Hermann Cohen and Prophetic Eigenart

Abstract

This article argues that Hermann Cohen’s methodology for the study of Judaism and the biblical text is based upon his understanding of prophetic Eigenart and the prophetic ideas of morality, monotheism, and mission. In doing so, this article looks at Cohen’s critiques of prophetic scholarship in the work of Alfred Bertholet and Ernst Troeltsch, as these scholars represent for Cohen the highest and the lowest points of prophetic scholarship respectively, and illustrate how prophetic and biblical scholarship are connected to the ideals of society and academia in general.