Constantin Brunner (1862-1937) was the pen-name of the German Jewish philosopher Leopold Wertheimer, born 27 August 1862 in Altona (near Hamburg). He came from a prominent Jewish family that had lived in the vicinity of Hamburg for generations; his grandfather, Akiba Wertheimer, was chief Rabbi of Altona and Schleswig-Holstein. He lived in Germany until 1933, when, with the rise to power of the Nazi party, he moved to The Hague. From the archives of the International Constantin Brunner Institute This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity; and often a combination of these attributes. ... August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Position of Hamburg in Germany Hamburgs central broadway Jungfernstieg at the Alster lake, between 1900 and 1914 This article is about the city in Germany. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) 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 the ancient Judean schools the sages were addressed as רִבִּי (Ribbi or Rebbi... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Nazi swastika symbol The National Socialist German Workers Party ( German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ...

Doctrine

In its essence, Brunner's thought is holist. It proceeds from the assumption of the oneness of all being. In scientific terms, this unity is manifest in the universal complex of causal relationships. Brunner put forward a doctrine of three modes of thought. First, practical understanding comprises those mental activities which contribute toward the maintenance of our physical well-being. This includes scientific knowledge. When we reflect scientifically on the world around us, we ultimately perceive that it consists of a complex of causally-related phenomena. This is the sense in which Brunner speaks of "The One". Holism (from holon, a Greek word meaning entity) is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. ...

Brunner asserts that by modifying our practical understanding to include this fact of absolute unity, we can significantly improve our practical understanding, and hence the quality of our lives. This contextualizing of our lives within absolute unity Brunner calls spiritual thought. Brunner maintains, however, that few people are interested in any such modification because it means relativizing our own egos and interests. Instead, most people seek to absolutize their egos and interests, a mode of false thinking that Brunner calls superstition. Schema of Constantin Brunners doctrine. ...

Each of the three modes of thought consists of three specificates. In the practical understanding, the specificates are feeling, knowing and willing. In spiritual life, these specificates are modified to become, respectively, art, philosophy and mysticism (love). Superstition distorts the specificates of spiritual life, transforming them into religion, metaphysics and moralism.

Brunner and Judaism

The opposition between the spiritual and the religious is a major theme in Brunner's work. He contends that Judaism is essentially anti-religious, stating in Our Christ that "Judaism as a spiritual doctrine is the opposite of religion and a protest against it", and culminates his argument with his own translation of the Shema: "Hear O Israel, Being is our god, Being is one". He juxtaposes priestly and rabbinical to prophetic Judaism, stating that the latter represents the true mystical essence in opposition to the former which represent superstition: "Prophetic Judaism is not a religion. That which makes it into Judaism consists of something which no religion possesses: the revelatory character of mysticism." Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish people. ... Shema Yisrael (or Shma Yisroel or just Shma) (Hebrew: שמע ישראל; Hear, [O] Israel) are the first two words of a section of the Torah (Hebrew Bible) that is used as a centerpiece of all morning and evening Jewish prayer services and closely echoes the monotheistic message of Judaism. ...

Brunner and Christianity

For Brunner, Jesus represents the greatest representative of what he calls "die Geistigen". The English translation of this term is hotly debated among Brunnerians. In Our Christ it is given as "the spiritual elite." This spiritual elite is contrasted with what Brunner calls "das Volk", who constitute the vast majority of mankind. Brunner's doctrine of the spiritual elite is essentially a doctrine of genius. Thus he argues that Jesus is the greatest of geniuses. Brunner relies heavily on Spinoza in all matters, including Christology. This 11th-century portrait is one of many images of Jesus in which a halo with a cross is used. ... A genius is a person with distinguished mental prowess. ... Benedictus de Spinoza (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677), was named Baruch Spinoza by his synagogue elders and known as Bento de Spinoza or Bento dEspiñoza in his native Amsterdam. ... Christology is that part of Christian theology that studies and defines who Jesus the Christ was and is. ...

Brunner argues that Jesus' conception of what he calls "the Father" corresponds to what Brunner calls "das Denkende". The translation of this term is also debated. In Our Christ it is rendered as "the Cogitant". It corresponds to the formless, imageless essence of being which we attain to through mystical apperception. The spiritual elite are those who have a clear apperception of this essence. Most people have little or no ability or desire to work toward this clarity, adhering instead to a view of the absolute based on their sense impressions. For Brunner, Judaism is an anti-religion, a protest against religion with its absolutizing of the relative. Jesus is the purest example of this protest, living as he did completely within the clarity of his mystical apperception.

Brunner contextualizes Jesus' execution in his doctrine of genius by showing how the leaders of the people have consistently acted throughout history to silence geniuses. Brunner expresses the hope that his doctrine, by making explicit the distinction between geniuses and common people, will at last end the war between them. Geniuses will stop trying to turn common people into geniuses, and common people will stop trying to turn geniuses into common people.

