Moses Mendelssohn}}}s Living Script Philosophy, Practice, History, Judaism [Hardcover]

Moses Mendelssohn (17291786) is often described as the founder of modern Jewish thought and as a leading philosopher of the late Enlightenment. One of Mendelssohn's main concerns was how to conceive of the relationship between Judaism, philosophy, and the civic life of a modern state. Elias Sacks explores Mendelssohn's landmark account of Jewish practice--Judaism's living script, to use his famous phrase--to present a broader reading of Mendelssohn's writings and extend inquiry into conversations about modernity and religion. By studying Mendelssohn's thought in these dimensions, Sacks suggests that he shows a deep concern with history. Sacks affords a view of a foundational moment in Jewish modernity and forwards new ways of thinking about ritual practice, the development of traditions, and the role of religion in society.

Overall,Moses Mendelssohns Living Scriptrepresents an exciting revival of sophisticated scholarly interest in the German Socrates philosophical-theological contributions. . . . The book is a must-read for students of Judaism, German intellectual history, and the hermeneutic tradition, and it may be hoped that more of its kind will follow.
Highly recommended.Elias Sacks's suggestion that Mendelssohn is philosophically motivated by the threat of historical consciousness to traditional Judaism is novel. A fresh, important, and exciting argument for the continued relevance of this founder of modern Jewish thought.

Elias Sacks is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Sacks has written an accessible book that will help students who readJerusalemto better understand Mendelssohn's intellectual methods and objectives as well as his contributions to the development of modern religious forms of Judaism.Mendelssohn's Living Scriptis also an important book that makes a valuable contribution to debates that will continue to engage the next generatil¨