A STUDY ON THE COMPARISON OF MOSES MENDELSSOHN AND MARTIN LUTHER

Year 2014, , 554 - 570, 02.07.2014

Seda Özmen

https://doi.org/10.15869/itobiad.49227

Abstract

German Jewish Philosopher Mendelssohn, who lived in the 18th century developing a vision for the modernization of jewish religious, ushered in a new age in European Jewish History. Seen as an obstacle to Mendelssohn’s modernization criticized religious authority and literature which it is based. For his reason, has been claimed that Mendelssohn and his movement separated from the line of traditional Judaism has taken a reformist character and have compared some people also like Heinrich Heine Mendelssohn to Luther, who started Christian reform movement. The study while taking care of the two figure's similar aspects in point of attitudes towards religious authority and the emphasis on the Bible, by not neglecting to important differences is trying to reveal how accurate such a comparison to be made between two figures.

Keywords

Mendelssohn; Luther; religious authority; Bible; reform

MOSES MENDELSSOHN VE MARTİN LUTHER’İN KARŞILAŞTIRILMASINA DAİR BİR İNCELEME

Abstract

18. yüzyılda yaşayan Alman Yahudi filozof Moses Mendelssohn Yahudi dinine yönelik bir modernizasyon görüşü geliştirerek, Avrupa Yahudi tarihinde yeni bir dönem başlatmıştır. Mendelssohn modernizasyonu önünde engel olarak gördüğü dini otorite ve onun dayandığı dini literatüre yönelik eleştirilerde bulunmuştur. Bu sebeple Mendelssohn ve hareketinin geleneksel Yahudilik çizgisinden ayrılarak reformist bir karaktere büründüğü iddia edilmiş ve Heinrich Heine gibi bazıları da Mendelssohn’u Hıristiyan reform hareketini başlatan Martin Luther’e benzetmiştir. Çalışma, dini otoriteye karşı sergilenen tutum ve Kutsal Kitab’a yapılan vurgu noktasında iki şahsiyetin benzer yönlerine dikkat çekerken, önemli farklılıkları da ihmal etmeyerek böyle bir karşılaştırmanın ne derece isabetli olduğunu ortaya koymaya çalışmaktadır. 

Keywords

Mendelssohn; Luther; dini otorite; Kutsal Kitap; reform

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