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Der Nazarener als Universalgelehrter: Sebastian Münsters 'Messiasdialog' im Spannungsfeld von humanistischer Wissenschaft und antijüdischer Rhetorik des 16. Jahrhunderts
JournalArticle (Originalarbeit in einer wissenschaftlichen Zeitschrift)
Der Nazarener als Universalgelehrter: Sebastian Münsters 'Messiasdialog' im Spannungsfeld von humanistischer Wissenschaft und antijüdischer Rhetorik des 16. Jahrhunderts
Journal
Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte
Volume
69
Number
1
Pages / Article-Number
73-91
Keywords
Sebastian Münster, Messiasdialog, Disputationen, Juden
Abstract
In 1529, and again in 1539, Sebastian Münster published his Messiahs of the Christians and the Jews , a fictional dispute between a Christian and a Jew. It elaborates theological questions, including why Jews would not acknowledge Jesus as the true Messiah. Historians have commonly interpreted the dialogue as another early modern anti-Jewish polemic, as well as an apologetic response on Münster's part to distance himself from accusations that he relied too heavily on Jewish texts. This article, however, proposes a new interpretation, as Münster depicts his Christian protagonist (the Nazarene) as a rational humanist with a particular understanding of knowledge. His approach to Judaism, as well as his critique of his Jewish adversary, is thus guided by ideas of scientific thought and Renaissance humanism. Münster establishes the dialogue, and his critique, in accordance with his own intellect and interests, including astronomy, Hebraism, and cosmography. Whereas Münster embraces and often praises the works of Jewish scholars and thinkers including David Kimchi, Abraham ibn Ezra, and Nachmanides in his published work, he uses the dialogue to address aspects of Jewish knowledge that he considers incorrect or even ridiculous. His Messiahs can thus be understood as a dispute over knowledge rather than over religious doctrines. Münster's critique is not specifically addressed at Judaism, but at what he considers an incorrect concept of knowledge.
