Jewish History : an essay in the philosophy of history

Excerpt

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

I

THE RANGE OF JEWISH HISTORY
   Historical and Unhistorical Peoples
   Three Groups of Nations
   The "Most Historical" People
   Extent of Jewish History

II

THE CONTENT OF JEWISH HISTORY
   Two Periods of Jewish History
   The Period of Independence
   The Election of the Jewish People
   Priests and Prophets
   The Babylonian Exile and the Scribes
   The Dispersion
   Jewish History and Universal History
   Jewish History Characterized

III

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JEWISH HISTORY
   The National Aspect of Jewish History
   The Historical Consciousness
   The National Idea and National Feeling
   The Universal Aspect of Jewish History
   An Historical Experiment
   A Moral Discipline
   Humanitarian Significance of Jewish History
   Schleiden and George Eliot

IV

THE HISTORICAL SYNTHESIS
   Three Primary Periods
   Four Composite Periods

V

THE PRIMARY OR BIBLICAL PERIOD
   Cosmic Origin of the Jewish Religion
   Tribal Organization
   Egyptian Influence and Experiences
   Moses
   Mosaism a Religious and Moral as well as a Social and Political
       System
   National Deities
   The Prophets and the two Kingdoms
   Judaism a Universal Religion

VI

THE SECONDARY OR SPIRITUAL-POLITICAL PERIOD
   Growth of National Feeling
   Ezra and Nehemiah
   The Scribes
   Hellenism
   The Maccabees
   Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes
   Alexandrian Jews
   Christianity

VII

THE TERTIARY TALMUDIC OR NATIONAL-RELIGIOUS
PERIOD
   The Isolation of Jewry and Judaism
   The Mishna
   The Talmud
   Intellectual Activity in Palestine and Babylonia
   The Agada and the Midrash
   Unification of Judaism

VIII

THE GAONIC PERIOD, OR THE HEGEMONY OF THE ORIENTAL JEWS (500-980)
   The Academies
   Islam
   Karaism
   Beginning of Persecutions in Europe
   Arabic Civilization in Europe

IX

THE RABBINIC-PHILOSOPHICAL PERIOD, OR THE HEGEMONY OF THE SPANISH
JEWS (980-1492)
   The Spanish Jews
   The Arabic-Jewish Renaissance
   The Crusades and the Jews
   Degradation of the Jews in Christian Europe
   The Provence
   The Lateran Council
   The Kabbala
   Expulsion from Spain

X

THE RABBINIC-MYSTICAL PERIOD, OR THE HEGEMONY OF THE GERMAN-POLISH
JEWS (1492-1789)
   The Humanists and the Reformation
   Palestine an Asylum for Jews
   Messianic Belief and Hopes
   Holland a Jewish Centre
   Poland and the Jews
   The Rabbinical Authorities of Poland
   Isolation of the Polish Jews
   Mysticism and the Practical Kabbala
   Chassidism
   Persecutions and Morbid Piety

XI

THE MODERN PERIOD OF ENLIGHTENMENT (THE NINETEENTH CENTURY)
   The French Revolution
   The Jewish Middle Ages
   Spiritual and Civil Emancipation
   The Successors of Mendelssohn
   Zunz and the Science of Judaism
   The Modern Movements outside of Germany
   The Jew in Russia
   His Regeneration
   Anti-Semitism and Judophobia

XII

THE TEACHINGS OF JEWISH HISTORY
   Jewry a Spiritual Community
   Jewry Indestructible
   The Creative Principle of Jewry
   The Task of the Future
   The Jew and the Nations
   The Ultimate Ideal

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

What is Jewish History?...