Lecture: Higher Bible Criticism - Higher Antisemitism?
In an important speech in 1902, the famous Jewish scholar Solomon Schechter expressed his conviction that Higher Bible Criticism was not merely a scholarly endeavor, but also a tool that could fuel antisemitism. Lieve Teugels will give her second Marko Feingold lecture on this topic at PLUS University in Salzburg. The lecture can be attended online.
About the lecture
Higher Criticism as a scientific method for the study of the Hebrew Bible had originated in Germany around 1900, and was mostly practiced by Protestant scholars. The name most associated with Higher Criticism is Julius Wellhausen. His famous work Prolegomena to the History of Israel (orig.: Prolegomena zur Geschichte Israels, 1905) is indeed laced with supersessionist and openly anti-Jewish remarks. Other (progressive) Jewish scholars of the so-called Wissenschaft des Judentums, such as Benno Jacob, also objected to Higher Criticism as they felt that the Christians had “stolen the Bible” from the Jews, and offered alternative reading methods. In this lecture Lieve Teugels will discuss these developments, and investigate what its repercussions are for Biblical Studies by Jews and Christians today.
Participate
You can participate online via Teams. Please use the registration button on this page.
