When did Gershom Scholem live?

Gershom Scholem was born in 1897 and died in 1982.

Where was Gershom Scholem from?

Gershom Scholem was a German-Israeli philosopher of the Contemporary era.

What philosophical movements is Gershom Scholem associated with?

Gershom Scholem was associated with Jewish Philosophy and Continental Philosophy.

How many quotes are attributed to Gershom Scholem?

There are 8 attributed quotations from Gershom Scholem in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.

Gershom Scholem 1897 – 1982

Gershom Scholem (1897 – 1982) was a German-Israeli philosopher of the Contemporary era, associated with Jewish Philosophy and Continental Philosophy.

Gerhard, later Gershom, Scholem was a German-Israeli philosopher, historian, and the founder of the academic study of Jewish mysticism. Born in Berlin and committed from his teens to a rigorous Zionist and Jewish intellectual life, he emigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1923 and founded the chair of Jewish Mysticism at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, Sabbatai Sevi, and Origins of the Kabbalah recovered an enormous body of suppressed and forgotten Jewish religious literature, while his long correspondence with Walter Benjamin and his essays on tradition, messianism, and modernity made him one of the great Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century.

Key facts

Nationality: German-Israeli
Era: Contemporary
Movements: Jewish Philosophy, Continental Philosophy

Selected quotes

Attributed to Gershom Scholem:

“Mysticism stands at the heart of every living religion.”
Attributed to Gershom Scholem:

“Kabbalah is the secret history of Judaism.”
Attributed to Gershom Scholem:

“Tradition is not the dead repetition of the past, but its living interpretation.”
Attributed to Gershom Scholem:

“Messianism is the most dangerous and the most fruitful element in Judaism.”
Attributed to Gershom Scholem:

“To recover a tradition is also to remake it.”

Read all Gershom Scholem quotes

Gershom Scholem by topic

Frequently asked about Gershom Scholem

When did Gershom Scholem live?: Gershom Scholem was born in 1897 and died in 1982.
Where was Gershom Scholem from?: Gershom Scholem was a German-Israeli philosopher of the Contemporary era.
What philosophical movements is Gershom Scholem associated with?: Gershom Scholem was associated with Jewish Philosophy and Continental Philosophy.
What was Gershom Scholem known for?: Gerhard, later Gershom, Scholem was a German-Israeli philosopher, historian, and the founder of the academic study of Jewish mysticism.
How many quotes are attributed to Gershom Scholem?: There are 8 attributed quotations from Gershom Scholem in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.