This doctrine of the spiritual elite and the people is radically at odds with contemporary egalitarianism. It is a matter of ongoing debate among Brunnerians how to deal with this. It is clear that Brunner put it forward as a "constructive fiction" which would underlie the human sciences just as the constructive fiction of an indivisible particle underlies physics and chemistry. Brunner's doctrine of the spiritual elite and the people does assist to explain some previously inexplicable social and psychological phenomena, Jesus not least. Egalitarianism is the moral doctrine that equality ought to prevail throughout society. ...

As for Christianity, Brunner sees it as a process of distortion by which Jesus becomes de-Judaized and divinized through the massive influx of Gentiles. Finally, he calls for Jews to reclaim Jesus as their own highest exemplar, stating that "Christ was the embodiment of Judaism." Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ...

Brunner and Israel

Throughout his life, Brunner was anti-Zionist, arguing that Jews should assimilate into the nations in which they lived. However, there is evidence that he was reconsidering his opposition to the founding of an Israeli state toward the end of his life in light of events in Europe (see Assimilation und Nationalismus: ein Brefwechsel mit Constantin Brunner / Willy Aron). Anti-Zionism is a term used to describe several different political and religious points of view. ...

The spiritual elite

Brunner's essential aim was to found a community of spiritually-minded people. He left the practical questions relating to this project deliberately unanswered. His devotees continue to puzzle over how to carry out this goal.

Influence and relevance

In Confessions of a European Intellectual Franz Schoenberner described Brunner as "one of the more important figures" in Europe along with Max Reinhardt, Gerhart Hauptmann, Maximilian Harden, Richard Wagner, and Leo Tolstoy. Brunner corresponded with Walther Rathenau, Martin Buber, Gustav Landauer and Lou Andreas-Salome. Albert Einstein read Brunner but, while appreciating his critical insight and sharing his devotion to Spinoza, rejected his philosophy, particularly where it stood opposed to Kant (see Einstein-Aron correspondence, Albert Einstein Archives, Hebrew University in Jerusalem). There are two Max Reinhardts: Max Reinhardt (theatre director) Max Reinhardt (publisher) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Gerhart Hauptmann Gerhart Hauptmann (November 15, 1862 - June 6, 1946), German dramatist, was born on at Obersalzbrunn in Silesia, the son of an hotel-keeper. ... Maximilian Harden in 1914 Maximilian Harden (a pen name; he was born Witkowski) was an influential German journalist who published the journal Die Zukunft, at the beginning of the 20th century. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 in Leipzig – February 13, 1883 in Venice) was an influential German composer, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his groundbreaking symphonic-operas (or music dramas). His compositions are notable for their continuous contrapuntal texture, rich harmonies and orchestration, and elaborate use... Lev Tolstoy, pictured late in life Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy   listen? (Russian: Лев Никола́евич Толсто́й; commonly referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy) (September 9, 1828 – November 20, 1910; August 28, 1828 – November 7, 1910, O.S.) was a Russian novelist, social reformer, Christian anarchist, vegetarian, moral thinker and an influential member of... Walter Rathenau Walther Rathenau (September 29, 1867–June 24, 1922) was a German industrialist and politician who served as Foreign Minister of Germany. ... Martin Buber (8 February 1878 - 13 June 1965) was a renowned Jewish philosopher, story-teller, and pedagogue. ... Gustav Landauer ( 7 April 1870 in Karlsruhe, Germany — 2 May 1919 in Munich, Germany) was a German Jewish anarchist and revolutionary who was involved in establishing the short-lived Bayerische Räterepublik (Bavarian Soviet Republic) and serving as its Commissioner of Enlightenment and Public Instruction in April of 1919. ... Lou Andreas-Salome Lou Andreas-Salomé (née Louise von Salomé) (February 12, 1861 – February 5, 1937) was a Russian-born intellectual, author of many books [1], psychoanalyst [2], libertine, and companion to many male and some female artists and authors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ... Albert Einstein, by Yousuf Karsh Albert Einsteins letter to President Roosevelt in 1939 about his concerns Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist of Swiss and American citizenship, who is widely regarded as the greatest scientist of the 20th century. ... Benedictus de Spinoza (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677), was named Baruch Spinoza by his synagogue elders and known as Bento de Spinoza or Bento dEspiñoza in his native Amsterdam. ... Immanuel Kant (April 22, 1724 – February 12, 1804) was a German philosopher and geographer from Prussia, generally regarded as one of Europes most influential thinkers and the last major philosopher of the Enlightenment. ...

With the Second World War, Brunner's books were burned and his devotees scattered. His German disciple Magdalena Kasch managed to save the bulk of Brunner's writing from destruction by the Nazis. In 1948, she, with the help of some of Brunner's other surviving friends, founded the "Internationaal Constantin Brunner Instituut" (ICBI) in the Hague. However, after the war there was no major revival of interest in his work, despite the efforts of such luminaries as Yehudi Menuhin and André Breton. Fritz Kreisler (sitting) with Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Lord Menuhin of Stoke dAbernon , OM, KBE (April 22, 1916. ... André Breton (February 18, 1896 – September 28, 1966) was a French writer, poet, and surrealist theorist. ...

External links

• Constantin Brunner Forum
• Constantin Brunner Info