What are Jews for? History, Peoplehood and Purpose

Sutcliffe, Adam

ISBN 10: 0691188807 / ISBN 13: 9780691188805

Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2020

Very slight creasing to edges of unclipped dustwrapper, otherwise a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. Looks at Western thinking on the Jews from the seventeenth century onwards, including links between Jewish and Christian messianism, the association of the Jews with universalist and transformative ideas in philosophy, politics, literature and social thought; and more. Lengthy inscription by the author to original owner on title page, signed "Adam". 358pp. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 011774

Synopsis:

A wide-ranging look at the history of Western thinking since the seventeenth century on the purpose of the Jewish people in the past, present, and future

What is the purpose of Jews in the world? The Bible singles out the Jews as God’s “chosen people,” but the significance of this special status has been understood in many different ways over the centuries. What Are Jews For? traces the history of the idea of Jewish purpose from its ancient and medieval foundations to the modern era, showing how it has been central to Western thinking on the meanings of peoplehood for everybody. Adam Sutcliffe delves into the links between Jewish and Christian messianism and the association of Jews with universalist and transformative ideals in modern philosophy, politics, literature, and social thought.

The Jews have been accorded a crucial role in both Jewish and Christian conceptions of the end of history, when they will usher the world into a new epoch of unity and harmony. Since the seventeenth century this messianic underlay to the idea of Jewish purpose has been repeatedly reconfigured in new forms. From the political theology of the early modern era to almost all domains of modern thought―religious, social, economic, nationalist, radical, assimilationist, satirical, and psychoanalytical―Jews have retained a close association with positive transformation for all. Sutcliffe reveals the persistent importance of the “Jewish Purpose Question” in the attempts of Jews and non-Jews alike to connect the collective purpose of particular communities to the broader betterment of humanity.

Shedding light on questions of exceptionalism, pluralism, and universalism, What Are Jews For? explores an intricate question that remains widely resonant in contemporary culture and political debate.

About the Author: Adam Sutcliffe is professor of European history at King’s College London. He is the author of Judaism and Enlightenment and the coeditor, most recently, of Philosemitism in History, The Cambridge History of Judaism: The Early Modern World, and History, Memory and Public Life: The Past in the Present.

Bibliographic Details

Title: What are Jews for? History, Peoplehood and ...
Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ
Publication Date: 2020
Binding: Hard Cover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
Signed: Inscribed by Author
Edition: First Edition.