Alexander Altmann (1906–1987)

Alexander Altmann (April 16, 1906–June 6, 1987) was an Orthodox Jewish scholar and rabbi born in Kassa, Hungary. He emigrated to England in 1938 and later settled in the United States, working productively for a decade and a half as a professor within the Philosophy Department at Brandeis University. He is best known for his studies of the thought of Moses Mendelssohn. April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts (The Oral Law) and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. ... For the town in Italy, see Rabbi, Italy Rabbi (Sephardic Hebrew רִבִּי ribbÄ«; Ashkenazi Hebrew רֶבִּי rebbÄ« or rebbÉ™; and modern Israeli רַבִּי rabbÄ«) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished (in... ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Brandeis University is a private university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. ... Moses Mendelssohn Moses Mendelssohn (September 6, 1729 – January 4, 1786) was a German Jewish philosopher. ...

Biography

Alexander Altmann was the son of the Chief Rabbi of Trier, one of the oldest Jewish communities in Germany. Altmann received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Berlin in 1931, writing his dissertation on the philosophy of Max Scheler, and was ordained rabbi by the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary of Berlin in the same year. From 1931 to 1938 he served as rabbi in Berlin and professor of Jewish philosophy at the Seminary. After fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938, Altmann served as communal rabbi in Manchester, England from 1938 to 1959. There, in addition to his responsibilities as a community leader, he continued to independently pursue his scholarly studies, publishing in 1946 a translation and commentary of Saadia's Beliefs and Opinions. The city of Trier (Latin: Augusta Treverorum; French: ; Luxembourgish Tréier; Italian: ; Spanish: ) is situated on the western bank of the Moselle River in a valley between low vine-covered hills of ruddy sandstone. ... There is no institution called the University of Berlin, but there are four universities in Berlin, Germany: Humboldt University of Berlin (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) Technical University of Berlin (Technische Universität Berlin) Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin) Berlin University of the Arts (Universität der... Known for his work in phenomenology and philosophical anthropology, famous for his phenomenological insights, Scheler developed further the philosophical method of the founder of phenomenology, Edmund Husserl, and was called by Ortega-y-Gasset the first man of the philosophical paradise. ... The Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary (Rabbiner Seminar für das Orthodoxe Judenthum) was founded in Berlin on 22 October 1873 by Rabbi Dr. Azriel Hildesheimer for the training of rabbis in the tradition of Orthodox Judaism. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Jewish philosophy refers to the conjunction between serious study of philosophy and Jewish theology. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough within Greater Manchester in North West England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Saadia may refer to: Saadia Gaon (892-942), the Hebrew name of Said al-Fayyumi, a prominent Jewish exilarch, philosopher, and exegete. ...

His scholarly activities ultimately led him to found and direct the Institute of Jewish Studies from 1953 to 1958, which at the time was an independent institution. He there edited the Journal of Jewish Studies and Scripta Judaica and authored his work on Isaac Israeli. After securing the future of the Institute of Jewish Studies by bringing it under the auspices of the University College London, in 1959 he left England to join the faculty of Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. Aged 53 at this time and the author of almost 100 publications, the Brandeis appointment was for Altmann his first university position (Mendes-Flohr 1998). He served at Brandeis as the Philip W. Lown Professor of Jewish Philosophy and History of Ideas beginning in 1959 and until his promotion to Professor Emeritus and subsequent retirement in 1976. Isaac Israeli (circa 850-950) was a philosopher. ... University College London, commonly known as UCL, is one of the colleges that make up the University of London. ... Brandeis University is a private university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. ... Waltham on the banks of the Charles river Often called the true birthplace of the industrial revolution, Waltham is a city located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. ...

From 1976 to 1978 he was a visiting professor at Harvard and at Hebrew University, and from 1978 until his death he was an Associate at the Harvard University Center for Jewish Studies. During his entire residence in the Boston area (Newton Centre, to be precise), he always made his home a meeting place for Jewish scholars and students (Ivry 1998), often hosting them for Sabbath meals. Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים) is one of Israels biggest and most important institutes of higher learning and research. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ...   Nickname: The Garden City Settled: 1639 â€“ Incorporated: 1688 Zip Code(s): 02446, 02458, 02459, 02460, 02461, 02462, 02464, 02465, 02467, 02468, 02495 â€“ Area Code(s): 617 / 857 Official website: http://www. ... This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ...

Works

Title page of Moses Mendelssohn: A Biographical Study, by Alexander Altmann (University of Alabama Press, 1973).

In his long academic career, Altmann produced a number of important works in German, English, and Hebrew, some of which are listed below. For a brief period of time in his early career he involved himself with the construction of a Jewish theology, but this work was left unfinished, and his primary interests turned to medieval Jewish philosophy and mysticism, and particularly the work of the iconoclastic Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. A complete bibliography of his nearly 250 published works is presented in Altman (1998). The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The word Hebrew most likely means to cross over, referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. ... Jewish philosophy refers to the conjunction between serious study of philosophy and Jewish theology. ... This article is about traditional Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). ... Moses Mendelssohn Moses Mendelssohn (September 6, 1729 – January 4, 1786) was a German Jewish philosopher. ...

• Saadya Gaon: Book of Doctrines and Beliefs (abridged edition translated from the Arabic with an introduction and notes), in Three Jewish Philosophers, Atheneum, New York, 1969
• Isaac Israeli: A Neoplatonic Philosopher of the Early Tenth Century, Oxford University Press, 1958, reprinted, Greenwood Press, 1979.
• Biblical Motifs: Origins and Transformations, Harvard University Press, 1966.
• Moses Mendelssohn's Fruehschriften zur Metaphysik, Mohr (Tuebingen, Germany), 1969.
• Studies in Religious Philosophy and Mysticism, Cornell University Press, 1969.
• Moses Mendelssohn: A Biographical Study, University of Alabama Press, 1973.
• Essays in Jewish Intellectual History, University Press of New England for Brandeis University Press, 1981.
• Essays in Judaism (in Hebrew), Tel-Aviv, 1982.

Isaac Israeli (circa 850-950) was a philosopher. ... Moses Mendelssohn Moses Mendelssohn (September 6, 1729 – January 4, 1786) was a German Jewish philosopher. ...

References

• Contemporary Authors entry on Alexander Altmann
• Ivry, Alfred L. (1998), "Preface" in Alfred L. Ivry, Elliot R. Wolfson & Allan Arkush, ed., Perspectives on Jewish Thought and Mysticism: Proceedings of the International Conference held by The Institute of Jewish Studies, University College London, 1994, in Celebration of its Fortieth Anniversary, Australia: Harwood Academic Publishers.
• Altman, Manfred (1998), "Bibliography of the published writings of Alexander Altmann" in Alfred L. Ivry, Elliot R. Wolfson & Allan Arkush, ed., Perspectives on Jewish Thought and Mysticism: Proceedings of the International Conference held by The Institute of Jewish Studies, University College London, 1994, in Celebration of its Fortieth Anniversary, Australia: Harwood Academic Publishers.
• Mendes-Flohr, Paul (1998), "Jewish scholarship as a vocation" in Alfred L. Ivry, Elliot R. Wolfson & Allan Arkush, ed., Perspectives on Jewish Thought and Mysticism: Proceedings of the International Conference held by The Institute of Jewish Studies, University College London, 1994, in Celebration of its Fortieth Anniversary, Australia: Harwood Academic Publishers.