Hasidism Incarnate: Hasidism, Christianity, and the Construction of Modern Judaism (Encountering Traditions) by Shaul Magid

Encountering Traditions

by Shaul Magid

Hasidism Incarnate contends that much of modern Judaism in the West developed in reaction to Christianity and in defense of Judaism as a unique tradition. Ironically enough, this occurred even as modern Judaism increasingly dovetailed with Christianity with regard to its ethos, aesthetics, and attitude toward ritual and faith. Shaul Magid argues that the Hasidic movement in Eastern Europe constitutes an alternative "modernity," one that opens a new window on Jewish theological history. Unlike Judaism in German lands, Hasidism did not develop under a "Christian gaze" and had no need to be apologetic of its positions. Unburdened by an apologetic agenda (at least toward Christianity), it offered a particular reading of medieval Jewish Kabbalah filtered through a focus on the charismatic leader that resulted in a religious worldview that has much in common with Christianity. It is not that Hasidic masters knew about Christianity; rather, the basic tenets of Christianity remained present, albeit often in veiled form, in much kabbalistic teaching that Hasidism took up in its portrayal of the charismatic figure of the zaddik , whom it often described in supernatural terms.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish

Hardcover

First published December 3, 2014

About the author

The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair in Jewish Studies
Professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies
Director of Graduate Studies, Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program
My teaching focuses primarily on Kabbala, Hasidism, religious fundamentalism, Israel/Palestine, and modern and American Jewish thought and culture. Areas of interest and research include sixteenth century Kabbala, Hasidism, American Judaism, comparative religion, and contemporary conceptions of Jewish religiosity. I am the editor of God's Voice from the Void: Old and New Essays on Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (SUNY Press, 2001), co-editor of Beginning Again: Toward a Hermeneutic of Jewish Texts (Seven Bridges Press, 2002) and author of Hasidism on the Margin: Reconciliation, Antinomianism, and Messianism in Izbica and Radzin Hasidism (University of Wisconsin Press, 2003). From Metaphysics to Midrash: Myth, History, and the Interpretation of Scripture in Lurianic Kabbala (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2008) which was awarded the 2008 American Academy of Religion Award for best book in religion in the textual studies category, American Post-Judaism: Identity and Renewal in a Postethnic Society (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2013) and Hasidism Incarnate: Hasidism, Christianity, and the Construction of Modern Judaism (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014). I am the series editor for “Post-Rabbinic Judaisms” for Academic Studies Press. I am also a regular contributor to Tikkun Magazine, Zeek Magazine, Open Zion, and Religion Dispatches.

Reviews

[Anthony Cardinale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a groundbreaking book revealing yet more Jewish teachings that were submerged as "too Christian" by the founders of rabbinic Judaism after the Temple was destroyed. Many of those teachings (some preserved in the Targums) began coming out during the 1700s by the emerging Chasidic Jews, who -- not living "under the Christian gaze" -- were not afraid of sounding "too Christian" in their theology. I would like to add that, during the 1800s, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's biblical commentaries, particularly on the Psalms, reveal many New Testament approaches to scripture that I have found fascinating as a Christian author. -- Anthony Cardinale

[Seekers of Unity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Stimulating and thought provoking. Makes a good case that Chassidic thinkers, free from the concern of coming off as Christian, let their incarnational flag fly. Well researched, well presented.

If you like books like this you'll love my project:
http://youtube.com/c/seekersofunity?s...

[jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skip to the fourth and fifth chapters (on kenosis and Jesus) and then it's worthwhile.

[Bette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magid dares to address the elephant in the room: that Judaism and Christianity, long said to be separate religions, are really two sides of the same coin. While Judaism is long thought to be the ancestor or parent of Christianity, Magid (and a few others) are making the point that in fact they are sibling traditions, and have influenced one another throughout their long existence. This is a gutsy stand, and no matter what you may think of the notion, this book is worth reading and considering seriously.