Judaism and Enlightenment [Paperback]

Investigates the philosophical and political significance of Judaism in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe.This major contribution to the history of European ideas investigates the philosophical and political significance of Judaism in the intellectual life of seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. Adam Sutcliffe shows how the enthusiastic fascination with Judaism prevalent around 1650 had become contemptuous disdain a century later. He argues that the intense responses of thinkers like Voltaire to Jewish topics are central to an understanding of the underlying ambiguities of the Enlightenment. Judaism and Enlightenment will interest scholars both of Jewish history, and of toleration, enlightenment, and the emergence of modernity.This major contribution to the history of European ideas investigates the philosophical and political significance of Judaism in the intellectual life of seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. Adam Sutcliffe shows how the enthusiastic fascination with Judaism prevalent around 1650 had become contemptuous disdain a century later. He argues that the intense responses of thinkers like Voltaire to Jewish topics are central to an understanding of the underlying ambiguities of the Enlightenment. Judaism and Enlightenment will interest scholars both of Jewish history, and of toleration, enlightenment, and the emergence of modernity.This major contribution to the history of European ideas investigates the philosophical and political significance of Judaism in the intellectual life of seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. Adam Sutcliffe demonstrates how the enthusiastic fascination with Judaism that was prevalent around 1650 became contemptuous a century later. The intense responses of thinkers like Voltaire to Jewish topics are central to an understanding of the underlying ambiguities of the Enlightenment. The study interests scholars of Jewish history, the Enlightenment, and of the emergence of the modern movement.IntroductlC)