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Yehezkel Kaufmann and the Reinvention of Jewish Biblical Scholarship
The biblical scholar, historian, and Jewish thinker Yehezkel Kaufmann (1889-1963) is best known for two magisterial a two-volume interpretation of Jewish history and a four-volume study of biblical religion. Toledot in particular is the most monumental achievement of modern Jewish biblical scholarship. No other figure, not even Martin Buber, has had such a profound influence on the work of Jewish scholars of the Bible. The volume provides a comprehensive and multi-faceted account of Kaufmann's work, through which Anglophone readers, students and scholars alike, can explore the hitherto unrecognized significance and profundity of Kaufmann's legacy.
382 pages, Hardcover
Published December 4, 2017
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December 6, 2025
I’ve been trying to learn about what influence the Babylonian Captivity had on Israelite religion. It seems most scholars treat it essentially as the crucible for the emergence of monotheism.
I read this book because Kaufman is an important scholar with the minority view of an early date for monotheism and this book includes a number of very helpful and interesting essays discussing the merits and drawbacks of that theory with modern evidence.
Four chapters stand out and can be read alone:
-Ziony Zevit’s chapter is a meticulous and measured discussion of Kaufman’s basic arguments, their reception over time, and what they offer modern debates.
-Benjamin Sommer’s chapter and Israel Knohl’s chapter make the archeological case for early, revolutionary monotheism.
-Othmar Keel’s chapter defends the mainstream model of a slow evolution from polytheism-> monolatry->monotheism against the neo-Kaufmanian argument advanced by Sommer and Knohl.
My tentative, inexpert verdict: it seems likely that within the generally polytheistic pre-exilic period, there was a monotheistic party that grew ascendant in Babylon. And it’s plausible that it stretched back to early Israel (and perhaps lost influence under the united monarchy?), but I have low confidence. In any case, very useful book in laying out what the contours of debate are and the major lines of evidence.
I read this book because Kaufman is an important scholar with the minority view of an early date for monotheism and this book includes a number of very helpful and interesting essays discussing the merits and drawbacks of that theory with modern evidence.
Four chapters stand out and can be read alone:
-Ziony Zevit’s chapter is a meticulous and measured discussion of Kaufman’s basic arguments, their reception over time, and what they offer modern debates.
-Benjamin Sommer’s chapter and Israel Knohl’s chapter make the archeological case for early, revolutionary monotheism.
-Othmar Keel’s chapter defends the mainstream model of a slow evolution from polytheism-> monolatry->monotheism against the neo-Kaufmanian argument advanced by Sommer and Knohl.
My tentative, inexpert verdict: it seems likely that within the generally polytheistic pre-exilic period, there was a monotheistic party that grew ascendant in Babylon. And it’s plausible that it stretched back to early Israel (and perhaps lost influence under the united monarchy?), but I have low confidence. In any case, very useful book in laying out what the contours of debate are and the major lines of evidence.
Displaying 1 of 1 review