David Zvi Hoffmann’s (1843–1921) commentary on the Pentateuch in the context of German-Jewish Orthodoxy’s struggle over the dogmatic principles of Torah

David Zvi Hoffmann’s (1843–1921) commentary on the Pentateuch in the context of German-Jewish Orthodoxy’s struggle over the dogmatic principles of Torah

The present article explores Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann’s (1843–1921) exegetical writings – especially his approach to biblical criticism – in the hitherto unexplored context of German-Jewish Orthodoxy’s struggle over the dogmatic principles of Torah. It highlights the parallels and the differences be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Jewish studies Vol. 72; no. 2; pp. 397 - 417
Main Authors: Dubrau, Alexander A., Seidler, Meir
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Liverpool University Press 01-10-2021
Oxford Centre for Hebrew and
Subjects:
Dogmatism
Exegesis & hermeneutics
Judaic studies
Judaism
Torah
Modern period
Berlin
Rabbinical Seminary
Hoffmann, David Zvi
German
orthodoxy
Pentateuch
Bible criticism
commentary
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Summary:The present article explores Rabbi David Zvi Hoffmann’s (1843–1921) exegetical writings – especially his approach to biblical criticism – in the hitherto unexplored context of German-Jewish Orthodoxy’s struggle over the dogmatic principles of Torah. It highlights the parallels and the differences between Hoffmann and other important exegetical protagonists of German Judaism, especially German-Jewish Orthodoxy, as well as the outstanding significance of his enterprise for the latter. Though Hoffmann’s exegetical conclusions conform to a large extent with traditional Jewish exegesis, his methodological principles, his language and the problems he deals with are closely related to contemporary Wissenschaft. So far as the crisis of German-Jewish Orthodoxy at the beginning of the twentieth century is concerned, the question of how much Hoffmann’s exegesis succeeded in bridging the dichotomy between the dogmatic principles of Torah and Wissenschaft remains open.
ISSN:0022-2097
2056-6689
DOI:10.18647/3509/jjs-2021