Auf der Suche nach einer »Religiosität ohne zu frömmeln«

Abstract

Abstract The following paper considers Rabbi Dr. Ludwig Philippson’s contributions to the many-faceted Jewish-theological discourses of the 19th century, with special focus on his Israelitische Religionslehre: comprising three volumes and published between the late 1850s and early 1860s, this work can be regarded as a result of his rabbinic teachings. We will therefore consider the importance of an emerging religious theory as well as the ambivalence in locating Philippson’s religious affiliations: even though Philippson favoured an increasingly theoretical approach to religion, his Religionslehre nevertheless betrays conspicuous moments of orthodoxy. It will be the purpose of this paper to examine the contradictions in Philippson’s argumentation.