture – but at the same time suffered from what was perceived as anti-Jewish bias, this time in scholarly robes. “Reclaiming the Hebrew Bible”‎ describes the German-Jewish strategies to cope with Biblical Criticism – varying from an enthusiastic welcome in the early decades, through modified adoption in Jewish Reform circles, to resolute rejection in the Orthodox camp. The study surveys the awareness and attitudes towards Biblical Criticism in the popular German-Jewish periodicals, and analyzes in depth the works of the first modern Jewish historian I. M. Jost (1793–1860), of the theologian S. L. Steinheim (1789–1866), and of the Reform activist Siegmund Maybaum (1844–1919).

Die auf 2 Bände angelegte Bibliografie hebräischer und deutsch-jüdischer Kinder- und Jugendtexte ist ein einzigartiges Monument jüdischen Lebens in Deutschland. Die über 2.400 aufgenommenen Titel sind um zahlreiche textgeschichtliche Informationen ergänzt. Dazu zählen insbesondere Informationen über Gebrauchssituation des Textes, Intention, Inhalt, Struktur, Gattungszuordnung und Rezeptionsgeschichte. Aus dem Blickwinkel der deutsch-jüdischen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur erscheinen 3 Jahrhunderte jüdische Kultur im deutschsprachigen Raum in völlig neuem Licht.