3 Concluding Volumes of
Prof. Baron's Social and
- Keligions Jewish History
Prof. Salo Baron Slated as First
Lecturer in '58-'59 Field Series
Opening lecture in the new
academic year's Walter and
Lea Field Semitic lecture se-
ries will be given by Colum-
A monumental work has been learning." He adds that "fa riables (Esther, Tobit, Judith), bia University Professor Salo
completed, with the publication beyond the progress of biblica 1 1 and non-Hebraic poetry as well W. Baron, who will speak on
of Volumes VI, VII and VIII of research, the Bible as such be - are outlined here.
"Modern Nationalism and Re-
"A Social and Religious History came, perhaps more than in an y
* * *
ligion."
of the Jews."
other historical period, the corn
The principles enunciated by
The lecture will take place
The Jewish Publication So-. mon possession of the people a Maimonides are especially stud- at 8 p.m., Oct. 27, in room
ied in the final volume dealing 101 of Wayne State Univer-
ciety has just issued the revised large."
* * *
with philosophy and science. sity State Hall, Cass and Put-
and enlarged editions of these
concluding books, and Columbia
Prof. Baron's analyses of th e E Conflicts between faith and rea- nam. The lecture series is
effects Jewish scholarship had son are reviewed. Dr. Baron in under the auspices of the
upon the use of the He-brew forms us:
Wayne's Semitic Languages
language are so revealing that
"Maimonides went further and Literature Dept., and is
Volume VII stands out as a than Saadiah in his insistence free and open to the public.
linguistic study.
on the absolute concordance be-
Prof. Baron was born in
We are informed at the outset tween faith and reason. Where Austria in 1895 and received
reason
is
sure
of
its
own
find-
that "the greatest of the Arabic-
his higher education in Vien-
writing Jewish philosophers, ings, he taught, as in regard to na, earning his Ph.D., Pol. Sc.
Ibn Gabirol, Halevi, Maimon- God's incorporeality, all con- D., and Jur. D. while at the
ides, even Saadiah, had a much trary - sounding assertions of University of Vienna. He was
better command of the Hebrew Scripture must be interpreted conferred a rabbinical degree
than of the Arabic tongue . . . figuratively. Only when an argu- from the Vienna Jewish Theo-
As a rule, they wrote their ment is not fully proved, as in logical Seminary.
Arabic books in the Hebrew al- the case of the eternity of the
He has taught at Judisches
phabet and quoted all passages Universe, it 'is not sufficient Padogogium in Vienna, the
reason
for
rejecting
the
literal
from Bible or Talmud in their
Jewish Institute of Religion
originals, without adding an meaning of a biblical text and in New York, and since 1930
explaining
it
figuratively'
—
a
Arabic translation."
task which Maimonides found has occupied the chair of Jew-
.But, as in our time, in spite less difficult, if it were really ish History, Literature and In-
of the importance given to He- needed, than the reinterpreta- stitutions at Columbia Uni-
brew by Jews, linguistic diffi- tion of the 'corporeal' phrases. versity. Since 1950, he has
DR. SALO W. BARON
culties were - recognized. Dr. Not unjustifiedly, indeed, he also been director of the cen-
University Press again has co- Baron writes: "Realizing from was called an adherent of 'the ter of Israeli studies at Colum-
sponsored the publication of the outset that Hebrew prayers single faith theory of the ra- bia. He has also been visiting
professor at Colgate-Rochester
alone could not satisfy the spir- tionalist type.' "
these valuable studies.
school of divinity and the Jew-
Volume VI deals with Laws, itual cravings of the Aramaic
Reason's basic limitations were
ish
Theological Seminary of
and
Greek-speaking
majority
of
Homilies and the Bible. The
recognized, however, even by America.
very interesting Volume VII is world -Jewry, indeed of the very Maimonides, Dr. Baron states:
Prof. Baron has served on
devoted to Hebrew Language populace inhabiting the Pales - in the opinion of Maimonides
and Letters. Philosophy and tino - Babylonian heartland of "the same words have an alto- many cultural and international
Science are covered in the final Jewish life, the ancient sages gether different meaning when commissions, including the
permitted the recitation of pray- applied to God than they have League of Nations and Confer-
volume.
ers in any language."
in the ordinary world of man." ence on Jewish Material Claims
Codification of the Jewish
against Germany. He is the
Dr. Baron shows that students
"The Chosen People" idea is president of the Conference on
legal structure, during the High of the Talmud required expert
Middle Ages-500-1200—and the lexicographical guidance and he also reviewed thoroughly here.
Special attention is given in
enrichment of Jewish theologi- reveals that the first recorded
cal scholarship are evaluated in Hebrew dictionary in the High the concluding volume to the
Volume VI. Codification of laws, Middle Ages "was entirely de- Jewish scientists of that age—
to the mathematicians, astrono-
the works of Maimonides, Saa- voted to talmudic terms."
mers and physicians.
diah Gaon and others, are re-
The development of grammat-
viewed in this scholarly work.
