Jerusalem or On Religious Power and Judaism [antikvár]

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACEThere exist three previous translations of Moses Mendelssohn's Jerusalem into English: M. Samuels (London, 1838), I. Leaser (Philadelphia, 1853), and A. Jospe (New York, 1969). The merit of these translations is not in dispute and is gratefully acknowledged. However, a new, more philosophically exact rendition of Jerusalem is an urgent desideratum. Recent progress in Mendelssohn research has sharpened our awareness of the subtle shades of meaning in the text. The precision in terminology which characterizes the entire work has become manifest.The present translation is based on the editio princeps (Berlin, 1783). Its aim is complete fidelity to the text without detriment to the character of the English language. The temptation to "improve" the clarity of Mendelssohn's thought' by paraphrasing it has been carefully resisted. No attempt has been made to make Mendelssohn sound contemporary. The reader is entitled to a translation that authentically reflects a distinguished eighteenth-century text in all its preciseness. It is for the reader to judge whether this goal has been achieved.allan arkushINTRODUCTIONI^^s the subtitle of the work indicates, Moses Mendelssohn's Xjk Jerusalem (Berlin, 1783) consists of two sections, one Xdiscussing the question of "Religious Power," the other/^ outlining his conception of "Judaism." What bindsthese two seemingly disparate parts together is the aim of the book as a whole, Mendelssohn's endeavor to show that there is no contradiction between his earlier rejection of "religious power" and his continued adherence to "Judaism." Jerusalem reaflBrms (in Section I) his strong conviction that neither religion nor the state is authorized to coerce the consciences of men, and seeks to show (in Section II) that Judaism honors this principle. In order to substantiate this claim, he offers an analysis of the various aspects that compose the Jewish religion. In so doing he presents the first attempt at a philosophy of Judaism in the modern period and places it squarely within the context of an important issue of his time, the relation of church and state. The boldness with which Mendelssohn stated his plea for liberty of conscience, unrestricted toleration, and civic equality irrespective of creed makes Jerusalem a classical document of the new age that was ushered in by the American Revolution and was about to stir in France, while Germany was a mere onlooker. Count Mirabeau, writing about Mendelssohn's work in