Reclaiming the Hebrew Bible: German-Jewish Reception of Biblical Criticism

The 19th century saw the rise of Biblical Criticism in German universities, culminating in Wellhausen’s radical revision of the history of biblical times and religion. For German-Jewish intellectuals, the academic discipline promised emancipation from traditional Christian readings of Scripture– but at the same time suffered from what was perceived as anti-Jewish bias, this time in scholarly robes. "Reclaiming the Hebrew Bible” describes the German-Jewish strategies to cope with Biblical Criticism– varying from an enthusiastic welcome, through modified adoption, to resolute rejection.