REL 204(F) Redeeming a Broken World: Messianism in Modernity (Same as Jewish Studies 204) (W)
The sociologist Zygmunt Bauman has described modernity as the period of the
world's disenchantment, when God absconded and religion was either rationalized or reduced to the category of superstition. Ironically, this very disenchantment might help to explain the persistence of the concept of the messianic in
even the most secular branches of modern European thought. One of Judaism's
most powerful and elastic concepts, the notion of the messiah saw a variety of
radically different interpretations between the 17th and 20th centuries. This
course will consider the range of modern interpretations of the messiah, taking
as its concrete starting point the Sabbatian Heresy of the 17th century and concluding with Derrida's philosophical development of the concept of the messianic as pure interruption. The course's aim is to use messianism as a focal point
around which to consider the dynamic relationship between philosophy and Judaism in modernity. This course will expose the mutual influences of these two
forces, illustrating both how Enlightenment conceptions of progress helped to
create the notion of "messianism" understood as an abstract idea, and how the
modern/post-modern philosophical conception of the "messianic" as a force that
interrupts time is dependent upon historical studies of the messianic dimension
of traditional Judaism. The readings for each class will not generally exceed 40
pages but will require close attention. Authors to be read include GWF Hegel,
Immanuel Kant, Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig, Gershom Scholem, Walter Benjamin, and Jacques Derrida.
Format: seminar. Requirements will include regular participation, weekly writing assignments of 2-3 pages, and a final 12- to 15-page paper an approved topic
of the student's choice.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit 19 (expected 19). Preference given to
Religion majors and Jewish Studies concentrators.