The development of the lunar
The reader will learn that re- ical science and the linguistic calendar is part of a fascinating
renascence
of
Hebrew
are
sub-
forms In ritual Jewish services
study in this book. Dr. BarOn
were not unknown in the time jected to deep study in this explains how the 19-yea• cycle
book.
of Maimoriides. Dr. Baron re-
with seven intercalations was
Prof. Baron states that Juda- adopted and he describes the
lates that Maimonides was im-
pressed with the decoruni in ism did not surrender its iden- stabilization of the Hebrew cal-
Arab services "and the ridicule tity in the amalgam of races and endar.
heaped by Muslims on Jewish cultures of that time, that, on
Geography and ethnology is
chatting and disrespectful turn- the contrary, when Judaism "ac- another interesting subject in
ing away from the prescribed cepted the _Arabic speech and this historical analysis. Maimo-
orientation towards Jerusalem," wrote its literature in Arabic, nides, we learn, evinced little
and he proposed a major litur- it permeated them so deeply interest in these two scientific
gical reform: "Instead of having with its Hebraic spirit that only subjects.
the reader, in accord with a the continuity of sojourn in an
Acting under many restraints,
long-hallOwed tradition, repeat Arabic - speaking environment we are told, "medieval Jewish
aloud the Amidah after its si- prevented this blend from be- scientists made sign-al contribu-
lent recitation by the congre- coming an independent new tions to human, especially West-
gants, a practice often found language and literature. Judeo- ern knowledge."
boring and conductive to in- Arabic, as spoken by the masses
The contributions made by
attentiveness, he introduced a and even as written by some
single joint recitation aloud by of the most educated Jews, was Jews to medicine,_as outlined
reader and congregation. On distinguishable enough from here, are most revealing. Special
Maimonides' authority this re- both the local dialects and the reference is made to the sacri-
fices for the art of healing made
form, though running counter classical Arabic."
by Maimonides and to his gifts
to both talmudic law and age-
Discussing "worship," Dr. Ba-
old custom, was widely accepted ron states that "the only scholar in that field.
"Arabian Jewish Enlighten-
in Egypt and Palestine, until it after Saadiah to exercise a last-
was abrogated three centuries ing influence an the liturgical ment," Prof. Baron concludes,
later by David ibn abi Zimra, evolution of the Jewish commu- "was ultimately cut short, large-
who pointed out the futility of nities in the Muslim world was ly for external reasons . . . But,
all such measures to mitigate Maimonides. But he achieved while it lasted, it brought forth
Arab fault-finding with Jews this effect precisely because he some magnificent contributions
to Jewish and human learning.
and Judaism."
did not produce an independent In this great transitional period
Today, many congregations prayer book." Maimonides ac- between the ancient and modern
are reverting to the reform that cepted Saadiah's rules and tried civilizations, which goes under
to revert to the bare essentials the somewhat misleading names
was favored by Maimonides.
Prof. Baron explains in his laid down in the Talmud and of the Renaissance of Islam or
work how Jewish culture be- together with his son, Abraham, the Twelfth - Century Renais-
came richer and more multicol- "doubtless dreamed of complete- sance, Jews injected significant
ored during the High Middle ly unifying the liturgy of Egyp- ingredients of their own. If,
Ages. He points out that "Jew-: tian Jewry under the aegis of moreover, the major function
ish intellectual leadership was the new Code." But even Mai- of medieval culture from the
largely recruited from among monides and his son "did not standpoint of world history was
the leading jurists of each age." see eye to eye in liturgical mat- to preserve, elaborate, and trans-
ters."
mit to the modern world the
The extent of exegetical-
Synagogue chants a•re among main achievements of the an-
apologetic literature is reviewed
in Volume VI. Dr. Baron also the interesting related subjects cient civilizations in both East
and West, the Jews certainly
points out that after the con- discussed in this volume.
The poetry and belles-lettres, played an important role in this
clusion of the Talmud (500-850),
Jewish intellectual leadership the book and libraries of that process, far more important in-
laid the foundations upon which era, are subjects for interesting deed than was warranted by
the- vocal and creative genera- discussion in Dr. Baron's his- their relatively small numbers."
In his highly-scholarly eighth
tions of the following three and tory. The inspirational poems of
a half centuries (850-1200) cre- Yehudah Halevi, the sacred po- volume "Social and Religious
ated the magnificent structure etry that was incorporated in History of the Jews," Prof. Ba-
of medieval Jewish biblical liturgy, the romances and par- ron proves this important point.
Jewish Relations, founder and
president of the Jewish Cultural
Reconstruction, Inc., president
of American Jewish Historical
Society and other groups.
His published works include
A Social and Religious His-
tory of the Jews, originally
published in three volumes and
now in a revised and en-
larged edition of eight volumes,
the final three of which has
just been published; Biblio-
graphy of Jewish Community:
Its History and Structure to
the American Revolution; Mod-
ern Nationalism and Religion.
He has also served as editor
of the following publications:
Freedom and Reason; Judaism,
Postbiblical and Talmudic Per-
iod; Essays on Maimonides;
Jewish Social Studies; and
Jerusalem: City Holy and Eter-
nal.
Prof. Baron will be intro-
duced by Judge Theodore
Levin.
$100,00 Gift Retires
U. of Judaism Mortgage
LOS ANGELES (JTA)—Sam-
uel Fryer, California industrial-
ist and philanthropist, has made
gifts totaling $100,000 to help
retire the mortgage on the new
ten-story building of the Uni-
versity of Judaism, according
to Dr. Simon Greenberg, presi-
dent of the academic center.
The University is the West
Coast branch of the Theological
Seminary of America, educa-
tional arm of the Conservative
movement.
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